Elf

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world
 but not entirely part of it. They live in places of ethereal beauty, in
 the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with
faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle
fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves love nature and magic, art and
artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world.

## Slender and Graceful

With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly
 beautiful to humans and members of many other races. They are slightly
shorter than humans on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to
just over 6 feet. They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100
to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males
are only marginally heavier than females.

Elves’ coloration encompasses the normal human range and also
includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, and almost bluish-white, hair
 of green or blue, and eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver. Elves
have no facial and little body hair. They favor elegant clothing in
bright colors, and they enjoy simple yet lovely jewelry.

## A Timeless Perspective

Elves can live well over 700 years, giving them a broad perspective
on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They
are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than
greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance.
When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or
learning a new skill or art, elves can be focused and relentless. They
are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them.
They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of
danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences
before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from
intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply
wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern
martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy.

## Hidden Woodland Realms

Most elves dwell in small forest villages hidden among the trees.
Elves hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, and their skill and
magic allow them to support themselves without the need for clearing and
 plowing land. They are talented artisans, crafting finely worked
clothes and art objects. Their contact with outsiders is usually
limited, though a few elves make a good living by trading crafted items
for metals (which they have no interest in mining).

Elves encountered outside their own lands are commonly traveling
minstrels, artists, or sages. Human nobles compete for the services of
elf instructors to teach swordplay or magic to their children.

## Exploration and Adventure

Elves take up adventuring out of wanderlust. Since they are so
long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. They
dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented from day to day
but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them
 travel freely and set their own pace. Elves also enjoy exercising their
 martial prowess or gaining greater magical power, and adventuring
allows them to do so. Some might join with rebels fighting against
oppression, and others might become champions of moral causes.

## Elf Names

Elves are considered children until they declare themselves adults,
some time after the hundredth birthday, and before this period they are
called by child names.

On declaring adulthood, an elf selects an adult name, although those
who knew him or her as a youngster might continue to use the child name.
 Each elf’s adult name is a unique creation, though it might reflect the
 names of respected individuals or other family members. Little
distinction exists between male names and female names; the groupings
here reflect only general tendencies. In addition, every elf bears a
family name, typically a combination of other Elvish words. Some elves
traveling among humans translate their family names into Common, but
others retain the Elvish version.

Child Names: Ara, Bryn, Del, Eryn, Faen, Innil, Lael, Mella, Naill, Naeris, Phann, Rael, Rinn, Sai, Syllin, Thia, Vall

Male Adult Names: Adran, Aelar, Aramil,
 Arannis, Aust, Beiro, Berrian, Carric, Enialis, Erdan, Erevan,
Galinndan, Hadarai, Heian, Himo, Immeral, Ivellios, Laucian, Mindartis,
Paelias, Peren, Quarion, Riardon, Rolen, Soveliss, Thamior, Tharivol, Theren, Varis

Female Adult Names: Adrie, Althaea,
Anastrianna, Andraste, Antinua, Bethrynna, Birel, Caelynn, Drusilia,
Enna, Felosial, Ielenia, Jelenneth, Keyleth, Leshanna, Lia, Meriele,
Mialee, Naivara, Quelenna, Quillathe, Sariel, Shanairra, Shava, Silaqui,
 Theirastra, Thia, Vadania, Valanthe, Xanaphia

Family Names (Common Translations):
Amakiir (Gemflower), Amastacia (Starflower), Galanodel (Moonwhisper),
Holimion (Diamonddew), Ilphelkiir (Gemblossom), Liadon (Silverfrond),
Meliamne (Oakenheel), Naïlo (Nightbreeze), Siannodel (Moonbrook),
Xiloscient (Goldpetal)

## Elf Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement.

#### Age

Although elves reach physical maturity at the
 same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond
physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims
 adulthood around the age of 100, and can live to be 750 years old.

#### Alignment

Elves love freedom, variety, and
self-expression, so they lean strongly towards the gentler aspects of
chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and
are good more often than not. Drow are an exception; their exile into
the Underdark has made them vicious and dangerous. Drow are more often
evil than not.

#### Size

Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

#### Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the
night sky, 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.

#### Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

#### Trance

Elves do not sleep. Instead they meditate
deeply, remaining semi-conscious, for 4 hours a day. The Common word for
 this meditation is "trance". While meditating, you dream after a
fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become
reflexive after years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain
the same benefit a human would from 8 hours of sleep.

#### Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elven.

## Subrace

Ancient divides among the elven people resulted in three main
subraces: high elves, wood elves, and dark elves, who are commonly
called drow. Choose one of the two subraces presented below or one from
another source. In some worlds, these subraces are divided still further
 (such as the sun elves and moon elves of the Forgotten Realms), so if
you wish, you can choose a narrower subrace.

### High Elf

As a high elf, you have a keen mind and a mastery of at least the
basics of magic. In many of the worlds of D&D, there are two kinds
of high elves. One type (which includes the gray elves and valley elves
of Greyhawk, the Silvanesti of Dragonlance, and the sun elves of the
Forgotten Realms) is haughty and reclusive, believing themselves to be
superior to non-elves and even other elves. The other type (including
the high elves of Greyhawk, the Qualinesti of Dragonlance, and the moon
elves of the Forgotten Realms) are more common and more friendly, and
often encountered among humans and other races.
The sun elves of Faerûn (also called gold elves or sunrise elves)
have bronze skin and hair of copper, black, or golden blond. Their eyes
are golden, silver, or black. Moon elves (also called silver elves or
gray elves) are much paler, with alabaster skin sometimes tinged with
blue. They often have hair of silver-white, black, or blue, but various
shades of blond, brown, and red are not uncommon. Their eyes are blue or
 green and flecked with gold.

#### Cantrip

You know one cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

#### Elf Weapon Training

You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

#### Extra Language

You can read, speak, and write one additional language of your choice.