Half Elves...Wtf... :P

[WesternWolf]

I was wondering if anyone out there had/knows of any good variants on the Half Elf race presented in the PHB? I mean looking at them now, they seem to literally have nothing going for them mechanically. I don't want to eliminate them from my game, because I like the story concept, but I can't remember ever seeing someone play such a mechanically crippled race. It's especially difficult in campaigns that start at lvl 1. So yeah, anyone please have some sort of worthwhile (and balanced) variant? Thanks!

 

[robberbaron]

I take it that by 'mechanically crippled race' you mean that you don't think there is sufficient gain to balance losing the Human bonus feat and skill points?

You may be right but I don't think so. Half Elves are not really weaker but might be seen as a 'flavour race'.

IMC I gave various sub-species of Elf different advantages/disadvantages and the Half-Elf varieties got half-strength ads/disads. For example, Wood Elves got +2 Knowledge Nature and -2 Concentration. Half Wood Elves got +1 and -1. High Elves got +2 Spellcraft, +2 Concentration and -4 Diplomacy. Half High Elves got +1, +1 and -2.

 

[Stormborn]

In out current campaign we have just made "half-elf" a issue of flavor. Half-elves raised by elves use the stats for elves and those raised by humans the human racial qualities. Differences are primarilly cosmetic, the only real maechanical change is that they are treated as both human and elf for the purposes of magic effects - which has never really come up.

 

[Nifft]

I give half-elves the bonus skill points that Humans get. Thus, Half-Elf effectively becomes a 1st level Human feat. It's a strong change, but not all that unbalancing, particularly if you allow strong feats from outside sources.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Aus_Snow]

I use (almost) Elf stats for my Half-Elves. But then, my actual Elves are crazy powerful (kinda like Aasimar, but. . . really not), so this makes more sense, in the end.

Otherwise, for D&D nearly-as-is, Nifft's suggestion is probably pretty OK. Remove the +2 bonuses to Diplomacy and Gather Info, and it would then be more or less fine, I think.

 

[Nifft]

Nifft's suggestion is probably pretty OK. Remove the +2 bonuses to Diplomacy and Gather Info, and it would then be more or less fine, I think.

I should mention that in my game, Elves are not always good guys, and there are plenty of Elf-bane weapons around. Also, I use my house rule'd Arcane Archer (see sig in previous post), which allows entry to any race.

Thus, in my game, the "elf-blood" feature isn't a benefit.

Cheers, -- N

 

[WesternWolf]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I really like your idea Stormborn, I think I'll use that. And Nifft, in my game there is no real alignment, and most of the elves are incredibly xenophobic due to a millenia long war that almost made them extinct several times. So instead of making arts and crafts and reading poetry they train constantly.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If your elves are xenophobic, why are there half-elves?

 

[WesternWolf]

If your elves are xenophobic, why are there half-elves?

Well only *most* of the elves are xenophobic. Kinda like the free love hippies during vietnam, some elves are willing to sleep with anyone...

 

[Dread October]

In my campaign world, I have actually done away with Half-Elves altogether. There has been only one recorded half elf in 250+ years and that was a PC.

The Elves themselves haven't actually been seen in that long. One day, an Elf walked out of the forest and into a barbarian settlement. The elf walked up to a house and left a child on a doorstep with nothing but a long spear and a badger to keep it company. The the Elf just turned and walked back into the forest. The baby was one of the PCs and she has been the only person allowed to play a half elf.

There are mixes of other races provided that the race is a lower race. Elves just don't do it. That's something for Men and Orcs to do. Dwarves WOULD do it but in my world, Dwarves are rather rich and self centered. The only way they'd mix with a human or anyone else would be because they owned them and chose to do so.