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  New Elf Subrace: 
  Dusk Elf 
  At the dawn of creation, no difference between the 
  different kinds of elves existed, and no wickedness 
  sundered the drow from their light-dwelling kin. 
  They were one people, bound through common 
  love and life, and united by the eagerness and 
  curiosity for the natural world’s many wonders. 
  All this ended when the dark goddess Lolth’s 
  poison sundered family and shattered bonds, 
  beginning the dreaded war between the elves that 
  altered the course of what would become high 
  elves, wood elves, and dark elves for all time. 
  Even as the elves rallied against their dark kin, 
  some chose no side. They sought escape from the 
  escalating violence and retreated to hidden parts 
  of the mortal world. The nobles who led the sylvan 
  armies against the dark host deemed those who 
  fled traitors, and the most powerful of elven gods 
  vowed vengeance against them for their 
  cowardice. One goddess, however, saw their flight 
  as fitting for those who embraced her tenets. This 
  goddess is named as Mother Night among the 
  dusk elves of Barovia and other Domains of 
  Dread. In most worlds, she is identified as the 
  elven goddess Sehanine. This goddess sheltered 
  those who abstained from the war as her chosen 
  people, raising a veil to hide them from anyone 
  seeking retribution, as the drow were driven into 
  the Underdark and Lolth was cast into the Abyss. 
  Over the intervening generations, these elves lived 
  in secret, forbidden from returning to their 
  homelands and afraid to range too far from their 
  hidden redoubts. Only after the ancient wars and 
  their part in them began to fade did such elves 
  venture farther afield. Elven memory is long 
  indeed, and some bear the lost tribe, now called 
  dusk elves, ill will, but many find ways to look 
  beyond the ancient offense and take these people 
  for who they now are. 
  Barovian Dusk 
  At some point after the Strahd von Zarovich became a 
  vampire, groups of dusk elves migrated to Barovia and 
  other Domains of Dread. Elves of other kinds are much 
  rarer in these benighted lands than in other worlds, 
  which has slightly altered dusk elf culture here. They 
  are still appropriately suspicious and fearful for 
  dwelling in such haunted places, but the fact of their 
  existence is not a total secret, though their racial 
  enclaves are still guarded with deadly secrecy.  Dusk 
  elves here feel a sense of kinship with local humans, 
  whose frightened paranoia mirrors their own.  
  In fact, dusk elf colonies will engage in trade with 
  humans living in the same domain. Residents of such 
  communities are much more likely to venture out to see 
  other lands. Human settlements in some domains, 
  however, practice evil traditions openly, and in such 
  places, dusk elves are just as secretive as usual.  
  In the domain of Sithicus, where elves live in greater 
  numbers than in any other Dark Lord's realm, the dusk 
  elves maintain no settlements, and individuals who 
  pass through are even more covert than normal. They 
  do their best to avoid the strange elves who live in 
  Sithicus, who they find even more alien and threatening 
  than high elves and wood elves of other lands. 
  Physically, dusk elves are a slight folk, nearly 
  identical to their elf counterparts. Where they 
  differ is mostly in their choice of apparel, as they 
  favor subdued colors and practical, unadorned 
  garb. They are dark-skinned, with complexions 
  ranging from a dark brown to a golden tan, 
  complimented by lustrous black or auburn hair. 
  These types tend to share the basic traits of their 
  high elf and wood elf kin, but where those elves 
  are free-spirited and mercurial, dusk elves are 
  furtive, haunted, and suspicious. In a few 
  communities, generally descended from elves who 
  hid in refuges partially underground or near cave-
  riddled mountains, some dusk elves have abilities 
  closer to those of the drow. Members of this small 
  minority often differ in appearance from dusk 
  elves elsewhere, with skin pale as moonlight. 
  Dusk elves restrict their emotions to a narrow 
  range, showing little joy and less grief. For all 
  their disinclination for emotional displays, dusk 
  elves are a people of deep feeling. When alone or 
  among a trusted few, they give in to their 
  happiness and sorrow with surprising intensity. 
  Dusk elves value their privacy and guard their 
  lands from trespassers. The dusk elves who 
  protect their communities from trespass are a 
  select group of deadly sentries, known as the 
  gloaming guardians. They protect the routes into 
  their communities, and if they encounter 
  intruders, they use their stealthy talents to trick 
  
