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Okay, I have been working on creating a race that would fill a similar nitche as the Shadar-Kai. The idea of a fey race that worships Zon-Kuthon has always appealed to me and since the Shadar-Kai are not open content, I needed to mke my own. Then I decided to make it playable, and so here it is. FYI Svartalfar is the Norse word for Black Elf.
Svartalfar
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Svartalfar are fast and intuative, but they have an abrasive personality
Medium: Svartalfar are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties for their size.
Normal Speed: Svartalfar have a base speed of 30 feet
Low-light Vision: Svartalfar can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Fey Type: Svartalfar are fey for the purposes of any effect related to type.
Shadowblend: Svartalfar have an inate connection to the Plane of Shadow. Anytime they are in dim lighting conditions they have total concelment rather than partial concelement
Weapon Familiarity: Svartalfar treat the Spiked Chain as a Martial weapon
Languages: Svartalfar begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Svartalfar with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want (except secret languages)
Please give me feed back.

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My first thought was 'why not Darkvision?' but then I realized that these are creatures of *shadow,* not darkness. So low-light vision works. On the other hand, a rule that allows them to ignore the miss chance from Partial Concealment due to dim lighting (but not from other effects, like Blur, or from Total Concealment) could be appropriate.
Spiked Chain fits the idea of them being tied to Zon-Kuthon (and, in fact, fits a hell of a lot better than it did for the Shadar-Kai). I'd suggest considering the Whip as well, but it's a pretty dire weapon, and possibly not even worth giving away...
A bonus to Intimidate checks might fit their nature (and help to cancel out penalties to Intimidate coming from their low Charisma). A racial bonus to Stealth checks seems like a natural.
That's probably my only real beef, is Charisma as a dump stat. Darkly mysterious shadow-fey could easily be *more* compelling and enticing and persuasive, with their forbidden whispers and alien fleshly delights than expected. The only real alternative, though, would be to give them a Constitution penalty, which makes them feel pretty 'elfy,' or a Strength penalty, due to frail builds, or an Intelligence penalty (which doesn't fit at all, really). A Constitution penalty could be justified by the naturally 'fragile' nature of Fey (lowest creature HD in the game) and the -2 Con penalty of elves, presumably representing that they've left a part of themselves in whatever shadowy First World region they've come from.
Replacing a Wisdom bonus with a Charisma bonus might also be explicable by the 'darkly tempting' thing, combined with their senses being as much a part of the shadow-realm as the elves physical bodies seem to be 'left behind' in the First World*. Svartalfar might even have a Wisdom penalty, constantly distracted by barely-seen flashes and whispers from the world they've only recently left behind.
*None of which jibes with Gnomes have a Con bonus, but they've only recently been re-imagined as Fey anyway...
Svartalfar is a cool name, but Dokkalfar (dark elf) is also appropriate, if you aren't worried about it being associated with dark elf.

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I'll answer them point by point. I should note that I was using the Racial Design Cookbook while I was working on that which is why I made some of my choices.
My first thought was 'why not Darkvision?' but then I realized that these are creatures of *shadow,* not darkness. So low-light vision works. On the other hand, a rule that allows them to ignore the miss chance from Partial Concealment due to dim lighting (but not from other effects, like Blur, or from Total Concealment) could be appropriate.
I considered that, but I didn't want to make them exceptionally over powered. I wanted them to be able to be played as a 1st level character. I might come up with a racial feat or such that would give them that ability.
Spiked Chain fits the idea of them being tied to Zon-Kuthon (and, in fact, fits a hell of a lot better than it did for the Shadar-Kai). I'd suggest considering the Whip as well, but it's a pretty dire weapon, and possibly not even worth giving away....
Yeah, again I didn't want to give them too much. It seems really easy in racial design to give away the whole store.
A bonus to Intimidate checks might fit their nature (and help to cancel out penalties to Intimidate coming from their low Charisma). A racial bonus to Stealth checks seems like a natural.
Yes I could see both of those. I might look into that.
That's probably my only real beef, is Charisma as a dump stat. Darkly mysterious shadow-fey could easily be *more* compelling and enticing and persuasive, with their forbidden whispers and alien fleshly delights than expected. The only real alternative, though, would be to give them a Constitution penalty, which makes them feel pretty 'elfy,' or a Strength penalty, due to frail builds, or an Intelligence penalty (which doesn't fit at all, really). A Constitution penalty could be justified by the naturally 'fragile' nature of Fey (lowest creature HD in the game) and the -2 Con penalty of elves, presumably representing that they've left a part of themselves in whatever shadowy First World region they've come from.
The original idea was that they are scarred and very evil which would be grating on most people they interact with. I don't want to give them a hit to strength, but I could see a Con penalty.
Replacing a Wisdom bonus with a Charisma bonus might also be explicable by the 'darkly tempting' thing, combined with their senses being as much a part of the shadow-realm as the elves physical bodies seem to be 'left behind' in the First World*. Svartalfar might even have a Wisdom penalty, constantly distracted by barely-seen flashes and whispers from the world they've only recently left behind.
I like this. With a Charisma boost they could make good sorcerers, particularly if I or someone else created a Shadow bloodline.
Svartalfar is a cool name, but Dokkalfar (dark elf) is also appropriate, if you aren't worried about it being associated with dark elf.
Not worried about them being connected with Drow. In game, I expect that Svartalfar would be the Numerian or Chelish word for shadowed one. Out of the game world I would hope that people could seperate them for themselves. Particularly since Norse dark eleves have more in common with rpg dwarves than with elves.

