Forest Elves

Forest Elves

Forest Elves were among the first to diverge from the High Elves. Originally, the term referred to Elves in the jungles of Everaldimor, but their penchant for wandering has brought the term to apply to Elves who live in many of Pharos' forest homes. Forest Elves follow an odd religious doctrine which mixes aspects of the Green Way and Prime Canon, taking on a naturalistic version of the Canon with the Druidic Orders of the Dal'morai serving as religious and political guides.

General Information

Physical Description

Elves are tall humanoids with unearthly grace and fine features, distinguished from Humans by elongated, sharper ears and narrowed eyes. Some Elves also feature a variety of head-nubs upon their scalps, the exact details depending on their specific type.

Forest Elves are typically the height of humans, with a tendency towards slimmer weight and lither forms which are nonetheless quite durable. They typically have tanner skin than their High Elven relatives, with darker browns not uncommon. Forest Elven hair color is typically brown or dark blonde, and while they do not have facial hair, both men and women can grow body hair.

Powerful Forest Elves, particularly those in tune with natural energies and members of the Dal'morai, may feature small antlers or antler nubs upon their heads. These are considered a mark of power among Elven societies, which can be deemed a positive or negative based on the company you keep.

Community Structure

Forest Elves tend to live heavily independent lives. As children, they will usually be raised in either small family groups or by one of their parents, which they typically separate from after coming of age. In early adulthood, it is expected that Forest Elves travel far and wide in a sort of natural pilgrimage. Families and close friends usually only see each other at pre-arranged gatherings, to which hundreds of people may show up at a time.

Despite their solitary nature, Forest Elves do have a few cities. Primarily, these have popped up along the convergences of rivers and other points of natural importance, as a result of them being centers of familial congregation year-round. Few Forest Elves spend all their time in such cities, and they only persist because of their popularity. Nonetheless, these cities have become hubs of trade as a result of their reliable existences, and many Elves drop by them to trade and barter even without the intention of meeting their friends.

Forest Elves do not typically have surnames, nor middle names, though they may label themselves by a favored animal, plant, or other natural feature should either become a necessity. A common pattern Forest Elves are taught to choose such a name is to combine an adjective and a noun together, and it's thought that individuals who share an adjective or noun have a special connection to each other.

Gender and Relationships

Forest Elves do not have a strong notion of gender, and most view it as a particularly strange feature of the other races. When others assign a gender to them, Forest Elves rarely care or protest, and just go along with it. Though they don't really value it, they typically understand the importance of gender to others, as well as what it means to others, and tend to be pretty good at avoiding social faux pas as a result.

Forest Elves are anything but monogamous - in fact, they rarely stick to the same companion for long. With most used to solitary lives, it is common for them to spend their nights with anybody they may encounter and enjoy the company of. This lack of desire for long-term investment persists even in Forest Elves who've settled down to a calmer and more stationary life, though some turn monogamous for the sake of those particularly close to them. Forest Elves typically give no regard to the gender of their partners; they rarely even think to ask.

Race (5e)

Forest Elves (5e)

ability score increase: +1 Dexterity

age: Forest Elves typically mature by age 20, and have lifespans of up to 150 years. Some Forest Elven Druids achieve functional immortality as Forest-Spirits. Elves which make extensive use of magic have been known to live up to four hundred years.

Size: Medium

speed: 30ft

Languages:

race features:
Darkvision: 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.
Canopy Crawler: You may move from tree to tree at half of your movement speed. You gain advantage on Stealth checks while moving like this, and are considered to be in Stealth for the purposes of those below you attempting to perceive your presence. You need not make Acrobatics or Climb checks to get up onto a tree, and to move between tree branches, so long as you are in dense woods.
Treespeech: Your people are innately linked to the trees of the jungle, which give them important information about the recent past, the state of their homes, and aid in survival. Once per day, you may tap into a tree or plant. When you do this, you may get specific information about one person or event which it may have recently seen, about the status of weather for the next 12 hours, and advantage to Survival checks.

Ancestry (Pathfinder 2e)

Forest Elven feats emphasize their familiarity with the jungle, their ample agility, and their primal ferocity.

Forest Elves

Hit Points

6

Size

Medium

Speed

30

Ability Boosts

Dexterity, Free

Ability Flaw

Traits

Humanoid, Mortal, Forest Elf

Languages

Human Common, Sylvaro'rithei, additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive).

