User:Sasaisen/Kyudai (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Elves

Elves

Many races inhabit the world, and none had so tumultuous a history of the elves. Once the undisputed rulers of the world, the elves have fallen to a fraction of their former strength and numbers, and today only survive through concentrated efforts to retain their history and lineage.

Elven Traits

• Ability Scores: Elves are quick-minded and knowledge-focused, but understandably their history leads them to withdraw from others, even of their own kind. They receive a +2 bonus to Intelligence and a -2 penalty to Charisma.
• Type: Elves are Humanoids with the Elf subtype.
• Size: Elves are Medium creatures, and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Speed: Elves have a base land speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Elves speak Elven and Common, along with additional languages based on their Intelligence modifier.
• Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and receive a +2 racial bonus to saves against enchantment spells and effects.
• Artisan: Elves receive a +1 racial bonus to Craft and Focus checks.
• Psionic Talent: All elves are psionically gifted and thus gain Wild Talent as a bonus feat.
  • Gifted Crafter (Alternate Trait): When elves craft psionic items, the cost of creating them is reduced to ⅓ of the base price in raw materials.
• Survivalist: Having been forced out of their ancestral territories, elves have learned to live in the harsh environments left to them. Depending on their upbringing, they receive a +4 racial bonus to Nature checks and move normally through naturally-occurring difficult terrain when in one of the following environments:
  • Crag: Any rugged environment, including mountains, hills, and cliffsides.
  • Deep: This is instead a bonus to Delving, and applies when underground.
  • Mire: Any wetland environment, including marshes and swamps.
  • Sea: Any aquatic environment, including in and around rivers, lakes, and larger bodies of water.
  • Waste: Any barren environment, including deserts, icecaps, and tundras.
• Adaptation: Though still one species, elves have begun to adapt physiologically to their new homes. This usually, but not always, matches the environment selected for Survivalist.
  • Crag: Crag elves gain a climb speed of 20ft, which also grants them a +8 racial bonus on any Athletics checks for climbing; don't suffer any ill effects from altitude; and gain cold resistance 2.
  • Deep: Deep elves gain darkvision to 60ft, supplementing their low-light vision; receive a +2 racial bonus on Legerdemain checks to move through a tight space or slip bonds; receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework; automatically make a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them (even if not actively looking); and can intuitively sense their approximate depth underground.
  • Mire: Mire elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Fortitude saves against disease, poison, and being sickened or nauseated; receive a +2 racial bonus to Athletics checks for swimming; and gain acid resistance 2.
  • Sea: Sea elves gain a swim speed of 30ft, which also grants them a +8 racial bonus on any Athletics checks for swimming; gain darkvision to 60ft, supplementing their low-light vision; may hold their breath for ten times their Constitution score in rounds before they risk drowning or suffocating; and don't suffer any ill effects from depth or pressure.
  • Waste: Waste elves receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, or temperatures; and gain cold and fire resistance 2.
• Low-Light Vision: Elves see twice as far as typical in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Half-Elves

Half-elves are not truly half human and half elf, since humans are themselves genetically a blend of elves and celestials. Rather, “half-elf” is the term for a human that expresses particularly strong elven traits when compared to their fellow humans. This can result from having one human and one elven parent, or it can simply spring up in otherwise human children as a result of a genetic mutation.

Physically, half elves have smaller and rounder ears than elves, tend to be overall taller and stouter like their human cousins, and do not possess the single-colored eyes, through their iris colors range the full visible spectrum. Something about this odd combination seems to bring out more aspects of their celestial nature and this gives half-elves, more than elves or humans, a distinctly supernatural look that makes them stand out from either of their genetic cousins, even if their physical traits do not seem out of line for half-elves.

Societally, half-elves are welcomed in elven cities so long as they have a parent or relative within the city, and tend to not face excessive discrimination due to their ‘half-breed’ status - any elf who views humans as lesser will view half-elves the same way.

Half-elven Traits

• Type: Half-elves are Humanoids, with both the Human and Elf subtypes.
• Size: Half-elves are Medium creatures, and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Speed: Half-elves have a base land speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Half-elves speak Elven and Common, along with additional languages based on their Intelligence modifier.
• Elven Immunities: Half-elves are immune to magic sleep effects and receive a +2 racial bonus to save against enchantment spells and effects.
• Eternal Hope: Half-elves receive a +2 racial bonus to saves against fear and despair effects. Additionally, twice per day, after rolling a 1 on a d20, they may reroll and use the second result.
• Artisan: Half-elves receive a +1 racial bonus to Craft and Focus checks.
• Bonus Feat: Half-elves possess one extra feat at first level.
• Survivalist: Half-elves often learn as their elven parents before them. They receive a +4 racial bonus to Nature checks and move normally through naturally-occurring difficult terrain when in one of the following environments:
  • Crag: Any rugged environment, including mountains, hills, and cliffsides.
  • Deep: This is instead a bonus to Delving, and applies when underground.
  • Mire: Any wetland environment, including marshes and swamps.
  • Sea: Any aquatic environment, including in and around rivers, lakes, and larger bodies of water.
  • Waste: Any barren environment, including deserts, icecaps, and tundras.
  • Skilled (Alternate Trait): Half-elves gain four additional skill points at first level, and one additional skill point whenever they gain a level.
• Low-Light Vision: Half-elves see twice as far as typical in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Ancient Elves

Now extinct, the ancient elves were the elves that flourished before the Thousand Year War. These elves had distinctly different cultural and biological features of the modern day elves, who are primarily composed of elves who left Ai Shira at some point. As a result of the Thousand Year War, the culture of the ancient elves has all but vanished, and what little traditions are left are kept alive by those who fled at the end of the war and have worked to keep them alive in their children.