Player's Handbook 2°* Edition Rules Supplement

TheComplete Book

ofElves

Credits

Written by Colin McCombEdited by Dori Jean Watry

Overseen and Advice Given by Steve WinterColor Illustrations by Brom, Larry Elmore, and John & Laura Lakey

Black and White Art by Terry DykstraDecorative Art by Robin Raab

Typeset by Gaye O'Keefe

Invaluable assistance or sustenance (in one form or another) given by L. Richard Baker III, Wolfgang Baur, Tim Beach, Wendy Bien-venu, Elaine Cunningham, William W. Connors, Jeff Dettweiler, Slade Henson, Brad "Sun Dog" Matheson, Roger Moore, Paul Nelis,Kevin Pohle, John Rateliff, Teresa W. and Thomas M. Reid, James M. Ward, and David Zenz. These people (including those listed inthe other credits) sparked the creative urge, and thanks are due each of them. Special thanks are given to all the fantasy/sci fi writerswho, in one way or another, influenced my writing. Thanks are also due all the gamers who have preceded me and inspired me. TheHelm of Valor is dedicated to TSR's Siberia Six. Dedicated to the McCombs, the Garbetts, and the rest of my relatives. Thank you all.

Special thanks from the editor to Timothy B. Brown and James M. Ward, for letting her do Elves in the second place and in the first.

TSR, Inc.POB 756

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TSR Ltd.120 Church End, Cherry HintonCambridge CBl 3LBUnited Kingdom

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DRAGONLANCE, DRAGON, FORGOTTEN REALMS, GREYHAWK, RAVENLOFT, andSPELLJAMMER are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. AL-QADIM, DARK SUN, DUNGEON MASTER, DM, and the TSR logo aretrademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English language products of TSR, Inc. Distributedto the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material orartwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written consent of TSR, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.Copyright " 1992 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 1-56076-376-0 2131

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ELVEN LOREIntroduction 4jChapter One: The Creation of Elves 8Chapter Two: Variations on a Theme 12Aquatic Elves 13Dark Elves 15Grey Elves 16High Elves 18Sylvan Elves 19Half-Elves 20Elves of the Worlds 22

AL-QADIM™ Campaign World 22DARK SUN™ Campaign World 23DRAGONLANCE® Campaign World 24FORGOTTEN REALMS® Campaign World 25GREYHAWK® Campaign World 26RAVENLOFT® Campaign World 27SPELLJAMMER® Campaign World 27

Chapter Three: Physical Attributes 30Physiology 31

Communion 31Elvensight 32Manifestation 33The Reverie 34Resistance to Heat and Cold 34Other Elven Abilities 36

Stages of Life 36Childhood 38Adolescence 38Adulthood 38Middle Age 38Old Age 39Venerable Age 39

Diet 39Elven Interfertility 40The Elven Bond 40Elven Music 41Chapter Four: Mental Attributes 42Outlook 43Individual Worth 44Emotion and Logic 45Generational Splits 45Attitudes Toward Other Races 46Chapter Five: Elven Society 48The Elven Language 48Livelihood 49Rituals 50Elven Holy Days 53Chapter Six: The Elven Myths 54The Legend of Fiona Cassiltenirra 54Jarsali and the Treant 55Halimath's Pride 56Haranavei Koehlanna 57Caelestis 58Chapter Seven: The Death of Elves 60Accidental or Violent Death 62Funereal Ceremonies 63Chapter Eight: Elven Dwellings 64The Grey Elves' City 65The High Elves' Tree Town 66The Sylvan Elves' Encampment 66

ELVEN ROLE-PLAYINGChapter Nine: Optional Rules 68Level Limit Expansion 69Extra Proficiencies 70Combat Modifiction 70

Bladesong Fighting Style 70Archery Modifications 72Using Bows as Weapons 75Arrow Breakage and Loss 75Chapter Ten: Character Creation and Kits 76Standard Elf Abilities 76The Elf Subraces 77Elf PC Kits 82

Priest Kit 83Herbalist 83

Warrior Kits 84Archer 84Wilderness Runner 85Windrider 86

Mage/Thief Kits 87Elven Minstrel 87Spellfilcher 87

Fighter/Mage Kits 88Bladesinger 88War Wizard 90

Fighter/Thief Kit 91Huntsman 91

Fighter/Mage/Thief Kits 92Collector 92Infiltrator .. r. 94

A Kit for Any Class 94Undead Slayer 94

Chapter Eleven: Elven Equipment 96Feywine 96Elven Harp 96Honey Leather 97Sashling 97Thistledown 98Elven Bow 98Arrows (Useful) 98Elven Plate Armor 99Chapter Twelve: The Magic of Elves 100New Elf Spells 101Magical Items 104

