Coffee's Refined Elf Subraces
This document provides new subrace options for elves.
Subraces
When you choose the subrace of your elf character, you can choose one of the following options, in addition to those in the Player’s Handbook.
Avariel
The avariel are winged elves. These rare creatures were more common when the worlds of the multiverse were young, but frequent conflicts with dragons much reduced the winged elves’ number. Still, a few colonies persist here and there in the Material Plane and on the Plane of Air.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or Wisdom score increase by 1.
Wings. You have birdlike wings sprouting from your shoulder blades that grant you the ability to prevent injury from falling. As a reaction to falling from higher than 5 feet, You can enter into a glide to prevent fall damage with a descent speed of 60 feet.
To use your wings you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor. The length of each wing is equal to your height, making your wingspan equal four times your height.
At 3rd level, your wings grant the ability of flight, you gain a natural flying speed of 30 feet.
Wing Growth. When you reach 5th level, your wings have grown in strength as a reaction to your growth in power. Your wings flying speed increases to 50 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Auran.
Eladrin
Eladrin are elves native to the Feywild, a realm of beauty, unpredictable emotion, and boundless magic. An eladrin is associated with one of the four seasons and has coloration reminiscent of that season, which can also affect the eladrin's mood:
- Autumn is the season of peace and goodwill, when summer's harvest is shared with all.
- Winter is the season of contemplation and dolor, when the vibrant energy of the world slumbers.
- Spring is the season of cheerfulness and celebration, marked by merriment as winter's sorrow passes.
- Summer is the season of boldness and aggression, a time of unfettered energy.
Some eladrin remain associated with a particular season for their entire lives, whereas other eladrin transform, adopting characteristics of a new season.
When finishing a long rest, any eladrin can change their season. An eladrin might choose the season that is present in the world or perhaps the season that most closely matches the eladrin's current emotional state. For example, an eladrin might shift to autumn if filled with contentment, another eladrin could change to winter if plunged into sorrow, still another might be bursting with joy and become an eladrin of spring, and fury might cause an eladrin to change to summer.
The following tables offer personality suggestions for eladrin of each season. You can roll on the tables or use them as inspiration for characteristics of your own.
Autumn
| d4 | Autumn Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | If someone is in need, you never withhold aid. |
| 2 | You share what you have, with little regard to your own needs. |
| 3 | There are no simple meals, only lavish feasts. |
| 4 | You stock up on fine food and drink. You hate going without such comforts. |
| d4 | Autumn Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | You trust others without thought. |
| 2 | You give to the point that you leave yourself without necessary supplies. |
| 3 | Everyone is your friend, or a potential friend. |
| 4 | You spend excessively on creature comforts. |
Winter
| d4 | Winter Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | The worst case is most likely to occur. |
| 2 | You preserve what you have. Better to be hungry today and have food for tomorrow. |
| 3 | Life is full of dangers, but you are ready for them. |
| 4 | A penny spent is a penny lost forever. |
| d4 | Winter Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | Everything dies eventually. Why bother building anything that is supposedly meant to last? |
| 2 | Nothing matters to you, and you allow others to guide your actions. |
| 3 | Your needs come first. In winter, all must watch out for themselves. |
| 4 | You speak only to point out the flaws in others’ plans. |
Spring
| d4 | Spring Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Every day is the greatest day of your life. |
| 2 | You do everything with enthusiasm, even the most mundane chores. |
| 3 | You love music and song. You supply a tune yourself if no one else can. |
| 4 | You can’t stay still. |
| d4 | Spring Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | You overdrink. |
| 2 | Toil is for drudges. Yours should be a life of leisure. |
| 3 | A pretty face infatuates you in an instant, but your fancy passes with equal speed. |
| 4 | Anything worth doing is worth doing again and again. |
Summer
| d4 | Summer Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | You believe that direct confrontation is the best way to solve problems. |
| 2 | Overwhelming force can solve almost anything. The tougher the problem, the more force you apply. |
| 3 | You stand tall and strong so that others can lean on you. |
| 4 | You maintain an intimidating front. Better to prevent fights with a show of force than to harm others. |
| d4 | Summer Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are stubborn. Let others change. |
| 2 | The best option is one that is swift, unexpected, and overwhelming. |
| 3 | Punch first. Talk later. |
| 4 | Your fury can carry you through anything. |
Fey Feet. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma or Wisdom score increases by 1.
Fey Step. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 35 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. When you reach 3rd level, your Fey Step gains an additional effect based on your season; if the effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. The effects are as follows:
- Autumn. Immediately after you use your Fey Step, up to two creatures of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute, or until you or your companions deal any damage to it.
- Winter. When you use your Fey Step, one creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you before you teleport must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
- Spring. When you use your Fey Step, you can touch one willing creature within 5 feet of you. That creature then teleports instead of you, appearing in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 35 feet of you.
- Summer. Immediately after you use your Fey Step, each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you takes fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 damage).
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Sylvan.
Pallid Elf
The pallid elves are a mystical and insightful people with skin as pale as the surface of Exandria’s largest moon. They emerged from the Pallid Grove this century and wander the world with childlike curiosity.
Pallid elve's tend to have pale blue or purple skin, along with black or white hair, their eyes are usually Black, blue, purple, or white
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or Wisdom score increases by 1.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, rapier, and shortsword.
Incisive Sense. You have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Insight) checks.
Blessing of the Moon Weaver. You know the light cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the sleep 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 invisibility spell (targeting yourself only) once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Casting these spells with this trait doesn’t require material components. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Sea Elf
The sea elves fell in love with the wild beauty of the ocean in the earliest days of the multiverse. While other elves traveled from realm to realm, the sea elves navigated the deepest currents and explored the waters across a hundred worlds. Today, they form small, hidden communities in the ocean shallows and the Plane of Water.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution or Intelligence scores increase by 1.
Sea Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.
Child of the Sea. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and you can breathe air and water.
Friend of the Sea. Using gestures and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts that have an inborn swimming speed. You ignore any drawbacks caused by a deep underwater environment.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Aquan.
Shadar-kai
Sworn to the Raven Queen’s service, the mysterious shadar-kai venture into the Material Plane from the Shadowfell to advance her will. Once they were elves like the rest of their kin, but now they exist in a strange state between life and death, their skin pale and their bodies marked by piercings and eerie tattoos.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma or Constitution scores increases by 1.
Cantrip. You know one of the following cantrips of your choice: spare the dying, or toll the dead. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
Blessing of the Raven Queen. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 3rd level, you also gain resistance to all damage when you teleport using this trait. The resistance lasts until the start of your next turn. During that time, you appear ghostly and translucent.
| Subrace | Base Height | Base Weights | Height Modifier | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avariel | 4ʹ8ʺ | 80 lb. | +2d10 | × 1d4 lb. |
| Eladrin | 4ʹ8ʺ | 85 lb. | +2d8 | × 1d4 lb. |
| Pallid Elf | 4.6" | 80lb. | +2d8 | × 1d4 lb. |
| Sea Elf | 4ʹ6ʺ | 90 lb. | +2d8 | × 1d4 lb. |
| Shadar-kai | 4ʹ8ʺ | 85 lb. | +2d8 | × 1d4 lb. |