High Elf Alternate Racial Traits

Racial Variants

High Elven Pariah: Take the "Chitinous Body", "Insectoid Wings", and "Inhuman Vocal Cord" Alternate Racial Traits.
Full Set Bonus: You may hover without needing to make a fly skill check. If you hover within 20ft of the ground, the hypnotic shine of your wings dazzles all enemies within 20ft of you. Creatures that don't rely on sight to fight or that cannot see(GM discretion) are unaffected.
Though the High Elves as a species are but a pale echo of the Sapphire Elves they once were, most all among them have yet to abandon those old ways - refusing to abandon the hope of regaining their full potential and throwing off the oppressive yoke of The Yema. However, the Pariahs are a wholly different breed - instead of embracing what they see as stagnancy by embracing the past and yearning to return to it, they embrace the mutations that have begun to affect them ever since The Yema forcibly devolved them for their crime of supporting Zheng-Kitar and its peoples and have wholly left behind the struggles and biases of their past. Instead, they have become something wholly new - and wholly alien. Now, they exist as insectoid alien monsters who happily embrace new lives all across the Planescape living free of self-doubt or worry...abandoning old hatreds or biases in favor of starting anew and moving on. Sadly, however, this has earned them the ire of the rest of their kind - who view their flippant disregard for the past as spitting in the face of their entire history, lineage, and people. Little is known about the Pariahs, or Vraz'zat in the tongue of Elvenkind - making them a mystery even among the already mysterious High Elves.

Alternate Racial Traits

Feyborn Sage: Ability Scores become (-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +4 Wisdom). Alters Ability Scores.
Having traveled to realms near and realms far, seen the birth of suns and the deaths of stars, some High Elves end up settling down somewhat in the mystical Feywilds, becoming sages who travel the chaotic, ever-changing woods that make up the plane. Becoming one with the wilds and the monstrous and wondrous creatures that call the place home, they soon find themselves adapting to their new environment and becoming more wise to the ways of the world than their fellows, gathering knowledge and wisdom born from their wandering and sagely lifestyles while retaining enough of their nimbleness to dart through the underbrush of their new forest home. Often, these sages stay apart from the notorious Fey Courts, preferring solitary lives in the Feywilds to the chaotic turmoil of the Courts.

Chaotic Changeling: You gain a racial +4 bonus on all Disguise Checks, and Disguise is always a class skill for you. In addition, while you are in a mundane or magical disguise, you are the target of a Nondetection spell ONLY for the purposes of any Detect spell or effect that would discern your alignment. You also gain Disguise Self as a spell-like ability you can use as a swift action 3/day. Replaces High Elven Immunities.
Owing to their Fey natures, there is occasionally the odd High Elf who lacks a well-defined corporeal form, and is capable of calling upon the ever-changing nature of the Feywilds to change their appearance a few times a day.

Chitinous Body: You may move an additional 10ft on a charge, and may move the charged target 5ft that does not provoke for free if the charge attack hits successfully. You gain a +2 on a save vs any effect that would impede or hamper your movement. Replaces High Elven Immunities.
Their bodies becoming more Chitinous over eons of living evolution, these High Elves begin to appear more and more insectoid as the ages wear on - though in exchange for their strange new appearances triggered by unknown biological means they become more bulky and cumbersome, capable of swinging their body around to aid in charges as well as using the unique texture of their chitinous body to create a banshee-like howling sound as wind blasts over their bodies on a charge to strike fear into foes.

Tranquility Born of Eternity: Gain a racial +4 to Diplomacy or Sense Motive, and whichever is chosen is always a class skill. Whenever you or a nearby ally within 30ft of you is the target of a charm or mind-affecting effect, they gain a +2 bonus to resist. This bonus increases to +4 if the spell has the emotion descriptor. Replaces Hyper-Keen Senses.
These rare, odd High Elves which have lived for so long as to have become ageless sages, so laden with knowledge they cannot remember it all, have achieved the truest form of inner peace most beings can imagine. They are at peace with both themselves at the world around them...to them, they have seen and have learned so much, traveled so far and fought so many...and they have discovered life is best enjoyed in tranquility. These High Elves are infectiously calm in every scenario, and their mere presence and calm, collected demeanor is enough to grant their allies a measure of their inner peace.

