Homebrew Ashen Elf Species Details

“I have brought you forth on this land my children.  You are to be the essence of balance.  You will seek out the knowledge you need to ensure that no one person, group, agenda, or race disturbs that balance.  You will strive to balance the scales in all things."

"Know me by my symbols.  Scales, hearth, home, harvest, arms, laurel leaf, dove's feather, and mausoleum."

-Kollone, Goddess of the Ashen Elves

Ashen Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. They live in places of depth, darkness, ice, and cold.  In the dark places of ancient forests or in cliffs and peaks, where the oppressive Drow won't look for them. Ashen Elves love knowledge and balance, and may appreciate the finer things of the world, but concern themselves more with the survival of their species.

Lithe and Powerful

With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races. They are similar to humans on average, ranging from well over 5 feet tall to just under 7 feet. They are more slightly larger than other elves, weighing only 120 to 180 pounds for females. Males and typically heavier than females ranging from 140 to 220 pounds.  Heights may vary greatly between Ashen Elves within the 5 to 7 foot range with females tending to be slightly shorter than males.

Ashen Elves’ coloration ranges from an ashen red to an ashen gray. Ashen Elves may grow a simple beard or mustache but nothing as complex as humans or dwarves. Dark hair colors are dominant among the Ashen Elves, but they have a tendency toward a silver or gold hues within their hair. They favor clothing that would be comfortable in the leisurely pursuit of knowledge and would allow great freedom of movement, and they enjoy simple yet stylish jewelry.

A Timeless Perspective

Ashen Elves can live well over 10,000 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, Ashen Elves can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, Ashen Elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy.

Hidden Realms

Ashen Elves are cast out from their home.  They are scattered, broken, and nearly extinct as a people.  The Ashen Elves tend to inhabit the dark places of the world.  Typically they can be found in northern, icy, mountainous areas, where caves and abandoned mines may offer a dwelling place.  Ashen elves that are outside of these regions often find the deepest, darkest parts of forests to occupy as their homes..

 

Exploration and Adventure

Ashen Elves are aware that they are not where they consider to be home.  Even those that have manage some small semblance of communities and created places of dwelling long to find the place they belong.  Ashen Elves have long lost contact with their goddess, but well remember her directives.  As such they are primarily concerned with their own preservation, but may have their interest piqued in the pursuit of knowledge.

 

 

Ashen Elf Traits

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

Boon of the Lost

The Ashen Elf is granted innate access to abilities at 3rd, 5th, and 9th levels.  The Ashen Elf may only use one of the spells granted at 9th level per long rest.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Your may choose to increase an ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores by 1.

Age

Although Ashen Elves reach physical maturity at about 40, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An Ashen elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 150 and can live to be 20,000 years old.  Ashen elves suffer from extremely low birth rates and are incapable of interbreeding with other humanoids.

Alignment

Ashen Elves love order, and balance, so they lean strongly toward the auspices of Neutrality and Law. They value and protect others’ freedom as well as their own, and on occasion lean toward supporting causes that strive for peaceful coexistence. The Drow are an exception; the Drow have persecuted and hunted the Ashen Elves to near extinction. Drow are more often than not kill on sight to Ashen Elves.

Size

Ashen Elves range from well over 5 feet to almost 7 feet tall and have heavier than typical elven builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Greater Darkvision

Accustomed to libraries, underground warrens, deep forests, and Northern locales with many months of darkness, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 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.

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, Draconic, Undercommon, Sylvan, 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.