Homebrew Eldritch Elf Species Details

Unnatural Origins

Though most Half-elves are the result unions of elven and human relations, some were created using magic of a dispicable nature. The Eldritch Elves were created millenia ago by a sect of High Elves wanting more power. They imbued their very beings with Eldritch magic from the Far Realm.

Elven?

Eldritch Elves look much like the High Elf's they originate from. Their eyes are usually violet or purple, an observant pesron will notice that the skin of an Eldritch Elf has a very slight greenish tint and their incisors are slightly more pointed and sharper. Some as they become adults will develop a piece of script written in Deep Speech somewhere on their body, color and size varies.

The Madness

At first the Eldritch Elves were merely cast out of Elven society, even the Drow disavowed them. Then the madness started appearing in the altered elves. There was no telling how badly it would affect someone. Some would only occasionally see a twisting mass out of the corner of their eye or hear a strange disembodied voice, but others would suffer a full blown psychosis and become extremely violent. When the High Elves heard this and found the stories to be true they began to cull the Eldritch Elves like they would diseased animals. Very few of the more sane elves managed to escape the cull by running and imersing themselves into distant towns and villages.

The Forgotten

Having thought that the insane elves had been totally irradicated, they were mainly forgotten bar a few cautionary tales. Hidden and forgotten the Eldritch Elves lived their lives having children with other races seemingly diluting the blood, but every so often the magic within the bloodline kicks in and a pure Eldritch Elf is born. Most never find out the truth of their heritage, only knowing that they are different and to hide those differences.

 

Deception Of Normality

Eldritch elves learn early on in their lives not to tell people of the writhing shadows in their peripheral vision, or of the hissing voices that follow them. Whilst learning to ignore the strange goings on and focus on behaving normally, slips will happen and being able to come up with a plausible cover story makes these elves very good at deception.

 

Eldritch Elf Traits

Your half-elf character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique to half-elves.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

Eldritch Elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They don't tend to live as long as other elven races due to the madness taking it's toll. The average lifespan of an Eldritch Elf is 575 years.

Alignment

Eldritch Elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. The madness which afflicts them can lead them down the path of evil. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

Size

Half-elves are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your elf blood, 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.

Eldritch Magic

Why not share your madness with others? You know the Illusion cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can make others look as insane as you feel. You cast the Hidious Laughter spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the misty step spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, Deep Speech and one extra language of your choice. The innate magic in your blood means you can speak, read and write Deep Speech. Deep Speech uses the Elven script.

Deceptively Normal

Whilst learning to ignore the strange goings on and focus on behaving normally, slips will happen and being able to come up with a plausible cover story makes these elves very good at deception.You are proficient in the Deception skill.