Of all the presentations of elves in any roleplaying game, perhaps my favorite is the High Elf in Rolemaster. However, my favorite roleplaying game at the moment is GURPS. So, in order to have the best of both worlds, I tasked myself to translate Rolemaster High Elves into GURPS terms. This is the outcome:
Height is normal for ST +6"; Weight is normal for ST; Fair complexion, Black hair, and Grey eyes are the norm for High Elves, although variations do occur.
+2 DX (20); +1 IQ (10); Acute Hearing (+2 (4)); Appearance (Attractive (5)); Charisma (+2 (10)); Combat Reflexes (15); Immunity to Disease (10); Magical Aptitude (Lvl 1 (15)); Musical Ability (+2 (2)); Night Vision (10); Reduced Sleep (10); Temperature Tolerance (Only to Cold (6)); Unaging (15); +2 to Craft Skills (12); +2 to Bard (2); +2 to Meditation (6); +2 to Savior-Faire (1).
Code of Honor (to Live Elegant Lives (-10)); Dying Race (-10); Magic Susceptibility (-3); Sense of Duty (toward Nature (-15)); Short Attention Span (-10); Slow Healing (Lvl 2 (-20)).
Language (High Elven) is a M/H skill.
As you may have noticed, I used the standard GURPS Elf as a starting template, then added onto that.
All advantages, disadvantages here are pulled from GURPS Basic Set, GURPS Fantasy Folk, 2nd ed., GURPS Martial Arts, 2nd ed., and GURPS Grimoire.
The Reduced Sleep advantage for High Elves as presented here differ slightly from the standard advantage in that a High Elf may choose to stagger her or his sleep to one hour per day rather than one eight-hour period per week. However, to simulate the special endurance of High Elves, a High Elf may put off the need for sleep for seven days at which time she or he must have eight hours worth of sleep or incrue fatigue penalties.
Although High Elves are generally given towards whim, they can be very obsessive, especially in regards to knowledge, magic, and artifice. To offset somewhat their racial Short Attention Span, High Elves often learn the Meditation skill which in addition to its normal benefits allows them (on a successful roll) disregard the Short Attention Span. However, overuse of this technique can lead to abuse; High Elves live practically forever and to survive mentally their minds are geared towards "taking it easy" as often as possible. They do often, however, take it upon themselves to dedicate themselves to the mastery of various areas (as mentioned above). To simulate this, a High Elf should take an Obsession disadvantage.
High Elves often rival Dwarves in their crafts; however, High Elven artifice tends towards blending with and complimenting Nature rather than conquering and molding it as Dwarves are wont to do. High Elven cities rise along with natural features and it is often hard to tell where High Elven dwellings end and Nature begins. Given High Elves' natural talents with craft and magic, their magical items are mighty indeed, although always beautiful wonders to behold.
Although it is my intention to translate other Rolemaster Elves into GURPS terms (ie. Grey and Wood Elves), High Elves as presented here can be placed into an existing campaign where the standard GURPS Elf exists. High Elves are a dying breed; they were never plentiful but many a High Elf city lies abandoned in the deepest woods and secluded mountains. Most that remain are given towards isolation, study, and leasure, ignoring the ways of mortal races (that is until a greedy army of orcs or humans comes a'callin'). Most mortal folk will never see a High Elf, although they live in legends and in scholars' books and scrolls. Standard Elves are those of them who millenia ago broke away from artifice and chose to remain active in the world. They consider High Elves to be haughty and aristocratic, but secretly almost worship them in an ancestral sort of way and do definetly respect High Elven skill in magic and knowledge.
High Elven adventurers are rare, though not unheard-of. A "young" High Elf (usually a stripling of only a few centuries or so) cannot resist the urge to see and study the world. Such a character could very will be haughty, pedantic, and gullible all at once. Another character type could be a High Elf bent on revenge. Although High Elves would chose to live isolated, peaceful lives, inevitably outside forces prevent this. Human, orc, ogre, etc. marauders would often love to sake High Elven cities of their treasures. A High Elf who survives such an attack would become obsessed with avenging her or his people. An example of such a figure is Corum from Michael Moorcook's most excellent _Swords Trilogy_ and _The Chronicles of Corum_ (The Vadhagh are a good model for High Elves if one wants to depart from Tolkien).