   
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  or frighten interlopers away. Failing that, the 
  guardians use their considerable martial prowess 
  to pick such trespassers off one at a time, until 
  they realize their error and return from whence 
  they came. Gloaming guardians are sometimes 
  the only dusk elves who meet other peoples.  
  During private moments, dusk elves reflect on 
  their nature, their people’s history, and the plans 
  their patron goddess has for them. They see the 
  natural world as a prison, albeit a beautiful one, 
  and pine for the fabulous cities of the high elves 
  and verdant fey lands of the wood elves.  
  Those who shrug off the accustomed melancholy 
  of their people sometimes leave their hidden 
  communities to see what the world has to offer. 
  Adventuring is a common pastime for these bold 
  souls, and they prove constant, though detached, 
  comrades. They show little of the joy shared by 
  other elves. However, dusk elves are sensitive 
  about their reputations and might go overboard to 
  prove their loyalty. Those who return from 
  sojourns abroad have founded factions pushing 
  for reconciliation with high elves and wood elves. 
  They face strong opposition, but a few 
  communities have been successful in establishing 
  talks with their estranged kin. 
  Dusk Elf Traits 
  A dusk elf has the traits of another elven subrace, 
  sharing close kinship with the other breeds of 
  elves. The overwhelming majority have the traits 
  of a high elf or wood elf; those rare dusk elves 
  who share the qualities of a drow (including 
  their sensitivity to sunlight) are seldom seen 
  outside their communities, and playing one 
  requires special DM permission. 
  Dusk Elf Feats  
  While the base dusk elf is, mechanically, identical to 
  your choice of another of the elf subraces (usually 
  wood elf or high elf), adventuring dusk elves may 
  learn to focus the unique blessings of their patron 
  goddess in more potent ways. They combine the 
  magic that helps hide them from the world with the 
  training in stealth all dusk elves receive to frustrate 
  and confuse their enemies. For player characters of 
  this subrace, the Dusk Elf Stealth feat is a good way 
  to express the special traits that differentiate them 
  from their kin. In addition, the Shadow Sentinel feat 
  (available to all races with an appropriate 
  background, but especially suited to the dusk elf) is 
  perfect for members of the gloaming guardians. 
  These feats are described in the full PDF of 
  Ravenloft Archetypes: Nightmares of Barovia, which 
  is available as a low-priced download at 
  DMsGuild.com. 
  Beliefs Among Dusk Elves 
  The goddess who granted them succor remains the 
  most powerful religious presence among the dusk elves, 
  and many exclude other gods on holy days. In most 
  worlds outside the Shadowfell and the Domains of 
  Dread, such as the Forgotten Realms, this goddess is 
  known as Sehanine Moonbow, though in lands where 
  Sehanine is not worshipped she is identified with 
  goddesses of the moon and/or hunt such as Artemis. A 
  central tenet of this faith is the notion of the night as a 
  source of refuge and recovery, rather than a feared 
  unknown. This ethos directly opposes gods of thievery 
  and murder (such as Mask or Bhaal), whose 
  worshippers tend to see the night as a cover for 
  victimizing others.  
  Other faiths abide among the dusk elves as well. They 
  have no disdain for gods of light, for example, and dusk 
  elves in Barovia often pay homage to the Morninglord. 
  In the Realms, they also venerate the good-aligned drow 
  goddess Ellistraee, who represents the redemption of 
  dark elves that their ancestors always believed was 
  possible. However, the worship of those elven gods who 
  swore vengeance on the dusk elves—such as Corellon 
  Larethian in the Realms—is forbidden in most of their 
  communities, and those who maintain these faiths 
  must do so in secret, lest they face exile and ostracism. 
  In some dusk elf settlements, rumors persist about 
  cults worshipping Lolth. 
  
