By Kevin Kulp

This is the 13^th in our series on non-human heroes in Swords of the Serpentine. Like the Forest Elves entry, High Elves cannot easily fit into Eversink without fundamentally changing the nature of the city. This entry on High Elves is only recommended for use if you want to use Swords of the Serpentine to power a high fantasy game. Characters like High Elves don’t fit into most swords and sorcery settings, so make sure you want a higher-fantasy feel to your campaign before you use these.

Be sure to read the previously published rules on Non-Human Heroes if you haven’t already.

High Elf

Ancestry Abilities: Ancestry (Fey), Prophecy, Ridiculous Luck, Tactics of Death

• Ancestry (Fey) reflects your birthright along with your ties to the lands of Faerie and the culture, politics, and history of the fey. It gives you access to special fey-themed capabilities. No ranks means that other high elves scorn or pity you, while a high rank means you are considered powerful and important in the kingdoms of the fey.

• Prophecy represents your ability to see the future, often told to you by your reflection in a looking glass or whispered to you by a friendly forest animal you took time to help.

• Ridiculous Luck is an indication of how strongly the universe favors and delights in you, and wants to show you its love by making things go your way.

• Tactics of Death is a reminder that high elves are typically deadly duelists and soldiers, quick to anger and terrifying in a tactical fight. A Hero with high ranks of Tactics of Death might have spent decades commanding an army decades or centuries ago in Faerie.

Powerful but presumptuous, most high elves have very little practical experience in the mortal world. They arrive from the realms of faerie, and they’re used to a picture-book world of shining crystal parapets spiraling high into the azure sky; of deep dark forests that are trackless to the untrained; of subtle and deadly court politics, where court lackeys compete to become the favorite of an uncaring and sociopathic Queen. Encountering the actual mortal world, with all of humanity’s complexities and uncertainties, is often a bit of a surprise for a high elf.

High elves are inevitably taken aback by the resentment that forest elves continue to hold for them. They’re complaining about being abandoned in the mortal world? Why, that little incident happened at the dawn of civilization! So much has happened since then. It’s time that forest elves got over it and moved on with their eternal lives. Frankly, forest elves are weak and traitorous not to have found their own way home after the ancient fairy gates closed. But that weakness should probably be expected; the forest elves are fading, and your own people are just now coming into their true strength. Humanity may have an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

It’s up to you and your GM how prevalent high elves are in the world, whether you’re just beginning to once again visit from Faerie or your people have substantially re-populated territories that you had conquered and departed from long ago. Humans both idolize and flee in terror from high elves: your glamour makes you beautiful and compelling, you know things no one else could guess, luck always breaks your way, and you are typically deadly in combat. It’s a powerful and compelling combination that often makes humanity feel inadequate. Justifiably, really.

Play a high elf if you want to play an outsider, someone who is intrinsically magical and proudly self-confident. Play a high elf if you want a Hero in shining armor who feels like they walked out of a fairy tale. 

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Designer Notes: Flavor vs. Mechanics

You’ll notice that high elves as written could be pretty much insufferable. That can be really fun from a story perspective – everyone loves thwarting the smug and supercilious villain who thinks they’re better than everyone else, and there are a lot of good character hooks here – but that’s not ideal if you or someone else is playing someone who can’t get along with others. You’re not required to use any of the lore and culture presented here. We know the mechanics work, and just like any other Swords of the Serpentine game, change the flavor to match what’s most fun for everyone you’re gaming with; that may mean less of Pratchett’s Lords and Ladies and more of Tolkien or classic Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

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Investigative ability: Ancestry (Fey)

You’re knowledgeable about fey, including both high elves and the hidden folk. You have knowledge of fey culture, behavior, history, politics, art, tactics, and customs, and know how to navigate the pitfalls of the fey royal courts.  You speak the fey language, a beautiful and musical tongue. You may travel through the spirit world to faerie, and navigate the twisting roads of faerie without becoming endlessly lost.

This Investigative ability points you towards leads and clues that are linked to fey societies and roles. You will need to rely on other Investigative abilities to gain leads from specific fey, who aren’t under any obligation to like you just because you are one as well. 

Sample spend: Use the mesmerizing cadence of fey speech to inflict an extra die of damage on a Sway attack. Make a hostile fey delay from attacking you long enough to at least listen to what you have to say. 

Pass from the mortal world into the spirit realms, or vice versa; for a 2-point spend you may take others with you. If you pass through a danger-haunted spot where the veil is already weak, such as a site of deep Corruption, the cost of passage is lowered by 1 or more. Be aware that getting from the spirit realms to Faerie could well be a dangerous adventure in itself, so talk to the GM before you choose to travel.

Special: If you are a high elf with ranks of Ancestry (Fey) you have a glamour, making you seem inhumanly beautiful. You may change the appearance of your clothes on a whim. Spend a point to, for a scene, either disguise your appearance or seem like the most beautiful and important person in a room.  

Character Creation Advice

• Remember that many high elves are not good people by human standards, and you shouldn’t necessarily trust the fey even if you’re playing a high elf who is a trustworthy exception.

