Elf

Elves are a number of closely related, long-lived humanoid races. Despite the fact that there are a wide range of different types of elves, most consider themselves as one larger culture, unified through their shared language of Elvish and common history together. Perhaps more importantly, they were all once one race, generally assumed to have been the eladrin.

Description

Although individual elven races exhibit a number of unique traits, there are some features which are common to all of the subraces. Elves tend to be fair, beautiful and graceful, though they are very often frail as well. Elves are also universally long-lived, achieving what they consider adulthood at 110 years of age and living for up to 700 and more years thereafter.
Elves are a relaxed people, with a degree of patience and detachment granted to them by their long lifespans. They are not easily excited and lack the greed that sometimes characterizes other races. Most elves are unconcerned with the events that only affect the short-term and are likewise slow to make friends or enemies since time for them is measured in centuries, not decades. Focused in whatever they apply themselves to, elves ignore the slight but rarely forget the serious.
Because of their long lifespan, most elves have a patience uncommon to other humanoids. They view the lives and concerns of younger races as fleeting and take less joy in the short-term victories that other races have to content themselves with. Instead, elves take pleasure in things that have more endurance, such as the arts or the honing of one's skills.

Subraces

Eladrin

Eladrin are the living ancestors of all other elves. The vast majority of eladrin still live in the Feywild, and were an embodiment of the extreme emotions that existed amongst all fey. They were capable of changing their physical appearance and powers according to their mood, assuming characteristics of the seasons. Eladrin in the spring state were joyful and playful, fond of mischief and playing pranks on other creatures. They were often oblivious to the dangers of doing so. In the summer state, which they entered when angered, eladrin became aggressive, vindictive, and furious. In the autumn state, fey eladrin assumed the role of conciliators, eager to resolve conflicts and to promote peace. They were also more compassionate and ready to help others and to alleviate their suffering. In the winter state, eladrin became bitter and pensive. They often cried frozen tears and irradiated a feeling of gloom that could be felt like a cold wind. Although many Eladrin tended to adopt one season as their 'default' based on personality, this was not always the case. A sizeable group of eladrin traveled into the material plane, where they would eventually become high elves and the other subclasses.

High

Patient and more orderly than many of their kin, high elves are the most well known elves in the Material Plane. It was mostly high elves who administered the great elven kingdoms throughout history, and the king of Valtakunta is still a high elf.

Wood

Wood elves were among the most aloof and chaotic of all elves. They tended to live in communities and cities within forests with great treehouse-like structures as buildings, although often chosing to live more freely and simply.

Sea

These elves, also known as "aquatic elves," lived almost exclusively in and around the Crescent Isles, although there were small communities of elves in the lakes of the Kabouter Forest. They were very independant and tended to exist almost independantly from Valtakunta.

Shadar-kai

Sworn to the service of Swynwyr, the mysterious shadar-kai venture into the Material Plane from the Shadowfell to advance her will. Once they were fey like the rest of their elven kin, and now they exist in a strange state between life and death. Eladrin and shadar-kai are like reflections of each other: one bursting with emotion, the other nearly devoid of it.

Pallid

Pallid elves are a subrace of elves distinctive by their pale skin, which is said to be as pale as the moon. Pallid elves were descendants of drow, but they rebelled against the cruel ways of their brethren and strove to restore their relationship with other elves. They are almost all followers of Terä, and tend to settle on the fringes of elven cities or in small communities near caves due to their innate desire to find and rescue drow who wish to live a life of good.

An autumn eladrin

Abilities

Most elves do not sleep but instead "trance." During this state, they are partially aware of their surroundings and are less asleep than an act of meditation. In this state, elves achieve the same results as a Human might through sleeping in roughly two thirds the time. Elves able to trance are also often resistant to the effects of supernatural powers such as sleep, since they do not themselves sleep but instead rest in a semi-aware state.
Elves, as a rule, tend to be supremely aware of their surroundings, with more potent senses of sight and sound than humans. All elves have the ability to see in low light conditions unhampered, though drow possess this ability more acutely.

