Blood Elves

Also see Blood Elf (lore)

Once the High Elves of the Alliance, they became Blood Elves after Arthas' march to the Sunwell. They called themselves Blood Elves in reverence to those that perished during the Third War, and left the Alliance and joined the Horde with the hopes of reaching Outland in an effort to join Kael'thas Sunstrider. However, they were betrayed and subsequently redeemed after defeating Arthas. Now led by a triumvirate comprised of Lor'themar Theron, Halduron Brightwing and Grand Magister Rommath; the Blood Elves prosper under Warchief Vol'jin's guidance.

Background
Long ago the exiled high elves landed on the shores of Lordaeron. They struck out to find a new home, and after many battles with the trolls, established the kingdom of Quel'Thalas. Using a vial of sacred water stolen from the first Well of Eternity, the high elves created a fount of mystical power at a convergence of ley energies in Quel'Thalas. They named this fountain the Sunwell. Its potent arcane magic fed and strengthened the high elves, and soon the wondrous city of Silvermoon was established.

Protected by a magical barrier, the high elves enjoyed peace for roughly four thousand years, but that peace was not meant to last. The Amani trolls gathered an immense army and assaulted the elven kingdom. Vastly outnumbered, the high elves hastily struck an alliance with the human nation of Arathor. The elves taught a small number of humans how to wield magic. In exchange the humans aided the elves in destroying the trolls' power base forever. Over the following years the high elves returned to their reclusive ways, but during the Third War, the diabolical Prince Arthas Menethil brought battle once again to their doorstep. Arthas required the power of the Sunwell to revive the necromancer Kel'Thuzad and raise him as a lich. He invaded Quel'Thalas and wiped out most of its population. In the end, even King Anasterian Sunstrider lay dead.

Additionally it became clear that the high elves had become addicted to the Sunwell's arcane energies. Now that the source of their magic was gone, the few remaining high elves quickly grew ill and apathetic. Prince Kael'thas, last of the royal line, returned from his studies in Dalaran to find Quel'Thalas in ruins. Thirsting for vengeance, he gathered the survivors, renamed them blood elves, and took a group of the strongest fighters to join Lordaeron's campaign against the Scourge.

Due to human prejudice, Kael'thas was forced to accept the assistance of Lady Vashj and her reptilian naga. When the humans discovered that the blood elves had been working with the naga, Kael'thas and the others were imprisoned and condemned to death. Lady Vashj soon arrived to set them free, leading them through a portal and into the broken wastes of Outland. There, the elves met the one being capable of putting an end to their hunger: the renegade night elf/demon, Illidan Stormrage. Certain that the blood elves would die without Illidan's assistance, Kael'thas agreed to serve the Betrayer.

A lone representative, Rommath, was sent back to Azeroth with a message of hope for the blood elves remaining in Quel'Thalas: that one day Kael'thas would return to lead his people to paradise. Rommath had made great progress in teaching the blood elves advanced techniques to manipulate arcane energies. With renewed purpose, the blood elves have rebuilt the city of Silvermoon, though it is powered by volatile magics. Emboldened by the promise of Kael'thas' return, the weary citizens of Quel'Thalas now focus on regaining their strength, even as they forge a new path into an uncertain future.

Appearance
Males of the race are tall and slender, standing above the average human, and characterized by a lean, athletic musculature, making them seem somewhat thin when compared to larger races such as orcs. Females stand somewhat shorter, just above a human male in height, and have slender, delicate builds. They have a wide range of hair colours spanning from charcoal black to nearly white and a spectrum of skin colours ranging from pale to tan to ruddy. Blood elves have very long and thin ears, however their ears differ greatly from a night elves. The ears of a blood elf point vertically, whereas a night elf's ears point behind them. Blood elves also have eyebrows that extend well off of their face like whiskers. Both males and females are what would typically be considered exceptionally beautiful, with chiseled, refined features; males can also sport some facial hair, in the form of goatees. Their eyes glow green due to the influence of the fel energies they turned to with the destruction of the Sunwell.

Other Traits
Society: Many blood elves feel a bond with the sun and strive to live in harmony with the natural world. Although, like most, blood 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.

The Blood Elves have an innate gift for enchanting. They enjoy enchanting items and creating new enchantments. This is usually manifested as Blood Elf wizards usually taking a Craft Item feat for their bonus feats.

Blood 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.

Relations: The Blood 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.

