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<blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 8763920" data-attributes="member: 58172"><p><strong>POPULAR WOOD ELF BACKGROUNDS</strong></p><p>The background features here are popular in various Wood Elf cultures, whether prestigious or common. When you create a background for your Wood Elf character you can choose from these or other features. Wood cultures tend to inhabit forest wildernesses in the material plane and to value the magic of primal life and elemental animism. The cultural descriptions span the editions of D&D, from 5e Wood Elf, 4e Elf, 3e Wood Elf and Wild Elf, to 2e and 1e Wood Elf and Grugach.</p><p></p><p><strong>Popular Ability Scores.</strong> Either +2 to one and +1 to an other, or +1 to three: Dexterity, Wisdom, and Strength.</p><p></p><p>Choose two proficiencies from the skill list [and weapon list].</p><p><strong>Skill.</strong> Animal Handling, Athletics/Acrobatics, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Slight of Hand, Stealth, and Survival.</p><p><strong>Weapon.</strong> Longbow, shortbow, longsword, shortsword, spear, javelin, lance, and net.</p><p></p><p>Choose a tool set or mount.</p><p><strong>Tool Set.</strong> Brewers, Cobblers, Carpenters, Cooks, Leatherworkers, Potters, Smiths, Weavers, Woodcarvers, Herbalists, or Poisoners.</p><p><strong>Mount.</strong> Deer (stats for warhorse), Giant Owl (stats for giant eagle), or Giant Lynx or Leopard (stats for tiger or dire wolf). Consult with your DM about having one of these or other Large Beasts as your friend and mount.</p><p></p><p><strong>Popular Languages.</strong> Common, Elvish, and Sylvan.</p><p></p><p>Choose the Elven Accuracy feat, or one of the other feats from the following lists.</p><p><strong>5.5 Feats.</strong> Alert, Crafter, Healer, Lucky, Magic Initiate, Savage Attacker, Tough, or Tavern Brawler.</p><p><strong>Tashas.</strong> Chef, Crusher, Fey Touched, Fighting Initiate, Piercer, Poisoner, Skill Expert, or Telepathic.</p><p><strong>Xanathars.</strong> Elven Accuracy or Wood Elf Magic.</p><p><strong>Players Handbook.</strong> Athlete, Charger, Durable, Elemental Adept, Grappler, Mage Slayer, Martial Adept, Mobile, Mounted Combat, Observant, Polearm Master, Resilient, Ritual Caster, Sharpshooter, Skulker, Spell Sniper, or War Caster.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Hopefully, 5.5 will create new backgrounds and feats that are specific to each of the various Elf cultures across the D&D traditions. A setting that has one or more Wood cultures, such as Forgotten Realms, can detail more of it.</p><p></p><p>Wood cultures include other background features, but the popular ones can enjoy an ancestral sanctity and respect. Consult with the DM for the specific institutions in the setting that a Wood Elf character might be a member of. Each player creates ones own background for a Wood Elf character. When a background diverges from the popular features, figure out how it can work within the larger elven culture. Such characters help diversify the Wood culture, bringing verisimilitude, while also informing a self-identity with the Wood culture as a whole.</p><p></p><p>Note. The One D&D background format doesnt offer weapon proficiencies. It needs to. Many elven cultures have weapon training traditions. Yes, a feat can grant weapon proficiencies, and likely the class of the character already has the traditional elven weaponry anyway. Even so, for the 5.5 background system to update elven cultures easily, it must supply a missing traditional weapon when sought. I dont think a character needs to master every cultural weapon, but it can help to master one of them. In the meantime, the DM can allow a player to swap a background skill for proficiency with one martial weapon.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>WOOD CULTURES</strong></p><p></p><p>Within the Wood Elf cultures, backgrounds tend to organize around the values of primal life magic, elemental animistic magic, materiality, forest wildernesses, and druidic Wisdom. Yet within these Wood cultures there are also divergent backgrounds, such as Intelligence wizardry traditions, such as elemental, and Charismatic paladin orders, such as Ancients. These pluralistic traditions evolve in the context of the popular Wood backgrounds and are in relationship to them.</p><p></p><p>The context of a Wood traditional weapon is for hunting and self-defense. Unlike bow and spear, the only purpose of a sword is to kill fellow humanoids, and is exclusively for self-defense. Many Wood cultures primarily organize around extended families. In these societal structures, the elders of the wider family influence the group decisions among the related households. Each family has its own militia of mages and gishes, whose primary duty is to defend the family. Armies form when families make alliances with each other. Notably, the Wood cultures often celebrate physical prowess and athletic stunts, often death-defying across the treetops. Because of this bodily athleticism along with a reverence of the material plane of existence, the human martial traditions such as fighters and rogues can find some respectability.