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--- wiki:elf [2025/11/21 20:10] – ersatz
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 ====== Elves ======
+{{ :wiki:elf.png |}}
-{{ :wiki:elf.webp |}}
+^ Elves ^
-^ Elves    ^
+| Height: 180–200 cm |
-| Height: 170 to 190  |
 | Attribute Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution |
-| Languages: Common (Taldan), Elven  |
+| Languages: Common, Elven |
-| Cultures: Aquatic Elves, Arctic Elves, Dusk Elf, Ekujae Elves, Jininese, Desert Elves  |
+| Cultures: [[Aquatic Elves]], [[Arctic Elves]], [[Dusk Elves]], [[Ekujae Elves]], [[Jininese Elves]], [[Desert Elves]] |
+[[https://www.aonprd.com/RacesDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Elf|Archives of Nethys: Elf]]
 === Overview ===
-The long-lived elves are children of the natural world, similar in many superficial ways to fey creatures, though with key differences. While fey are truly linked to the flora and fauna of their homes, existing as the nearly immortal voices and guardians of the wilderness, elves are instead mortals who are in tune with the natural world around them. Elves seek to live in balance with the wild and understand it better than most other mortals. Some of this understanding is mystical, but an equal part comes from the elves' long lifespans, which in turn gives them long-ranging outlooks. Elves can expect to remain active in the same locale for centuries. By necessity, they must learn to maintain sustainable lifestyles, and this is most easily done when they work with nature, rather than attempting to bend it to their will.
+Male Names: Caladrel, Heldalel, Lanliss, Meirdrarel, Seldlon, Talathel, Variel, Zordlon
-However, their links to nature are not entirely driven by pragmatism. Elves' bodies slowly change over time, taking on a physical representation of their mental and spiritual states, and those who dwell in a region for a long period of time find themselves physically adapting to match their surroundings, most noticeably taking on coloration that reflects the local environment.
+Female Names: Amrunelara, Dardlara, Faunra, Jathal, Merisiel, Oparal, Soumral, Tessara, Yalandlara
-Elves value their privacy and traditions, and while they are often slow to make friends at both the personal and national levels, once an outsider is accepted as a comrade, the resulting alliances can last for generations. Elves take great joy in forging alliances with races that share or exceed their long lifetimes, and often work to befriend dragons, outsiders, and fey. Those elves who spend their lives among the short-lived races, on the other hand, often develop a skewed perception of mortality and become morose, the result of watching wave after wave of companions age and die before their eyes.
+Elves are long-lived humanoids connected to the natural world. Unlike truly magical fey creatures, elves remain mortal but their extended lifespans give them a deep understanding of nature and a long-term perspective on life. Many elves remain in one region for centuries, learning sustainable ways to live in harmony with their surroundings. Over time, an elf's appearance often changes to reflect their environment, including hair, eye, and skin tones.
-== Physical Description: ==
+Elves value privacy and take care in choosing friends. Once an elf forms a bond, it can last for decades or centuries. Elves often form friendships with other long-lived beings such as dragons, fey, and outsiders. Elves who live among short-lived races may develop a melancholic outlook because they witness repeated cycles of loss.
-Generally taller than humans, elves possess a graceful, slender physique that is accentuated by their long, pointed ears. It is a mistake, however, to consider them weak or feeble, as the thin limbs of an elf can contain surprising power. Their eyes are wide and almond-shaped, and filled with large, vibrantly colored pupils. The coloration of elves as a whole varies wildly, and is much more diverse than that of human populations. However, as their coloration often matches their surroundings, the elves of a single community may appear quite similar. Forest-dwelling elves often have variations of green, brown, and tan in their hair, eye, and even skin tones.
-While elven clothing often plays off the beauty of the natural world, those elves who live in cities tend to bedeck themselves in the latest fashions. Where city-dwelling elves encounter other urbanites, the elves are often fashion trendsetters.
+== Physical Description ==
+Elves are usually taller than humans with a slender and graceful build. Their ears are long and pointed, and their eyes are large and expressive. Elves’ appearances vary widely based on their environment. Forest elves may have earthy hair and eye colors, desert elves warmer sun-baked tones, and arctic elves paler features. Despite their slender frames, elves are agile and resilient.
-== Society: ==
+Elven clothing often emphasizes natural beauty. Urban elves may wear sophisticated fashion and influence city trends.
-Many elves feel a bond with nature and strive to live in harmony with the natural world. Although, like most, elves prefer bountiful lands where resources are plentiful, when driven to live in harsher climates, they work hard to protect and shepherd the region's bounty, and learn how to maximize the benefit they receive from what little can be harvested. When they can carve out a sustainable, reliable life in deserts and wastelands, they take pride as a society in the accomplishment. While this can make them excellent guides to outsiders they befriend who must travel through such lands, their disdain of those who have not learned to live off the scant land as they have makes such friends rare.
-Elves have an innate gift for craftsmanship and artistry, especially when working in wood, bone, ivory, or leather. Most, however, find manipulating earth and stone to be distasteful, and prefer to avoid forging, stonework, and pottery. When such work must be done within a community, a few elves may find themselves drawn to it, but regardless of their craftsmanship, such "dirt-wrights" are generally seen by other elves as being a bit off. In the most insular of elven societies, they may even be treated as lower class.
