Elf
Elf
![PFS: Standard PFS: Standard](/pf2e/_astro/pfs.BvSLkKN1_25k9bG.png)
Elves are a tall, long-lived people with a strong tradition of art and magic.
As an ancient people, elves have seen great change and have the perspective that can come only from watching the arc of history. After leaving Golarion in ancient times, they returned to a changed land, and they still struggle to reclaim their ancestral homes. Elves value kindness, intellect, and beauty, with many elves striving to improve their manners, appearance, and culture. Their studies delve into a level of detail that most shorter-lived peoples find excessive or inefficient. Elves are often rather private people, steeped in the secrets of their groves and kinship groups. They’re slow to build friendships outside their kinsfolk, as elves who spend their lives among shorter-lived peoples often become morose after watching generations of companions age and die. These elves are known as Forlorn among their fellow elves.
If you want a character who is magical, mystical, and mysterious, you should play an elf.
- Carefully curate your relationships with people with shorter lifespans.
- Adopt specialized or obscure interests simply for the sake of mastering them.
- Focus on your appearance, either admiring your grace or treating you as if you’re physically fragile.
- Worry that you privately look down on them, or feel like you’re condescending and aloof.
Elves gradually adapt to their environment and their companions, and they often take on physical traits reflecting their surroundings. An elf who has dwelled in primeval forests for centuries, for example, might exhibit verdant hair and gnarled fingers, while one who’s lived in a desert might have golden pupils and skin. Elves reach physical adulthood around the age of 20, though they aren’t considered to be fully emotionally mature by other elves until closer to the passing of their first century. A typical elf can live to around 600 years old.
Elves hold deeply seated ideals of individualism, allowing each elf to explore multiple occupations before alighting on a particular pursuit or passion that suits her best. Elves bear notorious grudges against rivals, which elves call ‘ilduliel,’ but these antagonistic relationships can sometimes blossom into friendships over time. An elf keeps their personal name secret among their family, while giving a nickname when meeting other people. This nickname can change over time, due to events in the elf’s life or even on a whim. A single elf might be known by many names by associates of different ages and regions.
Elven names consist of multiple syllables and are meant to flow lyrically—at least in the Elven tongue.
Popular Edicts find beauty in nature and art, explore things others would keep hidden, demonstrate superiority to your rival
Popular Anathema abandon your own path, force another creature to do something
Choose from Draconic, Empyrean, Fey, Gnomish, Goblin, Kholo, Orcish, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).