</p><p></p><p>Bows and spears are hunting weapons, such as for deer and boar, respectively. There are two conflictive themes within Wood cultures. Likely both are present in a particular culture. One, the elves are effective hunters treating the animals of their hunt reverently as cycles of nature, using all parts of a slain animal respectfully, and often magicking their leatherwork and furs with the primal lifeforce of these animals. Two, the elves are strictly vegetarian and never kill animals. They coexist and communicate with animals, grow up with them as personal friends, and sometimes formally adopt them into ones family as siblings.</p><p></p><p>Wood elves are known for their luxurious durable clothing made by hand and magic, such as Elven Cloak and Elven Boots. Materials include furs, leathers, intricate plant fabrics, and vibrant dye colors. They design some for camouflage.</p><p></p><p>Many Wood cultures never kill plants, especially trees. They carefully extract their resources like fruit and wood while keeping the plants healthy and well. They shape and weave living trees to form homes and catwalks across the treetop branches. The structures are unnoticeable from the outside and opulent within. They farm in ways that preserve the complex ecosystems, seeming wild and natural yet extraordinarily verdant and abundant. A Wood culture traditionally migrates nomadically or settles in a remote tree town, or both while linking trade routes and migratory stations.</p><p></p><p>Wood cultures revere the features of nature as members of the community. Life magic and elemental magic are holy. Often druids function both as the pastors of ancestral sacred communities and as the warriors of a family.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>RACE VERSUS BACKGROUNDS</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Elf Race</strong></p><p>The original post designs the Elf race: Fey, Trance, and Innate Spells.</p><p></p><p>This can represent all of the official elves in 5e, and even all of the elves across the editions of D&D, from otherworldly Grey Elf and musclebound Grugach to runner Athas Elf and shapeshifter Dargonesti Elf.</p><p></p><p>The choice of Innate Spells seems the only way to feasibly include the entirety of the D&D traditions. The design mechanically actualizes the elven affinity with magic.</p><p></p><p><strong>5.5 Elf Backgrounds</strong></p><p>The nonmagical aspects of many D&D Elf tradtions − like sword and bow, drow rapier and handbow, grugach spear, etcetera − work better as a background.</p><p></p><p>Looking at what 5e has so far, explore how the 5.5 backgrounds for an elven culture can look.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>ELF CULTURES</strong></p><p></p><p>The 5e Players Handbook mentions nonmagical cultural features.</p><p></p><p>Each of the 5e Elf "subraces" additionally mentions other related elven cultures from other settings across earlier editions of D&D, including Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance. They too inform elven cultural features.</p><p></p><p>Note, a race cannot have an alignment, but the goals of an organizational faction, such as a Paladin order or a Druid community, can. Members of a specially aligned organization "typically" adhere to it.</p><p></p><p>ELF (MULTICULTURAL TRENDS)</p><p>Ability: Dexterity</p><p>Chaotic Good Alignment </p><p>− "Freedom, variety, self-expression", and "protect others freedom"</p><p>Skill: Perception</p><p>Languages: Common, Elvish</p><p></p><p>HIGH (CULTURES)</p><p><em>• 1e Grey, 3e Grey, 4e Eladrin, DL Silvanesti, FR Sun</em></p><p><em>• 1e High, 3e High, DL Qualinesti, FR Moon</em></p><p>Abilities: Intelligence and Charisma (4e Eladrin)</p><p>− "keen mind and mastery of magic", "magic, art and artistry, music and poetry", "bards", "songs and poems are famous"</p><p>Weaponry: sword (long/short) and bow (long/short)</p><p>Languages: any additional language</p><p></p><p>WOOD (CULTURES)</p><p><em>• 1e Wood, 1e Grugach, 3e Wood, FR Wild</em></p><p><em>• 3e Wild, 4e Elf, DL Kagonesti, FR Wild</em></p><p>Abilities: Wisdom and Strength (1e Wood/Grugach)</p><p>− "keen senses and intuition"</p><p>Neutral Alignment (1e Wood/Grugach)</p><p>Weaponry: sword, bow, spear (1e Wood/Grugach)</p><p>Additional Language: Sylvan (1e Wood / 4e Elf)</p><p></p><p>DROW (UDA CULTURE)</p><p><em>• 1e-5e Drow, FR Drow</em></p><p>Abilities: Charisma (3e-5e), Wisdom (1e/4e Drow), and Intelligence (1e-3e)</p><p>Weaponry: rapiers, shortsword, and handbow</p><p>Additional Language: Drow Sign (1e-3e Drow)</p><p></p><p>The nonmagical cultural features work well as background.