+== Society ==
-Elves also have an appreciation for the written word, magic, and painstaking research. Their naturally keen minds and senses, combined with their inborn patience, make them particularly suited to wizardry. Arcane research and accomplishment are seen as both practical goals, in line with being a soldier or architect, and artistic endeavors as great as poetry or sculpture. Within elven society, wizards are held in extremely high regard as masters of an art both powerful and aesthetically valued. Other spellcasters are not disdained, but do not gain the praise lavished upon elven wizards.
+Elven societies focus on harmony with nature and sustainability, even in harsh environments. This makes elves skilled guides and resource managers, although they may distrust outsiders who fail to respect the land.
-== Relations: ==
+Elves are known for artistry and craftsmanship, particularly with wood, leather, bone, and ivory. Work with stone or metal is less common and may be considered unusual. Scholars and wizards are highly respected because magic and research are seen as both practical and artistic achievements.
-Elves are prone to dismissing other races, writing them off as rash and impulsive, yet on an individual level, they are excellent judges of character. In many cases an elf will come to value a specific member of another race, seeing that individual as deserving and respectable, while still dismissing the race as a whole. If called on this behavior, the elf often doesn't understand why his "special friend" is upset the elf has noticed the friend is "so much better than the rest of his kind." Even elves who see such prejudice for what it is must constantly watch themselves to prevent such views from coloring their thinking.
-Elves are not foolish enough, however, to dismiss all aspects of other races and cultures. An elf might not want a dwarf neighbor, but would be the first to acknowledge dwarves' skill at smithing and their tenacity in facing orc threats. Elves regard gnomes as strange (and sometimes dangerous) curiosities, but regard their magical talent as being worthy of praise and respect. Halflings are often viewed with a measure of pity, for these small folk seem to the elves to be adrift, without a traditional home. Elves are fascinated with humans, who seem to live in a few short years as full a life as an elf manages in centuries. In fact, many elves become infatuated with humans, as evidenced by the number of half-elves in the world. Elves have difficulty accepting crossbreeds of any sort, however, and usually disown such offspring. They similarly regard half-orcs with distrust and suspicion, assuming they possess the worst aspects of orc and human personalities.
+== Relations with Other Races ==
-== Alignment and Religion: ==
+Elves are cautious with other races and often judge individuals separately from the group. They respect skill where it is earned, such as dwarves’ craftsmanship, gnomes’ magic, and humans’ ambition. Halflings are often viewed with gentle amusement or concern. Elves are fascinated by humans because they live full lives in a short time. Crossbreeds such as half-elves or half-orcs may face distrust or rejection.
-Elves are emotional and capricious, yet value kindness and beauty. Most elves are chaotic good, wishing all creatures to be safe and happy, but unwilling to sacrifice personal freedom or choice to accomplish such goals. serving as an example of personal artistry and freedom of expressions, rather than seeking some base physical gratification.
-== Adventurers: ==
+== Alignment and Beliefs ==
-Many elves embark on adventures out of a desire to explore the world, leaving their secluded realms to reclaim forgotten elven magic or search out lost kingdoms established millennia ago by their ancestors. This need to see a wider world is accepted by their societies as a natural part of becoming mature and experienced individuals. Such elves are expected to return in some few decades and take up lives in their homelands once more, enriched both in treasure and in worldview. For those elves raised among humans, however, life within their homes—watching friends and family swiftly age and die—is often stifling, and the ephemeral and unfettered life of an adventurer holds a natural appeal.
-Elves generally eschew melee because of their relative frailty, preferring instead to engage enemies at range. Most see combat as unpleasant even when needful, and prefer it be done as quickly as possible, preferably without getting close enough to smell their foes. This preference for making war at a distance, coupled with their natural accuracy and grasp of the arcane, encourages elves to pursue classes such as wizards and rangers.
+Elves follow emotion, intuition, and a love of beauty and freedom. Many are chaotic good, valuing kindness and creativity over strict rules. Personal expression, art, and choice are central to elven life.
-**Male Names:** Caladrel, Heldalel, Lanliss, Meirdrarel, Seldlon, Talathel, Variel, Zordlon.
+== Adventurers ==
-**Female Names:** Amrunelara, Dardlara, Faunra, Jathal, Merisiel, Oparal, Soumral, Tessara, Yalandlara.
+Elves seek adventure to explore the world, recover lost knowledge, or see new lands. Their societies view this as part of personal growth. Elves raised among short-lived races may find adventuring especially appealing because it offers freedom from watching friends age quickly.
-Sources: [[http://paizo.com/products/btpy9g9v?Pathfinder-Campaign-Setting-Inner-Sea-Races|Inner Sea Races pg. 236]], [[https://store.paizo.com/pathfinder-roleplaying-game-advanced-race-guide-ogl-pdf/|Advanced Race Guide pg. 20]], [[http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy88yj|PRPG Core Rulebook pg. 22]]
+In combat, elves prefer distance fighting, using accuracy and magic rather than strength. Common roles include wizards, rangers, and other classes that rely on dexterity, skill, and spellcasting.