Homebrew Bosmer Species Details

“Slighter than the Altmer, intense and agile, the Bosmer are renowned archers and scouts. Fierece combatants, the Bosmer have an unusual advantage: the Green Pact. According to Bosmer legend, Y'ffre the forest God, offered them a way to defeat their enemies, providing they did not consume, harm, or harvest any of Valenwood's plants. Many have heared of the Wild Hunt, one result of the Green Pact. Of this ritual, I will say no more."

— Archivist Endaranande, Valenwood: A Study

Bosmer, or Wood Elves, hail from the province of Valenwood in South-West Tamriel. Rejecting formalities of the civilized world, the Bosmer discarded lavish living for a life in the wilderness, among nature, the trees, and animals.

Swift and Silent

The Bosmer are one of the smallest races in Tamriel with males being smaller than females. Despite this, they traverse even the most dense forests with great ease, speed and subtlety. They are born with skin colours ranging from light brown to pale tan to light green, helping them blend in with their home of Valenwood and some even have small horns adorning their heads. The Bosmer revere their physical form, viewing it as a gift from their Forest God Y'ffre. That is not to say they wont alter their appearance, they style and cut their hair, decorate themselves with tattoos as well as war paint and piercings. Instead they will not allow their Wood Elven form to be altered, magically or otherwise. Their form is sacred and to take on the shape of beasts or otherwise is defiling that revered gift.

The Green Pact

Every Wood Elf born in Valenwood (and indeed, nearly every one born outside of it) knows of the Green Pact. The Green Pact is an ancient agreement between the Bosmer of Valenwood and their Forest God Y'ffre that has guided their existence throughout time. 

Rules of the Green Pact

-Do not harm the forest.

-Do not eat anything made from plant life.

-Eat only meat.

-When you conquer your enemies, eat their flesh before three days have past. Do not leave them to rot.

-Do not kill wastefully.

-Do not take on the shape of beasts. You are Wood Elves. Your form is sacred.

This is the Green Pact. In exchange for keeping to this Pact, the forest, which the Bosmer call the Green, has provided them with ample food and shelter. Y'ffre has blessed them with the ability to ask the forest to shape itself to their needs, growing houses and villages in which they can rest. In addition to growing houses on the forest floor, some wood elf villages have grown in the canopies of their rainforests and many even reside in great walking trees that roam the forest in times of dire need. The rest of what they need they craft through the extensive harvesting of bones, sinew, leather and other resources from gathered on hunts. 

Civilized Nature

Despite their great reverence for the Green Pact, the Bosmer of Valenwood are not stiff and closed-minded. Instead they welcome foreign travellers with open arms and never attack unless provoked. The 'Spinners', Wood Elf Priests of Y'ffre, are renowned storytellers that preserve the Bosmeri culture and will gladly share their wisdom with any outsiders that visit their homes in the forests. They will offer as much hospitality as they can to all that enter their woods as long as their guests respect their ways. For some Bosmer this even extends to allowing the use of materials sourced from forests outside their homeland although this has proved a cause of debate among those known as the Wood Elves of Deep Valenwood.

Protectors of the Woods

Whilst the Bosmer will offer their hospitality generously, those that mistake their kindness for weakness often find themselves on the receiving end of a well placed arrow. The Bosmer, using their bows crafted from bone and sinew, are excellent scouts and the most fierce archers in Tamriel. They have expertly honed the arts of stealth and cunning by studying their prey in their darkest forests. By the age of fourteen, a Wood Elf youth is proficient enough with a bow to accompany hunting parties and even the most talented archers of Tamriel struggle to wield a bow as effectively as the Bosmer of Valenwood.

Bosmer Traits

The Bosmer have a variety of natural abilities learned from their time hunting in their native forests of Valenwood, granting these traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Although Bosmer reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans they typically live for two to three times as long as them.

Size

Elves range from around 4 to 5 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium. Males are typically smaller while females are often taller among them.

Speed

Your Bosmeri physiology increases your base walking speed is increased to 40 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to hunting in the forests of Valenwood under the cover of dark, 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.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Meat Mandate

Familiar with the practise detailed in the Green Pact, you cannibalise the corpse of an enemy that you have helped kill. You gain temporary hit points equal 1d4 + your level. This act is seen as abhorrent by almost all races but the Bosmer.

Forest-Coupling

Your Bosmeri heritage gives you a natural affinity for disappearing in the wilds. If you are lightly obscured, you can use foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist and other natural phenomena to attempt to hide.

Ranged Weapon Training

Like all Bosmer, you have trained with bows from a young age and thus have proficiency with shortbows, and longbows.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.