   
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  This has been a preview of Ravenloft 
  Archetypes: Nightmares of Barovia, 
  available for just $1.40 at 
  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/
  176799/Ravenloft-Archetypes-
  Nightmares-of-Barovia 
  This supplement presents eight new 
  subclasses as well as new spells, new 
  monsters, new subraces, and more for 
  the Curse of Strahd storyline and 
  other 5th Edition D&D games set in the 
  Domains of Dread and beyond. 
  Portraying heroes with a dark side-- 
  from vampiric paladins to warlocks 
  empowered by the Dark Powers that 
  rule Ravenloft itself-- these character 
  options are written to emphasize 
  themes of fantasy horror, yet be 
  playable in any setting. New class 
  archetypes contain not just rules, but 
  full subclass descriptions and setting 
  material to help you or your players 
  role-play these new archetypes to the 
  hilt. The all-new archetypes include: 
  • 
  The Path of the Sea 
  Reaver: Barbarian raiders who 
  strike from the sea to sow terror 
  and chaos before fading into the 
  night. 
  • 
  The College of Secrets: Bards 
  sworn to secret societies who use 
  fear and psychological insight to 
  defend their secret agendas. 
  • 
  The Slayer: This fighter makes the 
  hunters the hunted, waging war 
  against the monsters who prey 
  upon the innocent. 
  • 
  The Oath of Blood: Paladins 
  infected with vampirism who fight back their curse with divine power and unshakeable devotion to their cause. 
  • 
  The Stalker: Rangers equally at home in the city or the wilderness who use unequalled powers of observation to act 
  as investigators, spies, and vigilantes. 
  • 
  The Antiquarian*: This rogue archaeologist is a raider of the lost tomb and trap-filled ruin who masters scholarly lore 
  and wields a whip or other distinctive weapon to recover historical relics. 
  • 
  The Dark Powers: Warlocks of this patron dare to make pacts with the Dark Powers of the Shadowfell and Ravenloft 
  who gave Strahd Von Zarovich and the other Dark Lords their power... and their torment. 
  • 
  The School of Alienism*: Wizards who learn eldritch secrets that would blast a weaker mind, all to steal even more 
  forbidden knowledge from unknowable entities outside space and time. 
  Far more than just character options, this 37 page PDF also includes: 
  • 
  New Monsters: In addition to creatures from the sinister Barovian Scarecrow to the cunning Vistani Scoundrel, 
  conversions of the classic race-based vampire types from 2nd Edition D&D-- such as the elf vampire, the dwarf 
  vampire, and more-- boast strange new powers and weaknesses adventurers will never see coming. 
  • 
  New Subraces: Dusk Elves, the variant Vistani human, and the battle-scarred, paranoid Crag Dwarves. 
  • 
  New Spells: One or more new spells for every single spellcasting class, including blood curse, dread mercy, punishing 
  strike, and more! 
  A content-packed resource for players and DM's alike, Ravenloft Archetypes: Nightmares of Barovia is a must-have for 
  campaigns set in Barovia or any of the other Dark Domains of Ravenloft, and a sinister treasure trove of darkly unique 
  characters, monsters, and magic for any D&D 5th Edition game. Download it today at: 
  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/176799/Ravenloft-Archetypes-Nightmares-of-Barovia.
  
   
  Ravenloft Archetypes: Nightmares of Barovia v1.4 
   
   
   
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  on its product page. Positive ratings help people find material they might like, while critiques and constructive 
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  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is 
  used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. 
  Some artwork © 2015 Eric Lofgren, used with permission. All rights reserved. 
  All other original material in this work is copyright 2016 by Jeremy Forbing and published under the 
  Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild 
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  product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is 
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  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, 
  Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
   
   
   
   
  Also from author Jeremy Forbing: 
  Al-Qadim Archetypes: Scimitars 
  Against the Dark 
  This PDF presents six new Forgotten Realms 
  subclasses as well as new spells, new 
  monsters for a wide range of challenge 
  ratings, a new variant race and more, 
  centered around the southern region of 
  Zakhara, home of the Al-Qadim old-school 
  D&D campaign setting. More than just rules, 
  it includes roleplaying descriptions for each 
  subclass, expanded setting material, and 
  conversion suggestions to use these 
  archetypes in any setting you wish. From 
  fighters raised in a sworn brotherhood of 
  soldiers and rangers born to sail the seven 
  seas, to scholarly rogues who raid forbidden 
  tombs armed with a distinctive weapon and 
  wizards who slowly trade away their sanity for 
  eldritch might, these archetypes are adapted 
  from RPG legend Wolfgang Baur’s classic 
  article “Campaign Journal: Scimitars Against 
  the Dark” and the original Al-Qadim: Arabian 
  Adventures book. this lengthy (~30 pages) 
  document contains everything you need to 
  role-play these new character options to the 
  hilt, and join the fight against the ancient 
  evils that threaten the Land of Fate! 
  Price: $1.40 Length: 32 pages + cover 
  Download from the DM’s Guild website at: 
  dmsguild.com/product/172575/AlQadim-
  Archetypes-Scimitars-Against-the-Dark 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Jeremy Forbing/Jeremy Forbing - Dusk Elves - A Ravenloft Subrace.pdf