balanced or not?

[the Jester]

Closer to +1 than to +0.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I'm loathe to vote for anything which benefits elves, but I'd reluctantly concede that elves are probably still balanced at +0 LA without a CON penalty. No way I'd allow it in my game though.

 

[Deset Gled]

I'd charge the full +1 LA for it. When in doubt about an LA, I always think it's best to round up (you gotta pay for coolness factor somehow).

 

[Hussar]

Meh, I don't see it as worth an entire level. What does the -2 to Con really do overall? At worst, it's a 5% drop in Fort saves and 20 hit points over the career of the PC. Loosing the -2 doesn't really make that huge of a difference.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

They'd still be playing catchup to dwarves IMO. Dwarves get a nice +2 vs. magic and poison, not to mention a swanky +4 dodge bonus against giants, +1 to hit against common low level opponents etc.

Basically you get +2 dex, +2 vs. enchantment effects, low light vision and some piddly skill benefits. You get proficiency with some martial weapons, which I guess is marginally cool if you're a level 1 elf wizard who still has a snowball's chance in hell of hitting a monster, but really they dont add up to much. I'd rate that as a tossup between +1 skill point and a bonus feat for most classes.

 

[Shadeydm]

IMC there are two species of elves one which gets +2 to Dex and has favored class ranger, and another which gets +2 Int favored class wizard. Neither has a -2 to Con FWIW. I do not charge an LA for either.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I'm not sure if they would be 'balanced' with most of the core races, but they'd be far, far below any properly designed LA +1 race.

If I were going to do this (which I wouldn't, since the -2 Con fits my view of elves outside of Dark Sun), I'd probably lose the fiddly 4 hour meditation and secret doors abilities.

EDIT: The more I think about it, the more I think this would probably be a good mechanical change. As it stands, elves suck; they're perhaps better than half-elves (although -2 Con hurts more than any other stat) and certainly better than half-orcs, but they're trash next to gnomes, halflings, dwarves and humans. My chief concern would be that, with +2 Dex and free weapon proficiencies, elves would be better than they should be in fighting roles. Perhaps dropping the proficiencies down to familiarity (with the elven thinblade and greatbow, perhaps?), and losing the two fiddly abilities mentioned above.

 

[Mercule]

IMC there are two species of elves one which gets +2 to Dex and has favored class ranger, and another which gets +2 Int favored class wizard. Neither has a -2 to Con FWIW. I do not charge an LA for either.

I keep the CON penalty, but I've done the favored class change, IMC. High elves are rangers, grey elves are wizards.

I like Moog's ideas, too. I may have to tweak my setting a bit.

 

[Shadeydm]

I must admit I am surprised at the high number of folks so far who place such a high balance value on the -2 Con mod.

 

[BASHMAN]

Yes, if you replaced it w/ a -2 STR modifier, or didn't give them a dex bonus. You could also give them a CHA penalty (sure they're pretty, but they may also be jerks).

But if they get +2 Dex and no penalty that is a +1 LA automatically.