Reflavoring the Races for Classic Fantasy – Elves

When dealing with races in the Classic Fantasy setting, we look at taking certain D&D 4e races and reflavoring them into elves.  After this, we’ll be converting dwarves, and then halflings.  When that part of the series is finished, we’ll look into making certain monsters more monstrous, and then give some ideas on the setting itself.

For each of the following racial or subracial choices, all of the actual mechanical stats, powers, and traits are unchanged. It’s the flavor and descriptions that have been altered to describe an elf. Some of the traits or powers might need to be interpreted… creatively, but for the most part, mechanics are not affected. Again, take any of the following descriptions as a subrace, or rewrite one of your own design.

ELF

• COMMON ELF (Elf) – The common elf uses the entry for Elf. He or she can be found in any elven settlement or region, living among any of the elven sub-races.
• GREY ELF (Deva) – Grey elves are extremely long-lived. Most other elves regularly reach ages over 200 years, but grey elves are so long-lived they refer to their ages in decades. So, a grey elf who looks to be about thirty years old will say that he is thirty, but in reality he is really thirty decades old. Most elves can tell when they are speaking with a grey elf, non-elves cannot. It is rare for grey elves to venture away from their homeland, usually only doing so if they are greatly motivated.
• DARK ELF (Drow) – As a whole, dark elves are shunned by the rest of elven society, purportedly because the dark elves have turned their backs on their brethren, seeking to become a wholly new race. According to the dark elves, evil gods and practicing the dark arts are entirely acceptable.
• WARRIORS OF EVANTRELL (Gnoll) – After the beasts of the Darkwood attacked the South Corridor of the Great Elven Range, a contingent of warriors was formed to combat future attacks of those beasts. As these elven warriors continued to train, they eventually gained enough confidence to seek out the beasts and eradicate them first. Today, the pack of warriors continues to exist by way of tradition as opposed to need. Other elven communities don’t often talk about these embarrassing warriors (they’re aggressive to a fault), but don’t dismiss them because they know of their usefulness. According to most elves, these warriors are rude, crude, and rash, though to most humans they appear more tolerable than most elves. Swap out the languages to Elven and Common.
• HUMAN-RAISED OR HALF-ELF (Half-Elf) – Play either a half-elf that somehow had differing parents, or an elf that was raised in a human community.
• HIGH ELF (Eladrin) – High elves see themselves as being the most “good” of all the elves, and tend to live in stone cities carved out of mountains (not in the mountains). They prefer the more arcane and scholarly pursuits over the physical and artistic, though they see the importance in all schools. High elves tend to shun contact with human settlements, since humans have so much growing to do.
• ELVES OF SET (Shadar-kai) – Not being content with the progress that the dark elves have made, these fanatics have branched away from their dark elf brothers, seeking to destroy elven society at its source (the high elves).  elves of Set seek to undermine high elves at every opportunity.
• ASHEN ELF (Tiefling) – A select few elves from various walks of life are endowed with the ashen mark – a symbol denoting their connection to fire. This is a relatively new occurrence in elven society, so no one really knows what it means. As such, ashen elves are (many times) feared by others, or at least viewed with suspicion.