• If you’re going to play a high elf, lean into the fairy tale tropes. You come from a magical land where all those old stories may actually be true. That’s what you may expect from the mortal world as well, even when the gritty truth is far different. 

• Humans are often drawn to high elves like moths to a flame. Maybe it’s the glamour? Drop a high elf into our modern world and they would quickly become a high fashion model, a rock star, an influencer, or all three at the same time. The same concept is true in your fantasy setting. Load down your Hero with ranks of Charm and Nobility if you want them to stun mortals with their appearance and charisma, or with ranks of Intimidation if you want them to terrify those they meet.

• The ability to travel into the spirit world, and eventually to Faerie, is an interesting one that we are deliberately leaving somewhat undefined for now. Don’t be surprised if your GM disallows this until they’ve had a chance to create an adventure for the first time you make the trip. Sending someone off to Faerie temporarily is also a great way to remove a character when the player can’t make that session.

Sample Hero – High Elf

Ancient Caliandra, huntress to the Faerie Empress in all her radiant glory, who walked the mortal world before mankind drew its first shuddering breath

Ancient, over-confident, beautiful, vain, cruel

Drives (what is best in life?): Being worshipped by the weak; the look of your prey’s face as they feel the fading warmth of their own blood upon their hands; the joy of watching mortals age and die while you remain unchanging

Defenses – Health: Health Threshold 4 to 7 (shield), Armor 2 (iron-hard cloak), Health 10

Defenses – Morale: Morale Threshold 3, Grit 1 (diffidence), Morale 8

Offense – Sway: Sway 8: Damage Modifier +1 (persuasion)

Offense – Warfare: Warfare 8: Damage Modifier +1 (rapier)

Investigative abilities: Intimidation 1, Taunt 1; Ancestry (Fey) 3, Prophecy 1, Ridiculous Luck 2, Tactics of Death 3

Allegiances: Ally: Ancient Nobility 2; Enemy: Church of Denari 1

General abilities: Athletics 8 (Dodge), Preparedness 3, Stealth 3, Sway 8 (Play to the Crowd), Warfare 8 (Cleave)

Gear: long white hair and pupilless eyes the color of pale sapphires; a shining, delicate cloak that is as strong and heavy as iron; a living shield formed from tiny faeries that throw themselves in front of blades to protect you; an apple, plump and sweet and definitely not poisoned; a razor-sharp blade formed from the shinbone of a human child; a talent for being in the right place at the right time; a sublime sense of style and timing

Sample Adversary

High Elf Nobility

Smug, enthralling, cruel

Defense — Health: Health Threshold 4, Armor 2 (Shining, engraved, and perfectly fitted steel), Health 5 per Hero

Defense — Morale: Morale Threshold 4, Grit 1 (Astonishing sense of entitlement), Morale 5 per Hero

Offense — Warfare: +2 (elegant precision); Damage Modifier +2 (unbreakable razorglass rapier)

Offense — Sway: +3 (enchanting voice); Damage Modifier +2 (unshakable command)

Abilities: Malus 15

Special Abilities: Allies (cost 3 – fey soldiers), Extra Damage (cost 3 – per die of bonus damage on Sway attacks), Magical Charm (cost 3), Monstrous Ability (cost 3 – Anything fey-related), Persuasive (cost 3)

Misc: Ignore the high elf noble’s armor if you are using a weapon made from iron.

Refresh Tokens: 7

Description: A high elf noble is glorious to look at or listen to, so much so that you usually don’t realize that they are ensnaring you with their voice. Too much time spent in their presence, and most people will do anything they say.

Sample Allegiances

Establishing high elves as a unique faction means that high elves are influential in human politics, even if they have only just left faerie and reentered the mortal world. Their arrival would send shock waves through trade, military power balances, and political allegiances. 

That’s not to say that imperious high elves are easy to get along. The loyalty of most high elves is only to themselves, and they have a reputation for being undependable and prone to betrayal unless you have an ironclad contract with them. Still, they make for a powerful and intimidating ally.

Having high elves as Allies means that you are backed by a terrifying force who naturally expect the mortal world to bend to their unspoken wishes. They make excellent advisors due to their skill with Prophecy, and perhaps a bit of their Ridiculous Luck might rub off on you. Expect your allegiance to anger humans who see high elves as dangerous, however.

Having high elves as enemies means that if the elves can be bothered to rouse themselves and track you down, they’re going to hunt you with great style and terrifying competence. High elves live forever, even if they don’t think much about their age; you just need to hang on until they get distracted and their grudge against you slips their mind.  Good luck with that.

Kevin Kulp (@kevinkulp) and Emily Dresner (@multiplexer) are the co-authors of Swords of the Serpentine, out now in hardback and PDF. Kevin previously helped create TimeWatch and Owl Hoot Trail for Pelgrane Press. When he’s not writing games he’s either smoking BBQ, watching dubious shark movies, or helping 24-hour companies with shiftwork, sleep, and alertness.