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

[CreamCloud0]

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

partly to save space in the books from having both 'sea elf' and 'triton', and partly to let other unique species fill those niches

 

[Remathilis]

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 will never understand that urge D&D players have in contracting all their options down into a handful of them. If D&D players opened a restaurant, they would have one sandwich they call "sandwich" which you could customize to be a hot dog, taco, BLT, hamburger, grilled cheese or pizza pocket.

 

[Scribe]

partly to save space in the books from having both 'sea elf' and 'triton', and partly to let other unique species fill those niches

There is an argument to be made here, but the templating can just be improved, in some cases dramatically. I remember (clearly as I still think about it) being unreasonably annoyed with how they wrote up the Dragonborn update in Fizban's. It was just vulgar in how poorly the space was used.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

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 mean... I get it. I really do. I'm a Lockwood fan.

But it doesn't have to be elves.

 

[TwoSix]

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

The Raven Queen is the D&D fictional representation of the primordial wellspring from which Lydia Deetz, Morticia and Wednesday Addams, Evanescence, and Balenciaga fashion are borne. What's not to like?

 

[Scribe]

I mean... I get it. I really do. I'm a Lockwood fan.

But it doesn't have to be elves.

View attachment 295448

Oh of course. The Shadar-Kai COULD have been human goths, but as you noted there was an opportunity to reflect the duality between Shadowfell and Feywild, AND a throw back to 3e Fey, so..there we go.

The 'hot goth' can be applied to any species, probably, but there is a reason people expect it in the Elf/Human/Half-Elf/Tiefling/(Aasimar?) side of the house.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I mean... I get it. I really do. I'm a Lockwood fan.

But it doesn't have to be elves.

View attachment 295448

When she gets mad and breaks your entire City of Brass.

 

[Yaarel]

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

If these are the same species, what are the stats for an Elf whose parents come from Wood and Astral?

 

[CreamCloud0]

If these are the same species, what are the stats for an Elf whose parents come from Wood and Astral?

there isn't even worthwhile official rules for mechanically creating cross-species characters, so i'm not going to bother starting this needless tangent again when it only just ended

 

[Micah Sweet]

partly to save space in the books from having both 'sea elf' and 'triton', and partly to let other unique species fill those niches

I see no reason to remove material from the game because of "niche-filling". Pick the one you want to use in your game if that's an issue for you, or choose one if you're writing a setting book. If you run short of page count, write more books!