D&D 5E Elves, Elves, Elves, Elves, ... Elves, Elves, Elves, Elves, ...

[Mistwell]

All Elves should have +2 Dex, +1 something else. None of that +2 Charisma silliness.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

This is why Racial bonuses to Abilities are a bad idea. People feel the need to have a Subrace for every possible combination of Ability bonuses somebody could want. It also influences players to pick a Race/Subrace specifically for it's mechanical benefits.

I think a better solution would be to offer a list of Racial Feats instead straight up Ability bonuses. For example, since Elves ar more graceful than Humans they could have a Feat that gives them Advantage on Acrobatics rolls. Of course, an Elf would get more than just that, but that is better than giving them a large bonus to the most powerful Ability a character can have.

I think all of the major Races could benefit from such an approach.

This is an interesting idea. So would you perhaps just allow all races to take a floating +2, +1? It would certainly allow more class/race combinations with non-traditional builds. Subraces would then focus more on the narrative or interesting abilities.

 

[jasper]

All Elves should have +2 Dex, +1 something else. None of that +2 Charisma silliness.

no no no. Since they are so long lived they have a hard time educumcation them thar shelves. So the player gets to choose a +1 to one stat.
beware the shelf elfs they steal cookies and narc on you to Santa.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Or get rid of racial ability modifiers entirely. That'd fix it.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[steeldragons]

I'd say making the generic/flexible "Elf" race would/should be the same as making just about any other race.

I have a framework..."template," I guess...that I use for races in my homebrew game setting/system. It should be simple enough to tweak for use in 5e with the addition of some "weapon proficiencies."

RACE
Abilities: +1 to ability A and +1 to ability B. -2 to ability C. Racial [natural/without magic] maximums may be 1) 19 in A and B or 2) A or B, and [in all cases, natural/no-magic] 16 in C.

Size. Movement Rate.

Special/Non-human Senses: typically twilight or dark vision, but also such elements as a [ye olde] dwarf's Stonecraft abilities or gnomes being able to sense gemstones (I make that a reason for the big noses. Gnomes in my world can, literally, smell precious and semi-precious gemstones, even through rock to a certain distance).

Then 2 or 3 special features.
Special Feature 1: typically a "Resistance/Resilience" thing as far as 5e would be concerned, save bonus against something.
Special Feature 2: typically something movement related
Special Feature 3: typically something cultural.

Languages: typically (though not always) Racial tongue, Common, +1 other.

So, all together, the race has 4 or 5 traits. In the case of using it for 5e, I guess it would be 5 since we would make that cultural #3 the weapon proficiencies.

For "subraces" you'd just have to mix and match/swap out a feature or two to alter the racial flavor to what you want.

My homebrew PC [high] elves look something like this:

[Steeldragon's World of Orea, "High" elves for use as PCs...tweaked for 5e]
ELF
Abilities: +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Intelligence, -2 Constitution.
An elf can have a maximum natural ability score of 19 in both Dexterity and Intelligence. They may not, naturally, have a Constitution greater than 16.
Size: Medium.
Mv. 30'
Elvin Senses:

• Superior Twilight Vision: You see in darkness as if dim light and dim light as if full light to a distance of 60'. If beneath moon or starlight you can discern color and detail out to a distance of 1 mile.
• Enhanced Awareness: Elves possess sight, hearing, and tactile senses far superior to humans. An elf adds +2 to all Perception and Search/Investigation rolls.

Fae Heritage: Elves are +4 to rolls to save against enchantment magics.
Sure-Footed: Once per day per level, [not how 5e works, I know. That's my system, you'd have to work out some other thing. "Once per Short rest" maybe?] your character can reroll a failed saving throw or ability check dependent on balance (Dexterity) or against effects or circumstances that would inhibit movement (deep snow, narrow ledges, the Entangle spell, etc...).
Starblood Ancestry (again, this is elves in my world): The Miralostae elf's immortal origins, however faded, still grant them the following benefits:

• You are immune to the paralyzing touch of ghouls.
• Elves can't be put to sleep by magical means.
• You are unhindered by natural temperatures from -10 to 110 F, magical heat or cold effects you normally.

