Half-Elves

A half-elf poses with a staff.

Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents.

## Physiology

To humans, half-elves look like elves, and to elves, they look human. In height, they're on par with both parents, though they're neither as slender as elves nor as broad as humans. They generally range from under 5 feet to about 6 feet tall, and from 100 to 180 pounds.

Half-elven coloration and features lie somewhere between their human and elf parents, and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either race. They tend to have the eyes of their elven parents.

Half-elves, usually male ones, can grow facial hair, and sometimes grow beards to mask their elven ancestry.

## Common Personality Traits

Human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves - that is what makes up half-elf personalities.

Like elves, they are often driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others throw themselves into the thick of society, putting their charisma and social skills to great use in diplomatic roles or as swindlers.

Many half.elves learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground. As a race, they have elven grace without elven aloofness and human energy without human boorishness.

Almost all half-elves value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others' demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

## Society

Some half-elves live among humans, set apart by their emotional and physical differences, watching friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as children. Many half-elves, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.

Half-elves have no lands of their own, though they are welcome in human cities and somewhat less welcome in elven forests. In large cities in regions where elves and humans interact often, half-elves are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other half-elves, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds.

In most parts of the world, though, half-elves are uncommon enough that one might live for years without meeting another. Some half-elves prefer to avoid company altogether, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. They often make excellent ambassadors and go-betweens (except between elves and humans, since each side suspects the half-elf of favoring the other).

#### How Other Races React

Half-elves are less widespread than dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. In big cities, most people hardly look twice at them, but the small towns and villages that dot the countryside are different. Although many people have never seen a haif-elf, virtually everyone knows they exist. A half-elf stranger's arrival is followed by gossip behind the half-elf's back and stolen glances across the common room, rather than any confrontation or open curiosity.

## Names

Half-elves use either human or elven naming conventions. As if to emphasize that they don't really fit in to either society, half-elves raised among humans are often given elven names, and those raised among elves often take human names.

## Gameplay Traits

#### Ability Score Increase

Half-elves' Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of their choosing increase by I.

#### Age

Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

#### Alignment

Like elves, half-elves are typically neutral, rather than good or evil, but are more likely to be chaotic in nature than their human or elven parents.

#### Darkvision

Thanks to their elf blood, half-elves have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. They can see in dim light within 60 feet of themselves as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

#### Fey Ancestry

Half-elves have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put them to sleep.

#### Skill Versatility

Half-elves gain proficiency in two skills of their choice.

#### Language

In addition to Common and Elvish, half-elves typically know one other language of their choosing.