Homebrew Elfling Species Details

 

Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, elflings combine what some say are the best qualities of their halfling and elven parents: elven refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes tempered by the swiftness, love of food and drink, and luck of the halflings. Some elflings live among elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as children. Others live with the halflings, set apart by their emotional and physical differences, watching friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Many elflings, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.

Of Two Worlds

To elves, elflings look like halflings, and to halflings, they look elven. In height, they’re on par with both parents, though they’re neither as wide as halflings nor as slender as elves. They range from under 4 feet to about 5 feet tall, and from 50 to 130 pounds, with men only slightly taller and heavier than women. Elfling men do have facial hair, and sometimes grow sideburns to mask their elven ancestry. Elfling coloration and features lie somewhere between their elf and halfling parents, and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either race.

Diplomats or Wanderers

Elflings have no lands of their own, though they are welcome in halfling villages and somewhat less welcome in elven cities. In large cities in regions where halflings and elves interact often, elflings are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other elflings, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds.

In most parts of the world, though, elflings are uncommon enough that one might live for years without meeting another. Some elflings prefer to avoid company altogether, wandering the plains as nomads, foragers, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like halflings, they are driven by the homebodiness that comes of their joyful community. Others, in contrast, throw themselves into the thick of society, putting their charisma and social skills to great use in diplomatic roles or as swindlers.

Elfling Names

Elflings use either elven or halfling naming conventions. As if to emphasize that they don’t really fit in to either society, elflings raised among elves are often given elfling names, and those raised among halflings often take elven names.

EXCELLENT AMBASSADORS

Many elflings learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground. As a race, they have halfling rapidity without halfling giddiness and elven grace without elven aloofness. They often make excellent ambassadors and go-betweens (except between halflings and elves, since each side suspects the elfling of favoring the other).

Elfling Traits

Your elfling character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are in common with halflings

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 2

Age

Elflings mature at the same rate halflings do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than halflings, however, often exceeding 225 years.

Size

Elflings are about the same size as dwarves, ranging from under 4 to about 5 feet tall. Your size is Medium or Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Lucky

When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can preroll the die and you must use the new roll.

Elfling Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Darkvision

Thanks to your elf blood, 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 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.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Halfling, and Elvish.