Elves

Originally enchanted trees in the feylands, the ancient elves uprooted themselves and escaped to the prime plane, where they spread across Benuha, adapting to all manner of environments.

Dryads and Treants are types of elves

## Additional Information

### **Anatomy & Morphology**

Elves have a standard humanoid body with two arms, two legs and a head, but due to their plant-like biology...

Sometimes elves grow small vestigial arms and other strange growths and knots in their bark... bleh

When elves clean themselves up they try and remove any of these growths and symmetrical like other humanoid species.

### **Genetics and Reproduction**

Being very plant-like, elves can reproduce sexually as well as asexually. When fertilised they create a large, bulb-like growth which takes up the majority of their abdomen until it reaches it's full size, which typically takes about a week. Once the bulb, which looks like a huge onion, has reached full size It detaches and must be planted, this stage is where half-elves are created, where the non-elf parent (or parents, when two or more non-compatable partners go to the elves to have a child) adds a drop of their blood into the bulb

Once the bulb has been planted, it must be looked after by the community until it reaches maturity and opens. If a bulb is not looked after it will enter an inactive state, where the outer layer becomes stronger than steel, and stays dormant until it is given attention and love. The more people looking after the bulb, the faster it opens. For
one person alone it could take a decade if they don't look after it properly, but a whole village working together could cause one to open in less thana year. Ashen elves are notable as their bulbs always have a tough outer layer and can open even without care from others.

Once the bulb opens, the young elf, known as an elfling, consumes the outer layers of the bulb, giving them the vital nutrients for their early days.

### **Growth Rate & Stages**

When they first emerge from their bulbs, elflings typically have few leaves and smooth bark, they grow to their full size over the course of 25 years, and are considered mature after 50 years, when they can create their own bulbs.

### **Dietary Needs and Habits**

If they get enough water and sunlight, elves don't need any food, but if they don't, they typically eat a varied diet of fruits, nuts, and other greens, meat is eaten sometimes, but usually only for special occasions.

Ashen elves, with their more nomadic lifestyle makes farming almost impossible, so they hunt for food more often than other elves.

Fungal elves, as they live underground, do not have the luxuary of constant sunlight, and more often eat meat than their above ground cousins.

Sea elves often eat fish, seaweed, and other more aquatic foods.

### **Biological Cycle**

Forest and swamp elves lose their leaves during the winter, while other elves do not.

Elf Variations

Ashen elves never grow leaves, their bark is usually grey or black and covered in slim cracks which reveal the embers inside the burning hearts of these elves.

The leaves on desert elves come in multiple diverse types, sometimes they are thin and spiney like many cacti, or sometimes thick and fleshy like succulents. Their claws are usually much larger than other elves.

Forest elves are the most common type and have a large variety of appearances, one thing they all have in common though are thick, prehensile vines in or around their arms, which they use as an extention of their arm, or like a whip.

‌The subterranian fungal elves appear similar to the more common forest elves, but lack the leaves and vines they have, instead they are covered with various mushrooms with which they have a symbiotic relationship with. The mushrooms come in a huge variety of colours, patterns, and shapes and can sometimes grow to such large sizes they appear to be hair or hats utop the heads of the elves.

‌The coastal sea elves are bright and colourful, their bark more reminiscent of coral than other elves, and they usually grow leaves which are long and flat like seaweed, but some grow leaves that look more similar to sea anemone.

‌Swamp elves are typically broader than their cousins, their branches usually hang lower than other elves, and their long, thin leaves do the same. Swamp elves also have a secret technique make a mud-like gel over time, which they use to build houses, it is sometimes used in combat too, as a way to restrain their foes.

Tropical elves often have large, flat leaves on their heads, and rarely have twig-life growths. Their bark is usually made of large, flat sections, typically in wide, rectangular or diamond patterns.

## Additional Information

### **Facial characteristics**

Elves normally have antler-like branches extending from their foreheads, which aren't always symmetrical

### **Perception and Sensory Capabilities**

Elves have two eye-like organs on their faces which work in much the same way as normal eyes. Fungal elves have a special kind of mushroom symbiote that fully replaces these organs, this replacement allows them to see even when there is no light.

### **Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms**

The fungi which grow in fungal elves are symbiotic, and the spores are spread to them when their bulb is grown by their parent. These mushrooms grow with the elves throughout their whole life.