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I like what you've done so far. Particularly the name. Is their an ability they can have that more clearly expresses their fey-ness? Also, Is their an etemylogical relationship between Svartalfar and Xvart?
Can't say on the etemology. I really wanted to emphasize the connection to shadow, rather than the fey aspect of the race.

Kevin Andrew Murphy Contributor |

Personally, I really can't see the Charisma penalty for an elven race. These are shadow elves, after all, not goblins. I'd go with them having a con penalty, making them a bit more fragile unless of course they end up becoming undead, in which case they become even scarier.
Of course, I already bussed the dark elves to the shadowlands for my own game, so it comes to much the same thing.

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Okay, two things. First I have rethought the stat modifiers. I think that they work better with +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Con; as a few people have suggested. Also I forgot to add that they have light sensativity to the stat block. Please note these two changes. Tommorrow I will post a monster stat block for them.

BenS |

David Fryer wrote:FYI Svartalfar is the Norse word for Black Elf....and "alf" means "white." I actually clicked this thread just to point out that irony, glad to see you're on top of it. ;)
I'm missing the irony.
"Alfr" is either a personal name or the nominative singular form of the word for "elf"; "alfar" being the nominative plural. Elf /= "white".
If you are talking about a different language than Old Norse, that still doesn't make the word ironic.
There is irony in the word, but it's in the fact that it can be used for a "dwarf" in Old Norse.

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Okay, two things. First I have rethought the stat modifiers. I think that they work better with +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Con; as a few people have suggested. Also I forgot to add that they have light sensativity to the stat block. Please note these two changes. Tommorrow I will post a monster stat block for them.
Light sensitivity is a real pain. I would definitely argue that they need something to make up for it; at the very least, the racial bonuses to Intimidate and Stealth mentioned earlier (and possibly Perception as well!).

BenS |

BenS wrote:If you are talking about a different language than Old Norse, that still doesn't make the word ironic.Unless I'm talking about Proto-Indo-European. Which I am. ;)
If you have an actual source I could verify, I'll eat my words...Until then, your quote of me above still stands.
Sorry for the continued threadjack folks.

tejón RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16 |

(Adjective vs. noun is generally irrelevant to etymology.)

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Okay, as promised here is the first take on the stat block.
Svartalfar
CR 1 (400 XP)
Usually LE Medium Fey
Init: +1, Senses: Low-light Vision, Perception +6
AC: 15, Touch 11, Flat footed 14
(+4 armor, +1 Dex)
hp: 11 (3d6)
Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +2
Weakness: Light Sensetivity
Speed: 30 ft
Melee: Spiked Chain +1 (2d4+1)
Melee: Dagger +1 (1d4+1/19-20)
Ranged: Dagger +1 (1d4+1/1-20)
Str 12, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats: Two weapon defense, Two-weapon fighting
Skills: Diplomacy +6, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (The Planes) +5, Perception +6, Stealth +9
SQ: Shadowblend
Language: Common, Sylvan
Environment: Temperate forest of urban
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Clash (3-12)
Treasure: NPC Gear (Chain shirt, spiked chain, six daggers, other treasure)
Shadowblend (Su): Svartalfar have an inate link to the Plane of Shadows and as uch when ever they are in dim light they are granted total concealmet (50% miss chance) rathertha just partial concelement (20% miss chance)
Svartalfar are the decendents of a group of faey that left the First World long ago and settled on the Plane of Shadow. By bonds of oath and bonds of blood they became servents of the dak god Zon-Kuthon. As such, they are most commonly seen in Nidal, although they can be found anywhere that the dark god's work is being done. Often they take the role of the leaders or protectors of cults dedicate to Zon-Kuthon. Other times they us their darkly seductive nature to lead oths astray, as they seem to prefer inflicting spiritul pain to physical. Thy are often blamed for bringing nightmares or tragedy, even if they had no role in the events.

