Homebrew Aiel Sun Elf Species Details

 “We are the sun’s shadow. We bend the knee to no king, no stone, no storm. We bleed for the oath — and only for the oath.”
— Siran Tel’Rhaen, Flame-Sister of the Burning Wind

They are called many names by outsiders, Desert Elves, Sunborn, Sandwalkers, but to themselves, they are only Aiel: those who endured.

In the searing vastness of Tear, where water hides like prey and the wind cuts like blades, the Aiel have made their home, not by taming the land, but by rising with it. Their cities are not cities in the way of the empire. Carved into sun-blasted stone, hidden in canyons, or buried beneath shifting dunes, they are testaments to survival without surrender. Chief among them is Ahmir’Sul, the red-stone city said to have been chiseled from the corpse of a fallen god.

The Aiel do not build palaces or keep libraries. Their legacy is written in blood and wind, in the strength of their word and the steel of their silence. To them, every breath is an oath. Every life a gift earned through struggle.

Once, the Aiel fought beside the other peoples of Amyril during the Age of Songs. But that was before the Blight, before Tevinter, before the kings of men broke a sacred promise made in fire and faith. That betrayal lit the desert aflame, and the Aiel War tore into the empire like a storm. Since then, the Aiel have been seen as a threat, fierce, unyielding, and alien to the soft lands of the north.

Yet not all fear them. Some seek their wisdom. Others remember that when the darkness came from the south, it was Aiel steel that held the line, and Aiel blood that stained the sands red long before the Wardens arrived.

The Aiel do not seek conquest. They seek only honor, balance, and the flame of the old oaths.

And if the sun burns their bones to preserve it, so be it.

Aiel Sun Elf Traits

A sun-scorched elven people shaped by desert hardship, spiritual discipline, and a deep code of honor.

Ability Score Increase

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.

Size

You are Medium. The Aiel are wiry and tall, averaging 6 to 6.5 feet.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Desert Born

You are naturally adapted to hot, arid climates. You are resistant to fire damage and suffer no penalties from extreme heat.

Sand and Silence

You gain proficiency in Stealth. In arid, rocky, or sandy terrain, you can attempt to hide even when only lightly obscured.

Sunsteel Training

You are proficient with spears, scimitars, shortswords, and slings.
In addition, when wielding one of these weapons, you can reroll a damage die that shows a 1. You must use the new result.

Unbowed Spirit

When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this trait, you must finish a long rest to use it again.

Trance of the Dunes

Like other elves, you do not sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply for 4 hours a day. While in trance, you gain a dreamlike awareness of your surroundings within 30 feet.

Keen Senses

 You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit dessert 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.

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, Elvish, and Sun-Tongue (a dialect of Elvish marked by poetry, gesture, and rhythm).