Elf

This humanoid, slender and slightly shorter than a human, has pale skin and dark hair. Pointed ears grace the sides of its elongated head. It wears armor with a natural, forest-themed design that appears organic instead of worked and crafted.

Elves are aloof guardians of the forests, studying magic and swordplay for the duration of their long lives.

Elves average 5 feet tall and typically weigh just over 100 pounds. They live on fruits and grains, though they occasionally hunt for fresh meat. Elves prefer colorful clothes, usually with a green-and-gray cloak that blends well with the colors of the forest.

They appreciate beautiful things, from elegant jewelry to attractive flowers to decorated clothing and tools.

Like dwarves, elves are craftmasters, although they work in wood and metal rather than metal and stone. Elven items are prized by other races, and many elven communities have become prosperous by trading crafted goods with other peoples in and out of the forests.

Elves speak Elven, and most also know Common and Sylvan.

Most elves encountered outside their homes are warriors; the information presented here is for one of 1st level.

Combat

Elves are cautious warriors and take time to analyze their opponents and the location of the fight if at all possible, maximizing their advantage by using ambushes, snipers, and camouflage. They prefer to fire from cover and retreat before they are found, repeating this maneuver until all of their enemies are dead. They prefer longbows, shortbows, rapiers, and longswords. In melee, elves are graceful and deadly, using complex maneuvers that are beautiful to observe. Their wizards often use sleep spells during combat because these won’t affect other elves.

Elf Traits (Ex): Elves possess the following racial traits.

• +2 Dexterity, –⁠2 Constitution.
• Medium size.
• An elf’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Immunity to sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects. (Not reflected in the saving throw modifiers given here.)
• Low-light vision.
• Weapon Proficiency: Elves are automatically proficient with the longsword, rapier, longbow, composite longbow, shortbow, and composite shortbow.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Sylvan.
• Favored Class: Wizard.

Elf Society

Elves believe that independence and freedom for the individual are more important than the rigid structures of civilization, so they tend to live and travel in small bands. These bands accept the loose authority of a noble, who in turn owes allegiance to an elven monarch (who rules his or her own band directly).

Elves live in harmony with nature, building temporary camps that blend into the trees—or are in the branches of the trees, away from prying eyes. They frequently have animal guardians or giant eagles watching their homes. An elven settlement contains noncombatants (mostly children) equal to 20% of the fighting population. Elf society is egalitarian, and males or females may be found in almost any role.

Their long life span gives elves a patient perspective and allows them to take pleasure in the enduring beauty of the natural world. They don’t see the point in short-term gains and instead learn things that will provide joy for years to come, such as stories, music, art, and dance. Treasures such as elven music and crafts disguise the fact that elves are dedicated warriors determined to check the spread of evil in the forests.

Elves eat little, and although they are omnivorous, they eat more plants than meat. This is partly because of their affinity with nature (they believe a harvested plant causes less disruption to nature than a slain animal) and partly because their fondness for roving requires food that is preserved more easily.

The chief elf deity is Corellon Larethian, who is the creator and protector of the race.

Sample Elves

The sample elf warriors presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of this creature. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Elf (High) • Half-elf • Aquatic • Drow • Gray Elf • Wild Elf • Wood Elf

Subraces

The above information describes the high elf, the most common variety. There are five other major subraces of elf, in addition to half-elves, who share enough elven characteristics to be included here.

Half-Elf

Half-elves are not truly an elf subrace, but they are often mistaken for elves. They may be outcasts from their parents’ societies or welcomed into the elven or human community, depending on the attitudes the two groups have for each other. Half-elves usually inherit a good blend of their parents’ physical characteristics, so a half-aquatic elf has greenish skin, a half-drow has dusky skin and light hair, and so on.

Half-Elf Traits (Ex): Half-elves possess the following racial traits.

• Medium size.
• A half-elf’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects, and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells or effects.
• Low-light vision.
• +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A half-elf does not have the elf’s ability to notice secret doors simply by passing near them.
• +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks: Half-elves get along naturally with all people. This bonus may not apply in situations or settings where half-elves are viewed with distrust (such as isolated human settlements), at the DM’s option.
• Elven Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-elf is considered an elf. Half-elves, for example, are just as vulnerable to special effects that affect elves as their elf ancestors are, and they can use magic items that are only usable by elves.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass half-elf takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing, her highest-level class does not count.

Aquatic Elf

This humanoid is slender and slightly shorter than a human. It has pale, greenish silver skin and emerald green hair. Its ears are pointed, and its fingers and toes are partially webbed.

