Elves
All Elves possess keen senses and reflexes, and have a natural ability to move stealthily and notice things that others would not. Any party that has at least one Elf in it gains a +1 bonus to Surprise rolls. (Please note that this also applies to monster "parties", such as those that might include Dark Elves in it, and in some cases this bonus may be higher.)

Although Elves tend to be lighter in build than the average human, they are still fairly close in proportion to humans, and may use arms, armor and clothing usable by humans, without penalty. Elves may be Warriors or Wizards, just as with any race, and certain other special professions introduced in these house rules may be open to them as well, if specified as such.

Wood Elves
Wood Elves hail from the woodlands of Loren in the Old World, descended from those Elves who did not flee to the isle of Ulthuan across the sea. They live close to nature, and are not as strongly connected to magic as their ancestors. Wood Elf characters may move through "wooded terrain" or "undergrowth", ignoring the half-Speed movement penalty normally incurred for moving through such areas. However, they are not used to heavy armor, and therefore cannot wear plate armor of any sort, though they may still use chainmail, leather, mithril armor or shields freely (unless their profession restricts them further).

Wood Elf Wizards may not choose High Magic as their spell "college", but must instead choose either Jade or Amber magic.

Special professions available only to Wood Elves include:

High Elves
High Elves hail from Ulthuan across the sea, where the Elven race retreated in ancient times, and has been long withdrawn from the affairs of Mankind and the Old World. However, now that the Winds of Magic have grown stronger, events have forced them to once again turn their attentions to the Old World and its crucial role in holding back the forces of Chaos.

High Elves have no special benefits or restrictions beyond the usual, except that a High Elf Wizard has an option of choosing High Magic as his spell list.

Please note that this usage of "High Elf" is different from the "High Elf" described in the basic Advanced HeroQuest rules. The "High Elf" there should be considered as a special character, and not representative of the entire race.

Special professions available only to High Elves include:

Dark Elves
Dark Elves -- or Druchii as they are called in the Elf tongue -- are descendants of Elves who long ago made pacts with the Dark Gods of Chaos. Over the ages, while they still bear some faint resemblance to their ancestors, they have become corrupted by their dwelling in the Northern Realm of Naggaroth, and exposure to the warping effects of Chaos. Their skin is pale and sallow, their hair often bleached white -- though it is not unusual for them to dye their hair or tattoo their bodies in outrageous patterns. The natural affinity toward magic of the Elves, combined with their close proximity to the Realms of Chaos and their alliances with the Chaos Gods has made their Wizards the ultimate masters of dark sorcery. The rest of the world largely only knows them by their raiding parties that occasionally head south to the "lesser" civilizations, many of them undertaken for the sake of obtaining captives to take back as slaves -- or sacrifices.

Dark Elves have no in-game benefits or restrictions. If a player chooses a Dark Elf character as a Hero, it is most likely that this Dark Elf is repentant of the ways of his wicked forebears, or else that he is an outcast, and passes himself off as a High Elf of pale complexion -- joining the Heroes for material gain or to pursue a personal agenda. As a matter of tradition, Dark Elves favor crossbows rather than the long bows favored by their Wood Elf and High Elf kin, but there are no special bonuses or restrictions in this regard.

It should be noted that the special Wardancer Henchman detailed in Terror in the Dark will not become a follower of a Dark Elf.

Special professions only available to Dark Elves include:

Half-Elves
If a player chooses to play a "Half-Elf" -- that is, one of mixed human and elf lineage -- then for game purposes the Hero is either closer to his Elf or Human heritage. For purposes of generating statistics, create the character as either Human or Elf. He may have a blond beard and pointed ears, which might make him a visually distinctive character, but in terms of game play, there's nothing special about being a half-breed.

High Elf Ranger
The "High Elf" character listed in the Advanced HeroQuest rules as a conversion from the HeroQuest system is referred to in these house rules as a "High Elf Ranger" (the name being inspired by a character expansion from Warhammer Quest). A player may choose to select that as a pre-generated character, rather than rolling dice to determine starting abilities. Otherwise, the Ranger may be chosen as a special profession reserved for High Elves.

Elf Wizards
Elf Wizards are slightly varied from the standard Elf profile. Special rules apply.

Phoenix Guard
Warriors of the Phoenix Guard are deathly silent, never speaking or vocalizing. They are members of an ancient order of honor-bound warriors of the High Elves, and carry ceremonial armor and weapons. A Phoenix Guard Hero must be a High Elf, and may never speak. The Phoenix Guard has the same characteristics as a High Elf Warrior, except that he starts the game with a suit of chainmail and a halberd. Neither of these items may be sold.