## Civilization and Culture

#### **Naming Traditions**

All elven names are unisex, they are typically long and flowing with many vowels.
Elven surnames are typically the location where they are from, such as the name of a forest, a coastline, or even a cave network. Ashen elves usually take the name of a nearby volcano, but if there is not one nearby, they won't take a surname at all.

### **Gender Ideals**

Elves, being closely related to plants, don't have explicitely defined genders, though those who integrate into other civilised races typically adapt to any gender roles in that specific culture, usually just choosing whatever role and pronouns they feel comfortable with.

### **Major Language Groups and Dialects**

Elvish is the standard language of the elves, it is old and widespread language, most subraces have their own distinct dialect, aside from ashen elves, some of which don't even speak elvish. Common is also spoken widely among elves, and any who plan to travel typically learn it, but not all make the effort.

### **Interspecies Relations and Assumptions**

Human

Most elves find humans ignorant, due to their short lifespans and fleshy, biological nature.

Gaialith

Elves have a very mixed relationship with gaialith. They appreciate their natural origins, but their rigorous, lawful outlook and more artifical leanings unsettle the elves and their natural ways.

## Elf Ancestral Traits

***Age.*** Once they have hatched, elves mature at a similar rate to humans, they are considered adults after 100 years. Elves live incredibly long lives, even outlasting some trees, most of them live to about 1000 years old, but there have been some rare cases where certain elves have lived up to 1500 years.

***Size.*** Elves are typically a head taller than most humans. Your size is medium.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet

***Plantlike.*** Unlike most other humanoids, elves are almost like plants. You gain the following benefits

* If you spend at least eight hours a day in direct sunlight, you don't have to eat. If you spend at least 4 hours a day in direct sunlight you only have to eat half as much as a normal medium creature.
* Elves don't need to sleep. To gain the benefits of a long rest you can do light activity, such as keeping watch, reading or maintaining your equipment, for 8 hours.
* You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

***Appearance Change.*** Pick one of the following traits (*Sinister Visage* or *Sanded Finish*), after a long rest, you can exchange one trait for the other.

* ***Sinister Visage.*** Elves are seen as horrifying monstrosities to a majority of civilized races. You gain proficiency in Intimidation.
* ***Sanded Finish.*** Most elves are well aware of their races' image, some take measures to appear less monstrous than others of their kind. You gain proficiency in Persuasion.

***Subrace.*** Ashen, Desert, Forest, Fungal, Sea, Swamp, Taiga or Tropical.

## Elven Cultural Traits

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

***Alignment.*** Elves are typically chaotic

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.

There are many different Elven communities, choose one of the following groups.

Ashen elf communities are nomadic, though they typically prefer to stay in hotter areas, or near volcanoes.
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
***Fire Affinity.*** You have resistance to fire damage.
 Boreal Elf
Boreal elf communities live in the frozen north, and are known for revering the dead of all elves.
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Intelligence score increases by 1..
***Necrotic Adaption.*** You have resistance to necrotic damage.
 Desert Elf
Desert elf communities are stubbon, they have lived in the deserts of Benuha since they arrived from the Feylands, they are
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Constitution score increases by 1.
***Desert Adaptation.*** You are adapted to hot climates, as described in Chapter 5 of the DMG.
 Forest Elf
Forest elves communities are the most common, they are known for their symbiotic relationship with plants, grafting vines to their arms, including non elves in their community.
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
 Fungal Elf
‌The subterranian elvish communities, similarly to their friends in the forest community, rely on symbiotic relationships, but in the fungal elf communities, they use symbiotic mushrooms to give them the ability to see in the dark,
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
***Darkvision.*** You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
 Sea Elf
Sea elves are another community which uses symbiotes, theirs allow them to breathe underwater, as well as manipulate small amounts of it.
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases by 1.
***Aquatic Adaption.*** You have a swimming speed of 30ft.
***Water Breathing.*** You can breathe in both water and air.
 Swamp Elf
The swamp elf communities are known for their indestructible mud buildings, the technique they use to create their concrete-like mud is a closely guarded secret.
***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases by 1.
 Tropical Elf
Tropical elf communities are usually quite small, and they sometimes struggle for food, to counteract this, they teach their members how to create food from magic.
***Ability Score Increase.*** +1 Charisma.
***Citric Resistance.*** You are resistant to acid damage.
***Fruit Supply.*** You know the *goodberry* spell. You can cast it at level 1 with no material components once per day.

## Random Weight & Height

 Other Elves

\*Height = base height + height modifier

\*\*Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

## Racial Feats for Elves

***Feylands Connection.*** Idk something fey lmao