Dark Elves in Era

Stats:

• +1 int and +1 dex or +2 dex
• +2 surprise
• 120' infravision
• 1/24 hours, all dark elves can cast dancing lights, faerie fire, and darkness (last 1 round + 1r/lvl). Dark elves can only use one power at the time. They can move the effect of power at MOV 16 without any significant effort.
• +2 bonus to all magical attack saving throws—that is, both against spells that overcome their natural resistance, and against the effects of magical items wielded against them.
• +5 bonus vs poison saving throws

The areas of effect of faerie fire and darkness increase by 10 square feet, or in a globe, 2' of additional radius per level of the creating dark elf, above (not including) 4th level. The number of light sources created by the dancing lights effect also increases by one for every two levels of the creator beyond 4th: that is, one additional at 6th, another at 8th, and so on. Range and control also increase by 10'/level beyond 4th.

A creating dark elf who has received even rudimentary training can always create an effect of lesser size, range, and efficacy than the maximum possible (e.g. a 5'-radius sphere of darkness around a foe's head, rather than a 20'-radius sphere cloaking the foe and four companions). The darkness cast by the natural power of dark elf is globe-shaped. Its “base” size (the maximum usable by dark elves of 4th level or less) is a sphere of 20' radius.

At 5th level, dark elves also get the powers of levitate, know alignment, and detect magic.

At 6th level, dark elves with 16 or more INT can wield a natural spell-like power and a spell simultaneously (e.g. casting a spell while levitating), or employ a maximum of two natural spell-like powers simultaneously (e.g. levitating while launching darkness to enshroud the head of an opponent).

At 7th level, dark elf priests and priestesses also gain the additional spell-like powers of clairvoyance, detect lie, suggestion, and dispel magic (in addition to their spells) through divine favor.

Dark elves of noble blood gain the ability to use all of their base and mature powers more than once a day. An additional daily use is granted at the end of each 100 years of life.

As you have no doubt noticed, I have removed the magic resistance that dark elves normally have in 2nd edition. First of all, it's just way too powerful, and makes balancing encounters even more impossible than before. Not that encounter-balance is something I will strive for, but it's nice to retain some measure of control. Instead, I have let you keep all the powers that dark elves normally have, even though the dark elves of Era live above ground. They also have no penalties in sunlight. In short, they are very powerful, compared to all the other races, but no magic resistance.

The poison resistance, which normally is attributed to the Lolth-worship and their affinity for spiders and spider poison, still makes sense, as the Asmodeus-worshipping dark elves in Era really like poisonous snakes :) 

What do they look like?
Dark elves vary a lot in shape, in features, and in hair color - just as greatly as humans do. The only exception to this rule, is that they all have jet-black skin, except for the extremely rare bone-white albinos. Almost all dark elves also have snow-white hair from birth, which turns yellowish (if female) or grayish (if male) and thins with age. Some rare dark elves have naturally silver or copper-hued hair. Most dark elves have red eyes. Others have green, brown, or black. Various shades of gray, even amber and rose-hued eyes are not unknown. Yellow eyes almost always means some kind of illness, disease, poisoning, or the presence of certain detrimental magics. Blue and purple eyes are the most unusual eye colors, and usually denote human or elven blood somewhere in the dark elf's ancestry. Such children are almost always sacrificed or discarded before their third year. Dark elf females tend to be just as big and strong as the males. Both sexes tend to be slim and graceful in build, features, and movements, just as other elves appear to humans.

The dark elf way of life
Noble Houses are led by a the senior male priest. In general, his rule is absolute, enforced by the priests beneath him (usually his sons and daughters). All male offspring in order of their age follow in rank, although they wield no authority until they are trained and of finished at the Temple. Below the priests come the officers of the House: the weapons master (leader of the fighters), (chief) House wizard, and the concubine of the high priest, followed by the female offspring of the high priest, who are ranked according to age.

Below them come the “war-leaders” of the House (veteran warriors, who lead House patrols, attack squads, and guards, under the command of the weapons master), and the House mages (under the command of the House wizard). Beneath these “blood” members and officials of the House rank its common warriors, its craftspeople, its servants, and its slaves. All ranks are decreed, and can be changed at the whim of the High Priest. His position changes at death—often a violent one, excecuted by his eldest son. It is a deadly thing to slay a high priest who holds Asmodeus' favor, so high priests do tend to reign for hundreds of years, kept alive by the magic of Asmodeus and the diligent service they perform to get and keep it.

The assassination of a high priest is often a punishment for losing Asmodeus' good will, and marks either a new direction for the House, or—if it is weak, and has strong rivals—the beginning of its extinction.

If one dark elf House of a city openly wars on another, and fails to eradicate it entirely in a single attack, the survivors of the ruined House can call down the city's justice on the attacking House. When this occurs, all Houses combine forces to wipe out the offending House. Houses who send assassins and saboteurs against each other for years will be forced into an open battle by the city's ruling council, with the same results as above.

This type of no-win scenario allows the internal strife of dark elves to be strictly controlled, so that dark elf communities are not torn apart by continual, bloody warfare. Most internal combat therefore takes the form of eternal manoeuvering for small advantages. Intrigue, poisoned knives in dark alleys, vicious trade rivalries, and dirty dealings are all a part of normal dark elf life.

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