Swords and Armor 104Helms of Valor 104Arrows (Enspelled) 105Arrows (Magical) 105

Artificial Limbs 106Chapter Thirteen: Elven Campaigns 108Campaign Worlds 110

The Elf Campaign 112The Human Campaign 112The Dwarf Campaign 112The Evil World Campaign 113The Aquatic World Campaign 114The Outcast Campaign 114

Appendices 115Index 115MC: Avariel (Winged Elf) 116MC: Cooshee 118Character Record Sheets 119

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Introduction

We do not deign to acknowledge the slander-ous propaganda spread by the stunted humanswho call themselves dwarves. The little minershave always had a rather, shall we say, biasedoutlook on history and the true workings of re-ality. They call themselves the finest creaturesto grace the worlds—with bodies like that, wesuppose one would have to have an active fan-tasy life.

For those graced with true vision, Elves com-prise the finest race in all the worlds. We arethat which other races aspire to be: Our longev-ity, our beauty, and our craftsmanship are allthe stuff of legends. Certainly, each of these at-tributes can be recreated in some fashion by thelesser races, but theirs is an artifice of face andform and creation—never as fine as those thatcome naturally to us.

Our lives are long and filled with happiness,for we recognize the impermanence of allthings, excepting ourselves. Indeed, we do notsuffer death as do the mortals. Only through vi-olence, accident, or disease do we die at all. Al-though we vanish from the ken of mortalknowledge after hundreds of years of existencein this plane, you may rest assured that we con-tinue on elsewhere. Even those who perish onthe battlefield do not truly die, but instead be-come part of the earth's cycle of growth and re-birth. Our spirits linger on, for we areintimately tied to the world and its core. Indeed,we are the integral part of that core.

We would turn now to other matters, for tocontinue on in this vein would, no doubt, leadyou to believe that we are boasting of elvenprowess. We do not boast. Anyone who hasseen even the slightest fraction of elven abilityknows the truth of what we say within thesepages.

Yes, we are a proud race, but do we not havejust cause? Are we not Elves—creatures of mostwondrous might? Simply understand that weare what we are and that nothing you can dowill change us—then may we become goodfriends. But beware: We are a complex race, andthe workings of our lives will ever be a mysteryto you, our dreams foreign from yours. You willnever truly understand us, no matter how youtry.

\ nigmatic and powerful, elves have! dominated the fantasy landscape for' years. Although their civilizations and

powers have always been a mystery to thosewho travel in the realms of fantasy, their influ-ence is undeniably strong. Abandoned cities,lost technology, forgotten lore . . . all thesethings and more lie within the mystique of theelves. Their land, their culture, and their phi-losophy remain cryptic mysteries to those notblessed with the love of elves.

No longer. With The Complete Book ofElves, many of the elves' mysteries are openfor perusal. But take care with the informa-tion gleaned; some secrets of the elven way oflife still remain hidden—knowledge foreverforsworn from non-elves. Be forewarned: Thepieces of fact and fiction learned within can, ifincorrectly applied, spell destruction for thosewho misuse this knowledge.

The AD&D® Game ElfMonstrous Cotnpendiums I and // as well asthe Player's Handbook (PHB) present elves insome detail. Are those the final word onelves? Hardly not! Here, at last, is the bookthat deals with elves in depth, in all their myr-iad facets and mysterious ways. While thisbook may not answer every question aboutelves, it will provide answers and ideas fordealing with the typical elf.

Although elves often follow the same pat-terns in their lifestyles and have similarthought processes, there is no such thing as a"typical" elf. Even more than with humans, notwo elves are alike. They may react in a likeway in various situations, but they are com-pletely different individuals. Elves have lovesand hates, fears and superstitions, honors andethics. To assume they are all the same griev-ously insults them.

Chapters One through Eight deal with elvenlore, including tendencies, societies, lives, andmore. Chapters Nine through Thirteen detailelven role-playing. It is important to remem-ber that there are always exceptions to therules, both those presented here and else-

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where. What is presented in this book is the"typical" elven way of life—facets that playerscan add to their favorite elf character. Ulti-mately, character creation is something bestleft to the imagination of the player and themandates of the Dungeon Master. This bookoffers suggestions for such creation and forthe role-playing of these elves.

