Are Eladrin the New Gnomes?

[warlockwannabe]

Why are they called halflings? Grey elves are now eladrins.

Halflings, which was always an explicit way to get around the JRRT estate, implies things about the race that haven't been true since 2E.

"But, wait, Whiz, if you don't use the name 'halfling,' because you're not trying to fool anyone that they're getting to play a hobbit, what name would you use? It's not like there's any other small races out there that some folks insist need a makeover!"


Tricksters. It's only worked for pretty much culture in world history. It encompasses illusionists, bards and rogues.

Well, I would point out that only hobbits and those friendly to them actually call them hobbits for the most part. The Term Halfling was thrown about many times in LOTR.

 

[Jack Colby]

The elves are neat, the gnomes always were lame. Certain popular fantasy fiction has different types of elves (so does D&D, even though they never represented it so well before.)

 

[Tuft]

avariel

Oh, yes please!

 

[Lurker37]

If I ever run a game of 4E, 'Halfling' will be a nickname commonly used by other races to refer to the Riverfolk. Few Riverfolk will take it kindly.

To be fair, that's probably not the sort of change you could get away with in this edition, since this is also the first edition to have halflings living on rivers.

And Eladrin work for me as a playable fae race, which I regard as a separate mythological trope to the forest-dwelling elves. ( Yes, elves were an evolution of the same myth, but few players seem to think of them as being fae any more. Their connection to nature has replaced the Sidhe's otherworldiness, so there was room for the fae concept in the Eladrin.)

Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[Hussar]

Y'know, I was reading my Basic D&D book the other day (Mentzer, not Holmes) and the halfling pictures in that book almost always showed halflings as short, thin, curly haired and very buff individuals.

Y'know, pretty much how 4e is depicting them.

4e is so retro.

 

[thewok]

I'm personally upset with how many different types of humans there are in the PHB: humans, half-elves and tieflings.

Do we really need three types of humans?

edit: Guess I'll point out my sarcasm here. I like all the classes in the PHB from what I've seen. Yes, even half-elves. It's really no use complaining about it. Everyone's got their favorites that may or may not have made it in. I personally don't know anyone that ever played a half-orc. And everyone in my group adores gnomes. Reading this forum, I have seen that there are those who are in pretty much the exact opposite boat.

Wizards can't please everyone. I'm glad that they finally officially split the elf race into two parts. It makes more sense now. I never bought the whole "You mages use magic; we elves are a part of it" stuff.

Your favorite race will make it in sometime, I'm sure. It may be in another PHB or in some campaign setting, but the big names in D&D races will most likely be made PC races within the next couple of years. Sure, you'll have to buy another book. But if you didn't, someone else would.

 

[hong]

I could see the argument that three bishie races is two too many.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Eladrin and elves now connote two separate and in many ways completely opposite cultural identities. Eladrin hang out in libraries. Elves hang out in treehouses. Eladrin wear silk and perfume. Elves wear fur and smell like dirt.

How do these constitute different physical races, though? I mean, I guess it's no different from the old "sub-race" trope of earlier editions (which I greatly dislike as well), but it's really just putting a coat of fresh paint on the same situation and calling it something else.

What if an Eladrin decides to live in trees and wear furs? Does he suddenly become an Elf? What if an Elf becomes studious and civilized? Does he become an Eladrin?

It's really silly and it's just semantics.

 

[lutecius]

How do these constitute different physical races, though? I mean, I guess it's no different from the old "sub-race" trope of earlier editions (which I greatly dislike as well), but it's really just putting a coat of fresh paint on the same situation and calling it something else.

I would call it consolidation. High elves have always been on the fence beween the gray and wood elves so that makes one less sub-race.
Sure, that's one more in the phb but at least, each one has its own shtick and I think there are enough elf lovers around to justify the two entries. And the night new elves should be familiar enough to gamers crossing over from WoW.

I'm not sure about the half-elf though. The write up might be good but to me, the race's main appeal has always been the pretty looks and exotic background without being a complete fairy. Now that elves can be tall and sturdy, i'm not sure half-elves are necessary.

What if an Eladrin decides to live in trees and wear furs? Does he suddenly become an Elf? What if an Elf becomes studious and civilized? Does he become an Eladrin?

It's really silly and it's just semantics.

They don't have the same stat bonus and pawahz! The physical differences are minor but it's not like elves have ever been very different from humans. The woodsy elves are sturdier, have darker skins and I don't think they're described as graceful like the eladrin.
What if a gnome starts binging and mining? does he become a dwarf?

Overall it's a good decision even if i don't like the made up name.
The one thing that doesn't work for me is eladrins being more tied to the Feywild than the elves. The descriptions and creatures of the feywild scream woodsy rather than... whatever eladrins scream.