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Elvaan

Racial TraitsRace Point Cost
TypeHumanoid (elvaan)0
SizeMedium0
Base SpeedNormal0
Ability Score ModifiersStandard (+2 Wis, +2 Str, –2 Dex)0
LanguagesStandard0
DefenseFearless1
Feat and SkillSkill bonus (Perception)2
Feat and SkillStatic Bonus Feat (Weapon Focus)2
Feat and SkillShards of the Past (nobility and history)4
OffenseGatecrasher2
OffenseHatred (goblin and orc)1
OffenseWeapon Familiarity x22
SensesLow-Light Vision1
Total15

The race that benefited most from the end of tarutaru monopoly of magic was the elvaan of San d’Oria. Having formed two incredibly fearless orders of knights, the elvaans subjugated just about the whole of the Quon continent. They destroyed beastmen strongholds, and tarutaru villages were no match for the San d’Oria knights anyhow. Sadly for them, the flood of victories came to an end when the hume and the galka of Bastok combined their strength and technology against them in the second battle of Konschtat. Defeated, the proud Elvaan kingdom was unable to bear the humiliation in peace. The result was internal turmoil and civil war. Gradually, the conquered lands slipped away from their rule as well, and the elvaans retreated to San d’Oria. A strong sense of faith and pride means that the elvaans are essentially an aristocratic race. The elvaan trait of firm belief makes them admirable models of faith. Not only do they stay clear of questionable activities, they take great pride in their race as well. Both male and female elvaans are known to be swordsmen of the highest order because of their strength of mind and vitality. Close to the hume in their looks, the elvaans usually shun the world of commerce preferring to live by the sword. Physically and mentally, the elvaans are suited to for combat roles.

Standard Racial Traits

  • Ability Score Racial Traits: Elvaan are very wise and physically strong, but aren’t very graceful compared to other races. They gain +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Dexterity.
  • Size: Elvaans are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Type: Elvaans are Humanoids with the elvaan subtype.
  • Base Speed: Elvaans have a base speed of 30 feet.
  • Languages: Elvaans begin play speaking Common and Elvaan. Elvaans with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Galkan, Goblin, Lalafellan, Mithran, and Orc. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Defense Racial Traits

  • Fearless: Elvaans gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear effects.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

  • Keen Senses: Elvaans receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
  • Martial Background: Elvaans receive the Weapon Focus feat for free at first level, and may apply it to any single weapon they are proficient in.
  • Noble Upbringing: Elvaans take great pride in their history, culture, and government. They receive a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nobility) and Knowledge (history) checks and treat these skills as class skills.

Offense Racial Traits

  • Gatecrasher: Elvaans gain a +2 racial bonus on Strength checks to break objects and a +2 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks to sunder.
  • Hatred: Elvaans receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblin subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
  • Weapon Familiarity: Elvaans are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows).

Senses Racial Traits

  • Low-light Vision: An elvaan can see twice as far as a hume in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Alternate Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.

