Elves

Lore

Elves, much like their living ancestors, the Eladrin, who are also commonly called elves, are a long-lived race of pointy-eared humanoids. Elves stand on average anywhere between 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh between 59‒80 kg Usually, true elves are a naturally slender and athletic race. They tend to have a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale-skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentation. Often, elven hair was dark, either brown or black, with copper red or blond hair also found amongst wood elves, although orange or even green hues are not completely unheard of. Elven eyes are commonly brown, hazel, or emerald green. Elves, like their cousins the eladrin, are fair and beautiful, handsome, and have pointed ears and no body hair except eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair.
Being one of the most common races found in the known world there are countless subspecies of elves each with its own traits and culture. However, the most prominent elven civilization dwells deep in the forests of Alfheim where they wield vast armies and powerful magics to protect themselves. Known as the Elven homeland Alfiem is isolated from the rest of the world with trespassers usually being met with volleys of arrows. Elves cherish these secluded places of nature to the cities and nations of the civilized world, living in harmony with their natural surroundings. Cautious and cunning warriors, particularly with a bow, elves secured these homelands through guile and tactics.
Elves mature roughly at the same rate as humans, though they are not usually considered past adolescence until they reach 110 years of age. Unlike humans, elves age at a vastly slower rate with their appearance only changing dramatically towards the last two centuries of their lifespan, with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color, and wrinkles. Most elves remain healthy and full of life up until their death, which, if age-related, was usually between four and nine centuries.
Many elves did not sleep, instead finding their rest in a meditative state called "reverie", which was as restful as true sleep but left them aware of their surroundings, similar to an eladrin's ability to enter a trance.

Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.
Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
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. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.

Eladrin

This version of the eladrin originally appeared in the Dungeon Master's Guide as an example for creating your own subraces.
Creatures of magic with strong ties to nature, eladrin live in the twilight realm of the Feywild. Their cities sometimes cross over to the Material Plane, appearing briefly in mountain valleys or deep forest glades before fading back into the Feywild.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Fey Step. You can cast the misty step spell once using this trait. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.

High Elf

As a high elf, you have a keen mind and a mastery of at least the basics of magic. In many of the worlds of D&D, there are two kinds of high elves. One type (which includes the gray elves and valley elves of Greyhawk, the Silvanesti of Dragonlance, and the sun elves of the Forgotten Realms) is haughty and reclusive, believing themselves to be superior to non-elves and even other elves. The other type (including the high elves of Greyhawk, the Qualinesti of Dragonlance, and the moon elves of the Forgotten Realms) are more common and more friendly, and often encountered among humans and other races.
The sun elves of Faerûn (also called gold elves or sunrise elves) have bronze skin and hair of copper, black, or golden blond. Their eyes are golden, silver, or black. Moon elves (also called silver elves or gray elves) are much paler, with alabaster skin sometimes tinged with blue. They often have hair of silver-white, black, or blue, but various shades of blond, brown, and red are not uncommon. Their eyes are blue or green and flecked with gold.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
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 is your spellcasting ability for it.
Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice.

Wood Elf

As a wood elf, you have keen senses and intuition, and your fleet feet carry you quickly and stealthily through your native forests.
Wood elves’ skin tends to be copperish in hue, sometimes with traces of green. Their hair tends toward browns and blacks, but it is occasionally blond or copper-colored. Their eyes are green, brown, or hazel.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
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.