Mikhaila Burnett 313 |

Okay, as promised here is the first take on the stat block.
Svartalfar
CR 1 (400 XP)
Usually LE Medium Fey
Init: +1, Senses: Low-light Vision, Perception +6
AC: 15, Touch 11, Flat footed 14
(+4 armor, +1 Dex)
hp: 11 (3d6)
Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +2
Weakness: Light Sensetivity
Speed: 30 ft
Melee: Spiked Chain +1 (2d4+1)
Melee: Dagger +1 (1d4+1/19-20)
Ranged: Dagger +1 (1d4+1/1-20)
Str 12, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats: Two weapon defense, Two-weapon fighting
Skills: Diplomacy +6, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (The Planes) +5, Perception +6, Stealth +9
SQ: Shadowblend
Language: Common, Sylvan
Environment: Temperate forest of urban
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Clash (3-12)
Treasure: NPC Gear (Chain shirt, spiked chain, six daggers, other treasure)Shadowblend (Su): Svartalfar have an inate link to the Plane of Shadows and as uch when ever they are in dim light they are granted total concealmet (50% miss chance) rathertha just partial concelement (20% miss chance)
Svartalfar are the decendents of a group of faey that left the First World long ago and settled on the Plane of Shadow. By bonds of oath and bonds of blood they became servents of the dak god Zon-Kuthon. As such, they are most commonly seen in Nidal, although they can be found anywhere that the dark god's work is being done. Often they take the role of the leaders or protectors of cults dedicate to Zon-Kuthon. Other times they us their darkly seductive nature to lead oths astray, as they seem to prefer inflicting spiritul pain to physical. Thy are often blamed for bringing nightmares or tragedy, even if they had no role in the events.
Any chance we could get this in the 'racial profile' format rather than the 'bestiary stat block' one? I *LOVE* what I'm seeing here, but having some difficulty parsing this entry's format in regards to the original post's format.

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The original post was the racial abilities block. I have made some changes so I'll reprint it.
Svartalfar
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Svartalfar are fast and darkly seductive, but they are frailer thamost other races.
Medium: Svartalfar are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties for their size.
Normal Speed: Svartalfar have a base speed of 30 feet
Low-light Vision: Svartalfar can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Fey Type: Svartalfar are fey for the purposes of any effect related to type.
Shadowblend: Svartalfar have an inate connection to the Plane of Shadow. Anytime they are in dim lighting conditions they have total concelment rather than partial concelement
Light Sensitivity: Svartalfar are dazzled by bright sunlight or a Daylight spell.
Skill Bonuses: Svartalfar get a +2 racial bonus to Intimidation and Stealth checks.
Weapon Familiarity: Svartalfar treat the Spiked Chain as a Martial weapon
Languages: Svartalfar begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Svartalfar with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want (except secret languages)

Mikhaila Burnett 313 |

The original post was the racial abilities block. I have made some changes so I'll reprint it.
Svartalfar
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Svartalfar are fast and darkly seductive, but they are frailer thamost other races.
Medium: Svartalfar are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties for their size.
Normal Speed: Svartalfar have a base speed of 30 feet
Low-light Vision: Svartalfar can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Fey Type: Svartalfar are fey for the purposes of any effect related to type.
Shadowblend: Svartalfar have an inate connection to the Plane of Shadow. Anytime they are in dim lighting conditions they have total concelment rather than partial concelement
Light Sensitivity: Svartalfar are dazzled by bright sunlight or a Daylight spell.
Skill Bonuses: Svartalfar get a +2 racial bonus to Intimidation and Stealth checks.
Weapon Familiarity: Svartalfar treat the Spiked Chain as a Martial weapon
Languages: Svartalfar begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Svartalfar with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want (except secret languages)
Perfect! Thank you!

