Elf

The Cantara Player's Compendium    PF2e Player's Handbook    Ancestries      Elf

"When you live as long as we do, you've got to find ways to spice life up a little."

The seafaring elves of the Montipalan Islands have a reputation for being swaggering, rakish, and unparalleled sailors. They are descendants of elves from Haelona who shunned the haughty self-righteousness of their homeland and sailed south to Cantara for a new beginning. As you might expect, this led to a deeply ingrained culture of rebelliousness and fierce-independence.
Unlike their ancestors who are content to spend their long lives in temperance and reflection, sea elves are not precious with their time and seek to make the most of it. This also leads to them rarely dying of natural causes and having a shorter life-expectancy than other elves.

You might...

• Carefully curate your relationships with people with shorter lifespans.
• Adopt specialized or obscure interests simply for the sake of mastering them.

Others probably

• Focus on your appearance, either admiring your grace or treating you as if you're physically fragile.
• Worry that you privately look down on them, or feel like you're condescending and aloof.

Elves of Cantara

There are three ethnicities of elves in Cantara: the swaggering Sea Elves of the Montipalan Islands, the banished Dark Elves, and the Woodland Elves of the Thelan Isles.

Dark Elves

As a dark elf you have inherited the repercussions of your ancestors choices, not only physically, but magically as well. Traditionally, dark elves pass on the legend of their creation through story, as to remember who they are and how they came to exist. Centuries ago, a cult of elves who worshipped Lolth, Matron of Spiders, struck a bargain with the demon through depraved ritual. She was pleased with her followers and wished to shape them in her image, and so she corrupted not only the evil elves of the cult, but their families too, despite their innocence. The cult's secret courtship with Lolth could not be hidden after that, and all drow were banished from their homeland.

These elves, most of whom shunned the actions of their guilty kin, became refugees who fled their homeland for the Cantara Isles. Those who opposed the actions of the cult of Lolth settled in the Montipalan Islands, where the thick jungle canopies gave them shelter from the sun, while those still true to their demon lord fled beneath the surface and settled the dark recesses of the world. Generations later, much has changed but the drow are forever defined by the touch of Lolth.

Dark elves tend to be smaller and thinner than most elves. Their skin color ranges from a fairer grey to a black that resembles polished obsidian, and hair of stark white, silver, charcoal, or even blue. They commonly have very pale eyes in shades of lilac, silver, pink, red, and blue.

Sunlight Sensitivity It's a common misconception by those who haven't met many dark elves that their aversion to sunlight is harmful much like a vampire, which leads to surprise when they find one walking the streets on a cloudless day. Drow are not harmed by sunlight, but it does cause discomfort and can be painful to their eyes. While they are quite fine going about their business in daylight, you will find that they seek shade wherever possible, live in regions with reliable cover from the sun, prefer nocternal lifestyles, and favor hoods or wide brimmed hats.

Sea Elves

These elves are the primary inhabitants of the jungled Montipalan Islands on the north end of Cantara. They hail from Lamitane, Breakstorm, Soritosi, and the countless ports and fishing villages dotting the smaller isles. They aren't known to put down roots elsewhere, but you're always likely to come across more of them the closer you get to the docks of any city. Sea elves are nortorious even amongst Cantarans for their blood-deep sea-fairing culture, and a large population of them would call nothing home but their ship.

Sea elves tend towards dark skin-tones of black, bronze, and deep olive, with hair of copper, black, sandy blonde, or silver. Their eyes are bright and piercing gold, silver, blue or green. Montipalans garb themselves in bright, light, and loose-fitting clothing to match the hot climate.

Woodland Elves

Less common than the Montipalan elves are the more reserved woodland elves. These are Thelan elves who, during the Consequence, retreated to the forests and jungles and reattuned themselves to their fey roots. Now you can find them in long established woodland communities, or as citizens of cities like Freshport, Arna Del Mor, Callista, and the Thelan Twins. Woodland elves are particularily spiritual and are both deeply affectionate of and fiercely protective of the natural world around them.

Woodland elves' skin tends to hues of copper, olive, or white, sometimes with traces of green or other earth tones. Their hair comes in many colors, from browns and blacks to deep reds and even green. Their eyes are green, brown, or hazel.

Beliefs

Popular Edicts find beauty in nature and art, explore things others would keep hidden, demonstrate superiority to your rival

Popular Anathema abandon your own path, force another creature to do something

Elf Mechanics

Hit Points

6

Size

Medium

Speed

30

Attribute Boosts

Dexterity Intelligence Free

Attribute Flaw

Constitution

Languages

Common Elven Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive).

Traits

Elf Humanoid

Low-Light Vision

You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.

Heritages

Ancient Elf

In your long life, you've dabbled in many paths and many styles. A typical ancient elf is at least 100 years old, though you might be younger at the GM's discretion. Choose a class other than your own. You gain the multiclass dedication feat for that class, even though you don't meet its level prerequisite. You must still meet its other prerequisites to gain the feat.

Cavern Elf

You were born or spent many years in underground tunnels or caverns where light is scarce. You gain darkvision.

Montipalan Elf

You live under the blazing heat of the northernmost isles, gaining incredible resilience to warm environments. You gain fire resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1), and environmental heat effects are one step less extreme for you (incredible heat becomes extreme, extreme heat becomes severe, and so on).

Seer Elf

You have an inborn ability to detect and understand magical phenomena. You can cast the detect magic cantrip as an arcane innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell rank equal to half your level rounded up. In addition, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Identify Magic and to Decipher Writing of a magical nature. These skill actions typically use the Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion skill.

Whisper Elf

Your ears are finely tuned, able to detect even the slightest whispers of sound. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus when using the Seek action to find hidden or undetected creatures within 30 feet of you. When you target an opponent that is concealed from you or hidden from you, reduce the DC of the flat check to 3 for a concealed target or 9 for a hidden one. This benefit doesn't apply if you can't hear or if the creature is incapable of making sound (for example, if it's affected by a silence spell).

Woodland Elf

You're adapted to life in the forest, the deep jungle, or a similar environment, and you know how to climb trees and use foliage to your advantage. When Climbing trees, vines, and other foliage, you move at half your Speed on a success and at full Speed on a critical success (and you move at full Speed on a success if you have Quick Climb). This doesn't affect you if you're using a climb Speed.

You can always use the Take Cover action when you are within forest terrain to gain cover, even if you're not next to an obstacle you can Take Cover behind.