Eladrin

[Falling Icicle]

Are others liking this change as much as I do?

No. Of all the changes announced for 4e, this is the only one that I absolutely HATE.

 

[Roman]

But it is an obscure fact to keep in mind...

True enough!

 

[cthulhu_duck]

Are others liking this change as much as I do?

No, I don't like the change, and don't understand the reasoning behind it.

I'm also concerned that when we see the 4E books, the Eladrin will feel very much like they've taken the earlier ideas of 'grey elf'/'high elf'/'moon elf'/'sun elf' and simply changed the name ala the rename of demons and devils for 2E.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I'm also concerned that when we see the 4E books, the Eladrin will feel very much like they've taken the earlier ideas of 'grey elf'/'high elf'/'moon elf'/'sun elf' and simply changed the name ala the rename of demons and devils for 2E.

Well, yes and no. I expect that the mechanics of them will probably be similar to the above elves, but it is likely that they change the entire implied story behind elves.

I think the implied setting will say something like, "At first, there were eladrins, they were creatures from the far off planes, Chaotic and Good, free spirits. Some of them decided to visit the mortal realm(or they were kicked out of the celestial planes or...something else). As the millennia passed, these eladrin became less and less like their planes dwelling forefathers. It is also said that a group of them got stranded in a forest, cut off from their brethren and adapted to their new lifestyle very effectively, changing it appearance and becoming more wild. They now have become new creatures, called Elves. Another group of Eladrin tried to live underground and adapted to their environment there as well, their skin turning black and their hair white. They are called Drow."

This solves the problem of Elven subtypes. Instead Elves become an Eladrin subtype, essentially. It turns Drow into an Eladrin subtype as well. However, the story makes them both sound like separate creatures with a common background. I think a lot of people just didn't like the "Elves are better than everyone else" concept that existed before. It was simply a matter of choosing the right type of elf.

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

Neither wikipedia nor dictionary.com cite any pre-D&D references to the word, and unlike angel and archon, it does not appear in the SRD. I'm thinking "no," unless it's a mangled spelling of a pre-existing term or a reference to an obscure fantasy novel.

True, but its association with elves is probably inspired by Tolkien's Eldarin.

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

Warhammer is based FAR MORE on Tolkien and Moorcock DIRECTLY than on D&D.

I agree the chrome is not directly related to the Dungeons and Dragons milieu, but the existence of D&D was definitely the catalyst for Priestly, Graeme, et. al to actually produce a fantasy roleplay game.

 

[Seeten]

[IMaGel]http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4909/bloodelveshc9.th.jpg[/IMagel]
I think i would like it if they would be like Blood elves!

As a D&D fan, and a WoW raider(Blood-elf Rogue) I too would be thrilled, Frank.

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

While the art-quality is pretty damn good what is up with those goofy head features?

The poor fellow must have a horrible time when his handlbar eyebrows get snagged in everything he walks past. And those ginormous ears...

For either of those, it just takes one good tug... and YOWCH!

Both are a serious liability in combat.

 

[Roman]

True, but its association with elves is probably inspired by Tolkien's Eldarin.

That certainly seems to be a plausible theory.

 

[Roman]

Well, it seems that this particular change is by no means unanimously welcomed by the ENWorld community, but on balance appears to be popular.