  • Arcane Focus: Some elvaan families have such long traditions of producing mages (and other spellcasters) that they raise their children with the assumption each is destined to be a powerful magic-user, with little need for mundane concerns such as skill with weapons. Elvaans with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on concentration checks made to cast spells defensively. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity.
  • Darkvision: Though uncommon, some groups of elvaans are born with darkvision, rather than low-light vision. Elvaans with this racial trait gain darkvision with a range of 60 feet, but also gain sensitivity to light and are dazzled in areas of bright light or within the radius of a daylight spell. This racial trait replaces low-light vision.
  • Desert Runner: Some elvaans thrive in the deepest deserts, forever roaming across burned and parched lands. Elvaans with this racial trait receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue, exhaustion, or ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, or hot or cold environments. This racial trait replaces noble upbringing.
  • Elemental Resistance: Elvaans who dwell in the most extreme environments, from arctic wastelands to volcanic plains, develop natural resistance to the dangers of their homelands over the course of a few generations. Elvaans with this racial trait gain elemental resistance 5 to earth, fire, ice, lighting, water, or wind. This choice is made at character creation, and once made it cannot be changed. This racial trait replaces martial background.
  • Fleet-Footed: While all elvaans are naturally lithe and agile, some also are naturally speedy and have a strong desire to rush into situations rather than worrying about looking ahead. Elvaans with this racial trait receive Run as a bonus feat and a +2 racial bonus on initiative checks. This racial trait replaces noble upbringing and martial background.
  • Illusion Resistance: Elvaans are normally fearless in battle, though some of their kind train specifically against the effects of illusionists. Elvaans gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusion spells or effects. This racial trait replaces fearless.
  • Long-Limbed: Elvaans with this racial trait have a base move speed of 35 feet. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity.
  • Resistant: Spending years training their mind against the invasion of other’s influences, an elvaan protects all aspects of themselves during combat. Elvaans gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects and poison. This racial trait replaces gatecrasher.
  • Slender: Elvaans often appear unnaturally thin by other races’ standards. Elvaans with this trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks, on combat maneuver checks to escape a grapple, and to CMD against grapples. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity.
  • Spirit of the Waters: Some elvaans have adapted to life in tune with the sea or along the reedy depths of wild rivers and lakes. They gain a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks, can always take 10 while swimming, and may choose Aquan as a bonus language. They are proficient with longspear, trident, and net. This racial trait replaces noble upbringing and weapon familiarity.
  • Urbanite: Elvaans who live in cities for more than a century can grow to know the ebb and flow of social situations just as their forest-dwelling cousins know the rules of the wild. Elvaans with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Sense Motive checks made to get a hunch about a social situation. This racial trait replaces keen senses.

Variant Elvaan Heritages

Although many elvaans follow the general model of the standard elvaan, many more do not. Those of different lineages may evince dramatically different manifestations of their heritage, both in appearance and in ability. Here are 4 different potential heritages for elvaan PCs. If you choose to use a specific bloodline instead of the general rules for creating an elvaan, you should work with your GM to ensure that your character’s appearance reflects that bloodline.

  • Alternate Ability: While most elvaans focuses their hatred for orcs and goblins, those of the variant heritages listed below gain a different ability.

Table: Variant Elvaan Heritages

HeritageAbility ModifiersAlternate AbilityDescription
Duskwight+2 STR, +2 INT, -2 CHAWhenever characters with this trait benefit from concealment or full concealment due to darkness or dim light, they gain a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate, Perception, and Stealth checks.Duskwight Elvaan have spent decades in the peace and seclusion of various caves and caverns, resulting in acute senses one would expect from living in the darkness.
Ishgardian+2 STR, +2 CHA, -2 WIS+1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the elvaan and draconic subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.As a result of long decades of ceaseless warfare with the Dravanian Horde, the intensity of the faith of the Church of Halone, and years of bitter cold and snow, Ishgardian Elvaans tend to be much more intense compared to their brethren, and much more devoted.
San d'Orian+2 STR, +2 WIS, -2 INTOnce per day, when an elvaan is brought below 0 hit points but not killed, he can fight on for 1 more round as if disabled. At the end of his next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, he immediately falls unconscious and begins dying.San d'Orian Elvaan developed an unrivaled order of knights, powerful enough to conquer various lands before them.
Wildwood+2 DEX, +2 INT, -2 STR+1 racial bonus to Knowledge (Nature) and Survival checks.Wildwood Elvaan have lived in the safety of vast lush forests, and as such, have an instinctive knowledge of the greenery that surrounds them.

Racial Feats

The following feats are available to an elvaan character who meets the prerequisites.