Also called sea elves, these creatures are waterbreathing cousins to land-dwelling elves. They cavort amid the waves and the ocean depths with allies such as dolphins and whales.

Aquatic elves fight underwater with tridents, spears, and nets.

Many aquatic elves revere Deep Sashelas, an undersea god of knowledge and beauty.

Aquatic Elf Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted. (These have been adjusted for the updated description in Stormwrack, page 40.)

• +2 Dexterity, –⁠2 Intelligence. These adjustments replace the high elf’s ability score adjustments.
• An aquatic elf is a humanoid that has the aquatic subtype and elf subtype.
• An aquatic elf has a swim speed of 40 feet. An aquatic elf has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
• Gills: Aquatic elves can survive out of the water for 1 hour per point of Constitution (after that, refer to Suffocation).
• Superior Low-Light Vision: Aquatic elves can see four times as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of low illumination. This trait replaces the high elf’s low-light vision.
• Weapon Proficiency: Aquatic elves are automatically proficient with the trident, longspear, and net. This trait replaces the high elf’s racial weapon proficiencies.
• Favored Class: Fighter. This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.

Drow

This humanoid is slender and shorter than a human. It has jet black skin and white hair.

Also known as dark elves, drow are a depraved and evil subterranean offshoot.

White is the most common hair color among drow, but almost any pale shade is possible. Drow tend to be smaller and thinner than other sorts of elves, and their eyes are often a vivid red. Their society is matriarchal and rigidly controlled by the priesthood.

The drow’s patron deity is the spider goddess Lolth. Female drow favor the cleric class rather than wizard and have access to two of the following domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, or Trickery.

Drow usually coat their arrows with a potent venom.

Poison (Ex): An opponent hit by a drow’s poisoned weapon must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or fall unconscious. After 1 minute, the subject must succeed on another DC 13 Fortitude save or remain unconscious for 2d4 hours. A typical drow carries 1d4–1 doses of drow knockout poison. Drow typically coat arrows and crossbow bolts with this poison, but it can also be applied to a melee weapon. Note that drow have no special ability to apply poison without risking being poisoned themselves. Since this poison is not a magical effect, drow and other elves are susceptible to it.

Drow Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted.

• +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
• Darkvision out to 120 feet. This trait replaces the high elf’s low-light vision.
• Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels.
• +2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
• Spell-Like Abilities: Drow can use the following spell-like abilities once per day: dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire. Caster level equals the drow’s class levels.
• Weapon Proficiency: A drow is automatically proficient with the hand crossbow, the rapier, and the short sword. This trait replaces the high elf’s weapon proficiency.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin, Kuo-toan. This trait replaces the high elf’s automatic and bonus languages.
• Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
• Favored Class: Wizard (male) or cleric (female). This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.
• Level adjustment +2.

Challenge Rating: Drow with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level. Drow with levels in PC classes have a CR equal to their character level +1.

Gray Elf

This humanoid is slender and nearly as tall as a human. It is pale-skinned and dark-haired, with pointed ears.

Gray elves are the most noble and regal of all elves. Taller and grander in physical appearance than others of their race, gray elves have a reputation for being aloof and arrogant (even by elven standards). They certainly are more reclusive than high elves, living in isolated mountain citadels and allowing entry only to a select few outsiders. They have either silver hair and amber eyes or pale golden hair and violet eyes. They prefer clothing of white, silver, yellow, or gold, with cloaks of deep blue or purple.

Gray Elf Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the high elf traits.

• +2 Intelligence, –⁠2 Strength.

Wild Elf

This humanoid is slender and shorter than a human. Its has dark brown skin, pointed ears, and black hair.

Wild elves, also known as grugach, are barbaric and tribal.

Wild elves’ hair color ranges from black to light brown, lightening to silvery white with age. They dress in simple clothing of animal skins and basic plant weaves. Though other elves consider them savages, they contend that they are the true elves, for the rest have lost their primal elven essence in needing to build. Nomadic and rugged, wild elves favor the sorcerer class rather than wizard, although many are barbarians as well.

Wild Elf Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted.

• +2 Dexterity, –⁠2 Intelligence. These adjustments replace the high elf’s ability score adjustments.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer. This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.

Wood Elf

Also called sylvan elves, members of this subrace live deep in primordial forests. Their hair color ranges from yellow to a coppery red, and they are more muscular than other elves. Their clothing is in dark shades of green and earth tones to better blend in with their natural surroundings. Their homes are sometimes guarded by giant owls or leopards.

Wood Elf Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted.

• +2 Strength, –⁠2 Intelligence.
• Favored Class: Ranger. This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 101.