Fey Step: As a swift action, you can magically teleport up to 30ft to an unoccupied space you can see. Alternatively, you can increase the cost to a movement action for up to 60 feet of movement. You do not retain your momentum through the teleport, and negate the first 10ft of fall damage you would take from the resultant fall. Once you use this trait to travel 120 feet total, you cannot use it again until the next day. Replaces Hyper-Keen Senses.
Some High Elves are more in tune with their Fey side than their Elven one, and gain the ability to blink across the battlefield as the Fey can, their connection to the otherworldly Fey Wilds granting them strange powers.

Fey Wilds Strider: Can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at its normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect you. You can use Stealth to hide in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain does not grant cover or concealment. Finally, you gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks and it is always a class skill for you. Replaces Hyper-Keen Senses.
Thanks to having spent most of their lives in the vast, ever-mutating, changing, and expanding Fey Wilds, some High Elves find themselves utter masters of navigating rough terrain down in the mortal plane, the comparably well-defined and simpler nature of the mortal world granting them the skills of the most elite rangers.

Fey Resistance: Gain +10 Resistance to two energy types of your choice, or gain resistance 5 to four. Replaces Primal Void.
Rather than the cold and gnawing void which eats at their bosoms, some High Elves instead find themselves highly resistant to the energies of creation...whether this is simply the chaotic energies of the Feywilds taking root in them differently than their kin or is an indicator of some mutation is unclear, but those odd High Elves who gain this blessing find it very useful.

Heir of El'Adri: Gain +1 skill rank on every level up. A class skill gives a +4 instead of a +3. Replaces Primal Void.
Though they seldom gathered in large communities, the High Elves nonetheless had villages and gatherings, on occasion...yet, none before or since have come close to matching the splendor of the High Elven city of El’Adri, a glorious jewel of a city and the only one they ever built. It was a place for them to watch the-goings on of the mortal and fey world, and a place for them to be as one race….a home. Built entirely out of majestic woods, grasses, and other natural materials, El’Adri was a place of learning, of advancement and peace...and the High Elves who hearken back to such a place before it vanished from the mortal plane before recorded history are more innately skilled than their kin.

Insectoid Wings: Gain a fly speed equal to 1/2 your base land speed. Replaces Feywild Natives.
Special: At 7th Level, this fly speed becomes equal to your base land speed.
Special: At 11th Level, this fly speed equals 1.5x your base land speed.
Special: At 15th Level, this fly speed equals 2x your base land speed.
Sprouting moderately-sized insectoid wings from their backs with which they can achieve limited flight, these High Elves continue down the strange path of mutation into a more insectoid being as these strange mutations wrack their bodies with unknown source - eventually allowing them to sprout massive and gorgeous wings with wingspans easily double or even triple their own size as they grow in power themselves.

Enforcer of the Court: Gain the Spellcasting ability of the court of your choice(Seen Below) as a caster of your level. Ability scores become (+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma). You become aware of a single natural portal between the Prime Material Plane and the Fey Wilds when you take this trait, and you automatically detect the presence of a natural planar portal when you come within 1 mile of it. Replaces Feywild Natives.
Some High Elves instead choose to become the enforcers of one of the mysterious Seasonal Fey Courts, and gain a bit of their power. They also are supplemented by the power of their Court’s Queen, and are more hardy for it to better fulfill their duties as an enforcer. These High Elves frequently crusade, fight, and go on grand quests for their Queen, though rarely venture into the mortal realm...their personalities are also heavily influenced by their patron court, as described below.

Summer-kissed: Gain Ray of frost as a cantrip, but instead of cold damage you deal fire instead. When in direct sunlight, you become immune to all stunning and dazing effects. This does not end currently active effects if you enter sunlight while under the influence of one, though you get a +10 the next time you must make a saving throw to resist, if you are still in direct sunlight. Finally, you become aware of a single natural portal between the Prime Material Plane and the Fey Wilds when you take this trait, and you automatically detect the presence of a natural planar portal when you come within 1 mile of it. Replaces Feywild Natives and High Elven Immunities.
Summer, to both the wild, chaotic fey and the ancient High Elves, is the season of boldness and aggression, a time of unfettered energy and passion. The Fey Court of Summer is the embodiment of this concept and such ideals, and the High Elves who choose to follow the Summer Court take on a personality accordingly. The Summer Elves are headstrong, proud, confrontational and enraged, and embody the very zeniths of emotion, believing most problems best solved by overwhelming force and direct confrontation. However, they are also unbreakable bastions of confidence and authority, and they are excellent pillars for their allies to lean on for emotional support, as they themselves are as unshakeable as the mountains.