</p><p></p><p>Each elven culture has many backgrounds. A few backgrounds, say 4 to 13, can be prominent, whether frequent or prestigious. For the game, these few backgrounds communicate the tropes and themes that help make the culture salient and vivid.</p><p></p><p>As a DM, try avoid turning these tropes into a cultural stereotype, by ensuring individuals and groups who diverge from the tropes. The diversity enriches the culture and feels verisimilitudinal. Especially the 5e Players Handbook Elf champions freedom and nurtures individualistic self-expression.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Yaarel, post: 8763920, member: 58172"] [B]POPULAR WOOD ELF BACKGROUNDS[/B] The background features here are popular in various Wood Elf cultures, whether prestigious or common. When you create a background for your Wood Elf character you can choose from these or other features. Wood cultures tend to inhabit forest wildernesses in the material plane and to value the magic of primal life and elemental animism. The cultural descriptions span the editions of D&D, from 5e Wood Elf, 4e Elf, 3e Wood Elf and Wild Elf, to 2e and 1e Wood Elf and Grugach. [B]Popular Ability Scores.[/B] Either +2 to one and +1 to an other, or +1 to three: Dexterity, Wisdom, and Strength. Choose two proficiencies from the skill list [and weapon list]. [B]Skill.[/B] Animal Handling, Athletics/Acrobatics, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Slight of Hand, Stealth, and Survival. [B]Weapon.[/B] Longbow, shortbow, longsword, shortsword, spear, javelin, lance, and net. Choose a tool set or mount. [B]Tool Set.[/B] Brewers, Cobblers, Carpenters, Cooks, Leatherworkers, Potters, Smiths, Weavers, Woodcarvers, Herbalists, or Poisoners. [B]Mount.[/B] Deer (stats for warhorse), Giant Owl (stats for giant eagle), or Giant Lynx or Leopard (stats for tiger or dire wolf). Consult with your DM about having one of these or other Large Beasts as your friend and mount. [B]Popular Languages.[/B] Common, Elvish, and Sylvan. Choose the Elven Accuracy feat, or one of the other feats from the following lists. [B]5.5 Feats.[/B] Alert, Crafter, Healer, Lucky, Magic Initiate, Savage Attacker, Tough, or Tavern Brawler. [B]Tashas.[/B] Chef, Crusher, Fey Touched, Fighting Initiate, Piercer, Poisoner, Skill Expert, or Telepathic. [B]Xanathars.[/B] Elven Accuracy or Wood Elf Magic. [B]Players Handbook.[/B] Athlete, Charger, Durable, Elemental Adept, Grappler, Mage Slayer, Martial Adept, Mobile, Mounted Combat, Observant, Polearm Master, Resilient, Ritual Caster, Sharpshooter, Skulker, Spell Sniper, or War Caster. Hopefully, 5.5 will create new backgrounds and feats that are specific to each of the various Elf cultures across the D&D traditions. A setting that has one or more Wood cultures, such as Forgotten Realms, can detail more of it. Wood cultures include other background features, but the popular ones can enjoy an ancestral sanctity and respect. Consult with the DM for the specific institutions in the setting that a Wood Elf character might be a member of. Each player creates ones own background for a Wood Elf character. When a background diverges from the popular features, figure out how it can work within the larger elven culture. Such characters help diversify the Wood culture, bringing verisimilitude, while also informing a self-identity with the Wood culture as a whole. Note. The One D&D background format doesnt offer weapon proficiencies. It needs to. Many elven cultures have weapon training traditions. Yes, a feat can grant weapon proficiencies, and likely the class of the character already has the traditional elven weaponry anyway. Even so, for the 5.5 background system to update elven cultures easily, it must supply a missing traditional weapon when sought. I dont think a character needs to master every cultural weapon, but it can help to master one of them. In the meantime, the DM can allow a player to swap a background skill for proficiency with one martial weapon. [B]WOOD CULTURES[/B] Within the Wood Elf cultures, backgrounds tend to organize around the values of primal life magic, elemental animistic magic, materiality, forest wildernesses, and druidic Wisdom. Yet within these Wood cultures there are also divergent backgrounds, such as Intelligence wizardry traditions, such as elemental, and Charismatic paladin orders, such as Ancients. These pluralistic traditions evolve in the context of the popular Wood backgrounds and are in relationship to them. The context of a Wood traditional weapon is for hunting and self-defense. Unlike bow and spear, the only purpose of a sword is to kill fellow humanoids, and is exclusively for self-defense. Many Wood cultures primarily organize around extended families. In these societal structures, the elders of the wider family influence the group decisions among the related households. Each family has its own militia of mages and gishes, whose primary duty is to defend the family. Armies form when families make alliances with each other. Notably, the Wood cultures