Special Abilities

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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

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Deepforest Elf: You're adapted to life in the deep jungle, 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.
Farforest Elf: Your ears are finely tuned for hunting in forests and woodlands, and you are able to detect even the slightest whispers of sound. As long as you can hear normally, you can use the Seek action to sense undetected creatures in a 60-foot cone instead of a 30-foot cone. You also gain a +2 circumstance bonus to locate undetected creatures that you could hear within 30 feet with a Seek action.
Feral Elf: Your ancestors were Feral Elves, cannibalistic naturists who live more like animals than fellow Elves. Many Feral Elves grow deranged by the raw meat that they devour, but you have survived and escaped the environment in which you grew. You gain poison resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1). Additionally, the onset times and lengths of stages for all diseases and poisons that affect you are increased by 50%. If the onset time or stage is instant or lasts only 1 round, this ability has no effect.
Spirit Elf: Your ancestors were Spirit Elves, the spiritual denizens of The Feral Lands. You value inner peace and harmony with nature, and probably worship Maer by way of the Ûl and Ûm. You are adapted to living under the dark canopy and your eyes and veins resemble the glowing shrooms which light its path. You are able to emit dim light within 5 feet of you, and can activate or suppress this ability as an action which has the concentrate trait. Additionally, you can force fragments of your shadow to glow and cast dancing lights and light as occult innate cantrips. Cantrips are heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.