tejón RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16 |

Might as well chime in to the actual topic... overall, looks pretty good. :)
I'm not entirely convinced the Intimidate bonus is appropriate, especially considering they've also got a Charisma bonus.
Perhaps instead of low-light vision, they could get something a little more unique? I'm thinking "Shadowsight (Su): treat all light levels as one step higher." So total darkness is treated as dim light, dim light is treated as normal light, and this naturally leads to being dazzled in bright light.
A +2 (or even +4?) bonus to saves against spells from the Shadow subschool would be flavor-appropriate. You could even mirror the gnome, and give them half that to the DCs of Shadow spells they cast.

BenS |

** spoiler omitted **
David,
I like what you're doing here. If you haven't already checked them out, there are 2 issues of Dragon you might find useful:
#337 "The Ecology of Shadar-Kai" & #322 "Lord of Darkness: Erebus, The Void Between the Stars" (as a Zon-Kuthon analog).
My only suggestion would be to use "svartalfar" for the plural, and "svartalf" for the singular (and technically it would be "svartalfr", but the other example is more recognizable to a modern audience). If we can learn the difference between the Slaadi and a Slaad, we can handle that ;-)

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Hi David,
I've really enjoyed watching the Svartalfar deveop (and the Eberron races on another thread) and looking forward to using these in my own games.
My only suggestion - have you considered submitting Svartalfar for consideration in the Pathfinder fan publication Wayfinder #2? Submission deadline 31st October.
Ideas like these are great, but then become lost in the messageboard archives. Submission in a publication such as Wayfinder would provide greater distribution, recognition and longevity.
While originally inspired by the Shadar-kai, the Svartalfar are starting to take on a life of their own, which I would further encourage to distance them from any proprietary WotC concerns. With Svartalfar ties to fey and Zon-kuthon, the Wayfinder would be the perfect place to enshrine them in fan-supported Golarion.

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tejón wrote:** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **
David,
I like what you're doing here. If you haven't already checked them out, there are 2 issues of Dragon you might find useful:
#337 "The Ecology of Shadar-Kai" & #322 "Lord of Darkness: Erebus, The Void Between the Stars" (as a Zon-Kuthon analog).My only suggestion would be to use "svartalfar" for the plural, and "svartalf" for the singular (and technically it would be "svartalfr", but the other example is more recognizable to a modern audience). If we can learn the difference between the Slaadi and a Slaad, we can handle that ;-)
I had thought about that after reading some articles on Norse language. To me though, svartalfar pops better then svartalf. I know that gramatically it's not correct, but I planned on using svartalfar as both the singulr and plural in this case.

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Hi David,
I've really enjoyed watching the Svartalfar deveop (and the Eberron races on another thread) and looking forward to using these in my own games.
My only suggestion - have you considered submitting Svartalfar for consideration in the Pathfinder fan publication Wayfinder #2? Submission deadline 31st October.
Ideas like these are great, but then become lost in the messageboard archives. Submission in a publication such as Wayfinder would provide greater distribution, recognition and longevity.
While originally inspired by the Shadar-kai, the Svartalfar are starting to take on a life of their own, which I would further encourage to distance them from any proprietary WotC concerns. With Svartalfar ties to fey and Zon-kuthon, the Wayfinder would be the perfect place to enshrine them in fan-supported Golarion.
I'll look into it. There are still a lot of things that need to be firmed up before I feel ready to publish it.

jreyst |

Or you could post it at the Pathfinder Database!
Funny, I was going to say the same thing but I couldn't find my fancy pimp-hat in time. Guess you had it T!