often celebrate physical prowess and athletic stunts, often death-defying across the treetops. Because of this bodily athleticism along with a reverence of the material plane of existence, the human martial traditions such as fighters and rogues can find some respectability. Bows and spears are hunting weapons, such as for deer and boar, respectively. There are two conflictive themes within Wood cultures. Likely both are present in a particular culture. One, the elves are effective hunters treating the animals of their hunt reverently as cycles of nature, using all parts of a slain animal respectfully, and often magicking their leatherwork and furs with the primal lifeforce of these animals. Two, the elves are strictly vegetarian and never kill animals. They coexist and communicate with animals, grow up with them as personal friends, and sometimes formally adopt them into ones family as siblings. Wood elves are known for their luxurious durable clothing made by hand and magic, such as Elven Cloak and Elven Boots. Materials include furs, leathers, intricate plant fabrics, and vibrant dye colors. They design some for camouflage. Many Wood cultures never kill plants, especially trees. They carefully extract their resources like fruit and wood while keeping the plants healthy and well. They shape and weave living trees to form homes and catwalks across the treetop branches. The structures are unnoticeable from the outside and opulent within. They farm in ways that preserve the complex ecosystems, seeming wild and natural yet extraordinarily verdant and abundant. A Wood culture traditionally migrates nomadically or settles in a remote tree town, or both while linking trade routes and migratory stations. Wood cultures revere the features of nature as members of the community. Life magic and elemental magic are holy. Often druids function both as the pastors of ancestral sacred communities and as the warriors of a family. [B]RACE VERSUS BACKGROUNDS Elf Race[/B] The original post designs the Elf race: Fey, Trance, and Innate Spells. This can represent all of the official elves in 5e, and even all of the elves across the editions of D&D, from otherworldly Grey Elf and musclebound Grugach to runner Athas Elf and shapeshifter Dargonesti Elf. The choice of Innate Spells seems the only way to feasibly include the entirety of the D&D traditions. The design mechanically actualizes the elven affinity with magic. [B]5.5 Elf Backgrounds[/B] The nonmagical aspects of many D&D Elf tradtions − like sword and bow, drow rapier and handbow, grugach spear, etcetera − work better as a background. Looking at what 5e has so far, explore how the 5.5 backgrounds for an elven culture can look. [B]ELF CULTURES[/B] The 5e Players Handbook mentions nonmagical cultural features. Each of the 5e Elf "subraces" additionally mentions other related elven cultures from other settings across earlier editions of D&D, including Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance. They too inform elven cultural features. Note, a race cannot have an alignment, but the goals of an organizational faction, such as a Paladin order or a Druid community, can. Members of a specially aligned organization "typically" adhere to it. ELF (MULTICULTURAL TRENDS) Ability: Dexterity Chaotic Good Alignment − "Freedom, variety, self-expression", and "protect others freedom" Skill: Perception Languages: Common, Elvish HIGH (CULTURES) [I]• 1e Grey, 3e Grey, 4e Eladrin, DL Silvanesti, FR Sun • 1e High, 3e High, DL Qualinesti, FR Moon[/I] Abilities: Intelligence and Charisma (4e Eladrin) − "keen mind and mastery of magic", "magic, art and artistry, music and poetry", "bards", "songs and poems are famous" Weaponry: sword (long/short) and bow (long/short) Languages: any additional language WOOD (CULTURES) [I]• 1e Wood, 1e Grugach, 3e Wood, FR Wild • 3e Wild, 4e Elf, DL Kagonesti, FR Wild[/I] Abilities: Wisdom and Strength (1e Wood/Grugach) − "keen senses and intuition" Neutral Alignment (1e Wood/Grugach) Weaponry: sword, bow, spear (1e Wood/Grugach) Additional Language: Sylvan (1e Wood / 4e Elf) DROW (UDA CULTURE) [I]• 1e-5e Drow, FR Drow[/I] Abilities: Charisma (3e-5e), Wisdom (1e/4e Drow), and Intelligence (1e-3e) Weaponry: rapiers, shortsword, and handbow Additional Language: Drow Sign (1e-3e Drow) The nonmagical cultural features work well as background. Each elven culture has many backgrounds. A few backgrounds, say 4 to 13, can be prominent, whether frequent or prestigious. For the game, these few backgrounds communicate the tropes and themes that help make the culture salient and vivid. As a DM, try avoid turning these tropes into a cultural stereotype, by ensuring individuals and groups who diverge from the tropes. The diversity enriches the culture and feels verisimilitudinal. Especially the 5e Players Handbook Elf champions freedom and nurtures individualistic self-expression. [/QUOTE]
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