Back to Ethnography

There are nearly a dozen major known elven settlements in the Roglaras, not counting the scores of small villages and camps found in forest and glade. While each of the different settlements has its own history and idiosyncrasies, most of the elves living therein, regardless of the distance involved, maintain a moderately unified culture. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, and there are a number of strange and unusual elven societies.

Like dragons, elves often bear long, private names that detail their lineage, life-shaping events, and accomplishments. For daily use, elves rely on “common names,” using the beginning of their personal names and their lineage names.

Lineage Names: dolth Teridian, shin’Alai, Senradi, Devanessari, Manebrian
Male Names: Tessariel, Riallian, Sinnedor
Female Names: Valess, Galadrien, Sillaniel
Full Name/ Common Name Example: Serisansquahar Telebriel Teanamascar si’Ellan Emerikail s’Eyenna Tiallar na’Merissicol Berenna dolth Teridian shin’Alai Phan Tebericol si’Abruli Mannascar ni’Amanti (Telebriel dolth Teridian)

Elves are created as per the PHB, with the following additions:

• Instead of sleeping, elves meditate into a trance-like state called reverie, in which they can send their minds into the Dream.
• Knowledge ( Dream) is always a class skill for elves. They can use this skill to gather Essence from the Dream. They can store an amount of essence equal to their class skill maximum.
• Elves receive the Educated feat for free, and they also receive the Literate feat if they are raised by other elves.
• Language: elves receive five free skill ranks in Language: Elven. It is always a class skill for them. Their Educated feat automatically gives them Literacy: Elven.

The following additional racial variations exist.

Elves, High

Most of the elves of the northern portion of the Wilderlands are of the high elven race, by far the most common of the subraces of the elves. Most high elven folk consider their settlements to form a single, widely dispersed realm, known as Alfheim. Each lord of a settlement is King in his own realm, answerable only to the High King, though there has not been a unified High King for centuries. The high elves are the greatest allies of the Dunael Woods- Folk, forming a united front against the Orcs of the Purple Claw in Dearthwood. A few high elves turn from the merry ways of their brothers and strive to return to the ancient ways of war and high wizardry; such folk become the stuff of legends among humans and elves.

High elves tend toward pale white to silver skin. Their hair is straight and lustrous, most often either black or palest blonde. Blue eyes are most common, but startlingly bright eyes of any color appear infrequently. They typically stand 5 ft. 8 in., weigh 140 lbs with a lithe build. High elven alignment leans heavily toward Chaotic Good.

Elves, Dark

The dark elves are so called due to nature of their subterranean homeland and the hatred in their heart, not the color of their skin. Though they are naturally very pale skinned and haired, their flesh and locks are darkened and singed by the fires of the earth and the smoke and cinders of their great forges, where they endlessly craft weapons and magic to use in their feud with the goodly races. They sometimes cooperate with the deep dwarves and other inimical races, though they never trust them fully.

Dark elves have uniformly ivory white skin and bone white hair. Red eyes predominate, though other colors (especially amber) are not unknown. They typically stand 5 ft. 4 in., weigh 100 lbs. with lean build, and tend toward Chaotic Evil.

Racial Traits: Dark elf characters are built with racial levels, and are not suitable for play as 1st-level characters.

Elves, Gray

The gray elves are the closest living embodiment of the ancient elvish archetype, though even in their mighty eyes can be seen the eventual passing of their race. Gray elves are stately, contemplative, courtly, exacting beings, not taken to merriment or quick action. They are very rare. The grays that decide to take a hand in modern events make history and forge legends. The most recent such was Vanuviel Glamdring, who helped found the City State of the Invincible Overlord and established one of the most important dynasties in the region. His descendants founded Ashenshaft and Palewood. There is a contingent of gray elves in Onhir as well. All counted, there are probably fewer than two thousand gray elves in the Wilderlands.

Gray elves have ivory white skin, gold or silver hair, and violet or amber eyes (other colors are vanishingly rare). They stand 6 ft. 0 in., weigh 160 lbs with a lean build, and tend toward Lawful Good alignment.

Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following modifications or additions:
Abilities: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, and +2 Intelligence.
Favored Class: Paladin or wizard. Many gray elves become eldritch knights.

