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.
Half-elves were humanoids born through the union of an elf and a human. Whether a half-elf was raised by their human parent or their elven parent, they often felt isolated and alone. Because they took around twenty years to reach adulthood, they matured quickly when raised by elves (who think they look like humans), making them feel like an outsider in either place.
Most half-elves were descended from moon elves. Pairings of elves and other races also existed, though they were rare.
Half-elves stood roughly around 5 feet and 5 inches to 6 feet and 2 inches (1.7 to 1.9 meters), making them only slightly shorter overall than humans, and weighed in at 130 to 190 pounds (59 to 86 kilograms), making them heavier than elves but still considerably lighter than humans. Like humans, half-elves had a wide variety of complexions, some of which were inherited from the elven half of their heritage, such as a tendency for metallic-hued skin and inhuman hair colors. For example, half-moon elves typically exhibited a pale, bluish tint around the ears and chin, while half-sun elves had a colour more reminiscent of bronze, with hair of gold.
Unlike true Tel'Quessir, however, male half-elves were capable of growing facial hair and often did so to distinguish themselves, in part, from their elven parents. Half-elven ears were about the size of human ones, but like elves, they were pointed on the ends. Half-elves were also notably more durable and passionate than either elves or humans, a unique result of the two races' blending.
Half-elves usually adopted the dress and hairstyles of the culture among which they were raised. However, it was also fairly common for half-elves raised among humans to wear elven clothing in order to proudly display signs of their dual heritage. Regardless of what they wore, half-elves stood out in a crowd through the combination of physical distinctiveness and force of personality.
Half-elves matured at a slower rate than humans and could live for over 180 years.
RACIAL SKILLS, ABILITIES & FEATURES
- Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by +2, and two other ability scores of your choice each increase by +1.
- Age. Half-elves age at much the same rate as humans, reaching adulthood at 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 both value 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. They are good and evil in equal numbers, a trait they share with their human parents.
- Size. Half-elves are more or less 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 elven heritage, 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 colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
- Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
- Languages. You can read, speak, and write Common, Elven, and one language of your choice.
Half-Elf Versatility. Choose one of the following traits:
- Skill Versatility (General). You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
- Elf Weapon Training (High or Wood Elf Heritage). You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
- Cantrip (High Elf Heritage). You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
- Fleet of Foot (Wood Elf Heritage). Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
- Mask of the Wild (Wood Elf Heritage). You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
- Drow Magic (Dark Elf Heritage). You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast Faerie Fire once, and it recharges after a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast Darkness once, and it recharges after a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
- Swim Speed (Sea Elf Heritage). You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT TABLE
| GENDER |
BASE HEIGHT |
HEIGHT MODIFIER |
HEIGHT RANGE |
AVERAGE HEIGHT |
| MALE |
4'8'' |
+(2d8) |
4'11''-6'1' |
5'6'' |
| FEMALE |
4'8'' |
+(2d8) |
4'11''-6'1'' |
5'6'' |
| GENDER |
BASE WEIGHT |
WEIGHT MODIFIER |
WEIGHT RANGE |
AVERAGE WEIGHT |
| MALE |
110 lbs |
x(2d4) |
114-238 lbs |
155 lbs |
| FEMALE |
110 lbs |
x(2d4) |
114-238 lbs |
155 lbs |
