Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow. Becoming physically mature by the age of 25 and emotionally mature at around 125, they are also famously long-lived, capable of living more than half a millennium and remaining physically youthful.

They rarely die due to the wear of age. Possessed of innate beauty and easy gracefulness, they are viewed as both wondrous and haughty by other races; however, their natural detachment is seen by some as introversion or xenophobia.

Description
Slightly shorter than the average human, elves are also noticeably more slender and graceful (this is reflected in a bonus to Dexterity, and a Constitution penalty), averaging between 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet and 95 to 135 pounds. Males are slightly more muscular on average, there is little difference in height between the sexes, and neither sex grows facial hair. Their features in general may be described as more angular and defined; including long, pointed ears and wide, almond-shaped eyes. Most elves have fair skin and dark hair, though this is no more true of all elves than it is of humans. They have a reputation for careful grooming, more so than perhaps any other race. This frequently extends to their clothing, which is luxurious and well-kept, though not to the point of impracticality.

Elves do not sleep as most other creatures do, instead falling into a four-hour restful trance. Consequently, elves are unaffected by sleep-inducing spells and effects, and are able to remain active far longer than other races.

Elves also do not age as other creatures; their physical appearances remain constant from achieving physical maturity to death. Elves do grow physically weaker and mentally stronger as they grow older, and accumulate a "glow" from the strength of their souls as they age.


Sub-Races:

• Drow Elves: Once known only as dark elves, one of their greatest kingdoms was Illythiir. They were transformed into drow and banished to the Underdark when their matron goddess Lolth broke from the primary elven pantheon. Of all the elves they are the only ones that are inherently evil and hate their cousins with an undying passion. They are smaller than their cousins, both shorter and thinner. In addition, their skin resembles polished obsidian, and their hair is snow-white or silver. Their eyes are almost inevitably red, gleaming with the hatred for their surface dwelling cousins.
  
• Gold Elves Gold elves are primarily found upon the island of Evermeet and because of this, they are less common across the rest of world. With bronze colored skin; gold, black, or green eyes; and gold, blond, black, or (rarely) red hair. Gold elves are less physically fit, but more intellectually advanced, than their counterparts. Sun elves are the primary practitioners of elven High Magic, and are among the greatest magic-users of the world, both arcane and divine.
  
• Silver Elves: The silver elves are the most common of all the elves in the world. They typically have fair skin and hair that runs in hues from silver-white to black or blue. While human style hair colors are rare, eye color can be remarkably similar, with colors ranging from blue to green.
  
• Winged Elves: Found in the Aerie of the Snow Eagles. They are almost extinct from wars with dragons in the ancient times.
  
• Wood Elves Wood elves are a reclusive subrace, preferring to live in such areas as the High Forest. They place more emphasis on strength than learning. Wood elves are considered by other elven subraces (particularly the austere sun elves) to be boisterous and hedonistic. They have a zest for life and pleasure.
  

Drow Elves:
Of the various elven sub-races, none is more notorious than the Drow Elf. Descended from the original dark-skinned elven sub-race called the Ssri-tel-quessir, the drow elves were cursed into the present appearance by good elven deitties for following the goddess Lloth down the path to evil and corruption.
The Dark Elves have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair. They commonly have blood-red eyes, although pale eyes (so pale as to be often mistaken for white) in shades of pale lilac, silver, pink and blue are not unknown. They also tend to be smaller and thinner than most elves in the world.
Most drow elves worship Lloth, but most evil drow elves living on the surface tend to worship Vhaeraun, but some renegades and outcasts have been known to worship Eilistraee


RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Changes: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.

Darkvision out to to 120 feet.

Weapon Familiarity: Drow Elves favor Rapier or Short Sword and Hand Crossbow and Light Crossbow.

Immunity: Magical Sleep and Enchantment Spells

Light Sensitivity: Drow Elves suffer a -2 penalty on all action made i daylight, or with light as bright as daylight.

Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Drow Elf Sign Language.
Special Languages: Abyssal, Common, Draconic and Goblin.

Gold Elves:
The majority of the Gold Elves lives in the forest of the western islands and having abandoned what remained of their ancient realms they are only now returning to the mainland to reestablish their presence. The Gold Elves are famed for their command of both arcane and divine magic, which exceeds that of any other living race.
Gold Elves have bronze skin, hair of golden blond, copper or black, and eyes of green or gold. They favor comtemplation, lore, and study over the quick games and light-hearted songs of other elves, but seem to embody the unearthly beauty, grace, and precense of the elven folk.
Off all the elven sub-races, Gold Elves are the most arrogant and haughtly - even more so than the Winged Elves, whose haughtiness is rooted in the pity for landbound races. Gold Elves believe that they are the true elven race, the builders and the leaders of the elven realms, and that the other elven sub-races fail to live up to the solemnity and dignity of their ancient stock.

RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Changes: +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution.

Low-light vision out to to 60 feet.

Weapon Familiarity: Gold Elves favor long sword, Rapier, Longbow, Composite longbow, shortbow and Composite shortbow.

Immunity: Magical Sleep and Enchantment Spells

Automatic Languages: Common, Elven.
Special Languages: Auran, Celestrial, Gnome, Halfling and Sylvan.

Silver Elves:
The most common of the elven sub-races in the World are the Silver Elves. They have fair skin, sometimes tinged with blue, and hair of silver-white, black, or blue; humanlike colors are somewhat rare. Their eyes are blue or green, with gold flecks.

RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Changes: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution.

Low-light vision out to to 60 feet.

Weapon Familiarity: Silver Elves favor Long Sword, Rapier, Longbow, Composite longbow, Shortbow and Composite shortbow.

Immunity: Magical Sleep and Enchantment Spells

Automatic Languages: Common, Elven.
Special Languages: Auran, Gnoll, Gnome, Halfling and Sylvan.

Winged Elves:
The Winged Elves are without a doubt the most reclusice and least numerous of the elven sub-races. Many scholars have long ago dismissed them as creatures of myth, but in truth small numbers of Winged Elves still dwell in the World, concealed in hidden enclaves and remote regions.
The most striking feature of the Winged Elves is their soft, feathered wings. These wings have a span of anywhere between twelve and sixteen feet and are usually white, but may also be grey, brown, black or speckled. Winged Elves take great pride in their wings and spend hours grooming them. Their skin is pale, often porcelain white, with tinges of blue or faint silver. They have silver-white or black hair. The Winged Elves eyes are rather large and more expressive than those of other elves and they tend to be brilliant shade of blue or green.
Most winged elves worship Aerdrie Faenya or Seldarine.

RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Changes: +4 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom.

Keen Sight allows the Winged Elf to see more details than any other elven sub-race.

Low-light vision out to to 60 feet.

Weapon Familiarity: Wnged Elves favor either Rapier or Longsword and also lasso and bolas..

Immunity: Magical Sleep and Enchantment Spells

FlightWinged elves have the ability to use their wings for flight as long as they do not carry any metal armors.

Automatic Languages: Common, Elven.
Special Languages: Draconic, Giant and Sylvan.

Wood Elves:
The Wood Elves are among the most numerous of all the elven sub-races, a young and confident folk who hold the old elven-forest homelands in strenght. Heir to the second generation of elven nations, the Wood Elves see the realms as the natural successors to the elven land.
The Wood Elves have coppery skin tinged with green, and brown, green, or hazel eyes. Hair is usually brown or black, occasionally blond or coppery-red.
Wood Elves worship Seldarine, but they hold a special respect and reverence for the ancient forest powers of the World.

RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Changes: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.

Low-light vision out to to 60 feet.

Weapon Familiarity: Wood Elves favor long sword, Rapier, Longbow, Composite longbow, shortbow and Composite shortbow.

Immunity: Magical Sleep and Enchantment Spells

Automatic Languages: Common, Elven.
Special Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin and Sylvan.