Half-Elf

Introduction

The most prominent of the races of mixed heritage, half-elves can be found throughout Faerun, but have few lands to call of their own. They feel at home both in the sprawling human empires and the secretive elven retreats, standing between elf and human culture but truly belonging to neither. They are a handsome and even-tempered race who handle the challenges of their mixed heritage with grace and reserve.

The common half-elves are those whose elven parents hail from the moon elf, sun elf, and wood elf peoples. When someone refers to a half-elf, they are almost certainly referring to a half-elf of this descent.

No true half-elven realms exist in Faerun, but half-elves are far more prevalent in some lands than others. In the Unapproachable East, in the Yuirwood of distant Aglarond, a culture of common half-elves descended from moon elves, and Damaran human settlers thrives beneath the Yuirwood's green boughs. Half-elves are also common in places where humans and elves have lived alongside each other peacefully, such as the domain on Silverymoon in the North or some of the southerly Dales.

Half-elves have at least one elven grandparent, or two half-elven parents. To put it another way, the child of a half-elf and a human will be human, unless the half-elf parent was the child of a full-blooded elf. Unless a half-elven line marries into other elven or half-elven families, their elf characteristics fade in a generation or two. On occasion elven traits can reappear in otherwise human children born several generations later, but half-elves of such remote descent are very rare.

Common half-elves are descended from humans and moon elves, sun elves, or wood elves. Common half-elves blend human and elven features, influenced by the subrace of their elven parent and the ethnicity of their human parent. Moon half-elves have pal skin tinged bluish around the ears and chin, framing their lower faces. Sun half-elves have bronzed skin, and hair of gold. Wood half-elves have coppery skin tinged with green highlights.

Half-elves are more slender than humans, and more heavily built than elves. Since the elves of Faerun are taller and more sturdily built than the elves of other worlds, Faeruian half-elves are very close to human size and weight.

Outlook

While elves and half-elves are respected and admired in many parts of Faerun, humans in lands where elves are not commonly encountered can be resentful of elven blood. Elves are graceful, attractive, long-lived, mysterious, and skilled with mighty magic, and humans who do not know them well can easily come to regard elves – and, by extension, half-elves – with envy and fear. In places such as Silverymoon or the Dalelands, a half-elf's race is nothing remarkable, and she faces little or no bigotry. In lands where there is a long history of elven-human conflict, such as Tehtyr or Sembia, her elven blood marks her as different and dangerous, with all the fears and suspicions one might expect.

Many half-elves respond to the suspicion and slights of their human neighbors by staying well away from human civilization, preferring a solitary life in the wildernesses of Faerun. Others instead take up a life of travel, never staying in one spot long enough for racial prejudices to distance them from the folk around them.

Characters

Among them can be found people of every character class and nearly every mutliclass combination, for flexibility is a key trait among half-elves.

Society

Half-elves are loners and often keep to themselves. Some treasure the camaraderie and the sense of family when traveling with a group of adventurers.

Deities

Common half-elves can choose any human or elven deity as a patron. Many favor Sune for the love that brought their parents together. The worship of Eilistraee has spread beyond those with drow blood in their veins, and many common half-elves who enjoy midnight revelries – mostly bards, it has to be said – choose Eilistraee as a patron.

Creating New Character On Arelith

Base race

Half-Elves

Sleeplessness: Immune to spells and effects of the 'Sleep' subtype.

Hardiness vs. Enchantments: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting spells.

Partial Skill Affinity (Listen): +1 racial bonus to listen checks.

Partial Skill Affinity (Search): +1 racial bonus to Search checks.

Partial Skill Affinity (Spot): +1 racial bonus to Spot checks.

Low-light Vision: Allows them to see better than normal in the dark.

Base Race Favored Class: Any

Abilities

Bonus Feat: Dodge.

• The feat counts toward other feat and class requisites.

Alignment

They share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage.

Like humans, they tend toward neither good nor evil.

Appearance

They blend human (including ethnicity) and elven (including subrace) features. Half-elves are paler, fairer, and smoother-skinned than their human parents, but their actual skin tone, hair colour, and other details vary just as human features do.

Traits often passed from elven side:

• Moon half-elves: pale skin tinged bluish around the ears and chin
• Sun half-elves: bronze skin and hair of gold
• Wood half-elves: coppery skin tinged with green highlights

Aging

Age		Bonus
Adulthood	20 Years	+3d20
Middle Age	62 Years
Old	93 Years
Venerable	125 Years

Racial Crafting

Elfblade

Notes

• Bonus language: Elven
• Starting city: Cordor or Skal
• Arelith Half-Elves can only claim wood, sun, or moon elf heritage. Due to being an award race, avariel, acquatic, and wild are not valid claims.