Elves
There are nearly as many types of Elves as there are Humans . . . perhaps more. After all, you Humans are different only in appearance. We Elves have more substantial differences, more than slight dissimilarities in philosophy. The Aquanesti, or Aquatic Elf as you call them, is as different from a Gray Elf as a dolphin is from a mountain lion, yet there are no petty racial quarrels between us that characterize the existence of every race but ours. What is the problem with Humans and Dwarves that you cannot live in peace with your own?
Certainly, we once had a history of intraracial conflict, but those days are long since past. We have our disagreements with one another, but we settle them like civilized folk—and I am beginning to believe that Elves are the only civilized folk in all the realms known to mortals.
Although we continue to war with the Drow, the cause of that war is far more than the color of their skin or their beliefs. It is the fact that their very existence is an affront to ours, that they were created by perversions within our own race. Our war is nothing less than sublime effort to undo an error made hundreds of centuries ago.
We do not judge anything by the color of their skin. Granted, we find it tempting to do so in the case of the Drow, but even we—who have so often been betrayed by our dark-skinned cousins—find it within ourselves to judge each of them by their own merits.
Unlike the Humans, the Dwarves, and the Small Ones, we Elves are not so much shaped by our heritage as by the way in which we are taught to live. Tales of Dark Elves who have the heart of High Elves exist, as do tales of treachery and deceit among High Elves. While both cases are rare, they have happened—and will happen. Always, we attribute these to the way in which the Elf was raised, for we know that is more important than blood. The marked differences in our brethren appear only when grand conglomerations make their individual traits societal.
Background
None are truly certain from whence the first elves arose. The elves themselves claim they arose from the blood of Corellon Larethian, while other races hold that they sprang full-fledged into the world, without divine intervention. One thing is certain, however: No matter where they came from, they have spread to nearly every world on the Prime Material Plane. Their affinity with the worlds on which they have made their homes leads one to suspect a more elemental nature to their being. However, since they have often been residents of these worlds longer than humans have existed, human sages are often inaccurate when speculating about origins.
Elves have adapted to life in nearly every environment possible. The mountains, the forests, the plains, the waters, and the underground all know the taste of elves. The snowy wastes have felt the light touch of elven boots, as have the hot sands of deserts.
The elves' curiosity about life makes it only natural that they expanded their holdings to such an extent. They wish to be sure of their world, and they cannot understand it if they cannot experience it. If an elf accurately reports her experiences, other elves can understand that world intuitively.
Yet elves are notorious for their desire to see things for themselves. Even when a place has been experienced and reported, many elves will still have a wish to see the place. Along the journey, they are likely to view each passing locale with great interest, stopping to explore anything that catches their interest. For this reason, the elf race as a whole is likely to have heard of any given location on any of the worlds they inhabit.
Through their inherent connection with all the worlds, elves adapt more easily than many other races. For this reason, they can be found in any clime, under almost any extreme.
Elves tend to be somewhat shorter and slimmer than normal humans. Their features are finely chiseled and delicate, and they speak in melodic tones. Although they appear fragile and weak, as a race they are quick and strong. Elves often live to be over 1„200 years old, although long before this time they feel compelled to depart the realms of men and mortals. Where they go is uncertain, but it is an undeniable urge of their race.
Elves are often considered frivolous and aloof. In fact, they are not, although humans often find their personalities impossible to fathom. They concern themselves with natural beauty, dancing and frolicking, playing and singing, unless necessity dictates otherwise. They are not fond of ships or mines, but enjoy growing things and gazing at the open sky, though elves tend toward haughtiness and arrogance at times, they regard their friends and associates as equals. They do not make friends easily, but a friend (or enerny) is never forgotten. They prefer to distance themselves from humans, have little love for dwarves, and hate the evil denizens of the woods.
