D&D (2024) Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

[Mirrorrorrim]

We did not need MORE elves.

Tell that to the gaming population who overwhelmingly prefer slender, beautiful, human-sized species. Humans, elves, aasimar, heck even tielfings get more play than the small, stumpy, or ugly races. This is purely an anecdotal claim. I'm not pulling any data to support it.

 

[Remathilis]

You are not wrong. There was a lore change in 5E to make them elves of the shadowfell opposite eladrin who are elves of the feywild.

3e: shadar-kai are shadow fey "monsters"
4e: shadar-kai are humans who made a deal with the Raven Queen.
5e: shadar-kai are shadow fey elves who made a deal with the Raven Queen.

They tried to marry the 3e fey origin with the 4e Raven Queen one and that resulted in shadow elves.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Avariel didn't make it outside of UA. You missed Shadar-kai.

i see them now, i'd probably remove them as well but intergrate their unique damage resistance fey step into astral elves, maybe their necrotic resistance to the drow as they felt like they ended up lacking a bit comparatively to the others.

the writeups for the four remaining elf subspecies that i would have from condensing them down would be:
(i also slipped in a couple of other traits from the even more niche setting specific/UA variants)

wood elf
Elven weapon training - proficiency with longsword, shortsword, longbow and shortbow
Fleet of foot - your speed increases to 35ft
Mask of the wild - you can attempt to hide when obscured by foliage, heavy rain, mist or other natural phenomena
Forest magic - you know one cantrip from the druid spell list
Seasons - when you finish a trance you can change your appearance to one of the four descriptions

high elf
Arcane magic - you know one cantrip from the wizard spell list
Incisive sense - you have advantage on investigation and insight checks
Extra language - you know one extra language
Fey step - as a bonus action you can teleport 30ft to an unoccupied space you can see PB times per LR, pick one of the following additional effects when you teleport(DC = 8+PB+INT/WIS/CHA modifier chosen when you pick this species):
-after you fey step you can attempt to charm up to 2 creatures within 10ft of you, they must make a WIS saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute or until they take damage from you or your companions.
-when you fey step 1 creature within 5ft of you before you teleport must make a WIS saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn
-when you use fey step you may touch one willing creature within 5ft of you and teleport them instead of you
-after you use fey step each creature of your choice that you can see within 5ft of you takes fire damage equal to your PB

dark elf
Superior darkvision - your darkvision has a range of 120ft instead of 60ft
Sunlight sensitivity - you have disadvantage on attack rolls and wisdom(perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack or whatever you are trying to percieve is in direct sunlight
Drow weapon training - proficiency with rapiers, shortswords and hand-crossbows
Drow magic - you know a cantrip and an additional spell at 3rd and 5th level respecively, you can cast each of the spells once per long rest at their lowest level, pick one of the following spell lists:
-dancing lights, faerie fire, darkness
-light, sleep, invisibility(self only)
-chill touch, hex, darkness
Necrotic resistance - you have resistance to the necrotic damage type

astral elf
Astral fire - you know one of the following cantrips, dancing lights, light, sacred flame, pick INT/WIS/CHA as your casting stat for it when you pick this species
Astral step - as a bonus action you can teleport 30ft to an unoccupied space that you can see PB times per LR, when you teleport you gain resistance to all damage until the start of your next turn
Astral trance - when you finish a trance gain proficiency in one skill of you choice and one weapon or tool of your choice, you are proficient until you finish your next long rest

 

[Vaalingrade]

Tell that to the gaming population who overwhelmingly prefer slender, beautiful, human-sized species. Humans, elves, aasimar, heck even tielfings get more play than the small, stumpy, or ugly races. This is purely an anecdotal claim. I'm not pulling any data to support it.

They were already goth humans. They didn't need to be stuffed in the pointy-eared population explosion.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

They were already goth humans. They didn't need to be stuffed in the pointy-eared population explosion.

But make them too-thin with sharper features and sharper ears and they look even more goth! And they can mirror feywild elves for symmetry! Who doesn't want tatted, pierced Elves of Dark Shadow? (/sarcasm)

Also, they weren't humans in 3E. They were fey. They are trying to save the oldest lore of monsters (if it is not too toxic) and are merging into later, popular narratives, like the Raven Queen.

