The avariel, or winged elves, are a rare race of reclusive elves that dwell high in the mountains or forests away from other civilizations. They appear even more delicate than their landbound brethren, their facial features even more chiseled and angular. The characteristic of the avariel that is most stunning, however, is their beautiful, soft wings. Although these wings are generally white, avariel have been seen with wings whose colors range to black. The wings are their pride and joy, and an avariel who has lost his wings is intensely pitied by the other avariel. Since elves do not generally accept the pity of others, a wingless avariel often leaves the community to find a life elsewhere.

Combat

From a distance, avariel in flight appear as large birds. Thus, while opponents may notice their silhouettes, they usually disregard them. This has, more than once, resulted in the nearly total elimination of enemy forces. Since the avariel are efficient hunters, they ruthlessly stalk those who have escaped the battlefield, more often than not finding and destroying those who would report their presence.

In combat, avariel prefer to use light weapons, for heavier ones inhibit their flight. Like other elves, Avariel are proficient with longswords or rapiers. Note that the momentum generated by any sword longer than a long sword interferes with flying. For this reason, they use bastard swords and great swords only in foot combat. Avariel, unlike other elves, have a difficult time using ordinary bows. Their wings interfere with the smooth movements required to fire a bow, and they therefore do not gain the proficiency like other elves.

The strength of the avariel is also their downfall. If they lose more than 50% of their hit points in damage, they become too weak to fly and must continue their battle on ground. Until they lose 75% of their hit points, however, they can still glide for short distances. They can also use their wings to jump, increasing the distance or height cleared by 10 feet, even past the maximum for a creature their size.

Keen Eyesight: Avariel have incredible eyesight. Not only do they have the standard elven low-light vision, when flying or outdoors they can focus their vision to notice details at over a mile away or those obscured by underlying forest. They use this incredible perception to maximum advantage and thus are excellent scouts.
*Avariel receive a +4 racial bonus to Spot checks when flying or outdoors.

Susceptible to Fire: Their wings are susceptible to fire, and they burn quickly once set ablaze. Avariel suffer a -2 penalty on saves vs. fire. Only several weeks of recuperation will restore wings to flying condition. A favorite tactic of their enemies is to launch a fireball into the midst of a group of high-flying avariel and watch them plummet to their deaths. Because of this, avariel are highly suspicious of fire-using mages. The winged elves will never fully trust these individuals, even if they are elves.

Claustrophobia: Another weakness avariel have is claustrophobia. They cannot bear to be in closed places, most especially under the earth. If confined in such a place, avariel must make a Wisdom check (DC 15) every day they are so confined. Failure spells temporary insanity, and the avariel will become violent, catatonic, or panicked. Such insanity lasts until the avariel reaches open air. If the winged elf failed more than four Wisdom checks, he or she has gone permanently insane. This can only be cured by a heal or remove disease spell.

Hollow bones: Like birds they do have hollow bones, making them more fragile than a typical elf. Each hour of flight, the avariel must make a successful Constitution check (DC 10). If they fail, they cannot continue to fly for at least half an hour for each two hours of flight previous to the check.

Avariel often become fighters, wizards, and clerics. There are no recorded instances of avariel rogues. For every five avariel in a group, there will be at least one fighter of at least 3rd level. For every 10, there will be a wizard of equal level to the fighter. Groups of 20 have a 7th-level fighter/7th-level wizard leading them, as well as a 6th-level fighter, a 5th-level wizard, and a 6th-level cleric. This roster also includes the four groups of 5 and the two groups of 10.

The weapons crafted by avariel are usually of glass or obsidian. The open forges used by other races to shape metal can singe their wingfeathers; the avariel tend to avoid these. Thus, they use furnaces to shape glass into workable, durable weapons. Avariel glassmiths are master crafters. Any metal weapons that the avariel have are the result of trade with other races or other elves. Glass weapons designed by avariel are not as strong as normal weapons of the same time, and as such have half the hit points of the same weapon made out of metal or wood.

Avariel do not remain in the world as long as most elves. Their typical lifespan is shorter because they feel the call of the unknown so much more clearly than other elves. Thus, they tend to act more human than other elves because they know that they have less time than other elves. They take things more seriously and try to fit as much living in as possible. This is not to say that they are as frantic as humans, but they do try to accomplish many things before their departure.

Avariel Characters

Avariel often become fighters, wizards, and clerics. There are no recorded instances of avariel rogues.

Avariel racial traits:

• +4 Dexterity, -4 Constitution: Avariel are swift but frail, due to their hollow bones.
• Immunity to magic sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against Enchantment spells or effects.
• Low-light Vision
• Proficient with either longsword or rapier.
• -2 racial penalty to saves vs. fire
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot* checks. Since Avariel spend almost all their lives outdoors, they do not gain the free Search check for secret or concealed doors. *Avariel receive a +4 racial bonus to Spot checks when flying or outdoors.
• Avariel may add an additional 10 ft. to any jump checks when they can use their wings.
• Automatic languages: Common and Elven
• Bonus languages: Auran, Draconic, Sylvan
• Favored Class: Fighter (war society) or Wizard (intellectual society)
• Age: 100 (Middle Age)/150 (Old)/200 (Venerable) +3d% years (Maximum)