Blood Elves are not foolish enough, however, to dismiss all aspects of other races and cultures. A blood elf might not want a orc neighbor, but would be the first to acknowledge the orcs' skill at smithing and their tenacity in facing human threats. Elves regard the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel as hilarious (and sometimes dangerous) curiosities, but regard their magical talent as being worthy of praise and respect. The Blood Elves are have little time for humans, and regard the Night Elves as prideful, deceitful, and wicked. As for the Forsaken, well, the normal Blood Elf attitude towards such is that although Silvanas was one of them, they can't seem to hide their disdain for the undead -- despite having a friendly disposition.

Alignment and Religion: 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: 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.

Male Names: Caladrel, Heldalel, Lanliss, Meirdrarel, Seldlon, Talathel, Variel, Zordlon.

Female Names: Amrunelara, Dardlara, Faunra, Jathal, Merisiel, Oparal, Soumral, Tessara, Yalandlara.

Racial Traits

 * +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution: Blood Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their form is frail.
 * Medium: Blood Elves are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
 * Normal Speed: Blood Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
 * Low-Light Vision: Blood Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
 * Elven Immunities: Blood Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
 * Elven Magic: Blood Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.
 * Urbanite: The Blood Elves have lived in cities for more than a century.  They have grown to know the ebb and flow of social situations just as their forest-dwelling cousins know the rules of the wild. Elves with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Sense Motive checks made to get a hunch about a social situation. This racial trait replaces keen senses.
 * Arcane Focus: Some blood elven families have such long traditions of producing wizards (and other arcane spellcasters) that they raise their children with the assumption each is destined to be a powerful magic-user, with little need for mundane concerns such as skill with weapons. Elves with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on concentration checks made to cast arcane spells defensively. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity.
 * Languages: Blood Elves begin play speaking Orcish and Thallasian. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Infernal, Orc, Sylvan, Undercommon, and Zandali.

Favored Class Options
The following options are available to all elves who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the class reward. The following options are available to all elves who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the class reward.
 * Alchemist: Add one extract formula from the alchemist's list to his formula book. This formula must be at least one level lower than the highest-level formula the alchemist can create.
 * Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian's base speed. In combat this option has no effect unless the barbarian has selected it five times (or another increment of five). This bonus stacks with the barbarian's fast movement feature and applies under the same conditions as that feature.
 * Bard: Add +1 to the bard's CMD when resisting a disarm or sunder attempt.
 * Cavalier: Add +1 hit point to the cavalier's mount. If the cavalier ever replaces his mount, the new mount gains these bonus hit points.
 * Cleric: Select one domain power granted at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the cleric's Wisdom modifier. The cleric adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that domain power.
 * Druid: Add +1/3 to the druid's natural armor bonus when using wild shape.
 * Fighter: Add +1 to the fighter's CMD when resisting a disarm or sunder attempt.
 * Gunslinger: Add +1/3 on critical hit confirmation rolls made with firearms (maximum bonus of +5). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
 * Inquisitor: Add one spell known from the inquisitor's spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest-level spell the inquisitor can cast.
 * Magus: The magus gains 1/6 of a new magus arcana.
 * Monk: Add +1 to the monk's base speed. In combat this option has no effect unless the monk has selected it five times (or another increment of five). This bonus stacks with the monk's fast movement class feature and applies under the same conditions as that feature.
 * Oracle: Add +1/2 to the oracle's level for the purpose of determining the effects of one revelation.
 * Paladin: Add +1/2 hit point to the paladin's lay on hands ability (whether using it to heal or harm).
 * Ranger: Choose a weapon from the following list: longbow, longsword, rapier, shortbow, short sword, or any weapon with "elven" in its name. Add +1/2 on critical hit confirmation rolls made while using that weapon (maximum bonus of +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
 * Rogue: Add +1 to the number of times per day the rogue can cast a cantrip or 1st-level spell gained from the minor magic or major magic talent. The number of times this bonus is selected for the major magic talent cannot exceed the number of times it is selected for the minor magic talent. The rogue must possess the associated rogue talent to select these options.
 * Sorcerer: Select one bloodline power at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the sorcerer's Charisma modifier. The sorcerer adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that bloodline power.
 * Summoner: The amount of time the summoner must spend to summon his eidolon is reduced by 1 round, to a minimum of 1 round.
 * Witch: Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch's familiar. This spell must be at least one level lower than the highest-level spell she can cast. If the witch ever replaces her familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
 * Wizard: Select one arcane school power at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the wizard's Intelligence modifier. The wizard adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that arcane school power.

OGL Section 15 -- Copyright Notice
Lands of Conflict © 2005 by Blizzard Entertainment

Dark Factions  © 2007 by Blizzard Entertainment

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide. © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Jim Groves, Tim Hitchcock, Hal MacLean, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Owen K.C. Stephens, Todd Stewart, and Russ Taylor.