Ancestry Feats

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Name	Traits	Level	Prerequisites	Benefits	Details
Animal Accomplice	Forest Elf	1	-	You build a rapport with an animal, which becomes magically bonded to you.	Show spoiler You build a rapport with an animal, which becomes magically bonded to you. You gain a familiar. The type of animal is up to you.
Emerald Lore	Forest Elf	1	-	You're familiar with the naturalistic ways of the Forest Elves.	Show spoiler You're familiar with the naturalistic ways of the Forest Elves. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Stealth and Religion. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You also become trained in Forest Elven Lore.
Jungle Ferocity	Forest Elf	1	-	Fierceness in battle runs through your blood, and you refuse to fall from your injuries.	Show spoiler Fierceness in battle runs through your blood, and you refuse to fall from your injuries. Once per day, when you would be reduced to 0 Hit Points but not immediately killed, you avoid being knocked out and remain at 1 Hit Point, and your wounded condition increases by 1.
Jungle Weapon Familiarity	Forest Elf	1	-	You are trained in the dextrous weapons of the Forest Elves.	Show spoiler You are trained in the dextrous weapons of the Forest Elves. You are trained with longbows, shortbows, composite longbows, composite shortbows, Elven Curve Blades, Elven Branched Spears and sickle-sabers.
Stalk and Kill	Forest Elf	1	-	You study a creature’s form and behavior to hypothesize likely means of overcoming its strengths.	Show spoiler You study a creature’s form and behavior to hypothesize likely means of overcoming its strengths. Once per day when you succeed at a skill check to Recall Knowledge to identify a creature, before the end of your next turn, you can use the skill modifier from the triggering check in place of your saving throw modifier against one of the creature’s abilities, in place of your Perception modifier to Seek the creature, in place of your Deception modifier to Feint against the creature, or in place of your Intimidation modifier to Demoralize the creature. Alternatively, against one of the creature’s attacks, you can use your DC for the skill used in the triggering check in place of your AC.
Wildborn Magic	Forest Elf	1	-	You have learned to access the old magic of wild places.	Show spoiler You have learned to access the old magic of wild places. Choose one cantrip from the primal spell list. You can cast this cantrip as an innate primal spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.
Woodcraft	Forest Elf	1	-	You have a innate familiarity with forested areas.	Show spoiler You have a innate familiarity with forested areas. When in a forest or jungle environment, if you roll a critical failure on a Survival skill check to Sense Direction, Subsist, or Cover Tracks, you get a failure instead, and if you roll a success, you get a critical success instead.
Defy Death	Forest Elf	5	Jungle Ferocity	You're exceptionally difficult to kill.	Show spoiler You're exceptionally difficult to kill. The DC of your recovery checks is equal to 9 + your dying value, or 8 + your dying value if you have the Toughness general feat. In addition, whenever someone returns you to life using magic that would normally leave you debilitated for a week (such as raise dead or the resurrect ritual), you don't suffer that condition.
Forest Stealth	Forest Elf	5	expert in stealth	You are skilled at quickly hiding behind bits of underbrush or foliage.	Show spoiler You are skilled at quickly hiding behind bits of underbrush or foliage. When you are in a forest or jungle environment near an environmental feature that would allow you to Take Cover, You Take Cover and then use that cover to Hide.
Graceful Guidance	Forest Elf	5	-	You can demonstrate how to quickly twist out of the way of dangerous effects.	Show spoiler You can demonstrate how to quickly twist out of the way of dangerous effects. You can use the Aid reaction to grant a bonus to an ally's Reflex save. As usual for Aid, you need to prepare by using an action on your turn to encourage the ally.
Jungle Instincts	Forest Elf	5	-	Your senses let you react rapidly.	Show spoiler Your senses let you react rapidly. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks made as initiative rolls. Additionally, if your initiative roll result is tied with that of an opponent, you go first, regardless of whether you rolled Perception or not.
Jungle Weapon Elegance	Forest Elf	5	Jungle Weapon Familiarity	You are especially deadly with the weapons of the Forest Elves.	Show spoiler You are especially deadly with the weapons of the Forest Elves. Whenever you critically hit using an elf weapon or one of the weapons listed in Jungle Weapon Familiarity, you apply the weapon's critical specialization effect.
Wildborn Adept	Forest Elf	5	Wildborn Magic	The whispers of the jungle grant you more diverse access to simple primal magic.	Show spoiler The whispers of the jungle grant you more diverse access to simple primal magic. You can cast dancing lights, disrupt undead, and tanglefoot as innate primal spells at will. If you chose one of those spells with Wildborn Magic, you can select a new spell for Wildborn Magic.
No Evidence	Forest Elf	9	expert in Survival	You leave little sign when attempting to remain unseen.	Show spoiler You leave little sign when attempting to remain unseen. When you Avoid Notice, you also gain the benefits of Cover Tracks unless you choose not to.
Tree Climber	Forest Elf	9	-	You've spent much of your life among the treetops and have become an expert at quickly and safely climbing them.	Show spoiler You've spent much of your life among the treetops and have become an expert at quickly and safely climbing them. You gain a climb Speed of 10 feet.
Undying Ferocity	Forest Elf	9	Jungle Ferocity	You resist death's clutches with supernatural vigor.	Show spoiler You resist death's clutches with supernatural vigor. When you use Jungle Ferocity, you gain temporary Hit Points equal to your level.
Ferocious Beasts	Forest Elf	13	animal companion, Jungle Ferocity	Since ancient times, the mightiest Elven beast tamers would draw out the true fighting spirit of their companion beasts by feeding the creatures a draft incorporating their own blood.	Show spoiler Since ancient times, the mightiest Elven beast tamers would draw out the true fighting spirit of their companion beasts by feeding the creatures a draft incorporating their own blood. Animal companions or bonded animals you have gain the Jungle Ferocity feat, and they gain a reaction they can use only for Jungle Ferocity. If you have the Undying Ferocity ancestry feat, all animal companions or bonded animals you have also gain the benefits of that feat when using the Jungle Ferocity reaction.
Incredible Ferocity	Forest Elf	13	Jungle Ferocity	Given time to collect yourself after a near-death scrape, you can rebuild your ferocity and withstand additional finishing blows.	Show spoiler Given time to collect yourself after a near-death scrape, you can rebuild your ferocity and withstand additional finishing blows. You can use Jungle Ferocity with a frequency of once per hour, rather than once per day.
Jungle Weapon Dominance	Forest Elf	13	Jungle Weapon Familiarity	You've committed to the weapons of your ancestors.	Show spoiler You've committed to the weapons of your ancestors. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency in the weapons listed in Jungle Weapon Familiarity.
Rampaging Ferocity	Forest Elf	17	Jungle Ferocity	You lash out viciously even as you fend off death.	Show spoiler You lash out viciously even as you fend off death. When you use Jungle Ferocity, make a single melee Strike. If this Strike brings a foe to 0 Hit Points, this activation of Jungle Ferocity doesn't count against its frequency.

You Might...

• Value personal freedom over social conventions or long-term obligations, even when it comes to friendships
• Adapt easily to new environments and treat unfamiliar people with open-minded curiosity.
• Value constant travel and have no desire to settle in one place for long.

Others Probably...

• See you as independent and unpredictable, sometimes admirable, sometimes frustrating.
• Recognize your skill and resourcefulness, even if they don’t understand your lifestyle.
• Appreciate your adaptability and openness to others, even if your presence is fleeting.

by Paizo Inc. (Community Use Package)

by Paizo Inc. (Community Use Package)