Winter-kissed: Gain Ray of frost as a cantrip Gain a +4 to saves made against charm or mind-affecting effects, as well as as any spells with the emotion descriptor. Any sentient creature you touch may, at your choice, be immediately afflicted by a calm emotions spell, but the spell instead inflicts crushing depression, solitude, and melancholy on them, though functions the same way mechanically. You may choose who to affect with this ability, but can only affect one creature per day, yourself included. Finally, you become aware of a single natural portal between the Prime Material Plane and the Fey Wilds when you take this trait, and you automatically detect the presence of a natural planar portal when you come within 1 mile of it. Replaces Feywild Natives and High Elven Immunities.
Winter, diametrically opposed to the bright, colorful nature of summer, is the season of dolor, when the vibrant energy of the world slumbers and all is as still and quiet as freshly driven snow. The Fey Court of Winter is the embodiment of these ideals and concepts, and the High Elves who choose to follow the Winter Court take on a personality accordingly. The Winter Elves are withdrawn, sullen, and morose, always preferring caution to boldness and are quiet, careful to the point of paranoia, and methodical to a fault. They assume the worst in every scenario, and never let their guards drop, lest they be caught at their most vulnerable. As such, they often come off as silent, brooding, and sad to the point of depression to their friends and kin. In the best case, they can be excellent counterweights of reason and paranoia to the Summer Elves’ boldness...however, at worst, they are selfish, paranoid, cripplingly depressed, and are as cold and unforgiving as a blizzard.

Spring-kissed: Gain Jolt as a cantrip. Each time you take electricity damage in any form or amount, ingest enough alcohol so as to become intoxicated, or experience extreme joy, roll a 1d100. On a 65+, you immediately gain the effects of a Haste spell. Similarly, those you incite to extreme joy, intoxication, or induce Electricity damage upon must also roll a 1d100, and upon a 85+, they also gain the effects of a haste spell. Anyone, including you, affected in such a way cannot be affected by this ability again for 24 hours. Finally, you become aware of a single natural portal between the Prime Material Plane and the Fey Wilds when you take this trait, and you automatically detect the presence of a natural planar portal when you come within 1 mile of it. Replaces Feywild Natives and High Elven Immunities.
Spring is the embodiment of mirth and revelry, and of the happiness and revived nature of the world that has so recently come out of winter’s icy grasp. It is the season of cheerfulness and unfettered celebration, marked by merriment as winter’s sorrow passes. The Fey Court of Spring is the embodiment of these ideals and concepts, and the High Elves who choose to follow the Spring Court take on a personality accordingly. Spring Elves are infectiously cheery, and do everything with enthusiasm that seems to always spread to those around them. They are creatures of the moment, and see life as the greatest adventure in all the realms, and one to be enjoyed at all costs...they enjoy music, song, and all forms of self-expression, and are rarely seen sitting still no matter where they go. Like living lightning they bolt about their surroundings, as unpredictable as a tornado and as wild as a typhoon..however, at their worst, they are beings of sloth, alcoholism, obsession, and can have incredibly fleeting and air-headed natures, never paying attention to anything longer than a few minutes.

Autumn-kissed: Gain Acid Splash as a cantrip. Any sentient creature that you have not taken a violent action against or cast spells upon unwillingly has a -4 to attack you, and you gain a +4 bonus on any charisma-based checks against them. Beast, animals, and similarly intelligent creatures will not attack you of their own volition. However, they may still be compelled to attack you through magical means or if you take violent action against them. Finally, you become aware of a single natural portal between the Prime Material Plane and the Fey Wilds when you take this trait, and you automatically detect the presence of a natural planar portal when you come within 1 mile of it. Replaces Feywild Natives and High Elven Immunities.
Autumn is the season of quiet contemplation and inner peace, and is the season of peace and goodwill, when summer’s harvest is shared with all. The Fey Court of Autumn is the embodiment of these ideals and concepts, and the High Elves who choose to follow the Autumn Court take on a personality accordingly. Autumn elves are peaceful and giving, and rarely hesitate to give to those in need or those who ask it of them..and they frequently do so with an almost saint-like disregard for their own personal possessions or needs, preferring instead to give and make others happy. They also have an immense enjoyment of food and drink, but not to the excess of the Spring elves, who have such a taste out of celebration. Instead, the Autumn Elves rarely settle for anything less than a lavish feast, their great love of creature comforts and simple enjoyments leading them to always keep well-stocked on such supplies wherever they go, sometimes excessively. However, at their worst, Autumn elves can be generous and giving to the point of naivete, and frequently see even those who they shouldn’t as friends, or potential friends for them to make no matter who they are.

