While marriages between members of different demihuman races are rare, they are not unheard of. The most common of these unusual unions occurs between elves and humans. Children born to such a couple are half-elves, and they often lead difficult lives.
Exactly what criteria defines a half-elf is open to debate. In general, it must be remembered that someone is considered an elf only if he has absolutely untainted elf ancestry. The smallest fraction of human blood makes one an outcast from the fair folk. If a person has more human ancestors than elves, he is considered to be human, although his features may retain a hint of this ancestry. Thus, it is quite possible for a human character to have one or more elf ancestors.
Thus, in order to qualify as a half-elf, a character must possess an equal mix of human and elven blood or have more elf ancestry than human.
Description
Half-elves are fair of both complexion and hair. They tend to have silver, blonde, or light-brown hair and generally favor elven features. Their eyes are blue, gray, or very light brown.
Members of this race can generally pass for either human or elf. In the latter case, they are taken to be rather robust and in the former, they appear somewhat slight. The typical half-elf male stands just under seventy inches in height and weighs roughly one hundred twenty-five pounds.
Half elves do not have the great lifespans of their elf parents but do tend to reach ages greater than those aspired to by men. The years generally claim a half-elf sometime after his one hundred thirtieth birthday.
Players can use Table 58: Half-Elf Physical Characteristics to generate the height, weight, and age of a newly created half-elf character.
Table 58: Half-Elf Physical Characteristics
| Trait | Formula | |
| Height, Male | 60+2d6 inches | |
| Height, Female | 58+2d6 inches | |
| Weight, Male | 110+3d12 pounds | |
| Weight, Female | 85+3d12 pounds | |
| Starting Age | 15+1d6 years | |
| Maximum Age | 125+3d20 years |
Table 59: Half-Elf Aging Effects
| Age | Years | Effects | ||
| Middle (1/2 Base Max.) | 62 | -1 Srt/Con; +1 Int/Wis | ||
| Old (2/3 Base Max.) | 83 | -2 Str/Dex; -1 Con; +1 Wis | ||
| Venerable (Base Max.) | 125 | -1 Str/Dex/Con; +1 Int/Wis |
Personality
Half-elves are rare in Ravenloft, just as they are in most campaign settings. Given the fact that the few elves who dwell on the Demiplane of Dread generally shun all contact with mankind, it is easy to see why these crossbreeds are almost unheard of.
Ravenloft's half-elves are looked upon as freaks in both human and elf cultures. Such treatment tends to drive these folk away from both of their parent races and forces them into nomadic or hermitlike existences. While they are more accepted in human society, they still find that many men and women look upon them with mistrust and pity. A half-elf is almost never considered the equal of a true man, even in the most open-minded cities of the Demiplane. Indeed, less civilized realms often slay or enslave half-elves.
The fact that they are not accepted anywhere in Ravenloft affects half-elves in two ways. First, they tend to reject the notion of long-term friendships. No one trusts a half-elf, so a half-elf trusts no one. Second, half-elves know that xenophobic humans have been known to burn or hang those they fear. As such, they live every moment knowing that it could be their last. This doesn't mean that half-elves live in fear of death, only that they live in anticipation of it. The distinction may seem a subtle one, but to half-elves it is very important.
With these facts in mind, it is easy to understand why half-elves tend to be loners. With few places willing to accept them or treat them with equality, they often become wanderers. Because of the way they have been treated, many half-elves are quick to anger when they see others being treated cruelly.
Despite this bent to their personalities, half-elves tend to be as curious and artistic as the fair folk. This is often the justification that they use when explaining their wanderings. By traveling the world, they explain, they can see more of its splendors.
Half-elves have no society and no cultural norms. As outcasts, however, they seldom have any use for the names given to them by parents who either would not, or could not, protect them from the cruelty of the world. Most half-elves, therefore, give themselves names like "the Scarlet Wanderer" or "the Friend of Shadows." In many cases, they cannot even remember the true name given to them at their birth.
Ability Scores
Although generally graceful and slender, half-elves are not sufficiently different from humans to merit special ability score adjustments.
Special Abilities
While they do not have all the wondrous abilities that one associates with elves, members of this race are not without their own gifts.
Magic Resistance
Half-elves inherit a fraction of the elf resistance to sleep- and charm-based spells. Because of their diluted elf blood, however, their resistance is only 30%. This is in addition to any normal saving throws allowed for spells of this type.
Infravision
Like their elf ancestors, half-elves are gifted with vision that extends into the infrared portion of the spectrum. Because of this, they see as far as sixty feet in the dark. Items like torches and lanterns spoil this ability with their glare. See Chapter 13 of the Dungeon Master Guide for further details on this optional version of infravision.
Secret Doors
Half-elves have an eye for detail that is every bit the equal of an elf's. This makes it difficult to hide secret or concealed doors from them. Occasionally, they even notice such portals without actively searching for them (see Table 54, page 234).
Iron Will
Half-elves have developed strong wills because of their travels in the Demiplane. They have seen its many horrors and borne the brunt of much injustice and even brutality. Because of this, they gain a bonus of +1 to any fear or horror checks. This is in addition to any normal modifiers for exceptional Wisdom scores.
