D&D 5E (2024) D&D species article

[Clint_L]

I wonder what spells sea elf, astral elf, eladrin and shadar-kai will get?

I resisted the urge to type "be reduced to"

No, you actually didn’t.

 

[Parmandur]

Because they are now OP compared to the 24 elf and no longer conform to the design standards.

They are still on the same balance level as the other Species.

I wouldn't expect updates on MotM options anytime in the next few years.

Crawford specifically addressed this in regards to he Fizban Dragonborn options, that WotC is comfortable with multiple game options to represent the narrative space of the different Species, so they don't think "we need to make these all matxh up".

 

[Minigiant]

I'm tempted to make Half Elf just an elf who gets 2 Proficiency and 1 Expertise in skills of their choice.
A human-elf might choose Perception and Persuasion.
An orc-elf might choose Insight and Intimidation.

Half orc gets 1 weapon mastery with a 2 handed weapon for only 60' darkvision.

might splinter into new thread.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Assuming it’s the same as they got in the playtest, drow still get faerie fire at 3rd and darkness at 5th, wood elves get longstrider at 3rd and pass without trace at 5th, and high elves get detect magic at 3rd and misty step at 5th.

I hope they change from Misty Step, too much stepping on the toes of Eladrin and Shadar Kai.

Also Detect Magic is a ritual, curious how getting ritual magic spells outside of classes work, would High Elves be able to cast it as a ritual at will?

 

[GarrettKP]

I wonder what spells sea elf, astral elf, eladrin and shadar-kai will get?

I resisted the urge to type "be reduced to"

The elf complaints make 0 sense.

In 2014, High Elves got a single cantrip and training in four weapons. In 2024, they keep the cantrip and instead of weapons they basically never used they get two of the best spells in the game (Detect Magic and Misty Step).

In 2014, Wood Elves got the same four weapons and the CHANCE to hide in light cover, not any stealth proficiency or bonus to hiding. Just a chance to try and hide. In 2024, they instead get maybe the best out of combat 2nd level spell (Pass without Trace) that makes hiding even easier for them.

They are just straight better in every way. No one was making use of random race weapon proficiency and no one picked Wood Elf for Mask of the Wild. WotC has taken near useless features and replaced them with powerful and thematic spells that still fill the lineages niche while actually being useful. How is this in any way a bad thing?

 

[the Jester]

They are just straight better in every way. No one was making use of random race weapon proficiency and no one picked Wood Elf for Mask of the Wild.

Someone bemoaned the loss of Mask of the Wild in this very thread. Your opinions are not universal truth.

 

[Charlaquin]

I hope they change from Misty Step, too much stepping on the toes of Eladrin and Shadar Kai.

Misty Step appears to be the fey’s shtick in the revised rules.

Also Detect Magic is a ritual, curious how getting ritual magic spells outside of classes work, would High Elves be able to cast it as a ritual at will?

With 10 extra minutes of casting, sure. All species-granted spells seem to be always-prepared, in addition to being castable without a spell slot a certain number of times per day now.

 

[Clint_L]

Someone bemoaned the loss of Mask of the Wild in this very thread. Your opinions are not universal truth.

No, but I think most would agree that these were clear upgrades. And I don’t think there’s a huge “Mask of the Wild” contingent out there.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I would have liked the Aasimar to have used the Aardlings subraces, er Lineages, but I think WotC made this choice for a complexity more akin to the Sorcerer then the Tieflings and Elves which are closer to front loaded opinions like the Warlock, or Fighter like like Halflings and Dwarves.

 

[Remathilis]

They are still on the same balance level as the other Species.

I wouldn't expect updates on MotM options anytime in the next few years.

Crawford specifically addressed this in regards to he Fizban Dragonborn options, that WotC is comfortable with multiple game options to represent the narrative space of the different Species, so they don't think "we need to make these all matxh up".

So which elf would rather have:

• 60 ft darkvision
• fey ancestry
• 4 hour long rest, immune to sleep spells
• proficiency in one of three wisdom skills
• floating wizard cantrip (LR)
• 3rd level detect magic 1/day
• 5th level misty step 1/day.

OR

• 60 ft darkvision
• fey ancestry
• 4 hour long rest, immune to sleep spells
• proficiency in perception + one floating skill choice (change on LR)
• proficiency in one floating weapon/tool (change on LR)
• light-based cantrip (light, dancing light, sacred flame)
• teleport 30 ft as bonus action (not a spell) prof times per day at level 1.

The latter is significantly more powerful. Two bonus proficiencies that you can change daily, a non-spell teleport that you can use multiple times per day (and combine with spellcasting) is FAR better than detect magic and misty step 1/day (and if you have spell slots, you can use them to cast it again).

Even beyond the obvious power imbalance, the aesthetics no longer make sense. The difference between a high, wood, and drow elf is now the type of innate magic they use. Before, the high elf had some minor magic and skills, wood elves have speed and stealth, and drow had magic and enhanced darkvision. They were distinct. Now they are not. And the other MotM/AAG elves reflect the old paradigm where elves had distinct abilities, not just different spells and aesthetics. I can't see how the two live side-by-side for long.

Honestly, I predict that there will be some new species book sooner rather than later, so they can patch up the species that don't conform to the new design choices. There are a number of species (genasi, shifter, dhampir, warforged) that are going to need some "errata" now that they have changed how species traits and spells changed, and I fully suspect the other elf "subspecies" are going to either be bent to conform to the new elf OR maybe they will be spun off into different species unrelated to elves. (I could see eladrin and shadar-kai both becoming unique fey not connected to the elf species, while Astral and Sea elves becoming spell lists for the base elf).