Eldar (5e Race)
Eldar
The Eldar, or Aeldari as they were known in the Eldar Lexicon before the fall of their lost realm, or the Asuryani (followers of Asuryan) as they refer to themselves, are an ancient humanoid alien race whose vast empire once extended the width and breadth of the known galaxy.
The Aeldari Empire was without equal, and they counted themselves masters of the stars. But millennia ago, the Aeldari's overweening pride and their fall into hedonistic practices led to a cataclysm that all but eradicated their kind and led to the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh.
Physical Description
Eldar are similar to Elves in the way that they are lithe, looming figures with pointed ears. Considering other races, the Aeldari are much taller than the normal human, although in armor they are only slightly taller than a Space Marine. Most stand six to seven feet tall, and rarely do they ever reach over 200 pounds, usually ranging between 120 and 160 pounds. With long, graceful strokes many shades of hair fall upon wisened, almond eyes that stare with impunity on normal, shorter passerby. Considering the Eldar were once a masterful civilisation, their physical attributes can reflect any choice, although most follow nature in all of its serenity and beauty, preferring earthy shades to a toxic pink. These decisions are also represented in their battle decor, as they pin up their hair for display outside of their suit when in battle.
History
The Eldar have a long, convoluted history that spans over millennia, and it would simply not do to place it here. If you are interested, view Games Workshop's incredible Fandom page at https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Eldar. Nonetheless, they have effectively boiled it down to a fragment I will now present.
The Aeldari Empire was without equal, and they counted themselves masters of the stars. But millennia ago, the Aeldari's overweening pride and their fall into hedonistic practices led to a cataclysm that all but eradicated their kind and led to the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh. Despite their boundless power, the heart of their civilisation was torn out by this catastrophe of their own making, forcing the surviving Aeldari, now calling themselves "Eldar" to outsiders and "Asuryani" among themselves, to flee upon gigantic, continent-size starships called Craftworlds. Now they cling to survival by a thread, fighting the horrors of the galaxy with ritualised discipline and consummate skill.
The Eldar race has a long and complex spacefaring history, so long in fact that little is known for certain about the course of their physical evolution and early planet-bound existence. The original Eldar homeworld was destroyed during the catastrophic collapse of the Eldar civilisation known as the Fall of the Eldar.
The remnants of Eldar culture that survived the cataclysm preserved much of their species' history in the form of traditional stories, songs and dance. Written records, monuments and visual records were almost completely destroyed except for a few instances where they were taken aboard voidcraft fleeing from the doomed worlds.
Society
Eldar society is complex, mirroring the minds of their creators. Few children are born, and the population growth speed is simply incompatible with restoring the Eldar's lost empire. To them, their only option is to burn brightly once more in the darkness of space before it overcomes them, rather than slowly succumb to the same forces that ruptured their power in two. As a reflection of this, more and more of the Aeldari choose the paths of the warrior and put down their brushes and instruments, favoring the weapons of war. Regarding the Paths, the Eldar must follow certain paths, or ideals, to contain their flightiness and secure their mind from the Warp. As the Eldar are what one might call hypersensitive to the pleasures and tragedies of life, following a Path is essential for survival.
Eldar Names
Male: Benedor,Dalnedor,Ellon,Elrames,Galakas,Irilkas,Irilrion,Kelrad,Olsashin,Osukyn
Female: Borevena,Faenlone,Gellannys,Ilrahina,Kaedole,Lidra,Mellolaeth,Menosho,Onerys,Ylmela
Eldar Traits
A race of elf-like beings who travel the stars in mighty worldships.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Age. Most live to around 2000 years, and mature at the age of 24. Some eldar are much older depending on there psychic prowess. Eldar Ulthran is over 10,000 years old.
Alignment. The eldar are a structured and orderly race. However they tend to be selfish, thus they tend to be lawful neutral.
Size. The average eldar is 6 to 7 feet tall but there are eldar that are larger and smaller than these averages. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet. Asuryani warriors have been known to run at tremendous speeds which they can maintain for hours.
Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Genetically Superior. Due to their bodies being engineered for combat the Eldar posses great eyesight and accuracy. You gain proficiency in Acrobatics or Perception.
Eldar Fighting Style. When another creature hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to add your Dexterity modifier to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Eldar magic. You can use the mind sliver and the message cantrips
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.
Random Height and Weight
Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
---|---|---|---|
6′ 0″ | +1d12 | 110 lb. | × (5) lb. |
*Height = base height + height modifier |
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