Dungeons and Dragons

Are you making a character and don’t know what race to pick? There are a lot of options in the Player’s Handbook, but where do you start? Unless you’re trying to make the most optimal character, race and class combinations don’t matter. Pick something that you like the sound of or are interested in playing. It’s your character after all. If you’ve never played before, here’s a brief explanation of Half-Elf (without all the confusing numbers attached to it).

What can you expect from a Half-Elf?

Half-elves walk between the two worlds of their parents, having the inventiveness and ambition of Humans, while still keeping the refined tastes in art and the love of nature, gifted by the Elves. Even with this combination of traits, it makes it difficult to live with either race, even if welcomed. Those who choose to live with Humans have the pain of watching their friends grow old, while they hardly age; while when with the Elves, they reach adulthood while those they know haven’t even made it out of childhood. This causing some Half-elves to seek a life of solitude or commit themselves to becoming adventurers.

Half-elves have no lands to call their own, and while they are welcome within Human settlements and cities, as well as put up with in Elven forests; no place is truly home. Half-elves are uncommon enough in the world of Faerûn that they may go years without meeting another of their kind. Some choose to avoid company and instead wander the wilds, becoming trappers, hunters, foragers, or adventurers. While others throw themselves into civilisations, making best of their natural charisma and social skills becoming either diplomats or swindles.

How does this translate to your character sheet?

Taking cues from both sides of their heritage, Half-elves have very good social skills and are very charismatic, and the blood of Humans allows them to be better at the skills they actively choose to pursue. In terms of aging, they are closer to Elves in their longevity, but mature more like Humans, meaning they are considered to have hit adulthood in their twenties, but can live to over two hundred years old. The Elvish blood leads to them being able to see in the dark, unlike Humans. They are also more resilient to magical spells that would attempt to put them to sleep. Being the best of both races, they have the ability to speak both Common and Elvish, but they are also very versatile, generally picking up another language depending on the company they keep.

What class should I pick for a Half-Elf?

With their innate ability to be charismatic, classes like, Sorcerers, Warlocks or Bards, but their versatility with their Human half, they fit into any class.

Does that mean there are more varieties of Half-Elves?

You probably noticed that there wasn’t a subrace section on this one like all the others, that’s because there’s no subraces in the player’s handbook, but there are a lot in other supplements that have come out over the years. Starting with the obvious, Half-Wood Elf. This allows your Half-Elf to be proficient with Elven weapon training, makes them faster and allows them to hide in natural covering. Half-Drow will allow you to learn Drow magic, giving you some spells to start with. Half-Moon Elf or half-Sun Elf gives you access to either Elven weapon training or cantrips that High Elves get. There is also the Half-Aquatic elf, which refers to the Sea Elves. This would allow your Half-Elf to have a swim speed as well, which I’m aware is a little confusing as all races can swim, but a swim speed means you move at speed in water, while anyone who doesn’t have a swim speed would move half as fast as their normal speed.

(I don’t usually go into mechanic or numbers in these beginner articles, but I felt that the swim speed needed a little more of an explanation)