Homebrew Christmas Elf Species Details

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly glee, living in the world but not entirely part of it. They live exclusively in the North Pole. Elves love joy and magic, toys and games, music and performance, and all good things of the world.

Small and Childlike

With their short and somewhat squat build, Christmas Elves appear to be young children. They are slightly shorter than gnomes on average, ranging from 2 feet tall to just over 3 feet. They are more squat than their woodland elf brethren, weighing up to 90 pounds, despite their small stature; given that they eat candy, cookies, and other treats for all meals. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females.

Elves’ coloration encompasses the normal human range and also includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, and almost bluish-white, hair of green or blue, and eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver. They favor all clothing in Christmas colors and designs.

A Timeless Perspective

Christmas elves can live well over 1000 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They are often amused and excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to find joy in nearly all things when they can. When pursuing a goal, however, whether designing a new toy or learning a new skill, elves can be focused and relentless. They are fast to make friends and slow to make enemies, though they will always look for the good in all creatures.

Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in joy and understanding to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to defend their home from wandering beasts and, though not their preferred method, are able to hold their own in a confrontation.

Hidden Realm

All Christmas elves live within the village of the North Pole. Shrouded by magic, Christmas elves play games, make and design toys, and prepare for the next Christmas all year long. They are talented artisans, crafting finely worked objects. Their contact with outsiders is extremely limited, with only a few among the non-human races having contact with their village.

Elf Names

Most Christmas elves have playful or Christmas themed names. Most names are Unisex.

First Names: Cookie, Tinsel, Candy, Cocoa, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Jolly, Buddy, etc. 

Last Names:  Cookie, Tinsel, Candy, Cocoa, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Jolly, Buddy, etc.

Christmas Elf Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

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 2 to a little over 3 feet tall and have squat builds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to months of no sunlight, 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.

Nimble Hands, Keen Sight, or Grand Showmanship

You have proficiency in a skill of your choice; Sleight of hand, Investigation, Perception, or Performance, due to the time spent building toys and tinkering with the smallest of parts and entertaining one another during and after tinkering.

Fey Ancestry

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.