Elf

Elven Characteristics
Exp Rating: 1
Base Hitpoints: CON/3 + DEX/3
Level Hitpoints: 3 per level
Size: Medium
Attributes: +2 Dex, +2 Wis, −2 Con
Languages: Common, Elven
Stamina: 1
Resolve: 3
Philosophy Ranks: Rank 2 Mental, Rank 1 Physical
Senses: Low-Light Vision
Skills
Points per Level: Gain 6 Skill Points per level.
Favored Skills:
Starting Skill Points:
  • 16 points to be spent in the above Racial Skills. These points cannot be used to raise a skill above Rank 3.
Movement
Shift: 5ft, 2 seg
Skirmish: 35ft, 3 segs
Sprint: 55ft, 3 segs
Overland: 3.5 mph or 35 mi/day
Racial Features
  • Elven Perfect Balance: +4 to Balance and Stealth.
  • Keen Observation: +5 to Awareness to notice concealed doors or compartments.
  • Elven Perception: +2 to Investigate checks.
  • Sleep and Charm Resistance: Elves receive a racial bonus on saving throws vs. sleep and charm effects equal to twice their Mental Rank [STB 2x[Mental Rank]].
  • Elven Rest: Instead of sleeping, Elves enter a trance-like state when they rest. Elves need only complete 4 hours of this rest to gain the benefits of an Extended Rest.
Cultural Features
  • Elven Quickness: +1 Racial bonus to Reflex.
  • Woodland Native: Elves ignore any Terrain that affects movement within woodland or forested environments.
  • Weapon Proficiency: Bows (Ranks 1-3)
"A great deal contrary to popular belief, we Elves do so enjoy unexpected visitors in our woods, whether friend or foe. You see, we are timeless, child, and throughout countless Millennia we have sought ways to alleviate our boredom. We may make of you ally or enemy depending on how you behave in our lands, and it is in your best interests to make friends of elves, should you meet them. We are a merry folk and may love all things, but cross what we hold sacred and our wrath will be as swift and deadly as the wind that carries the arrow."
——-Selanor Loranis, Queen of the Eastern Forest

Appearance

Slightly shorter than humans, elves are lithe, slender, and graceful in appearance. They have sharp, angular features and long, prominently-pointed ears. In spite of their delicate appearance, elves are a resilient race and deceptively strong. Although most possess light complexions, some elves exhibit more dusky tones akin to their woodland homes. Their hair ranges from fair hues to earth tones, and even (though rarely) reds or greens. Facial hair is seldom seen on elves, but is not impossible. Elven eyes are similar to humans in terms of overall appearance and coloration, but the pupils are slightly elongated, giving them enhanced vision in dim settings. A typical elf stands anywhere from 4½ to 5½ feet tall and weighs around 115 to 170lbs.

  • Height: 4ft 6in + 1d12 in
  • Weight: 110lb + 5d12 + STR + CON


Ecology and History

Elves are a graceful and noble race of humanoids that prefer natural settlements to worked stone or industry. Elven communities can most commonly be found among deep, lush forests, waterfalls and along wooded mountains where they build their homes, either in the trees or around them. Elves are nearly immortal, and do not hail from the mortal world as it is known to most. Their kind comes from a distant realm that few have ever seen, although rumors claim its splendor is beyond description.

Elves have a unique sense of fashion and style, preferring delicate, detailed and artistic clothing matching the colors of the forest. This even includes the fine weapons and armor they craft, favoring design and grace over pure function and resilience. Despite the apparent fragility of their work, Elven Craftsmanship rivals that of even the Dwarves, utilizing secrets in metal work brought from another place unreachable by other races. Elves rarely sell to outsiders, as they guard all of their secrets carefully, but on occasion a worthy individual might be bestowed a gift of elven make as a reward for a service performed.

Most elves view themselves above other races, though more as a point of fact than of false bluster. They rarely feel the need to show their superiority, but rather treat others as children, and, in terms of age, this is quite often the case. Elves are wary of humans, seeing their tendency to use what they want with little regard for the environment around them as an affront to basic Elven values, though they recognize individual humans on their own merits. Dwarves and Elves rarely see eye to eye for a number of reasons: Dwarves live in the ground, the Elves above them; Dwarves are materialistic and rough, Elves value art and beauty. If it were not for their mutual hatred of green-skinned races, the two peoples would most likely be enemies. Elves view Halflings and Gnomes with a similar modicum of respect, seeing them as children of the earth in a sense, and tend to treat them with care, as they mostly seem harmless. Elves do not like Half-orcs. Historical records are varied on exactly where this hatred comes from, but some such archives claim that the two share an ancient lineage, long since separated by a cataclysmic event that left the two forever altered.