Half-elf
Gameplay:
For a full description of elves, refer to the Player’s Handbook (p. 21). When designing an elven player character use those pages as your guide. In this world, the lines between elf, half-life, and human are more fluid than in baseline Dungeon & Dragons. When players pick their character's race they will have to think about the game mechanics (as presented in the PHB), the character's appearance, their identity, their ancestry, their upbringing, and how the world around them views them. For example: a player might design a human character (with all the game mechanics of humans) with a touch of elven ancestry that shows in a bit of sharpness in the nose and ears. Or the player might make a character with well mixed human and elven ancestry with the game mechanics of a half-elf who was raised in and identifies as a full wood elf. In general, for the game purposes of character race selection, the offspring of various races can be classified as follows.| true elf | lesser elf | half elf | human | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| true elf | no children | lesser elf | lesser elf | lesser elf |
| lesser elf | lesser elf | lesser elf or
half-elf |
half elf | |
| half elf | half elf | human or
half-elf |
||
| human | human |
A half-elf is an individual with a significant mixing of elf and human ancestry. While all Lesser Elves have some human ancestry, half-elves have more than most or their human traits are expressed more than the typical lesser elf. Often a half-elf is the offspring of a lesser elf and a human or two lesser-elves. (The offspring of human and a true elf is a lesser elf.)
Who Gets to be an Elf?
In the societies of the lesser elves and non-elves, who is considered as elf, or half-elf, or just a human with a touch of elven ancestry varies considerably based an individual's ancestry and local customs. Some societies rate an individual's "elf-ness" solely on their physical appearance, others uses cultural markers such as the individual's native language, religion, or mode of dress, while other have complex systems of ancestry where individuals are expected to recite their family lineages and based on those lineages they can be deemed as elf or non-elf. The most lax are the cosmopolitan moon elves, who have so much mixing and intermarriage with other races that rigid distinctions between elf, half-elf, and human loss much of their meaning. Most moon elves define their identities in the manner that they see fit, and are the most accepting of others’ identities. In contrast, the lesser elves that live under Drow rule have a complex, hierarchical system of matrilineal classification based on the amount of Drow blood one has in their ancestry. And in many sea elf and wood elf societies, one's race is less important than one's membership in the clan. As such, a full blooded human child raised as a sea elf in a sea elf clan would be recognized as a member of the clan, while an child born to that clan, but raised by humans would not be.
Your half-elf character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique to half-elves.
Ability Score Increase:Cha +2, and two other ability scores of your choice +1
Lifespan: 50-200 years
Size: Half-elves are about 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 elfblood, 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.
Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Skill Versatility: You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Imperial, one elvish dialect, and one extra language of your choice.
Parent ethnicities
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