Elves

There are a variety of different elf species. There are some psychological features that all elves share. Most prevalent is the pointed ears. The longer the ears, the closer their lineage is to their fey ancestry. Eladrin, for example, have very long ears and are the closest in evolutionary lineage to the Fey. Elf lineages are the result of archfey reproducing with humans thousands of years ago.

All elves have lighter bones and muscles that are physically less dense but enhanced by magic. This has the result of being physically lighter on average than other humanoids but stronger than other humanoids on average. A human and an elf with comparable body mass and muscle structure would find the elf to be twice as strong and more flexible. All elves have a great number of light receptors in the eye compared with the average humanoid. From birth, elves grow and age more slowly than humans. The age the equivelent of 1 year for every 10 years. They can typically live for over 700 years. Elves do not grow pubic hair like other humanoids.

There are some elf species that have notable physiological adaptations detailed below.

Drow have adapted to underground life. Their eyes have a higher density of light receptors than regular elves, giving them superior vision in the dark. However, they are sensitive to bright lights, including direct sunlight.

Sea elves have gills to allow them to breathe underwater, alongside lungs to breathe on land. Their skins have blue and green tones to help camouflage in the depths with their limited wavelengths of light. They often have fins on their arms and legs as well as webbed toes and fingers, to increase swimming speed.

Eladrin have innate magic that allows them to take on appearances associated with the 4 seasons. These include physical changes to skin colour, hair colour, and tolerance to different climates.

Wood elves have skin colours and patterns that allow them to camouflage in natural environments such as forests and shrubland. This gives them a natural advantage when hunting or avoiding predators in these environments. This has led to a preference for becoming rangers, hunters, or practicing nature magic in modern society.

High Elves have highter average intelligence than other elves and most other humanoids. This makes them adept at scholarly pursuits and the learning of magic. They also have the ability to grow hair with reflective metallic hues. This has created sub-species of the Sun elves and Moon elves, which have warm or cool hues, respectively. The function of this adaptation is unknown. However, Sun elves seem to appear more conventionally attractive with naturallytanned skik tones. Moon elevs appeal to the emo or goth persuasion with naturally pale skin. But these are social constructs and best studied as part of social science and not anatomy. There are exceptions to both stereotypes.