Blood Elf
"Try as I might, I simply cannot get through to these Elves. The locals call them Blood Elves, or 'Alusfaen-Tel-Quessir' in Elvish, and, supposedly, they suffer from an ancient curse. Whatever the case, they are fiercly aggressive, so despite my best efforts to open a dialogue, I fear I may have to leave these lands having learned nothing."Blood Elves are unlike any other subrace of Elf. They carry a curse in their veins, a blight that rots them from the inside-out, divine retribution for the crime of wielding blood magic. This curse twists their bodies into grisly caricatures of the stereotypical Elf, their standing amongst others ruined by a betrayal of their own bodies.
Appearance
The Blood Elves are strikingly different to their cousins. Their skin is pallid, almost sickly-looking, with emaciated frames and crimson, pupil-less like a bloody void. Their hair, while often either a deep crimson or pale white, can occasionally bear similar colouration to what it was before the Elf's transformation into a Blood Elf.Disciples of the Blood Witch
Blood Elves are not a natural occurrence. They arise whenever an Elf dares to wield blood magic, the perversion of nature cursing their blood for all eternity, even passing it to their offspring. The first of the Blood Elves was Ramiel, the Blood Witch. Once one of the most powerful sorceresses in Asylum, she was betrayed by the kingdom she had dutifully served for two-hundred years. Ramiel was severed from the Weave and cast into the wilds. Completely powerless, she travelled the world in search of a way of reclaiming her lost power. After a hundred years, she found it; the dark art of blood magic. By using her own life force as fuel, she could bypass a need to connect to the Weave and wield magic greater than ever before. But this came at a price. In using the dark art, her body became corrupted, twisted by the foul nature of the magic she was using. She became the first Blood Elf. When she returned and conquered her former home, others flocked to learn blood magic. The Elves among them, like Ramiel, found their bodies transformed in the process. But this curse was also passed to their children, scarring them for eternity, as a result of the greed of their forebears.Aggressive Isolation
Unlike others, most Elves reject the ancestral teachings of The Traveller. By their nature, they are ostracised and persecuted by others, especially other Elves. As a result, many of them retreat into secluded bastions. These bastions are typically home to other Blood Elves, but also other wielders of blood magic seeking to escape law and judgement. The Blood Elves are fiercely defensive of their homes, for fear of being persecuted. Some Blood Elves even go as far as to become stewards of powerful Vampires and similar creatures, in hopes of gaining their protection.Cursed Lineage
The cursed that resides in the blood of all Blood Elves has a few major effects; firstly, it twists and changes their appearance into something heinous and sinister. Their skin turns a sickly pale colour, and their eyes turn crimson red as if filled with blood. Their bones also become brittle, with their teeth wearing into sharpened fangs. Secondly, the curse drastically reduces the lifespan of a Blood Elf, from the typical 200 years for other Elves, to only 120, as their body rots from the inside-out. Lastly, it grants the Elf the ability to drain the life force from their enemies, a trait which is partially responsible for their terrifying reputation. Additionally, those Elves that dedicate time to studying the secrets of their curse can unlock dark magics from it, granting them a modicum of spellcasting.Blood Elf Traits
Blood Elves are a homebrew subrace, and use the following racial traits, in addition to those shared by other Elves. Ability Score Incrase. Your Constitution score increases by 1. Blood Stalker. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) rolls you make to find or detect any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points. Consume Essence. When a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to consume it’s blood, regaining hit points equal to your proficiency bonus. Blood Elf Magic. The cursed blood running in your veins bestows you with a modicum of magic. You learn the sapping sting cantrip. Starting at 5th level, you can cast the vampiric touch spell with this trait. Once you cast vampiric touch with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast this spell using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this subrace).
Statistics
| Size | Medium |
| Type | Humanoid |
| Alignment | Typically Evil |
| Traits |
General Information
| Location(s) | Varies |
| Language(s) | Common, Sylvan |
| Alias(es) | Bleeding Elves Pale Elves Blood Mongers |
| Common Classes | Cleric, Ranger, Sorcerer (Blood Magic) |
Physical Information
| Vision | Darkvision |
| Lifespan | ~120 years |
| Height | 4'7' - 6'1' |
| Weight | 62 - 142 pounds |
| Abilities | Innate Magic Necrotic Resistance |