Racial Archetypes

The following racial archetypes are available to elvaans:

Favored Class Options

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

  • Archer: Add +1/3 bonus to the archer’s Aim bonus for attack rolls.
  • Astrologian: Add +1/3 times per day for the draw ability.
  • Bard: Add +1 to the bard’s CMD when resisting a disarm or sunder attempt.
  • Beastmaster: Add +1 to the beastmaster’s base speed. In combat this option has no effect unless the beastmaster has selected it five times (or another increment of five). This bonus stacks with the beastmaster’s movement increases.
  • Berserker: Add +1 to the berserker’s base speed. In combat this option has no effect unless the berserker has selected it five times (or another increment of five). This bonus stacks with the berserker’s movement increases.
  • Black Belt: Add 1 foot to the black belt’s base speed. In combat, this has an effect only for every five increases in the black belt’s base speed.
  • Black Mage:  Add +1/2 point of earth damage to spells that deal earth damage cast by the black mage.
  • Blue Mage: Add +1/6 bonus to Knowledge (all) skill checks.
  • Chemist: Add +1 foot to the range increment of the chemist’s thrown splash weapons (including the chemist’s bombs). This option has no effect unless the chemist has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5); a range increment of 24 feet is effectively the same as a range increment of 20 feet, for example.
  • Chocobo Knight: Add +1 hit point to the chocobo knight’s mount. If the chocobo knight ever replaces his mount, the new mount gains these bonus hit points.
  • Cleric: Add one spell known from the cleric’s spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest-level spell the cleric can cast.
  • Dancer: Add +1/6 to the bonus granted by the AC bonus class feature.
  • Dark Knight: Add +1/4 to the number of harm touches the dark knight can inflict.
  • Dragoon: Add +1/2 bonus to Acrobatic skill checks for jumping.
  • Druid: Add +1/3 to the druid’s natural armor bonus when using wild shape.
  • Engineer: Add +1/2 bonus to Craft skill checks.
  • Fencer: Gain a +1/3 bonus on all critical hit confirmation rolls made (maximum bonus of +5). This bonus doesn’t stack with those gained through Critical Focus and similar effects.
  • Freelancer: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
  • Gambler: Add +1/4 to the gambler’s luck pool.
  • Geomancer: Add +1/2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) skill checks.
  • Gunbreaker: Add +1/4 to the number of uses for the aurora ability.
  • Gunner: Add +1/3 on critical hit confirmation rolls made with firearms (maximum bonus of +5). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus feat.
  • Illusionist: Add +1/2 bonus on Bluff skill checks.
  • Knight: Add +1/6 shield bonus to armor class while the knight uses any shield.
  • Medic: Gain +1-foot bonus to movement speed when using triage. In combat, this option has no effect unless the medic has selected it five times (or another increment of five).
  • Monk: Add +1/6 to gain a new monk talent.
  • Necromancer: Add +1 hit point or +1 skill rank to the necromancer’s bone commander. If the necromancer ever replaces his bone commander, the new bone commander gains these bonus hit points or skill ranks.
  • NinjaGain +1/3 on all Acrobatics, Climb, and Stealth checks in forested areas.
  • Paladin: Add +1/2 hit point to the paladin’s lay on hands ability (whether using it to heal or harm).
  • Psychic: Add +1/4 point to the psychic’s phrenic pool.
  • Red Mage: The red mage gains 1/6 of a new ruby arcana.
  • Samurai: Add +1/6 to the DC of Bushidos.
  • Scholar: Increase total number of points in the scholar’s arcane reservoir by 1.
  • Summoner: The amount of time the summoner must spend to summon his avatar is reduced by 1 round, to a minimum of 1 round.
  • Sword Saint: The sword saint gains 1/6 of a new swordskill.
  • Thief: Add +1/3 on critical hit confirmation rolls made while using sneak attack (maximum bonus of +5). This does not stack with the Critical Focus feat.
  • Time Mage: Add +1/2 mote per day. (One additional mote for every two times you select this option.)
  • Warrior: Add +1 to the warrior’s CMD when resisting a disarm or sunder attempt.
  • White Mage: Add +1/2 hit point to the white mage’s lay on hands ability (whether using it to heal or harm).

Elvaan