Homebrew Elfin Species Details
These were the stories of a restless people who long ago took to the skies and moons in golden wings, first to conquer and destroy, then to create. Yet there was an energy, a love of power, that sang from every page. Long into the night Liriel read, lighting candle after precious candle.
She’d never given much thought to elfin, but these stories fascinated her. In these yellowed pages were tales of bold heroes, strange and fierce animals, mighty primitive gods, and a magic that was part and fabric of that distant land.
In the reckonings of most worlds, elfin are the oldest of the common races, early to arrive on the world scene and long-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their longer lives that they strive to do as much as they desire in the plentiful years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to set as an example to the younger races, and that’s why they build their mighty towers and temples on the foundation of power and desire. Whatever drives them, elfin are the creators, the archivers, and the destroyers of the worlds.
A Broad Spectrum
With their penchant for destruction and conquest, elfin are more magically diverse than other races. There is no typical elfin. An individual can stand from 6 feet to a little over 8 feet tall and weigh from 175 to 300 pounds. Elfin skin is covered by a layer of coloured fur ranging from hope bringing blue to star erasing red and black. A lot of elfin have a dash of impure blood, revealing hints of dragon, devil, or other lineages. Elfin reach adulthood in their late 40s and often live five century’s.
Variety in All Things
Elfin are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the rare races. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs in the many different planets and moons where they have settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they build empires to last for the eons, and great castles that can persist for long millennium’s. An individual elfin will have an Incredibly long life span, and a single elfin’s nation or culture preserves traditions with origins far beyond the reach of any single dragon or devil’s memory. They live in the past present and future—making them well suited to the destroying and conquering life—but also plan for even most pitiful mortals, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually, elfin are adaptable conquerors, and they stay alert to changing astrological and divine dynamics.
EVERYONE’S SECOND-WORST ENEMY
Just as poorly as they mix with each other, elfin rarely mingle with members of other races. They rarely get along with anyone, though they might be close to many. Elfin serve as creators, observers, local gods, founders, and destroyers of all things.
Dwarves. “They’re stout folk, stalwart foes, yet true to their word. Their greed for gold is their downfall, predictably.”
Elves. “It’s best not to wander near elven land. They don’t like elfin, and you’ll as likely be frustrated as peppered with arrows with pathetic arrows. Still, if an elf can get past that damned racial pride and hatred, and actually treat you like an elfin, you can understand their hatred.”
Halflings. “It’s easy to beat a meal in a halfling home, as long as you find a good devil you can easily find better—yet decent food and standable stories in front of an unnaturally calm, cool fire is and understandably welcome prospect. If halflings had a shred of ambition and spine, they might actually amount to something.”
Lasting Institutions
Where a single dragon or devil might take on the responsibility of guarding a special location or a powerful secret, elfin found a lack of need for such purposes. While dwarf clans and halfling elders pass on the ancient traditions to each new generation, elfin temples, archives, towers, and passings of desecration fix their traditions in the bedrock of history. Elfin dream of godhood, but (except for those few who seek undeath or divine ascension to escape mortality’s clutches) they unfortunately rarely achieve it or are disappointed when they do.
Although most elfin can be xenophobic, in general their societies are inclusive. Elfin lands welcome large numbers of nonelfin compared to the number (or lack there of) of elfin who live in nonelfin lands.
Exemplars of Ambition
Elfins who seek destruction are the most apathetic and easily bored members of an apathetic and easily bored race. They seek to earn joy in the erasure of all others in order to seek excitement, pleasure, or closure. More than other people, elfin champion stars rather than causes or kingdoms.
Reproduction
Having so much more of a connection to destruction and magic than other races, (such as devils or genies) their reproduction is unnatural. They seek a powerful individual, of whom they absorb into their soul, where they then instinctively fly to the highest grounded point within ten kilometres. Where then the body is transformed into pure magic and split into two infant elfin, one containing the power of the previous elfin, and the other containing the power of the soul they fused with (of which is the reason they fuse with powerful individuals).
The process is already excruciating for the mate of the elfin, yet it is a dozen times more painful for the elfin themselves.
This form of reproduction is often called “omnimorphosis”.
Names
Elfin are often named after forms of strength and magic e.g. fire, lightning, bludgeoning etc.
Male
The most common male elfin names are; Frel, Thundrel, Litnel, Coldel, Radinel, Necrotel, Psycel, Forel, Bludgel, Asdel.
Female
The most common female elfin names are; Fir, Thin, Lin, Clin, Radin, Necrin, Psin, Frin, Blin, Acin.
Elfin Traits
It’s hard to make generalizations about elfin, but your elfin character has these traits.Granted Feat
You choose a feat granted to you at level 1.
Ability Score Increase
Your ability scores each increase by 1.
Age
Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.
Size
Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.
Comments