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Glamorous and ethereal, elves are at once in harmony with the Earth while being strangely distant from this world. Elves concern themselves with music and dancing and frolicking in wild places, but also with the study of magic and the hunting of evil things. In sorcery they are unrivalled, and in the making of beautiful things, are equalled only by the artful dwarves.
Elves are lofty and free-spirited, at once deeply attuned with the natural rhythm of the World and yet also detached from worldly concerns. In this way elves are often unreliable, at least in their youth. They are a good-humoured and jestful race as a rule, and are gifted in song and poetry. Though prone to gaiety and lovers of wine, they seldom carouse in-excess. Similarly, while elves delight in well-wrought jewellery, avarice is uncommon amongst elves.
Slightly taller than humans, elves stand around six feet on average, but their frames are lighter, with slender forms and lithe limbs tipped by delicate, dexterous hands and light, sure feet. Most elves weigh only 100 to 145 pounds. Males are only marginally taller and heavier than females, and elven countenances often border on androgyny. Elf skin is soft, and milky in hue, and their bright eyes sparkle as though star-lit. They have neither facial hair nor much body hair at all, but the hair which grows upon their hair is full and silky, often subtly curled. Elven hair ranges in colour from ashen to platinum, and both males and females are wont to wear their locks long, often elaborately braided.
Elves make their homes amidst unsullied nature. Whether dwelling beneath a great hill, deep within an enchanted wood or upon chalk cliffs overlooking the salty sea, elven settlements are built so as not to mar the natural landscape. For this reason, elvenhomes are often difficult to find, hidden palaces of otherworldly glamour. Though elves prefer to dwell underground or in deep woods, they love the sun and the moon, and love the stars most of all. On clear summer nights, great troops of elves emerge from their mounds to dance beneath the stars, pipers playing sweet music such as makes the trees dance and the stones weep.
Innately glamorous, elves are less susceptible to enchantment and illusions. As such, they have 90% resistance to all illusion and charm-related spells. Additionally, magic cannot put elves to sleep.
Due to their grace and nimbleness, elves add 1 to their initial dexterity scores. Their lithe and willowy frames cause them to subtract 1 from their initial constitution scores.
A character of the elven race can be a bard, cleric, druid, fighter, paladin, ranger, thief, or wizard.
The initial languages a elf can learn are common, elvish, hobbish, and any others your DM allows.
Possessing otherworldly grace, an elf can gain a bonus to surprise opponents, provided the elf is not in metal armour. Even then, the elf must either be alone, or with a party composed only of elves, half-elves, or halflings (also not in metal armour), or 90 feet or more away from his party to gain this bonus. If he fulfils these conditions, he moves so silently that opponents suffer a -4 penalty to their surprise die rolls. If the elf must open a door or screen to attack, this penalty is reduced to -2.
Another benefit of their lightframes and elegance, elves are less hindered by difficult terrain than other races. In environments where other races' movement is reduced to 2/3, elves move at a normal rate, and in environments where other races' movement is reduced to 1/3, elven movement is only reduced to 2/3.
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