Elf, Mark of Shadow

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in places of ethereal beauty, in the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry.

The Mark of Shadow lets an elf weave illusions, crafting magic to distract or delight. It also allows its bearer to sculpt shadows, making it easy to avoid detection.

The Mark of Shadow first appeared among the elves of the Phiarlan line, and the house quickly turned the mark's powers of shadow and illusion into an economic dynasty. The suspicion of their kin drove them from Aerenal to Khorvaire, and the house splintered during the Last War, giving rise to House Thuranni. The two houses of shadow control the business of espionage throughout Khorvaire, but they also operate more legitimate ventures related to art and entertainment. Phiarlan blood still runs among some of the Aereni elves, and the Mark of Shadow appears once or twice in each elven generation. Elves bearing this mark are al ways inducted into the elite force of the Cairdal Blades an espionage agency in the service of Aerenal's Sibling Kings.

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not.

Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d10 Height = 4 feet + 6 inches + your size modifier in inches Weight in pounds = 90 + (1d4 × your size modifier)

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. If you meditate during a long rest, you finish the rest after only 4 hours. You otherwise obey all the rules for a long rest; only the duration is changed.

Whenever you roll a Dexterity (Stealth) check or a Charisma (Performance) check, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.

You know the Minor Illusion cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast the Invisibility spell with this trait. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your Spellcasting Ability for these spells.

If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class features, the spells on the Mark of Shadow Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Shadow Spells:

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.