Elf, Shadow

Description

A short, slender humanoid with delicate, elven features peers out through shadow-cloaked growth. It has gray flesh, short black hair, large eyes, and a malevolent expression upon its face.

Shadow elves are shorter than typical elves, with smooth gray flesh and a light peach-fuzz of brunette hair on their scalp. Their eyes are unusually large for their size, an adaptation to a life in the shadows. They possess a wicked, threatening disposition and a dire appearance, which is enhanced by various tattoos and mutilations.

Combat

Typically shadow elves will be equipped with simple but artfully-crafted weapons; a leather-reinforced wooden shield, dark attire, and little or no armor. They prefer to attack from ambush, employing their shadow abilities to keep their their opponents off balance. Ranged weapons are fired from cover, with hand weapons used only when finishing off a foe or in self defense. They typically employ spears, short bows, and hand axes as weapons.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day―chill touch (typical save DC 12), daze (typical save DC 11), hide from animals (typical save DC 12). Caster level equals the shadow elves' class levels. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial modifier.

Gloom Blur (Su): Within twilight or shadowy illumination, the outline of a shadow elf becomes blurry and vague. This ability is identical to that of the arcane blur spell, but the effect ends upon leaving the shadows.

Shadow Slide (Su): *The shadow elf gains a +4 racial bonus on on Hide checks while in shadowy illumination. This bonus is retained whenever a movement begins and ends in shadows, even if the intervening path is brightly illuminated.

Shadow Elf Society

This diminutive race of elves suffer an eternal curse from an ancient compact with dark powers. As a result they have descended into abject barbarism, living as feral beings in the dark depths of old forests. They are a wilding species at best, with an exotic, ritualized culture and few of the morals or scruples of more civilized races. Even wild elves view this sub-race as depraved and beyond redemption.

Shadow elves live in small troops, constantly on the move in search of easy game or pillage. They wear little in the way of clothing, choosing instead to decorate most of their bodies with various piercings, tattoos, mutilations, and brandings. Most do not wear ornamentation and only travel with the possessions they can carry.

The body decorations of shadow elves bear some relationship with the nature of their heritage, but even they do not fully understand the nature of these elaborate markings. They are known to practice cannibalism when no other food is available, and have no inhibitions against eating other humanoids.

Shadow Elf Characters

Shadow elf leaders tend to be barbarians or adepts. Shadow elf clerics have access to two of the following domains: Chaos, Evil, and Trickery. Shadow elf adepts favor spells that weaken or hinder enemies.

Shadow elves receive the following traits in addition to elf traits, except where noted.

• +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
• Small size.
• A shadow elf's base land speed is 20 ft.
• +2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
• Weapon Proficiency: Shadow elves are automatically proficient with spear, short bow, javelin, hand axe, and club.
• Automatic languages: Common, Elven.
• Special Attacks (see above): Spell-like abilities.
• Special Qualities (see above): Gloom blur, shadow slide.
• Favored Class: Barbarian.
• Level Adjustment: +1.