Elves, Mer

The mer-elves are the rare, distant kin of the merfolk. They must live within the waters of river or sea or die of dehydration. Mer-elves possess the tail of a great fish instead of legs, though once per day they may magically transform and split their tail into legs for up to an hour. They may be out of water for no more than one hour per day. They are said to possess magic that enables them to increase this time. They are most commonly encountered on the Great River Roglaroon, where they are the allies of the Roglo River-Folk.

Mer elves have pale blue-green skin, with hair of a lighter hue, and eyes several shades darker. They stand 6 ft. 0 in. tall, weigh 190 lbs with an athletic build, and tend toward Neutral alignment.

Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following modifications or additions:
Amphibious (Ex): Mer-elves can breathe both air and water, although they rarely travel more than a few feet from the water’s edge. They may spend one hour on land per day without penalty but thereafter suffer one point of temporary Constitution damage for every thirty minutes beyond the first hour they remain on land in a 24-hour period.
Transform (Su): Once per day, for an hour, a mer-elf may change his tail into a pair of human legs.
Favored Class: Fighter or sorcerer

Elves, Northern

The northern elves, also known as Alvar, or Blue Elves, arrived from the Great Glacier to the north. These northern elves do not recognize close kinship with other elves, considering all other elves to be cultural degenerates of the original breed, save perhaps the gray elves, whom they respect for their ancient ways but disdain for their peaceable lifestyle. The Alvar claim but a single settlement in the Roglaras for themselves, Seasteadholm on Goodholm Haven, on the Warwik Peninsula.

Northern elves have pale blue skin, platinum hair, and blue eyes. They typically stand 6 ft. 0 in., weigh 160 lbs with a moderate build, and tend toward Neutral alignment.

Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following modifications or additions:
Favored Class: Barbarian or sorcerer

Elves, Southern

The southern elves, also known as Altani Elves, or Red Elves, are a barbaric race from Barbarian Altanis. Like the human folk there they live in savagery, preferring the atavistic ways of the barbarian to the civilized ways of their ancestors.

Altani elves have pink or reddish skin, tawny hair, and red eyes (sometimes green or amber). They stand 5 ft. 0 in., weigh 100 lbs with a lean build, and lean toward Neutral alignment.

Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following modifications or additions:
*Abilities: +2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma.
Darkvision (60 ft.)
Attack Bonus: +1 attack bonus against orcs and goblins.
Favored Class: Barbarian or sorcerer

Elves, Wild

Wild elves are the most reclusive of the elven folk, next to the dark elves, though unlike their grim cousins, the wild elves do not go out of their way to trouble other races. The Green Elves, as they are also known, just want to be left alone, even by other elves. Many tribes have forsaken advanced technology and only use stone and wood. They reside in the deepest forests and hidden valleys. A tribe of wild elves is known to reside in the Darkling Woods, where they seek refuge from the world at large, and maintain it by slaying all who enter their domain, hanging the bodies from the boughs of trees on the edge of the forest.

Wild elves generally have nut-brown or green skin, long braids of green or tawny brown hair, and green eyes. They typically stand 5 ft. 4 in., weigh 100 lbs with a lean build, and tend toward Chaotic Neutral.

Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following modifications or additions:
Abilities: +2 Dexterity and -2 Intelligence.
Favored Class: Barbarian or sorcerer

Elves, Wood

Wood elves are the rustic cousins of the high elves, paying lip service to the concept of Alfheim, and living however they please otherwise. They prefer to live in forests and wilderness, away from other races as much as possible, though they are not as murderously xenophobic as their wild elf cousins. Their main realms are the northern Dearthwood (where they actually work with the Elves of Alfheim in Dearthwood), though they may be found in most fair forests and woods of the Wilderlands. They avoid cities and towns, disdaining even the villages of more civilized folk. They are at eternal odds with orcs, goblins, and trolls, even moreso than their wild elven cousins.

Wood elves have ivory skin that tans readily to a tawny hue, blonde or coppery red hair, and green eyes. They stand 5 ft. 4 in., weigh 120 lbs with a lean build, and tend toward Neutral alignment.

Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following modifications or additions:
Abilities: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, and -2 Intelligence.
Favored Class: Druid or ranger