 

[Micah Sweet]

i see them now, i'd probably remove them as well but intergrate their unique damage resistance fey step into astral elves, maybe their necrotic resistance to the drow as they felt like they ended up lacking a bit comparatively to the others.

the writeups for the four remaining elf subspecies that i would have from condensing them down would be:
(i also slipped in a couple of other traits from the even more niche setting specific/UA variants)

wood elf
Elven weapon training - proficiency with longsword, shortsword, longbow and shortbow
Fleet of foot - your speed increases to 35ft
Mask of the wild - you can attempt to hide when obscured by foliage, heavy rain, mist or other natural phenomena
Forest magic - you know one cantrip from the druid spell list
Seasons - when you finish a trance you can change your appearance to one of the four descriptions

high elf
Arcane magic - you know one cantrip from the wizard spell list
Incisive sense - you have advantage on investigation and insight checks
Extra language - you know one extra language
Fey step - as a bonus action you can teleport 30ft to an unoccupied space you can see PB times per LR, pick one of the following additional effects when you teleport(DC = 8+PB+INT/WIS/CHA modifier chosen when you pick this species):
-after you fey step you can attempt to charm up to 2 creatures within 10ft of you, they must make a WIS saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute or until they take damage from you or your companions.
-when you fey step 1 creature within 5ft of you before you teleport must make a WIS saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn
-when you use fey step you may touch one willing creature within 5ft of you and teleport them instead of you
-after you use fey step each creature of your choice that you can see within 5ft of you takes fire damage equal to your PB

dark elf
Superior darkvision - your darkvision has a range of 120ft instead of 60ft
Sunlight sensitivity - you have disadvantage on attack rolls and wisdom(perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack or whatever you are trying to percieve is in direct sunlight
Drow weapon training - proficiency with rapiers, shortswords and hand-crossbows
Drow magic - you know a cantrip and an additional spell at 3rd and 5th level respecively, you can cast each of the spells once per long rest at their lowest level, pick one of the following spell lists:
-dancing lights, faerie fire, darkness
-light, sleep, invisibility(self only)
-chill touch, hex, darkness
Necrotic resistance - you have resistance to the necrotic damage type

astral elf
Astral fire - you know one of the following cantrips, dancing lights, light, sacred flame, pick INT/WIS/CHA as your casting stat for it when you pick this species
Astral step - as a bonus action you can teleport 30ft to an unoccupied space that you can see PB times per LR, when you teleport you gain resistance to all damage until the start of your next turn
Astral trance - when you finish a trance gain proficiency in one skill of you choice and one weapon or tool of your choice, you are proficient until you finish your next long rest

I see no reason to remove any of it personally, outside of someone's specific table. Why limit ourselves?

 

[Micah Sweet]

But make them too-thin with sharper features and sharper ears and they look even more goth! And they can mirror feywild elves for symmetry! Who doesn't want tatted, pierced Elves of Dark Shadow? (/sarcasm)

Also, they weren't humans in 3E. They were fey. They are trying to save the oldest lore of monsters (if it is not too toxic) and are merging into later, popular narratives, like the Raven Queen.

I've never understood the popularity of the Raven Queen.

 

[Scribe]

But make them too-thin with sharper features and sharper ears and they look even more goth! And they can mirror feywild elves for symmetry! Who doesn't want tatted, pierced Elves of Dark Shadow? (/sarcasm)

While I understand your use of the /s in this case...

If anyone wants to tell me that hot tattooed goth elves are wrong, I dont want to be right, and I KNOW I'm not alone.

I've never understood the popularity of the Raven Queen.

How so? She seems pretty straightforward.

 

[Micah Sweet]

While I understand your use of the /s in this case...

If anyone wants to tell me that hot tattooed goth elves are wrong, I dont want to be right, and I KNOW I'm not alone.



How so? She seems pretty straightforward.

I didn't get that sort of adoration of the "hot goth" archetype back in the '90s either, at least, not to the huge extent I've seen.

 

[Scribe]

I didn't get that sort of adoration of the "hot goth" archetype back in the '90s either, at least, not to the huge extent I've seen.