Chaotic Capriccio: You cannot age - you cannot enter any age category past middle and are immune to the penalties and bonuses of aging. Effects which forcibly age you do not effect you but instead stun you for one round. Gain a racial +2 to perform checks, and one perform skill is always a class skill for you. Any spell you cast with the language-dependant descriptor has a +1 DC. Replaces Eternal Wanderers.
The sounds, noises, and cacophonies of the Feywilds are anathema to mortal sanity, and the rare High Elf who learns to harness this power learns the power of it in short order, affecting the minds of those around them with twisted, maddening spells and performances.

Believer of the Old Ways: You cannot age - you cannot enter any age category past middle and are immune to the penalties and bonuses of aging. Effects which forcibly age you do not effect you but instead stun you for one round. Gain a racial +4 to Knowledge(Religion) or Knowledge (Nature), and one of these is always a class skill. Gain Old Druidic as a bonus language. (See Languages of Zheng-Kitar for more info on Old Druidic). Replaces Eternal Wanderers and Modifies Racial Languages.
Though once spoken by all the races of the world in tune with nature, Old Druidic was once a gift given to the races of the world by the world and nature itself, as a means of linking the two together in harmony. However, only the most ancient of High Elves remember these times, the times where the gods were in their infancy, and, rather than the worship the modern races know, most races worshiped concepts, objects, and the material. A tree was worshiped because it saved a child's life, a forest was worshipped because it kept a village safe...it was a simpler time, and one most all have forgotten...a time before the gods. These High Elves remember the secrets of Old Druidic, and are capable of using it to speak the whispering, ephemeral voice of the world.

El'Adri Battlemaster: You gain a +2 on your CMB and +2 to your CMD. You and any allies you flank an enemy with gain an extra +2 to attack(On top of Flanking Bonuses), which increases to +4 when you have an enemy surrounded(Defined as having a foe surrounded by your allies on all open non-diagonal squares adjacent to them), and you may expend attacks of opportunity to cancel an opponent's attack of opportunity on you. Replaces High Elven Magic.
Though the High Elven City of El’Adri was a place of learning, advancement, and peace, it was not defenseless. The city kept several legions of trained fighters on standby at all times, yet none embodied the High Elven lifestyle or philosophy more than the Legendary Battlemasters. Leaders and Commanders of Wartime, the Battlemasters were masters of the battlefield and tactical geniuses, embodying the deft, dexterous combat style the High Elves fought with by dancing through their enemies’ ranks as easily as walking. Yet, there was naught a Battlemaster alive who wasn’t a scholar, gentle-being, and trained in the arts and sciences...to them, true enlightenment only came from bettering oneself in all categories, and they never ceased improving themselves.

El'Adri Peacewarden: Any round you do not move or attack, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to your AC, which goes away at the beginning of your next turn. You gain a racial +4 on Sense Motive, and it is always a class skill. You may deal nonlethal damage at no penalty(Or may Crit with Nonlethal Damage with EiTR). Finally, you gain a +2 to all Diplomacy checks and can make such checks even in combat situations to improve a creature’s attitude. Replaces High Elven Magic.
The Peacetime counterparts to the Battlemasters, the Peacewardens were the High Elven ideal in peacetime. Skilled in farming, salesmanship, statesmanship and even combat, the Peacewardens served any role that society wished them to. One day, they may be a farmer, the next, a serving member on the council that ruled their city. Because of this, no citizen of El’Adri was said to be inflexible, and were all capable of taking on any role that was required of them. They also served as the law enforcement for the city, and were quite capable of subduing any unruly elements with non lethal force and incredibly dexterity.

