Half-Elf

*“People are no good. You can only trust animals and the bottle.”* ―Delmao, half-Elven thief

Unlike the parents of muls, elves and humans are often attracted to each other. Half-elves are typically the unwanted product of a casual interracial encounter.

**Personality**: Half-elves are notorious loners. Many Athasians believe that half-elves combine the worst traits of both races, but the most difficult aspect of half-elves – their lack of elf–confidence – comes not from their mixed origins but rather from a life of rejection from both parent races. Half-elves try in vain to gain the respect of humans or elves.

**Physical Description**: Averaging over six feet tall, half-elves combine Elven dexterity with human resilience. Bulkier than elves, most half-elves find it easier to pass themselves off as full humans than as full elves, but all have some features that hint at their Elven heritage.

**Relations**: Humans distrust the half-elf's Elven nature, while elves have no use for their mixed–blood children; Elven traditions demand that such children be left behind. Human society lives half-elves have a better chance of survival, but even less kindness. Half-elves sometimes find friendship among muls or even Thri-kreen. Half-elves will cooperate with companions when necessary, but find it difficult to rely on anyone. Many half-elves also turn to the animal world for company, training creatures to be servants and friends. Ironically, the survival skills and animal affinity that half-elves developed to cope with isolation make them valuable beast handlers in human society.

**Alignment**: Lawful and neutral half-elves labor for acceptance from a parent race, while chaotic ones have given up on acceptance, electing instead to reject the society that has rejected them.

**Half-Elven Lands**: Despite their unique nature, half-elves don't form communities. The few half-elves that settle down tend to live among humans who, unlike elves, at least find a use for them.

**Magic**: Half-elves often take up arcane studies, because it is a solitary calling.

**Psionics**: Mastery of the Way often provides the independence and self–knowledge that half-elves seek, and membership in a psionic academy can provide the half-elf with acceptance.

**Religion**: Because of their alienation from society and their affinity with animals, half-elves make excellent druids. Some half-elves turn their resentment of society into a profession and become sullen, bullying templars. As clerics, they are drawn to water's healing influence.

**Language**: Half-elves all speak the Common tongue. A few half-elves pick up the Elven language.

**Names**: Half-elves nearly always have human names. Unable to run as elves, they never receive Elven given names, or acceptance in an Elven tribe that they could use as surname.

**Adventurers**: In a party, half-elves often seem detached and aloof.

## Half-Elf Society

Unlike other races, half-elves do not consider themselves a separate race, and, with very few exceptions, do not try to form half-Elven communities. A half-elf's life is typically harder than either a human's or an elf's. It is difficult for half-elves to find acceptance within either Elven or human society. Elves have not tolerance for those of mixed heritage, while humans do not trust their Elfish side. On the whole, humans are far more tolerant of half-elves than elves, who often refuse to allow such children into their tribes, and are likely to cast the half-elf's mother from the tribe as well.

Most half-elves consider themselves outsiders to all society and tend to wander throughout their entire lives, going through life as an outsider and loner. Half-elves are forced to develop a high level of self-reliance. Most half-elves take great pride in their self-reliance, but this pride often makes half-elves seem aloof to others. For many half-elves the detachment is a defensive mechanism to deal with a desire for acceptance from either human or Elven society that will likely never come. Some half-elves turn to the animal world for company, training creatures to be servants and friends.

## Half-Elf Racial Traits

* **Ability Score**: Half-elf characters gain a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
* **Type**: Half-elves are Humanoid creatures with both the human and the elf subtypes.
* **Size**: Half-elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Base Speed**: Half-elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
* **Languages**: Half-elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Half-elves with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic). See Linguistics for more information.
* **Desert Runner** Half-elves receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments.
* **Elf Blood**: Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
* **Keen Senses**: Half-elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
* **Low-Light Vision**: Half-elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
* **Tablelander**: +2 racial bonus on all Survival and Handle Animal checks. Half‐elves spend a lot of time in the wilds of the tablelands.
* **Naturally psionic**: Half-elves receive Wild Talent as a bonus feat at 1st level. If they take levels in a psionic class they may replace WIld Talent with Psionic Talent.
* ***Half-Elven Psionics*:**Half-elves have \*empathic connection\* as a psionic power. Th DC for this power is 10 + the power's level + the half-elf's Charisma modifier (unless the half-elf has psionic class levels, in which case a more favourable ability score is used).