D&D General elf definition semantic shenanigans

[Cap'n Kobold]

We are not talking about an individuals capacity for certain intelligences, but an entire species. We are saying that there are groups of people who are born with a higher degree of musical ability or capacity for math as a biological truth of their existence.

That sounds quite logical. Even assuming that these alien species have roughly the same overall processing power as a human, the concept that one species is generally better at distinguishing and visualising audio cues, and another might be better at the thought patterns required for advanced mathematics makes sense. Or maybe most other alien races are tone deaf and it is humans who are generally more musical than the other peoples.

Now, I do not use racial or floating ASIs in my games because I regard them as relatively pointless.
A +2 Str bonus would be less than the difference between real-life male and female humans, let alone the difference between humans and humanoids the size of a six year old child. I'm certainly not going to use a gender-based ability score increase in my magic elf game, so I don't see the need for a racial-based one. And floating ASIs are just an unnecessary complication IMO.

I do get the point about racial ability scores: they're pushing the bell curve of the race compared to other races. But there are still Dex 1 elves and Con 1 dwarves even if the statistical average constitution of the dwarven population is higher than that of the elven population.

It generally behooves the party making the affirmative claim to provide evidence “Wookies are strong enough to tear off a person’s limbs”.

A joking claim (since it seems unlikely that Chewie would actually dismember C3PO) by a known BSer isn’t strong evidence that Wookies can lieterally do that, unless you are also willing to accept that Han’s other ridiculous vlaims are also gospel.

I mean, chewie has torn someone's arm off. That's pretty affirmative.
I believe it was after the conversation in episode IV, so you could argue that Han didn't have that proof at the time. Or you could go with the whole "The books aren't canon" argument.

 

[Yaarel]

Of course in DnD rules its not possible to rip an opponents arms off so thats moot (unless we add a feat that allows it)

It is possible to sever an arm, when the target is at zero hit points.

Generally, zero risks life − and limb.

How Unconsciousness and Death Saves factor in is awkward.

 

[Yaarel]

The different kind of elves in D&D are the result of them living in a given area for centuries. They adapt to their environment.

When a community of Elves enters a new environment, they can anatomically adapt themselves to the environment immediately. They perform a mythal to transform the members of the community.

Once a community adapts to an environment, it tends to remain in place for centuries, even millenniums. An Elf community continues to develop, via future mythals across the centuries, and tends to evolve a unique culture. It is an evolution by choice.

From such an elven community, individual Elves and groups can venture off to found a new community elsewhere.


This instant evolution via a mythal appears to happen in ancient times. Elves of the Feywild explored the other side of a Fey Crossing into the Material Plane. Then a community of Elves immigrated there by performing a mythal to create new enduring Human bodies of flesh and blood for themselves.

These now Material Elves founded the first town to safeguard and regulate the Fey Crossing.

These Material Elves engaged the nearby Human communities. From Humans, the Elves learned to master the martial power source, developing the arcane-martial fusions of Eldritch Knight and Bladesinger combat styles.

Along with other various mythals, and communities at other Fey Crossings, the Elves evolved a unique cultural tradition, the High culture today.


Elves are shapeshifters, innately. 5e sometimes leans into this, especially for (nonmechanical thematic) ambient flavor. Such as becoming groomed and polished for a party or ragged and skeletal for a funeral.

 

[Mecheon]

I mean, chewie has torn someone's arm off. That's pretty affirmative.

He is a mechanic who has to put up with the Falcon's jury-rigged nature, that's just frustration from his day job and not necessarily a Wookie trait

Though, didn't one of the many, many Star Wars RPGs go hard into the EU stuff? I vaguely recall someone poking fun at the fact that battle raging is considered a dark side thing, unless you're a wookie who are apperently the only people able to morally beat the snot through someone

 

[Remathilis]

He is a mechanic who has to put up with the Falcon's jury-rigged nature, that's just frustration from his day job and not necessarily a Wookie trait

Though, didn't one of the many, many Star Wars RPGs go hard into the EU stuff? I vaguely recall someone poking fun at the fact that battle raging is considered a dark side thing, unless you're a wookie who are apperently the only people able to morally beat the snot through someone

When it comes to aliens, Star Wars has only ever treated them as costumes and any attempts at world building with them have been ignored by the next set of movies.

