Stag Elf (5e Subrace)
Stag Elf[edit]
Physical Description[edit]
Stag elves, sometimes called eln-tel-quessir, are among the most monstrous of elvenkind. Much of a stag elf is covered in shaggy gray-scale fur that grows longer about the neck and upper back, creating something of a mane, while their heads are crested with a pair of sweeping antlers. Both their fur and antlers grow at a startling rate, likely as a result of fey ancestry. Compared to other elves, stag elves tend to build muscle mass quicker and more abundantly. Barring magical means or similarly-undilutable blood, the child of a stag elf will always be another stag elf.
History[edit]
In ancient times, the Stag King, an archfey of great might among mortals but much less so among his kin, descended upon Toril where he was beseeched by the elves of Rashemen. Their home in the Land of Berserkers was one of frigid winds, fruitless earth, and temperamental neighbors, and what had once been a flourishing tribe had been reduced significantly. In exchange, all they had left of value to offer were three maidens.
Within the year, the elves had reestablished themselves as a force within the region, and the first of the stag elves were born. After generations, when his children nearly outnumbered the eladrin he had sworn to protect, the Stag Kind declared himself the king of his offspring, raising a stronghold and declaring the eladrin tribe his vassal.
The Realm of the Stag stands to this day as a small, isolated kingdom. In fairly recent history, the stronghold allied itself with the Wychlaran, the region's all-female spiritual and magical leadership, and their Rashemi berserker clans to crush the Durthans, an offshoot of the Wychlaran who sought power rather than to protect the land and the secrets of the ancient Raumathar empire. While the war was successful, the Stag King himself was lured into Durthan catacombs, where he was descended upon by vampires. He has not been seen since, except in the bonfires of Higharvestide celebrations, where his now-skeletal face gazes upon one destined for adventure in the coming year.
Society[edit]
Stag elf society is a mix of elven and Rashemi cultures with a fair spattering of unique rituals and practices. Brave and ferocious warriors are greatly admired, wise and cunning witches even more so. Many industrial technologies are shunned for limiting one's freedom and disrespecting natural spirits; while they will not deny metal tools and weapons while trading with Thay or nations beyond the Unapproachable East, to strike the earth in such a manner themselves is unthinkable.
Stag elf cuisine, much like other elven cultures, rarely includes meat so as to impact nature as little as possible. When necessary, one might supplement their diet with sausage made from rabbits or squirrels, but otherwise they primarily consume soups made from hearty root vegetables and hard fruits like apples, pastries filled with honey, berries, or rothe cheese. Morning meals are typically kept simple, typically being some form of oats or barley done much like day pastries. Any meal is accompanied by a wide mug of scrump, a potent cider, though should one be so fortunate this may be substituted with a mug of jhuild, a thick spiced wine brewed only by the Wychlaran from ingredients grown in the magic soil of their forbidden home of Urlingwood usually rationed as medicine or saved for berserker rituals.
With the recent death of their godking, the Realm of the Stag is incredibly unstable, with various factions believing theirs is the only way for their society to continue forward. In Othlorite factions believes that the future is in assimilating under the Wychlaran, whose leaders are called othlor, with some even seeing it as the Stag King's desire, having left them in an alliance with the witches. To Nydeshkite factions (derived from nydeshka, or "blunt sword" often used to refer to one who is dangerous to their friends), assimilation means the death of their culture; the Realm of the Stag must resist outsiders and remain as isolated as possible until the Stag King returns. To Vremyonnite factions (derived from vremyonni, or "old ones" in Rashemi), they will die without gods; their future lies in the past with the elven pantheon they worshiped in ancient times. Exactly what constitutes succession is unclear, and in order to satisfy Nydeshkite demands that the throne remain unfilled until the Stag King returns, leaders among the realm's hunters, craftsmen, and other crucial professions have formed an impromptu council.
The Realm of the Stag has few enemies, though it would be considered a kingdom of cowards should their neighbors call them to war and be denied. The Vil Adanrath, a nomadic clan of lythari wolf elf nomads to the east, garner pure loathing in most stag elves, though the nomadic nature of the wolves and the isolationist nature of the stags means the two only encounter on the lythari's terms, typically for battle. If a durthan remnant, especially a durthan vampire, is discovered by stag elves and is unable to escape, death is the only mercy afforded to them.
Stag Elf Traits[edit]
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Innate Casting. You can cast the longstrider spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest.
Thick Fur. You have advantage on saving throws to resist the effects of cold weather, and disadvantage on saving throws to resist the effects of hot weather. If you are reduced to 0 hit points by fire damage or take fire damage while at 0 hit points, or if you are shaved over the course of 1 hour, this trait does not function until the end of a long rest.
Antlers. Your antlers are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Antler Lock. As a reaction when a melee attack is made against you, you may attempt to entangle the weapon the attack was made with in your antlers. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you succeed, the weapon is entangled in your antlers and the attack deals half as much damage. Any creature holding the entangled weapon is grappled, and the weapon is only unentangled when a creature escapes such a grapple with a skill check or is freed by magical means. You may only have one weapon entangled at a time, and you can not entangle a weapon designed for a creature of a size you can not grapple.
If you use this trait in response to an attack that scores a critical hit, the attack cleaves through your antlers, causing the attack to no longer score a critical hit and causing this trait and your Antlers trait to no longer function until the end of a long rest.
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