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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9286239" data-attributes="member: 58172">It seems possible to simplify the over hundred types of Elves into a single species.The playtest already does this by emphasizing the innate magic, and a choice of spells. The choice of spells are like a language or dialect. Each community tends to share a particular assemblage of spells. However, at the same time, individuals should be able to master different spells instead, thus the player character need not conform to the community expectation.The Elves who inhabit the Astral Plane will tend to find certain spells more useful, the Elves who inhabit the Underdark will tend to find certain other spells more useful, and so on. No community is homogeneous, but there are "prominent" tendencies.The hundred-plus Elves have their abilities all over the place. Some types of Elf are extremely strong with Strength Improvement. Many − but not all − have high Dexterity. A number of Elf types lack Dexterity. Some are tough. Many have high Intelligence, many have high Wisdom, and many have high Charisma. On balance, the Elf species is mainly a "mental race". Because of the hundred-plus Elves, the single Elf species benefits more than any other species from how the player chooses which two Elf abilities to improve. +2 Strength +1 Dexterity makes a typical Grugach member, +2 Intelligence +1 Charisma makes a typical Sun member. And so on. Any ability is possible for an elven community to privilege.The rest is backgrounds. Some communities have more Singers, other communities have more Priestesses. Rather than thinking about which ability to privilege, it is more helpful to think about which skills are more useful to a particular community. For example, the Grugach community will have many who are proficient in Survival, Slight (for traps, pits, and snares), Animal Handling, and Stealth. The High community will have many who are proficient in Arcana, History, Nature, and Athletics (to jump and climb). The Eladrin community will have many who are proficient in Arcana and Persuasion. The abilities that improve are mainly a byproduct of the proficiencies that the individual gains.The only thing that EVERY type of Elf has in common is magic. Double down on the magic flavor. Allow every Elf to cast every spell "innately" without a spell component. This magical affinity is a deep, relevant, and potent flavor.</blockquote>

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