Eberron Character Options — page 22

A double-bladed scimitar is a martial weapon, weighing 6 pounds and dealing 2d4 slashing damage on a hit. It has the two-handed property and the following special property: If you attack with a double-bladed scimitar as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action imme diately after to make a melee attack with it. This attack deals 1d4 slashing damage on a hit, instead of 2d4.

Feat: Revenant Blade

Prerequisite: Elf

You are descended from a master of the double-bladed scim itar, and some of that mastery has passed on to you. You gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Dexterity or Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

• While you are holding a double-bladed scimitar with two hands, you gain a + 1 bonus to Armor Class.

• A double-bladed scimitar has the finesse property when you wield it.

El Ves Of The Five Nations

Throughout history, elves have occasionally migrated to live among the other peoples of Khorvaire. On rare occasions, entire families have relocated (as House Phiarlan did, almost three thousand years ago), but more often wanderers and exiles have come to Khorvaire and made their way there. Many of the finest wizards and most renowned artisans in the Five Nations are high elves. Wood elves are found among the rangers and druids of the Eldeen Reaches and stalking the darkest alleys of Sham. As an elf born and raised in Khorvaire, your character has grown up among the shorter-lived races.

You might not be as concerned with history and tradition as the Aereni and Tairnadal; you could even live your life entirely in the moment, with no care for your family or your legacy. Or you could be fascinated by the history and traditions of your ancestors and try to relearn the ways your family has forgotten. Consider also whether you've outlived human friends and how that might affect you. Did you know the parents or grandparents of another member of your party? Are you trying to repay a debt or fulfill a promise to that long-dead friend, or are you trying to recapture some spark of the friendship you felt years ago?

Do you remember a time before the Last War? Did you fight in the war?

Drow Of Xen'Drik

Long ago on the continent of Xen'drik, the first drow fought beside the giants against the other elves. Tens of thousands of years have passed, and drow and other elves remember each other only as figures in their legends. The Undying Court and the patron ancestors of the Tairnadal remember the drow, but they have little occasion to teach their living descendants about these shadows of the distant past. When the elves fled to Aerenal, the drow remained on Xen'drik as subjects of the giants, and they were caught in the collapse of giant civilization.

Today they linger on Xen'drik and have set their own course, free of the giants' malev olent influence. Three distinct drow cultures formed after the fall of the giants. The most numerous are the Vulkoori, hunters dedicated to a scorpion god called Vulkoor. They hunt giants and other dangers in their lands. Led by powerful druids and wizards, the Sulatar cling to traditions of elemental shaping that date back to the Age of Giants. They live in a handful of obsidian cities across Xen'drik, and believe that they are destined to cleanse the world in a fiery apocalypse.

Finally, the Umbragen are descended from drow who fled into the depths of the earth when the giant civilization fell. They wield sophisticated magic in their unceasing battles against the daelkyr and the other aberrations of the underworld. When creating a drow character, think about how you came to Khorvaire. Are you a Vulkoori hunter who accompanied an expedition home to Khorvaire, now seeking your way in this strange new world? Are you an Umbragen seeking powers that can help your people in their endless war? Or are you a Sulatar pursuing a personal path to glory?

How do you react to meeting members of other elven cultures during your journeys? You might quickly recognize that most bear little resemblance to the terrors described in your people's legends, or you might have an almost instinctive reaction of distrust. You might have overcome your initial prejudices by the time the campaign begins, or perhaps you're working to build trust with another elf member of your adventuring party.

El Ves And Dragonmarks

The Mark of Shadow first appeared among the elves of the Phiarlan line, and the house quickly turned the mark's powers of shadow and illusion into an economic dynasty. The suspicion of their kin drove them from Aerenal to Khorvaire, and the house splintered during the Last War, giving rise to House Thuranni. The two houses of shadow control the business of espionage throughout Khorvaire, but they also operate more legitimate ventures related to art and entertainment. Phiarlan blood still runs among some of the Aereni elves, and the Mark of Shadow appears once or twice in each elven generation.

Elves bearing this mark are always inducted into the elite force of the Cairdal Bladesan espionage agency in the service of Aerenal's Sibling Kings (see chapter 2).

Gnomes

FIVE WORDS CAN DEFEAT A THOUSAND SWORDS. -Zil proverb The average gnome has a love of knowledge that borders on obsession, a curiosity that admits no limits, and a vast collection of potentially useful information on every personal acquaintance. Most gnomes detest physical violence and prefer to solve their problems with words-