Society

Culture

Elves have an affinity for freedom more than anything else, preferring the way of unrestricted liberty to the restraints of civilized law and order. Liberty, both of one's self and of others, tends to be the greatest virtue in elvish cultures. This love for freedom is often tempered by a good and generous nature, though not always. Drow, in particular, standing out as an example of evil. Because of this, elvish governments tend to be very loose organized, with small groups of elves accepting the legitimacy of a respected noble, who in turn acknowledges the authority of a monarchical king. Though elven empires have been built in the past, none in the present currently exist. Instead, most elves, prefer to live in natural harmony with nature.
Elves are typically omnivorous, like humans, but tend to eat very little meat. This is not so much out of a concern for the animal as an effort to make as little of an impact on the natural world as possible, with elves believing that the consumption of vegetation has a slighter effect on the natural harmony. Additionally, this partially comes from ancient elvish cultures' traditions of nomadic life, which require food to be easily preservable.
Elves tend to take up the adventurer's lifestyle for a number of reasons. Some do so out of, more than anything, boredom or a sense of wanderlust that drives them to explore beyond the boundaries of their homelands. Elves do not like being tied down and most often pursue careers that lend themselves well to adventuring. Some elves enjoy adventuring as a way to demonstrate their own skill, such as with a bow or sword, while others do so in order to help others.

Relations with Other Races

Although the other races sometimes believe the elves to be arrogant and condescending, the elves don't hold any particular hatred for any races as a whole, though individual races may have particular attitudes. The harshest racial conflict is actually often within, given the long-standing feud between the drow and the other elven subraces. Elves can seem distant and unfriendly because, compared to a human or Halfling, for example, an elf's lifespan is drastically longer. It is easier or an elf to avoid contact with these races, rather than befriend individuals who will live only a small fraction of the elven life.
Dwarves and the elves generally have a different problem in forming relationships. Dwarves favor hard work whereas elves generally enjoy relaxation. Dwarves enjoy carving homes from the rock and engineering unswerving straight lines, while elves prefer more natural, flowing shapes. They can form strong bonds of friendship, but only when both agree to overlook each other's differences.
It is common for an elf and Gnome to get along well due to their cultures' mutual love of life, combined with the gnomes' love of fine art and illusion magic. On the other hand, halflings and elves share only a lukewarm relationship. The elvish trait of eating sparingly is not welcomed in halfling society, and elves can sometimes deem a halfling's curiosity as childlike and troublesome.
Elves regard humans with both fear and respect. Humans can grasp magic and adapt to many situations incredibly fast from the perspective of elves, but the fey are wary of the human tendency to claim lands as their own, often regarding them as greedy. It is quite possible for strong friendship to develop between humans and elves, but it is equally possible that hostilities might arise.

Related Organizations

• Council of Magi
• Subservience of Swynwyr

Player Race Features

• Ability Scores. Choose any +2; choose any other +1.
• Size. Medium
• Speed. 30 ft.
• Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, 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.
• Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
• Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
• Trance. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.

Subrace: Eladrin

Choose your eladrin's season: autumn, winter, spring, or summer. When finishing a long rest, you can change your season.

• Fey Step. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. When you reach 3rd level, your Fey Step gains an additional effect based on your season; if the effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (choose when you select this race):
• Autumn. Immediately after you use your Fey Step, up to two creatures of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute, or until you or your companions deal any damage to it.

• Winter. When you use your Fey Step, one creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you before you teleport must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

• Spring. When you use your Fey Step, you can touch one willing creature within 5 feet of you. That creature then teleports instead of you, appearing in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you.

• Summer. Immediately after you use your Fey Step, each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you takes fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 damage).

Subrace: High

• Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
• Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
• Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choosing.

Subrace: Wood

• Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
• Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
• Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.

Subrace: Sea

• Sea Elf Training. You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.
• Child of the Sea. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe air and water.
• Friend of the Sea. Using gestures and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with any beast that has an innate swimming speed.
• Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice. Sea elves commonly speak Kūokoan due to trading with Hui Kūokoa, although others still choose to speak Primordial.
  

Subrace: Shadar-kai

• Necrotic Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic damage.
• Blessing of the Raven Queen. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 3rd level, you also gain resistance to all damage when you teleport using this trait. The resistance lasts until the start of your next turn. During that time, you appear ghostly and translucent.

Subrace: Pallid

• Incisive Sense. You have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Insight) checks.
• Blessing of the Moon Weaver. You know the light cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the sleep spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the invisibility spell (targeting yourself only) once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Casting these spells with this trait doesn't require material components. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Spellstain

Mark of Shadow

• Cunning Intuition. When you make a Charisma (Performance) or Dexterity (Stealth) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.
• Shape Shadows. You know the minor illusion cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the invisibility spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
• Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Shadow Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.
1st Disguise Self, Silent Image

2nd Darkness, Pass Without Trace

3rd Clairvoyance, Major Image

4th Greater Invisibility, Hallucinatory Terrain

5th Mislead