Library / Character Origins

Elves

The long-lived elves are children of the natural world, similar in many superficial ways to fey creatures, though with key differences.

The long-lived elves are children of the natural world, similar in many superficial ways to fey creatures, though with key differences. While fey are truly linked to the flora and fauna of their homes, existing as the nearly immortal voices and guardians of the wilderness, elves are instead mortals who are in tune with the natural world around them. Elves seek to live in balance with the wild and understand it better than most other mortals. Some of this understanding is mystical, but an equal part comes from the elves' long lifespans, which in turn gives them long-ranging outlooks. Elves can expect to remain active in the same locale for centuries. By necessity, they must learn to maintain sustainable lifestyles, and this is most easily done when they work with nature, rather than attempting to bend it to their will.

However, their links to nature are not entirely driven by pragmatism. Elves' bodies slowly change over time, taking on a physical representation of their mental and spiritual states, and those who dwell in a region for a long period of time find themselves physically adapting to match their surroundings, most noticeably taking on coloration that reflects the local environment.

Elves value their privacy and traditions, and while they are often slow to make friends at both the personal and national levels, once an outsider is accepted as a comrade, the resulting alliances can last for generations. Elves take great joy in forging alliances with races that share or exceed their long lifetimes, and often work to befriend dragons, outsiders, and fey. Those elves who spend their lives among the short-lived races, on the other hand, often develop a skewed perception of mortality and become morose, the result of watching wave after wave of companions age and die before their eyes.

Low-Light Vision

Senses Racial Traits 1 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race can see twice as far as a race with normal vision in conditions of dim light.

Elven Immunities

Defense Racial Traits 2 RP

Prerequisite: Elf subtype; Benefit: Members of this race are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws made against enchantment spells and effects.

Elven Magic

Magical Racial Traits 3 RP

Prerequisite: Elf subtype; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +2 bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, they also receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify the properties of magic items.

Keen Senses

Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.

Weapon Familiarity

Offense Racial Traits 1 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Choose up to two weapons, or one weapon and a racial weapon group. When choosing a racial weapon group, you must choose a group that includes the same name as one of your subtypes. Members of this race are proficient with those weapons. For the purposes of weapon familiarity, all bows are considered one weapon. Special: This trait can be taken up to two times. The second time it is taken, the race becomes proficient with another two weapons or one weapon and a racial weapon group.

Arcane Focus

Magical Racial Traits 1 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on concentration checks made to cast arcane spells defensively.

Darkvision

Though uncommon, some groups of elves are born with darkvision, rather than low-light vision. In many cases this is taken as a sign of a drow in the elf's ancestry, and can lead to persecution within the elf's home community. Elves with this racial trait gain darkvision with a range of 60 feet, but also gain sensitivity to light and are dazzled in areas of bright light or within the radius of a daylight spell. This racial trait replaces low-light vision.

Desert Runner

Defense Racial Traits 2 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race 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.

Dreamspeaker

Magical Racial Traits 2 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +1 bonus to the saving throw DCs of spells of the divination school and spells that produce sleep effects that they cast. In addition, members of this race with a Charisma score of 15 or higher may use dream once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level is equal to the user's character level).

Elemental Resistance

Elves who dwell in the most extreme environments, from arctic wastelands to volcanic plains, develop natural resistance to the dangers of their homelands over the course of a few generations. Elves with this racial trait gain elemental resistance 5 to acid, cold, electricity, or fire. This choice is made at character creation, and once made it cannot be changed. This racial trait replaces elven immunities.

Envoy

Magical Racial Traits 1 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race with an Intelligence score of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—comprehend languages, detect magic, detect poison, read magic. The caster level for these effects is equal to the user's character level.

Eternal Grudge

Some elves grow up in secluded, isolationist communities where generations-old slights and quarrels linger as eternal blood feuds. Elves with this racial trait receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoids of the dwarf and orc subtypes because of special training against these hated foes. This racial trait replaces elven magic.

Fleet-Footed

Movement Racial Traits 3 RP

Prerequisite: The race has at least a +2 racial bonus to Dexterity; Benefit: Members of this race receive Run as a bonus feat and a +2 racial bonus on initiative checks.

Lightbringer

Magical Racial Traits 2 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race are immune to light-based blindness and dazzle effects, and are treated as one level higher when determining the effects of any light-based spells or effects they cast (including spell-like and supernatural abilities). If a member of this race has an Intelligence of 10 or higher, it may use light at will as a spell-like ability.

Silent Hunter

Feat and Skill Racial Traits 2 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race reduce the penalty for using Stealth while moving by 5 and can make Stealth checks while running at a –20 penalty (this number includes the penalty reduction from this trait).

Spirit of the Waters

Some elves have adapted to life in tune with the sea or along the reedy depths of wild rivers and lakes. They gain a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks, can always take 10 while swimming, and may choose Aquan as a bonus language. They are proficient with longspear, trident, and net. This racial trait replaces elven magic and weapon familiarity.

Urbanite

Feat and Skill Racial Traits 1 RP

Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Sense Motive checks made to get a hunch about a social situation.

Woodcraft

Elves know the deep secrets of the wild like no others, especially secrets of the forests. Elves with this racial trait gain a +1 racial bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks. In forest terrain, these bonuses improve to +2. This racial trait replaces elven magic.
Ability Modifiers
CON -2 DEX +2 INT +2
Details
Size
Medium
Speed
30 ft.
Languages
Common, Elven, Celestial, Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Sylvan
Universe
core
Source
Advanced Race Guide
OGL 1.0a Notice. Pathfinder-derived Open Game Content on this page is used under the Open Game License v1.0a and Section 15 notice.