Other Complete HandbooksLike The Complete Book of Elves, the otherbooks in the Complete Handbook (PHBR) se-ries offer useful advice on the creation ofunique characters. However, none of thesebooks is essential to the play of the game. Allthat is absolutely necessary for playing are thecore rules: the Player's Handbook and theDUNGEON MASTER™ Guide (DMG). Theother PHBR books are recapped below, andtheir usefulness to elf PCs is explained.

• PHBRl, The Complete Fighter's Hand-book, offers several character kits that workvery well for elves (such as the Swashbucklerand the Cavalier), suiting elf temperamentsand preferences. Other kits are less elven, butstill offer interesting role-playing aspects. Stillothers, such as the Berserker and Beast-Rider,should be used only by savage elves or thosewho have no connection to elven life.

The Complete Fighter contributes impor-tant fighting styles and offers more weaponproficiency rules. These can be especially use-ful to the elf PC, allowing him or her to dem-onstrate absolute mastery of a weapon.Furthermore, the section on combat rulesadds an interesting flavor to a campaign.

• PHBR2, The Complete Thief's Hand-book, is handy for those who wish to play elfthieves. The search for knowledge and in-triguing new items often leads elves to a life ofcrime, although this is often just a phasethrough which they pass. However, many ofthem find a natural talent for thievery; assuch, The Complete Thief can provide sugges-tions on how to best deal with that thief.

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Whether the elf rogue is simply a street thiefor one who leads such a life as a demonstra-tion of the impermanence of physical things tothe shorter-lived races, there are myriad ideasfor the player in this book.

• PHBR3, The Complete Priest's Hand-book, does not specifically deal with anythingpertaining to elves. However, it is useful forcreating entirely new deities for elves and fordesigning a new pantheon of gods. There arealso specialty priests and new priest kits, butnone of these are elf-specific.

• PHBR4, The Complete Wizard's Hand-book. As an extraordinarily magic-orientedrace, there is much in this book that players ofelf PCs will find useful. Any wizard, no mat-ter his or her race, will find this book a troveof information.

• PHBR5, The Complete Psionics Hand-book, is only useful if psionics are available ina campaign. If they are, then this book is amust.

• PHBR6, The Complete Book ofDwarves, is useful to elf characters only as re-search on the dwarf races. However, dwarvesand elves do not often exchange informationof this sort. A Dungeon Master (DM) mightprefer that his or her elf players not have ac-cess to this book.

• PHBR7, The Complete Bard's Hand-book, is not recommended for the elf charac-ter, although it is a very useful book. Thesection on "Elf Minstrels" is especially helpfulfor those who wish to play a bardlike charac-ter of mixed elven descent. There is also a finesection on musical instruments and spells,which might prove useful for fleshing out anelf PC. Otherwise, there is little here for usewith pure elves. Half-elves, however, will findthe book invaluable.

House RulesNaturally, everything presented in this book isoptional to each campaign. Just as the DM hasthe final say on whether any of the rules pre-sented in the core books (the PHB and DMG)apply to his or her campaign, so does the DMhave the last word on whether to accept theideas presented in this book.

Remember, there are no right or wrongrules—whatever fits the style of the campaignis acceptable. As long as each rule is reason-able, appropriate, and fair, any additionalhouse rules the DM cares to impose are per-missible. If the players do not like these newrules, they have the option of discussing themwith the DM or choosing another campaign.On no account should players or DMs try toforce their views regarding optional rulesdown another's throat—regardless of how ap-propriate that action may seem to be.

Important NoteAnyone using this book should be aware thatit is designed for use with the AD&D® 2ndEdition game. References to the Player'sHandbook and the DUNGEON MASTER"Guide refer to the AD&D 2nd Edition books.Those using older books must consult the in-dex of the first-edition books to find the sub-ject mentioned and ignore the page numbersmentioned herein.

Furthermore, many of the rules mentionedin this book are dependent on the use of op-tional proficiency rules. It is strongly recom-mended that all players and DMs familiarizethemselves with these rules in order to fullyenjoy this book. Otherwise, they are cheatingthemselves out of the opportunity to fully ex-ploit the rules contained here.

Lastly, since elves make no distinction be-tween male and female, the personal pro-nouns in this book alternate between genders.Not all examples will be only of "he" or "him";some will consist of only "she" or "her."

But, come: The elves are waiting.

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