Elf

## Those Who Watch

Though there were creatures on Refuge before the awakening of Elvenkind, they were the first to build great cities and empires. Their history is one of long decay, their ancient greatness lost in an almost unimaginable chasm of time. Few relics of the elves’ glory now remain, but those that do are prized beyond worth.

In the days before the Seal, the elves waged war against the upstart races that sought to wrest their dominion away from them. The young race of men in particular proved a dire foe. Never before had the elves faced such destruction. In their desperation, the elven Princes wrought a terrible magic, which left them a cursed race - immortal, even after death. No elf can ever truly die - when the body is slain, it rises again as a monstrosity. Humans call them ghouls, ghasts, or wights. The elves see them as husks - cursed shells that have no souls. To ensure their demise, the bodies must be burned, and burned quickly.

Broken by their own magic, the elves scattered and fractured. Hiding in the deepest parts of the world, the First Born slowly, but surely, began to fade. Then came the Thorns. As the world began to warp, the great elven Seers worked yet another great spell: a veil was placed over their lands, through which no mortal could pass. Even the elves themselves pass it at great peril, never to return to their homes. Those who come out have only vague memories of their lives within, their purpose often lost.

Those elves who do pass through the veil usually wander and watch. Some find their purpose as heroes, healers, advisors, or hunters. Others lose themselves in nature, becoming one with the forests, seas, or mountains. Still others despair, and drive themselves to acts of great wickedness and destruction. Wherever an elf appears, great deeds will surely be done.

Occasionally, a child will be born from a union between human and elf blood. These are treated with something of awe and fear in the human world. Their sterility and longevity (though not immortality) often preclude them from many of the normal attachments that keep normal humans in one place. The curse of their fey parent does not pass to their half-children, though sometimes there is a strange affinity for and with the dead.

## Racial Features

Here are the following changes to the standard D&D Elf and Half-Elf races:

***Dusksight***: Wood Elves and High Elves gain Low-Light Vision. They can see in dim light as if it was bright light to a distance of 120 ft. Half-Elves can see in dim light as if it were bright light to a distance of 60 ft. This replaces the Darkvision Racial Trait.

***Fey Blood***: Wood Elves know the Druidcraft Cantrip. At 3rd level, they can cast Animal Friendship as a first level spell once per day. When they reach 5th level, they can cast Animal Messenger as a second level spell once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting Ability for these spells.

**Otherworldly Grace***:* High Elves have 1 *ki point*. When they spend it, it is unavailable until they finish a short or long rest. They must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain it. The *ki* point can be spent on one of the three following abilities:

* *Flurry of Blows* - Immediately after you take the attack action on your turn, you can make two *Unarmed Strikes* as a Bonus Action.
* *Patient Defense* - You may take the *Dodge* action as a bonus action.
* *Step of the Wind* - You may take the *Dash* or *Disengage* actions on your turn as a bonus action, and your jump distance is doubled for your turn.

This features does not stack with the Monk class's Ki feature, and replaces the High Elf Cantrip racial feature.

At 3rd level, this ki point may be spent as a reaction to Deflect Missiles, as per the Monk Ability. If the damage is reduced to 0, they may make a ranged attack with the missile, without spending an additional ki point.

At 5th level, High Elves gain 1 additional ki point. This second ki point does stack with the Monk class's Ki feature.

At 9th level, they can spend a Ki point to gain True Sight, as per the True Seeing spell, for 1 round.

**Dark Blood**: Elves and Half-Elves can choose the Blood Hunter Class.

**Curse of Immortality**: Elves (but not half-elves) do not simply die. When an elf fails his 3rd death save and would normally die, he instead rises as an undead under the control of the DM in 1d6 turns (rounds in combat, 10 minute periods if outside of combat). The kind of undead depends upon the level of the elf:

* 1-2: Ghoul
* 3-4: Ghast
* 5-8: Wight
* 9-12: Vampire Spawn
* 13-16: Vampire
* 17-20: Vampire Lord

This process can be arrested by the burning of the elf's body before the time is up, and is delayed for 1 hr by the application of a Gentle Repose spell.

*Note: The undead is soulless (your character doesn't become evil - the curse gives a semblance of life to the body). However some memories are retained by the newly risen undead - if they rise in the middle of a fight, for example, they are more likely to fight those they were fighting than turn on their former allies. However, once the enemies are slain, the undead will behave as the evil creature it is, according to its type.*