Their humor is clever, as are their songs and poetry. Elves are brave but never foolhardy. They eat sparingly; they drink mead and wine, but seldom to excess. While they find well-wrought jewelry a pleasure to behold, they are not overly interested in money or gain. They find magic and swordplay (or any refined combat art) fascinating. If they have a weakness it lies in these interests.
There are five playable branches of the elven race: Aquatic Elves, Gray Elves, High Elves, Sylvan (wood) Elves , and Dark Elves (drow). Elf player characters are always assumed to be of the most common type—high elves— although a character can be another type of elf with the DM's permission (but the choice grants no additional powers). To the eye of outsiders, the differences between the groups are mostly cosmetic, but most elves maintain that there are important cultural differences between the various groups. Aquatic elves spend their lives beneath the waves and have adapted to these conditions. Gray elves are considered the most noble and serious-minded of this breed. High elves are the most common. Wood elves are considered to be wild, temperamental, and savage. All others hold that the subterranean dark elves are corrupt and evil, no longer part of the elven community.
A player character elf can be a cleric, fighter, mage, thief, or ranger. In addition, an elf can choose to be a multiclass fighter/wizard, fighter/thief, fighter/wizard/thief, or wizard/ thief. (The rules governing these combinations are explained under Multiclassed Characters.) Note that elven clerics cannot multiclass
Elves have found it useful to learn the languages of several of the forest's children, both the good and the bad. As initial languages, an elf can choose common, elf, gnome, halfling, goblin, hobgoblin, orc, and gnoll. The number of languages an elf can learn is limited by the number of non-weapon proficiency slots he allots to languages.
For more information on how elves view the world, see The Elven Point of View
Elven Subraces
Article: Elven Subraces
Each subrace is detailed, along with ability score adjustments, special abilities, and special disadvantages.Standard Elven Abilities
Unless otherwise stated, each elf has the following abilities:- Elves are 90% resistant to sleep and charm-related spells. Even if they fail a check, they get the save usual for such spells.
- Elves, except for Sylvan elves and Grugach, gain a special bonus to find secret or concealed doors. Passing within 10 feet of a secret door, elves will detect it on a roll of 1 on a 1d6. If they search a 10-foot–square area, elves can find a secret door on a roll of 1 or 2 on a 1d6. Elves find concealed doors on a roll of 1, 2, or 3 on a 1d6.
- Elves gain a special bonus with bows, excluding crossbows. When firing a bow, an elf gains a +1 to attack rolls. This does not apply to damage unless a specially made bow is used that takes advantage of a Strength bonus.
- Elves are especially good with short and long swords. Like their abilities with bows, they gain a +1 to attack rolls (but not on damage) when using one of these weapons. This is in addition to any bonuses of the weapon itself.
- Elves move through forests and other natural terrain silently and almost invisibly. As long as elves are not attacking, they can only be spotted by someone who can spy invisible objects. When elves move through the woods, if they are careful, they will appear only as shadows of the leaves of trees, dancing in the undergrowth. This is of immense value to elves, who can thus gather information about their enemies—enemies who often do not even suspect an elven presence.
- Finally, elves have the ability to give their enemies a –4 penalty to a surprise roll if the elf is: 1) moving alone, 2) is 90 feet away from the rest of their party, or 3) is with other elves or halflings and all are in nonmetal armor. If the elf must open a door or screen to get to the enemy, the penalty is reduced to –2.
Any player may feel free to choose one of these subraces as a PC with the DM's permission. Otherwise, an elf player character is assumed to be a High Elf (the most common subrace).
Naturally, the descriptions contained here do not apply to every elf. There are as many different types of elves as there are humans, each acting differently from his or her fellows. What follows is merely the tendencies a subrace tends to evince, not the actual patterns each elf must follow. Not all grey elves are snobs, nor are all drow elves evil personified.
Jump:
Background
Elven Subraces
Standard Elven Abilities
Elven Subraces
Jump to the The Elven Subraces page
Further Reading
The Elven Point of View
Children of the Spider Goddess: The Dark Elven Point of View
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