Homebrew Coldvein Elf Species Details

 Rowan rubs the sleep from his eyes and rises from his bed. Looking into the mirror over the washbasin, he can't help but point out the bruises and lacerations that remain on his face and neck. Further down, along his chest and shoulders there are even more wounds that have been with him for years. As a coldvein, this was to be expected. No blood running through his undead veins meant that his wounds would never heal, and one day, his flesh would be completely gone, leaving behind nothing more than his immortal soul. But until that day, he had a bar to run. Even after he was to become an undying specter, he would probably stick around and keep the new owner company...

 

 

 

Coldvein

 

Physical Description

Coldveins are rather tame in appearance compared to most undead. Oddly enough, necromancers have been unable to create coldveins from any race other than elves, specifically high elf remains. Coldveins have incredibly pale skin and dark eyes, as well as pointed elf ears. Despite being undead, coldveins do not rot. But their wounds do not close either. Often times, coldveins eventually wrap almost their whole bodies up in bandages to hide these glaring wounds they accumulate. One day, when their lifeless bodies can no longer hold themselves together, their spirits escape, tragically remaining bound to the mortal plane and leaving their broken body for all to see.

History

According to the oldest coldvein spirit, the process by which they are created was developed by the powerful wizard Greylin Sorel. The mad man was quite fond of the bodies of high elves and desired to be able to make them into impervious undead soldiers. He was caught and executed for his heinous practices, but his recipes were gone from his study, taken by his apprentices.

Since then, his apprentices have passed this knowledge along to the necromancer circles scattered around the world. There has been a history of looting the corpses of high elves to continue this barbaric practice. Coldveins have endured histories of slavery at the hand of necromancers who raised them, and abuse at the hands of the fearful ones that glanced upon them.

Society

Coldveins are often able to pass off as Drow-High Elf mixes. That is, so long as they avoid chapels and clerics. On rare occasions, however, their unfortunate nature is accepted by townspeople and even the church. It is rare for coldveins to take on careers that involve traveling, as most seek to remember who they were before they died, and they often believe that they are reanimated close to their living home. Some coldveins, however, accept their lot in life, taking to traveling and taking advantage of their second shot to create a new life.

Coldvein Names

Coldveins often pick names for themselves that come from the naming conventions of the most common race in their area.

Male: Ulfgar, Heimund, Juuraat

Female: Farsha, Raata, Klyynlin

 

Coldvein Elf Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of years of undead enlightenment.

Shadow Stealth

You can hide in dim light and gain proficiency in stealth.

Undead nature

You do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. You are vulnerable to radiant damage, but resistant to necrotic damage

Undead Fortitude

If damage that does not kill you again outright would reduce you to one hit point, you may make a DC. 13 Constitution save. On a success, you are reduced to 1 hit point instead. Additionally, you have advantage on death saves, and even if you do die, you rise again in 24 hours.

Ghostly

Your undead nature makes you partially a ghost. Using this trait, you can cast blink twice with this trait and automatically succeed on the roll. Additionally, you can move before or after returning, and reappear within twenty feet of where you are in the ethereal plane. You regain all expended uses after a long rest.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

Alignment

Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others’ freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. The drow are an exception; their exile into the Underdark has made them vicious and dangerous. Drow are more often evil than not.

Size

Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, 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.

Grave Mind

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Trance

Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. 

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.