Languages: Elfin, Common, Sylvan (in my system, + a maximum number of additional languages equal to your Int. modifier. These may be chosen at character creation or accumulated as you advance. Player's choice.)

For 5e, I suppose I would shift the no magic sleep to the Fae Heritage, as the PHB already has it and remove the other "Starblood" elements to use that slot for the sword and bow Weapon Proficiencies.

For wood elves, maybe, I swap out Common for "Woodland animals," make the reclusive Sylvan Elves learn Common separately. I think I'd remove the Fae Heritage or maybe just lessen it to a +2 (like my half-elves receive). Sure-footed stays, for sure. +1 Dex., +1 Con., 19 natural max's in both/either; -2 Int., 16 natural max.

That'd be it, I guess. Unless i wanted to switch the prof's to spears and bows, instead of swords.

If I want sea elves, instead of "Starblooded" I'd give them "Aquatic Anatomy" which would include water breathing and swim speed, maybe enhance their AC slightly (thick skin for depth pressures). Alter their senses (-Enhanced Awareness) to include some kind of underwater sonar, feel/sense currents and tides, direction sense thing.

And so on and so forth for whatever flavor of elf you want.

 

[Aldarc]

With that sort of homebrew elf, wouldn't it just be easier to play 3rd Edition (or earlier)?

 

[steeldragons]

With that sort of homebrew elf, wouldn't it just be easier to play 3rd Edition (or earlier)?

"Easier?" I don't see why.

I never played (and don't like from what I've seen) 3rd edition. My homebrew system is very OSR leaning, so elements of 1e and 2e (and sometimes BECM pokes through ) are definitely present.

Seems fairly consistent with what 5e already uses. All of 5e's races are, essentially, 1) Some kind of special vision, 2) one or two other things, 3) languages, 4) weapon prof's. Nearly all of them.

 

[Li Shenron]

Make the Elf race HIGHLY customizable. Let the player build whatever kind of Elf the player wants.

I don't need it and I don't like it...

In 5e all the character stuff comes with attached narrative. If you make a "do-it-yourself" race that works like a toolbox, then there is no narrative. It sells only to players who are interested in a one-sided game of mechanics and numbers. What WotC wants is to create stuff that can have a place in the world, not toolboxes.

But then also, why stopping at Elf? Why not just have one toolbox race which allows you to cherrypick everything? This is not typical D&D, but can be done of course. On the other hand, you already have a couple of options in disguise in the PHB: the human, and variant human. If you want to create a "customizable elf", you can already play a human and add pointy ears.

If we had a toolbox elf, we'd have probably as many different elves as players, each with its own narrative. Individually, each elf character actually already is different in mechanics and narratives from the others. There's nothing stopping you to build a high-strength low-dexterity elf with an unlikely class and character options. There is really no need for an option with +2 in any score, that +2 means nothing beyond a lower tag price than usual perhaps, but it doesn't give you anything that you couldn't have in other ways.

By having fully detailed races, you can say "in the current world there are wild elves and sea elves", and that already tells something special about your fantasy world. Or you could have a toolbox and say "in the current world there is elves that... are whatever you want them to be". But maybe not even everything, because you're still bound by the toolbox.

 

[Mercule]

Or get rid of racial ability modifiers entirely. That'd fix it.

I've pretty much gotten to this point. Many games don't hardwire modifiers, anymore.

IMO, it's a hold-over from rolling dice for stats. That's about the only way to promote racial archetypes/stereotypes with random generation. When you're doing point buy, it doesn't matter -- and is actually counter to the balance implied by point buy.

If you want to play to type, then a 16 dexterity is worth just as much as an elf as a human. If you want to play against type (buff elf warrior) then then why penalize you twice for a 16 strength (if there was a penalty)? The table can decide how much they care about enforcing the racial stereotypes in PCs.