If you watch all 9 main movies, you will notice that aside from certain characters who are aliens (Chewie, Yoda) there are very few alien species that appear from one trilogy to the next. Mon Calamari and Sullustan appear in the OT and ST, wookiees in the PT. but many of the "common" alien species (durros, zabrak, ithorians, etc) appear in one scene or character in one movie and then never again. We STILL have never seen a bothan on screen! How do you construct species lore and abilities out of a guy in a rubber mask standing in the background of a bar/cantina/crime boss layer?

 

[Corinnguard]

When it comes to aliens, Star Wars has only ever treated them as costumes and any attempts at world building with them have been ignored by the next set of movies.

If you watch all 9 main movies, you will notice that aside from certain characters who are aliens (Chewie, Yoda) there are very few alien species that appear from one trilogy to the next. Mon Calamari and Sullustan appear in the OT and ST, wookiees in the PT. but many of the "common" alien species (durros, zabrak, ithorians, etc) appear in one scene or character in one movie and then never again. We STILL have never seen a bothan on screen! How do you construct species lore and abilities out of a guy in a rubber mask standing in the background of a bar/cantina/crime boss layer?

Very carefully? Aside from the various Star Wars movies, there are also the various Star Wars games (both computer and RPG), comic book series, and animated series to help us get an idea on what some (but not all) of these races are like.

 

[Remathilis]

Very carefully? Aside from the various Star Wars movies, there are also the various Star Wars games (both computer and RPG), comic book series, and animated series to help us get an idea on what some (but not all) of these races are like.

Much of that lore is effectively fan fiction though. Much of it came from West End who had to make stuff up for their RPG and it developed into the EU setting Bible until Lucas opted to cherry pick some parts for the prequels and ignore the rest, and eventually Disney made it non canon and didn't replace it. WEG made a lot of guesses that became the backbone of the EU.

I think a good way to think of this if so: Tolkien built a backstory and added a story to show it off. Lucas wrote a story and added just enough background to tell it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Much of that lore is effectively fan fiction though. Much of it came from West End who had to make stuff up for their RPG and it developed into the EU setting Bible until Lucas opted to cherry pick some parts for the prequels and ignore the rest, and eventually Disney made it non canon and didn't replace it. WEG made a lot of guesses that became the backbone of the EU.

I think a good way to think of this if so: Tolkien built a backstory and added a story to show it off. Lucas wrote a story and added just enough background to tell it.

Disney has made a fair amount of canon of their own at this point, including many live action and animated TV series, novels, comics, and games. Does all of that not count for you?

 

[Corinnguard]

I think a good way to think of this if so: Tolkien built a backstory and added a story to show it off. Lucas wrote a story and added just enough background to tell it.

Yeah, and then the fanbase moved in to fill in the gaps (even though they aren't canonical).

 

[Remathilis]

Disney has made a fair amount of canon of their own at this point, including many live action and animated TV series, novels, comics, and games. Does all of that not count for you?

I'm going to be real with you; my love of Star Wars dimmed during the Disney era and I haven't really kept up with the new continuity. Aside from the movies and some of the TV shows, I can't really tell you what is in continuity and what is not. So I stick with the movies as the primary source because it's one of the few things that hasn't changed. If some official source says Wookiees can deadlift 600 lbs and eat nothing but tar for sustenance, that's Disney's right to say that is now true, just like its WotC's to say what is or isn't continuity in their IP.

But the old stuff was a lot of campfire storytelling because Lucas's world building focused more on one family's intergenerational drama and the universe that suffered for it. He was never interested in explaining random cantina alien #34, just make him look cool for background scenes and action figures.