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Okay, after some thought about th suggestions, I decided to make a few more changes.
Svartalfar
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Svartalfar are fast and darkly seductive, but they are frailer thamost other races.
Medium: Svartalfar are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties for their size.
Normal Speed: Svartalfar have a base speed of 30 feet
Low-light Vision: Svartalfar can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Fey Type: Svartalfar are fey for the purposes of any effect related to type.
Shadowblend: Svartalfar have an inate connection to the Plane of Shadow. Anytime they are in dim lighting conditions they have total concelment rather than partial concelement
Light Sensitivity: Svartalfar are dazzled by bright sunlight or a Daylight spell.
Shadow Magic: Svartalfar get a +1 racial bonus to all saving throws to resi the effects of spell with the shadow subschool. They also recieve a +2 racial bonus to the save DCs of all spells with the shadow subschool that they cast.
Weapon Familiarity: Svartalfar treat the Spiked Chain as a Martial weapon
Languages: Svartalfar begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Svartalfar with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want (except secret languages)
After some review, it didn't make sense to me to give them skill bonuses to two skills wo's controlling ability was the ones they already get bonuses to. The shadow magic idea that was proposed turnedout to be a great on that really accents their ties to the Shadow plane.

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Here is the final product that I just sent to Lilith for submission to the Wayfinder.
Svartalfar
Svartalfar are the descendents of a group of fey that left the First World long ago and settled on the Plane of Shadow. By bonds of oath and bonds of blood they became servants of the dark god Zon-Kuthon. As such, they are most commonly seen in Nidal, although they can be found anywhere that the dark god's work is being done. Often they take the role of the leaders or protectors of cults dedicate to Zon-Kuthon. Other times they use their darkly seductive nature to lead others astray, as they seem to prefer inflicting spiritual pain to physical. Thy are often blamed for bringing nightmares or tragedy, even if they had no role in the events.
Appearance: Svartalfar appear human for the most part, except for ears which are pointed like an elf‘s. However, their skin is very pale, to the point of almost being white. Their hair color ranges from a dark blonde to bone white and both males and females wear it long and loosely bound. In addition to looking human, Svartalfar have similar builds and life spans.
The most alien thing about them is their eyes, which are solid black. They also have geometric tattoos all over their torso and upper arms. These tattoos hold spiritual and tribal significance to the Svartalfar. It is said that you can read a Svartalfar’s entire life story in their tattoos.
Among their own kind, Svartalfar wear dark colored clothing that show off their tattoos. For males this means that they wear only dark colored breeches and black leather boots. Females usually dress in a similar fashion, but add a halter top to the ensemble. Among other races they always add a long sleeved tunic and a hooded cloak to avoid outsiders seeing their tattoos.
Society: Most Svartalfar live in small tribes of interconnected families. They are very loyal to their families and to their god and that is about it. They claim that they fled the First World to escape some as yet unnamed persecution and so they look on all other races as either potential tormentors or beings who have the potential to standby while they are tormented.
That being said, they can form intensely strong relationships with individuals of other races. If someone succeeds in convincing a Svartalfar that they are trustworthy then they will have earned a friend for life. It is said that you know that you have earned a Svartalfar’s trust if they show you their tattoos.
Many are shocked that Svartalfar have a great love of beauty in all things. They decorate their homes and other structures with art and other items gathered from throughout the world. However, some scholars speculate that this is due to some unknown influence by Sheyln, the goddess of beauty and Zon-Kuthon’s sister.
Alignment and Religion: Among their own people, Svartalfar have a very strict hierarchy and code of conduct. Everyone knows their place and how they work to advance the society as a whole. Their entire society is a meritocracy. One moves up or down in society based entirely on their own merits. Despite the fact that most Svartalfar worship Zon-Kuthon exclusively, on the whole the race is lawful neutral. There are a few scattered cults dedicated to the worship of Sheyln among the Svartalfar. These cultists are usually tolerated because they are still worshiping a member of the dark god’s family.
Adventurers: Most individuals who become adventurers among the Svartalfar are outcasts from their society. They are those who either failed to make it in society or who felt stifled or uncomfortable in their rigid society. More recently however, many younger Svartalfar have begun to become adventurers to prove themselves in society. While still rare, it is becoming more common to find Svartalfar wandering the world in search of adventure.
Male Names: Akonamu, Belat, Ceteztir, Edool, Etuto, Kofan, Narex, Oxerem, Toridoax, Xamavood
Female Names: Azonen, Dazxa, Emila, Feti, Iluca. Irilara, Nifa, Soratire, Soxiy, Vene
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Svartalfar are fast and darkly seductive, but they are frailer than most other races.
Medium: Svartalfar are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties for their size.
Normal Speed: Svartalfar have a base speed of 30 feet
Low-light Vision: Svartalfar can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Fey Type: Svartalfar are fey for the purposes of any effect related to type.
Shadowblend: Svartalfar have an innate connection to the Plane of Shadow. Anytime they are in dim lighting conditions they have total concealment rather than partial concealment
Light Sensitivity: Svartalfar are dazzled by bright sunlight or a Daylight spell.
Shadow Magic: Svartalfar get a +1 racial bonus to all saving throws to resist the effects of spell with the shadow sub school. They also receive a +2 racial bonus to the save DCs of all spells with the shadow sub school that they cast.
Weapon Familiarity: Svartalfar treat the Spiked Chain as a Martial weapon
Languages: Svartalfar begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Svartalfar with high Intelligence scores can choose any language they want (except secret languages)

