Many gamers find themselves like Samwise from the LotR fascinated with elves. There is a lot to be said for them as a race in the game and in literature. What is not to like about beautiful, supernatural, long lived/immortal creatures. For the record I am more of a halfling/hobbit fan than I am a fan of elves.
Regardless of your feelings about the race unless you are playing Talislanta there is a darn good chance that there will be elves in your game in some way shape or form. If you are playing AD&D there are a pair of really good resources for you. The first of these is the Complete Book of Elves and the latter is this book Elves of Evermeet. I need to be up front and say that I prefer the former.
The "Complete" books have their problems. They most often turn players in to min/maxers or out and out power gamers when it comes to their kits. Those books laid the seeds of what would become, in my humble opinion, the core problem with the 3.x and now 4.???? systems. But enough on that.
Elves of Evermeet describes the refuge of the elves in the Forgotten Realms 2e setting. There are some that have compared it to the Undying Lands in LotR and that is not accurate. It is a hidden mortal realm where the elves seclude themselves. I like this idea and feel that there is perhaps more segregation needed in settings. Humans can't get along why would they be so accepting of other races especially ones that live 10 fold or more longer than they do. Envy is a powerful motivator for hatred.
The realm they describe is one that I would best see used as a campaign setting for an elven based campaign. I am not sure that elves coming here would ever want to leave and that the inhabitants would never want an influx of other races. This in and of itself makes the setting of limited use.
The book does what is expected of it. It describes the island in detail including a number of city descriptions that could be taken and used elsewhere so that is a plus. It then describes the various subraces that are present. These have fuller descriptions in the Complete Book of Elves. It also describes new kits for the races.
The book does provide new spells and a class special to Evermeet (or special until a DM lets them wander out into the world). These range from useful to over powered. The book also describes a large number of NPCs that could be ported into other settings as well as a fair number of new magic items. There are other topics such as the islands defenders and the deities specific to Evermeet. There are also new creatures provided which would work outside the island with little effort. There are also a few pages of adventure seeds provided which could be ported.
I know this has come across as being negative and it is perhaps but the book is a still a good one. It has a number of strikes against it in my opinion such as being so Forgotten Realms specific and the fact that it is so specialized to make it someplace no one should be able to get to and if they do then they might not want to or be able to leave. It is a rich source of material to be used outside its own setting though and worth picking up to mine for ideas.
Published: 1994
Pages: 128
From the back of the book...
For many years, Evermeet has remained a mystery, known only as the elves place of refuge. So far, details about the island itself, its geography, rulers, and society have been sketchy. It is known that Evermeet is protected by illusory magic, that ships lose their way or vanish mysteriously if they approach the isle, and that the elven navy is the finest in the Realms. Past publications have revealed that Evermeet is rules by Queen Amlaruil, and that her husband Zaor was murdered decades ago. Beyond this , little is known.
The Elves of Evermeet attempts to investigate and explain the inner workings of the elven island, and develop the realm as a setting for Forgotten Realms adventures. Until now, Evermeet has been reserved exclusively for elves and officially closed to humans, dwarves, and other races. But this product will help work Evermeet into your campaign and allow other PC races to visit, or at least interact, with the mysterious island.
Included are:
> New elven magic (for High Mages),
> Elven NPC's
> Tips on playing Evermeet elves, and
> Adventure ideas for your own campaign!
Bring the wonder that is Evermeet into your game, with this sourcebook. It's a mystery no more!
Spell:
Wild Magic 7
Level: Eighth
Range: Special
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Components: Special
Casting Time: Special
Saving Throw: Special
With the casting of this spell the magic user is able to simulate the casting of any seventh or lower level spell. The spell will work best if it is a spell that the caster knows though this is not a requirement.
When this spell is used the caster will be able to use any seventh or lower level magic spell even it is is not one that they memorized or even know. If they have it in their spellbook the spell will go off without problem.
Spells that are not in their spellbook will be trickier. If they have seen the spell cast there is a 50/50 chance that it will work. If the spell fails then there is another 50/50 chance of things happening. It is possible that the spell will just out and out fail. The other is that it works but in reverse and in a negative way for the caster, possibly even affecting them.
The caster can even use this to try and create some new magical effect. The DM may choose not to allow this. If they do then they will need to impose strict limits on its use.
Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.
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