Half-Elf
Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves. Some half-elves live among humans, set apart by their emotional and physical differences, watching friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as children. Many half-elves, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.
Of Two Worlds
To humans, half-elves look like elves, and to elves, they look human. In height, they’re on par with both parents, though they’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad as humans. They range from under 5 feet to about 6 feet tall, and from 100 to 180 pounds, with men only slightly taller and heavier than women. Half-elf men do have facial hair, and sometimes grow beards to mask their elven ancestry. Half-elven coloration and features lie somewhere between their human and elf parents, and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either race. They tend to have the eyes of their elven parents.Diplomats or Wanderers
Half-elves have no lands of their own, though they are welcome in human cities and somewhat less welcome in elven forests. In large cities in regions where elves and humans interact often, half-elves are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other half-elves, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds. In most parts of the world, though, half-elves are uncommon enough that one might live for years without meeting another. Some half-elves prefer to avoid company altogether, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in contrast, throw themselves into the thick of society, putting their charisma and social skills to great use in diplomatic roles or as swindlers.Young Race, Old Roots
In the distant past, half-elves were scarce because humans and elves came into contact only infrequently. It is only in the past thousand years or so, as the races have intermingled more and more, that the number of half-elves has increased so that they are now found throughout Avalor. Now, half-elves are fairly common in more Avalor's more cosmopolitan cities. Not surprisingly, half-elves enjoy the company of others of their kind, such that where half-elves congregate, they are likely to be joined by others. Half-elves of moon elf heritage are very common along the northern coast of the Sea of Riches, particularly in the Republic of Caspia, where a multitude of famous artists and local politicians have elven blood. On rare occasions, aquatic half-elves will prop up along the coasts of the Great Ocean, confirming bards' tales of beautiful denizens of the sea seducing lonely humans. Drow half-elves are most numerous on the continent of Cyril, where the presence of the Darkgrove has caused the intermingling of drow with humans, and in the Underdark, where House Ousstyl of Menzoberranzan is particularly infamous for having mated with humans.Half-Elf Names
Half-elves are a diverse lot, given the number of combinations of elf subraces and human ethnicities in their ranks. Most of them consider their dual nature a blessing more than a disadvantage, because it gives them a set of capabilities and a perspective on the world that full-blooded humans and elves can't hope to match. At the same time, the mixed heritage of half-elves dictates that they make an effort to fit in with humans or elves when possible. For instance, half-elves born and raised in human settlements tend to have human names, while half-elves in elven communities generally have elven names. In some places half-elf children are named according to the "other" parent, or with a mix of human and elven names, as a way of setting half-elves apart from the rest of their community.Half-Elf Traits
Your half-elf character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique to half-elves. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1. Age. Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years. Alignment. Half-elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable. Size. Half-elves are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Darkvision. Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep. Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice.Half-Elf Variants
Some half-elves in Avalor have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take the elf trait Keen Senses or a trait based on your elf parentage:- A half-elf of wood elf descent can choose the wood elf's Elf Weapon Training, Fleet of Foot, or Mask of the Wild.
- A half-elf of high elf descent can choose the high elf's Elf Weapon Training or Cantrip.
- A half-elf of drow descent can choose the drow's Drow Magic.
- A half-elf of sea elf descent can choose a swimming speed of 30 feet.
- A half-elf of pallid elf descent can choose the pallid elf's Blessing of the Moonweaver.
- A half-elf of eladrin descent can choose to be able to cast misty step once per long rest, using Charisma as their spellcasting ability.
- A half-elf of shadar-kai descent can choose the shadar-kai's Necrotic Resistance.
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