Homebrew Half-Wood Elf Species Details

More common in rural areas than more heavily settled regions, those half-elves who are descended from wood elf stock inherit their elven parent’s graceful features and keen senses. Many choose to develop the bond with nature that their elven blood allows, but the versatility of their human side allows them to pursue many kinds of careers. Their keen vision leads itself to archery or other sharpshooting, but they are hardly pigeonholed into the role of a ranger as their full-blooded wood elf ancestors tend to be.

Half-elves have roughly human build, perhaps a bit slimmer – figure height and weight normally. They generally have the coloring and complexion of their human kin, but with the striking, angular features and highlights of the woodsy coloring of their elven ancestors.

 

Of Two Worlds

To humans, half-wood elves look like elves, and to elves, they look human. In height, they’re on par with both parents, though they’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad as humans. They range from under 5 feet to about 6 feet tall, and from 100 to 180 pounds, with men only slightly taller and heavier than women. Half-wood elf men do have facial hair, and sometimes grow beards to mask their elven ancestry. Half-wood elven coloration and features lie somewhere between their human and wood elf parents, and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either race. They tend to have the eyes of their wood elven parents.

Diplomats or Wanderers

Half-wood elves have no lands of their own, though they are welcome in human cities and somewhat less welcome in elven forests. In large cities in regions where elves and humans interact often, half-wood elves are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other half-wood elves, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds.

In most parts of the world, though, half-wood elves are uncommon enough that one might live for years without meeting another. Some half-wood elves prefer to avoid company altogether, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in contrast, throw themselves into the thick of society, putting their charisma and social skills to great use in diplomatic roles or as swindlers.

Half-Wood Elf Names

Half-wood elves use either human or elven naming conventions. As if to emphasize that they don’t really fit in to either society, half-wood elves raised among humans are often given elven names, and those raised among elves often take human names.

COLD-MINDED LEADERS

In difference from the half-high elfs, half-wood elves learn at early age to understand others cultures and finding common ground. As a race, they have elven grace and aloofness and human energy without human boorishness. They often make excellent leaders as they do not pick sides or favorite any race (except from others half-wood elf, since they tend to bond faster).

Half-Elf Variants

Some half-wood elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take the elf trait Keen Senses or a trait based on your elf parentage:

Half-Wood Elf Traits

Your half-wood elf character has some qualities in common with wood 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

Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

Alignment

Half-elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. 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.

Mask of the Wild

You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.

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.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice.

Elf Weapon Training

You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

Fleet of Foot

Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.

Half-Breed

While not treated with overt prejudice in most places by either humans or elves, half-elves tend not to fit well into either society. However, anyone who is ill-inclined toward elves or humans, or the idea of intermarriage between the two, is likely to take exception to them – they trigger any kind of Intolerance that encompasses any of the above.