Craftsman of the Natural World: Anytime you make a craft check dealing with an item or items that are either made of, or deal with mostly (51%), natural materials(Wood, Bark, Grass, ice, fire, water, etc..), You craft such an item in half the normal time and twice as efficiently, reducing your costs by an additional 15%. Any special materials that would fall under 'natural materials'(Such as Elven Veil, Draak Materials, Ironbark, Etc) also count for this purpose. Replaces Warden's Touch.
Though they rarely gather in any organized society, the High Elves have nonetheless developed a powerful method of crafting whatever they required out of the natural world. Some among them are even master craftsmen, and have learned the most efficient methods of crafting natural materials for all sorts of purposes.

Feyfriend: Choose from of the following creatures and gain the boon associated with it, representing a key friendship forged with a unique being of the Feywilds such that they have recieved a gift from the creature symbolizing their bond. This boon remains even after the creature or recipient dies, and once forged cannot be undone or changed without great and enormous effort(GM Discretion). Replaces Warden's Touch.

• Hidebehind: Gain +15ft to your base land speed.


• Redcap: Gain a wondrous item that occupies the headslot, often taking the form of a red cap. So long as it is worn, it gives the wearer Fast Healing 3. Any who wear it other than the intended recipient gain no benefit, but become deathly paranoid of gnomes and red hats so long as the cap is worn.


• Nymph: Gain the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except you have a +6 racial bonus on the check. Your effective druid level is equal to your HD for determining the total modifer to the check. You cannot be affected by the "Blinding Beauty" ability of Nymphs.


• Leanan Sidhe: Gain +4 to a craft or perform skill of your choice. You may recall a single spell of a level no greater than 1/3 your HD once a day.

Though rare, some High Elves form lasting friendships during their time in the Feywilds such that they exchange tokens of friendship with their new companions in the hopes of seeing them again one day.

Sapphire's Beloved: Gain one of the elemental languages as a bonus language (Ingnan, Terran, Aquan, Auran, Luxan, Tenebran). Any creatures that speak this language or with the matching subtype treat you as one step friendlier than they otherwise would, and by spending 1 Minute of total concentration speaking with a naturally occurring source of that element (Fire, Earth, Water, Air(Thunderstorms, Clouds, Etc), Positive Energy, Negative Energy), you may gain a boon from that element for 2d10 minutes. Replaces Elemental Glamer and Modifies Starting Languages.

• Water: Gain Waterbreathing.


• Fire: Immunity to Naturally occuring fire damage(lava, fire, etc.).


• Air: Any fall damage you take cannot bring you below 0 health.


• Earth: Gain a burrow speed equal to your base land speed.
• Positive/Negative Energy: Invert your Positive/Negative energy affinity.

Perhaps the only surviving ability that hearkens back to their ancestors the Sapphire Elves, the gift of the Sapphire's Beloved is one of the most revered blessings of the High Elves - as it hearkens back to a time before the complete destruction and perversion of their culture, civilization, and ways of life.

Inhuman Vocal Cords: You can perfectly replicate any voice or sound that you hear for at least one minute, though not the magical effects of those voices or sounds, if any. By focusing your voice as a swift action on a target within 20ft of you that you can see, you can cause it to take 1 point of sonic damage each time during the next round it is hit by an allied creature. When talking to other creatures, their bodies vibrate sympathetically(Making them uncomfortable) but they take no damage. Replaces Elemental Glamer.
Though they lose their natural Elemental Glamer to hide their inhuman forms, the vocal cords of these insectoid elves become fully inhuman and insectoid, the droning buzz of their voices enough to set up potentially lethal sympathetic vibrations in enemies - and enough to cause mild to severe discomfort to those who listen to them speak.

Penultimate Wanderlust: Lose the bane effects on the 'Faminewalker' racial trait. You do not need to breathe if the environment is inimical to those who breathe(Such as in space, or Underwater) or if doing so would be harmful to you(such as for an inhaled poison), and gain Resistance 5 if you are within or adjacent to an environmental obstacle that would cause you physical harm(Such as lava), though this gained resistance vanishes 1 minute after they are no longer in, on, or within 5 feet of such a hazard. You may entirely convert your movement speed to either a burrow, swim, or fly speed on your turn as a standard action, though they cannot switch it back for 10 minutes + 1min/level afterward. Modifies Faminewalker.
High Elves are born with a love to explore and wander the realms thanks to their Immortality, and are capable of existing in any harmful environment - losing the ability to utilize their curse in exchange for the ability to exist in nearly any environment.