Elves

Elves

“Easily adapted to any location, they seamlessly blend into the lands the inhabit. Elusive and hidden, if they do not want you to see their settlements, you will never find their seclusions.

As a Player Race

Stats

Ability Scores: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Type: Humanoid
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 ft
Lifespan: up to 200 years

Abilities

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 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.
Trance. Elves do not sleep. Instead they meditate deeply, remaining semi-conscious, for 4 hours a day. The Common word for this meditation is "trance." While meditating, you dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive after years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit a human would from 8 hours of sleep.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Subraces

Dark Elves

Ability Scores:Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a range of 120 feet, instead of 60.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Drow Magic. You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Faerie Fire spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the Darkness spell once and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Dark Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.

High Elves

Ability Scores. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Extra Language. You can read, speak, and write one additional language of your choice.

Wood Elves

Ability Scores. 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.

Origins & History

The elves were created by Cerunna of the Woods, and revere her as their ancestral god. Their unique innate magic ensures that they quickly adapt to any place they settle in, most noteworthy the merfolk being a kind of elf, that lost their legs and acquired a fish like tail instead. It is said the first kind of elf was a Wood Elf, but this is lost to history and only the gods remember, but they refuse to tell.

Culture & Society

You will find elves in every location, especially the ones that would be inhospitable to anyone. They take great pride in their innate magic ability, still resenting Cerunna for the loss of the majority of it, as well as their former immortality.
Elves often settle apart from other races, many preferring to stay for themselves. The largest concentration of them can be found in the Northern Realms and the Middlelands, close to their ancestral home of the Woods of Cerunna. Elves might be one of the most numerous races in the world, if only they could get along with each other and settle the differences between the myriad of subspecies.

“To the deepest forests, the darkest caverns and the coldest mountain tops.

— ... from the Songs of Escape”

Diverged ethnicities

• Gnomes
• Half-Elves

by Sally