D&D 5E MTOF: Elves are gender-swapping reincarnates and I am on board with it

[Kobold Avenger]

Generally my idea of Elves is that they are mostly non-monogamous and bisexual, though the last thing was in response to the immature people I played with in the distant past as teenagers or younger proclaiming "Dwarves are cool, because Elves are gay". So I took that immature playground-like criticism as an adult and proclaimed that it's sort of true for all Elves. Totally fine with the new way of looking at it with Elves, as existing lore before has basically said an Elf who lives near a Volcano for years has the tendency to become something else like a Volcano Elf.

 

[Hriston]

Sort of.

For the period of Middle-Earth history most people are aware of (The Hobbit and LotR trilogy) if an elf died, their spirit went across the sea to the West (to Aman, for those who know the lore) and might be placed in a new body (that was exactly like the original body), but returning to Middle Earth again was not allowed.

How do you explain the presence of Glorfindel at Rivendell in the Third Age after he fell fighting the balrog in the First Age?

 

[Eltab]

I thought the idea of Correlon Larethian as androgynous when it was introduced (back in, was it 1985?) was a neat idea that changed the dynamic in the Elven pantheon, making it different from the standard pantheons (Greek, Norse, also Egypt, Mesopotamian). It opened up space to explore how Elves are more than simply CHR(max) and Skills(max) Humans.

But making Corellon Larethian androgynous in 2018 and running around "Finally we are included/inclusive too!" is noisome - don't people have any idea of what came before their personal selves showed up on the scene?

Signed,

A Grognard

 

[delericho]

It should have been dwarves. It would have explained the classic trope of "Where are the dwarf women at?"

Funny you should mention that...

IMC, I won't be using this Blessing of Corellon as written, partly because Corellon just doesn't exist, but also because my elves aren't like that and do have fairly fixed gender roles (and, incidentally, have a matriarchal culture).

However, there are various gender-fluid races of one sort or another - Changelings can change sex and/or gender (along with most other things) pretty much at-will, Dragonborn can change over the course of months. And dwarves have no fixed sex until they reach adulthood, at which point they adopt one for the rest of their lives.

In addition, I will be adapting the Blessing as something granted by the gods, either allowing a one-time switch for some characters or allowing some others the ability to switch overnight. That last will be something that's available to characters of any race (actually, including elves, despite what I said above).

(It's possibly also worth noting that, again IMC, Warforged don't have either sex or any concept of gender - as a constructed race, such things just don't apply to them. So it is possible in my campaigns to play characters of any sex or gender, or indeed none - at least, when we're playing in Eberron.)

 

[generic]

Well, golly gee willikers, it looks like we have inclusivity (of all things!) in a 2018 publication!

I still don't like you Corellon, stay away from Lolth and Me.

 

[flametitan]

I thought the idea of Correlon Larethian as androgynous when it was introduced (back in, was it 1985?) was a neat idea that changed the dynamic in the Elven pantheon, making it different from the standard pantheons (Greek, Norse, also Egypt, Mesopotamian). It opened up space to explore how Elves are more than simply CHR(max) and Skills(max) Humans.

But making Corellon Larethian androgynous in 2018 and running around "Finally we are included/inclusive too!" is noisome - don't people have any idea of what came before their personal selves showed up on the scene?

Signed,

A Grognard

Sure, but how often has Corellon been referred to as if the god was male and exclusively male, conveniently forgetting that very facet since then?

 

[Sacrosanct]

As a cis white grognard, I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, way back in the uber sexist early 80s there was reference to Correlon being genderless, so it's not like they are completely revamping decades of elven lore in D&D. The foundation of this idea has always been there. And like literally any other supplement in D&D history about lore, it's easily ignored in your campaign if you don't like it. And if it helps make more people feel welcome and acknowledged, why would anyone be against it?

I really don't get the accusations of pandering like it's a bad thing. This literally has no effect on your game; no one is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to play an elf who switches gender. TBH, it reminds me of that meme about how giving equal rights to others doesn't mean yours are being taken away because rights aren't like pie. Same here. Acknowledging other groups of people doesn't mean you are being forced to change how you play.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

From Dragon Magazine #60, back in 1982:

“Corellon Larethian is regarded by some elves as male, by some as female, by some as neither or both.” Extending that same gender-fluidity to the elves themselves makes sense, and will make for some interesting characters. And as a DM, that makes my job more interesting and fun.

Inclusivity is important, whatever the people trying to shout this down too might say.

 

[TwoSix]

(It's possibly also worth noting that, again IMC, Warforged don't have either sex or any concept of gender - as a constructed race, such things just don't apply to them. So it is possible in my campaigns to play characters of any sex or gender, or indeed none - at least, when we're playing in Eberron.)

I could see the ritual playing a role for Valenar elves in particular, depending on which ancient hero they end up emulating.

I could also see potions of permanent change being something that House Jorasco would offer.

 

[ccs]

I thought the idea of Correlon Larethian as androgynous when it was introduced (back in, was it 1985?) was a neat idea that changed the dynamic in the Elven pantheon, making it different from the standard pantheons (Greek, Norse, also Egypt, Mesopotamian). It opened up space to explore how Elves are more than simply CHR(max) and Skills(max) Humans.

But making Corellon Larethian androgynous in 2018 and running around "Finally we are included/inclusive too!" is noisome - don't people have any idea of what came before their personal selves showed up on the scene?

Signed,

A Grognard

And that answer would be.... No.

"Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither."
So proclaims the 2nd sentence of his description on p.106 of the 1e Deities & Demigods book, 1st printing (the one with Cthulu in it), 1980.

Corellon being androgynous has been a publicly established fact for at least 38 years. Maybe longer if they wrote anything about him in early Dragon issues....