Homebrew Elkari (Half-Elf / Half-Orc) Species Details

“Few races share a mutual hatred like orcs and elves. In many ways, they are quite opposites. One is beautiful, the other grotesque. One is strong, the other agile. One is intelligent, and the other is easier to fool than a stone. The truth is, this contempt is a recent chapter in their history. And while these two races often kill each other on sight, it wasn't always this way. No one is sure what happened to separate them. But when these two exceptional races united, the children they produced were far greater than the sum of their bloodlines... and far more dangerous.”

— Talvor, Dragonborn Guardian of Secrets

 

Strong, agile, and utterly unpredictable, the Elkari are formidable. The Elkari are a remnant of a time when orcs and elves fought side by side. Although born in a time when both races were friendly, they are barely welcome in either society today. As a result, many Elkari have abandoned their kin's lands, preferring to live among more tolerant races. Elkari are considered extremely rare.

Dexterous and Durable

Elkari are blessed with the graceful beauty of elves, punctuated only by small fangs and squarer features. Elkari stand between 5 and just over 6 feet tall, but lack the broad, bulky bodies of their orcish parents, instead having slender builds with their natural muscles wrapped tightly beneath the flesh. Their skin tones tend to reflect those of their elven parents, tinged with a hint of dull gray, green, or blue.
There is an almost graceful quality to their purposeful movements, reminiscent of a large cat: powerful, yet precise and fluid. The Elkari are not as strong as full orcs, nor as agile as pure elves, but they embody the near-perfect balance of strength and speed. They are impulsive and erratic, making them nearly impossible to anticipate in battle; a trait that earns them the respect of some of the progenitor races, if not outright acceptance.

Internal Conflict

The Elkari are a people who not only fight with others, but also conflict within themselves. The whispers of the orc god Gruumsh do not reach their minds directly, kept at bay by their faerie ancestry, but his influence still burns in each and every Elkari. It is this influence that amplifies their already chaotic tendencies, a gift also from their elven blood, and causes them to act on instinct, unpredictable but often reckless, with little regard for law and order. They are driven to violence, and only the fine control granted by their elven heritage allows them, for the most part, to curb these impulses.

Likewise, their elven blood guides them toward good, a task made more difficult by the fact that they are widely rejected, coupled with their vicious cravings and aloof nature. These often futile desires commonly lead to frustration.

Misunderstood by their parents and nearly all other races, including other half-orcs, the Elkari feel most comfortable among tieflings who know what it is like to be despised by the masses. The few remaining Elkari often find a home among the slums of human cities or wander the lands as solitary vagrants. Those in power who come to accept the Elkari consider them more than capable and highly efficient, often using them as personal bodyguards, lethal assassins, bounty hunters, or shock troops.

 

Elkari Names

Elkari are given names appropriate to the place where they were raised. Those raised by a reclusive elf will have an elvish name, while one raised by an exiled orc will bear a more guttural name. Alternatively, like tieflings, some elven-orcs adopt a "virtue" name based on a word they feel signifies their struggle for survival, or an important goal for them.

Search among elven names, orcish names, and tiefling "virtue" names and choose one for your character.
Those given to be raised by others—whether to guardians of another race, a monastery, a faction order, or otherwise—could have any name relevant to them.
Elkari are known among the orc clans as the unblooded, or "gahuta." And elves refer to them as the cursed children, or hútanwë.

Subrace

The type of elf your Elkari is descended from determines what they inherit: high elves, wood elves, and dark elves, who are commonly called drow. Elkaris are also defined by their orcish blood, being it: Gray, Mountain, or Green Orc (also known as Orog). Choose to define your unique subrace and define your traits.

Elkari (Half-Elf / Half-Orc) Traits

Your Elkari character has certain traits derived from your elven and orcish ancestry.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength and Dexterity scores increases by 1.

Age

Elkari grow fairly quickly, reaching adulthood around age 16. And while they don't have the same long lifespans as elves, they have been known to live well into their second century.

Size

Elkari are somewhat larger and bulkier than elves, standing between 5 and just over 6 feet tall. 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.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Fey Ancestry

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

Chaotic Dodge

Born of warring races, your very blood is chaotic; no enemy can predict you. You can use your reaction to give yourself advantage on a Dexterity saving throw, or force a creature to reroll an attack against you, taking the lower of the two rolls for its attack. You can use this feature once per short or long rest.

Languages

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

Elven Heritage

The type of elf your elkari is descended from determines what they inherit:

• Dark Elf (Drow): Your lineage grants you Drow magic, and your Charisma increases by 1.
• Drow Magic: You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast Faerie Fire once, and it recharges after a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast Darkness once, and it recharges after a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

• High Elf: You can learn one cantrip from the wizard spell list. It also increases your Intelligence by 1.

• Sea Elf: Your Constitution score increases by 1, and you gain the following features:
• Child of the Sea. Your swimming speed is 30 feet, and you can breathe underwater.
• Friend of the Sea. Using gestures and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with any beast that has an innate swimming speed.

• Wood Elf: Your Wisdom score increases by 1, and you gain the features:
• Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
• Mask of the Wild. Gain proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Orcish Blood

The type of orc your elkari is descended from determines which traits they inherit.

• Gray Orc: Grizzly skin and you gain Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

• Mountain Orc: Natural-toned skin and you gain Savage Attacks. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon's damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

• Orog Orc: Green skin and you gain Menacing - You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.