Homebrew [5.5e] Half Elf [Ekro's Lore] Species Details

 Half-elves are among the greatest orphans of Ekros. Even if most claim not to care, the truth is that their elven-blooded progenitors usually abandoned them.

Menelore, the isolated and mystical realm of the sun elves, does not tolerate other species and views most of them as inferior. Hybrids are no exception.

In Menelore, the law forbids elves from forming relationships with other species. Bearing a child is an even greater crime. When it happens, the elven individual is given two choices: cast the child into the sea, undergo the Ritual of Punishment, and bear the Mark of Punishment until their honor is restored — or flee.

Because of this, no one knows how many half-elves never learned to speak, dying against the rocks or in the cold waters of the ocean. Those who are born on the continent, usually to a mother abandoned by their partner, grow up with anger, resentment, and indignation. Their features serve as a constant reminder that their very birth is seen as a sin by the people who should have given them a home.

This feeling, combined with the discrimination of being “too elven for non-elves and too human for elves,” creates a constant sense of not belonging. Half-elves have no homeland, no unified people, no shared culture. Some live among other species, hiding what they are. Others become wanderers, believing that one day they might find a place that is truly theirs.

Most half-elves inherit traits and innate abilities from their lineage. The most common come from high elves, drow, wood elves, and winter elves. Others carry so little elven blood that they are nearly indistinguishable from humans. These are known as sylfirin, “something like dead light” in the Menelorean elven tongue.

Half-Drow (divynares)

In Ekros, drow — or divynares, as they were known during the Long Empire — are far rarer than other elves, and their offspring even more so.

During the era known as the Long Empire in Menelore, dark elves stood as the ruling elite. They were betrayed and nearly wiped out. Their history was erased and rewritten by other elves, portraying them as enemies of the realm.

The few who survived did what they could to avoid extinction. They mixed with other peoples, leaving descendants behind in an effort to preserve what remained of their lineage.

Today, it is likely that there are more half-elves of drow descent than pure-blooded drow. Even so, both remain hidden, making it impossible to determine how many still exist.

Perhaps they are extinct.
Perhaps they are simply waiting.

High Half-Elf

Direct descendants of the elves of Menelore in their most rigid form, high half-elves carry the closest resemblance to the elven ideal — and are still rejected. These elves, known as sun elves or children of the sun, represent the peak of what Menelore considers purity.

They possess fine features, naturally upright posture, and a distant gaze. There is a sense of control in them, as if every movement is deliberate. Their presence is often noticed, even when they do not wish it.

This reflection of perfection does not grant acceptance.

To elves, they represent a flaw in purity. To others, they often seem distant or overly calculated. As a result, many develop a deep need for control — over their speech, their body, and their identity.

Some pursue arcane knowledge in an attempt to reclaim what they feel was lost. Others reject their heritage entirely.

In both cases, they carry the same burden: resemblance to something that never acknowledged them.

Wood Half-Elf

Wood elves have always lived apart from the rigid structures of Menelore. Dispersed and adaptable, they maintain a closer relationship with the natural world than with any concept of purity.

Their descendants reflect this nature.

Wood half-elves rarely remain in one place for long. There is a constant restlessness in them — a need to move that makes it difficult to form lasting roots.

Physically, they are more agile than imposing. Their features are less refined, but more vivid. Sharp eyes, bodies always ready to move. Rather than dominating their environment, they adapt to it.

Some find balance in the wilderness, living close to nature. Others use this adaptability to survive among different peoples, changing as needed.

Still, they share the same fate as all half-elves:

They do not fully belong anywhere.

HALF WINTER-ELF

Born in regions where cold tears at the skin and freezes the bones, the elves of the southern lands do not fully share the disdain for other peoples seen in Menelore. Because of this, they often embrace their offspring with compassion and care — a rare exception among elvenkind.

As a result, winter half-elves are less commonly seen across the broader world, due both to distance and the harsh climate of their homeland. Still, when they travel, they do not tend to hide what they are.

Their appearance reflects their environment: pale skin, sometimes with gray or bluish tones, very light eyes, and long, thick hair often worn in braids. They are naturally resistant to cold and develop a sharp survival instinct from an early age.

SYLFIRIN (HUMAN-BLOOD)

Sylfirin are a distinct kind of half-elf. In them, elven blood is almost entirely diluted, leaving only faint traces of its presence.

They usually have slightly pointed ears, more delicate facial features, and a perceptive gaze. Their aging process is subtly slower than that of humans, though rarely enough to draw clear suspicion.

Because of this, they integrate easily among other species, especially humans. Some are aware of their nature and take advantage of it. Others live their entire lives without ever realizing they carry elven blood.

Among all lineages, they come closest to a normal life — and are also the most likely to never question their origin.

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Half-Elf Traits

Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Medium (about 5-6 feet tall)
Speed: 30 feet

Half-Elf Heritage: Your blood carries a fractured echo of an elven lineage. Choose one Heritage from the options below. You gain the benefits associated with that Heritage.

Unlike full-blooded elves, your connection to this lineage is incomplete. The abilities you gain from your Heritage do not grow stronger as you gain levels unless explicitly stated.

If a Heritage grants you a spell, you can cast it without a spell slot once, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have.

• High Blood (Sun Elf): You gain proficiency in Arcana, learn the Prestidigitation cantrip, and can cast Detect Magic once per Long Rest.
• Wood Blood: Your Speed increases by 5 feet, you gain proficiency in Survival, and can cast Longstrider once per Long Rest.
• Drow Blood (Divynare): You gain Darkvision with a range of 120 feet, know the Dancing Lights cantrip, and can cast Faerie Fire once per Long Rest.
• Winter Blood: You gain Resistance to Cold damage. You have resistance to low temperatures and extreme cold-related conditions.
• Human Blood (Sylfirin): You gain proficiency in one skill and one tool of your choice. Once per Long Rest, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to an ability check after seeing the roll.

Fey Ancestry. Your divided heritage grants you resistance against manipulation. You have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Charmed condition.

Wanderer’s Adaptation. Half-elves survive by learning quickly in worlds that rarely welcome them. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

As an Half-Elf, you have these special traits.

Half-Elf Heritage

Your blood carries a fractured echo of an elven lineage. Choose one Heritage from the options below. You gain the benefits associated with that Heritage.

Unlike full-blooded elves, your connection to this lineage is incomplete. The abilities you gain from your Heritage do not grow stronger as you gain levels unless explicitly stated.

If a Heritage grants you a spell, you can cast it without a spell slot once, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have.

Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for any spell granted by this trait (chosen when you select this Heritage).

• High Blood (Sun Elf): You gain proficiency in Arcana, learn the Prestidigitation cantrip, and can cast Detect Magic once per Long Rest.
• Wood Blood: Your Speed increases by 5 feet, you gain proficiency in Survival, and can cast Longstrider once per Long Rest.
• Drow Blood (Divynare): You gain Darkvision with a range of 120 feet, know the Dancing Lights cantrip, and can cast Faerie Fire once per Long Rest.
• Winter Blood: You have Resistance to Cold damage, and you ignore penalties caused by extreme cold.

• Human Blood (Sylfirin): You gain proficiency in one skill and one tool of your choice.  Once per Long Rest, when you fail an ability check using a skill you are proficient in, you can reroll it.

   

Fey Ancestry

You have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Charmed condition.

Wanderer’s Adaptation

You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.