Half-Elf
Half-Elf Upbringing
A Half-Elf raised in a community of High Elves or Wood Elves will have the High Elf or Wood Elf Upbringing traits, while a Half-Elf raised in a community of Humans will have the Human Upbringing traits. A Half-Elf raised in a mixed community may have a mixture of Upbringing traits at the discretion of the DM.
Regardless of where they were raised, a Half-Elf can speak, read, and write Common, plus two bonus languages, though one of those languages is typically Elvish.
Half-Elven Names
Half-Elves typically use either Human or Elven naming conventions: Half-Elves raised among Humans often have Elven given names and those raised among Elves often take Human given names. Some Half-Elves’ parents embrace their child’s split heritage and choose a name from each, such as a Human given name and an Elven family name, or an Elven given name and a Human surname.
Moon Elf and Wood Elf clans tend to be matriarchal, so a “Half-Human” raised among Moon Elves or Wood Elves is more likely to have their mother’s family name instead of that of their father, especially if the mother is Elven. Sun Elf families and most Humans are patriarchal, so a Half-Human raised among Sun Elves or a Half-Elf raised among Humans is likely to have their father’s surname or family name.
The term “Half-Elf” refers to an individual with one parent who is Human and the other Elven, or two Half-Elven parents, or one parent who is quarter-Elven and the other three-quarters Elven. Typically, someone who is only one-quarter Elven or less with the larger portion being Human will be referred to only as Human, while only another Elf is likely to perceive that a person who is three-quarters Elf has recent Human heritage.
Half-Elves are often mistaken for Elves by Humans, but their Human heritage is usually obvious to Elves. They’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad as Humans, averaging 100 to 200 pounds. They can range from under 5 feet to around 6 feet tall, though outliers exist in both height and weight. Half-Elf men can grow facial hair, and some do so deliberately to mask their Elven ancestry. Half-Elven coloration and features lie somewhere between their Human and Elven parents, and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either heritage. They tend to have the eyes of their Elven parents.
Half-Elves of the Sword Coast
Half-Elves whose Elven heritage is that of a Moon Elf are relatively common on the Sword Coast, as Moon Elves tend to mingle relatively freely with Human settlements. Half-Sun-Elves are much less common and Half-Wood-Elves are very rare except in deep woodland or druidic communities.
Half-Drow are nearly unheard-of in this part of Faerûn, however, but as the Human and Drow populations of Luskan and Waterdeep begin to mix more freely, such pairings are likely inevitable.
Half-Elf Traits
A Half-Elf has some qualities in common with Elves and some with Humans, with their characteristics often leaning more in one direction or another depending on their upbringing.
Age
Half-Elves mature at the same rate Humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than Humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.
Size
Half-Elves are about the same size as Humans, ranging from 4½ to over 6 feet tall. Their size is Medium.
Speed
A Half-Elf’s base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
A Half-Elf has Darkvision to 60 feet.
Fey Ancestry
Half-Elves have Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed.
Mixed Heritage
A Half-Elf has a mix of traits from their Elven and Human ancestry, but never fully as much as one or the other. They inherit Keen Senses or Sleep Immunity from their Elven heritage and Skillful or Versatile from their Human heritage.