Hydro RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32 |

I like shadowblend. It looks a little powerful, but it's a simple and iconic ability for a race of shadow-fey. Kudos.
I'm not sure about the addition of the casting bonus. Yes, shadow spells aren't that powerful, and yes they get -2 con, but shadowblend is already a great ability for spellcasters and light sensitivity doesn't hurt casters at all unless they're using ray spells. Ideally, light sensitivity (as a combat penalty) would be balanced by some sort of combat bonus, such as ignoring or reducing the concealment of your enemies.

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Thank you David. I have snagged this for my own campaign. You did great work putting this all together. I thought I had seen where you had put together some racial feats for these guys but I can't find it now. Let me know if that really existed or if I am really confused. Also, I would be interested in seeing any racial traits that you may have worked up.
Eric

Morhin |

I would strongly suggest that you change the name to "Svartalfer" (black elves) which in norse is the correct spelling for plural of "svartalf" (= black elf). It is always a little weird reading such names wrong (such as in Manual of the Planes and other places) when you live in a Scandinavian country.
Other than that, I think the race is very nice! :)

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Thank you David. I have snagged this for my own campaign. You did great work putting this all together. I thought I had seen where you had put together some racial feats for these guys but I can't find it now. Let me know if that really existed or if I am really confused. Also, I would be interested in seeing any racial traits that you may have worked up.
Eric
Here is the only feat that I have worked up that was designed with them in mind.
Shadow Sight
The whole world seem brighter somehow.
Prerequisites
Low-Light Vision, Peception +6
Benefit
You can see clearly, even in low-light conditions, negating the concealment normally provided by low-light conditions.
Normal
Low-light conditions provide penalties to sight unless you have low-light vision.

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I would strongly suggest that you change the name to "Svartalfer" (black elves) which in norse is the correct spelling for plural of "svartalf" (= black elf). It is always a little weird reading such names wrong (such as in Manual of the Planes and other places) when you live in a Scandinavian country.
Other than that, I think the race is very nice! :)
Well that kinda depends on where you come from. In Icelandic we say Svartálfar. But I'm not familiar enough with Danish, Swedish or Norwegian or faeroese to comment on that aspect. But seeing as Old Norse is Icelandic to a very large extent then I think the correct ending for the plural would be ar.

Morhin |

Well that kinda depends on where you come from. In Icelandic we say Svartálfar. But I'm not familiar enough with Danish, Swedish or Norwegian or faeroese to comment on that aspect. But seeing as Old Norse is Icelandic to a very large extent then I think the correct ending for the plural would be ar.
Well, in that case, I suppose the ending could fit! :) I'm Swedish, and here it is "Alfer". I think it is in Norway/Denmark as well. Still, if it's about to be "tungur knifur" I suppose Icelandic (which is a beautiful language I might add) would suit the bill.

BenS |

Quote:Well that kinda depends on where you come from. In Icelandic we say Svartálfar. But I'm not familiar enough with Danish, Swedish or Norwegian or faeroese to comment on that aspect. But seeing as Old Norse is Icelandic to a very large extent then I think the correct ending for the plural would be ar.Well, in that case, I suppose the ending could fit! :) I'm Swedish, and here it is "Alfer". I think it is in Norway/Denmark as well. Still, if it's about to be "tungur knifur" I suppose Icelandic (which is a beautiful language I might add) would suit the bill.
It's "alfer" in Norwegian & Danish as well as Swedish. I agree that we should stick w/ the original Icelandic (i.e., Old Norse) spelling. But this is all sort of moot b/c David has already pointed out in this thread he's (a) sticking w/ "Svartalfar", but (b) using the plural for the singular. Must...let...that...go... ;-)