Unearthed Arcana Four New Elf Subraces in Unearthed Arcana

This month's Unearthed Arcana article gives us four new elf subraces to playtest. "After the positive response to the eladrin a couple of months ago in Unearthed Arcana, we decided to explore four more elf subraces: avariel (winged elves), grugach (the wild elves of Greyhawk), sea elves, and shadar-kai (deathly servants of the Raven Queen)."

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[cbwjm]

My only complaint about the Avariel is my inability to wrap my head around a 30 ft fly speed. 6 miles per hour sounds really slow for anything to fly since 5E doesn’t have a run action; even with 3E run, you’d have a 12 mph fly speed as top and that just seems slow.

The flying races should have some kind of overland flight action for when they don’t need to turn and maneuver.


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That does seem a little slow, you could add an Overland Flight speed adjustment to a game and replace feet with miles when they are not in combat. That would give the Avarial a speed of 30 mph and the Aarkorokrarao an overland flight speed of 50 which is similar to the average flight speed of an eagle (according to wikipedia).

 

[Yaarel]

Dont forget, the Avariel Elf flight can spend an action to ‘Dash’ to a speed of 60, but Xeviats point about this being weirdly slow still stands.

 

[Yaarel]

Correction it's wood elves we all ready have, Gurguch can be Wild Elves in FR, which are actually different from Wood Elves in FR lore.

In D&D 1e, the Grugach Elf is called the ‘Wild Elf’ and has +2 Strength.

(3e is the one that changed this.)

By the way, the name ‘Grugach’ is a Scottish nickname that means ‘fair hair’, ranging from light red hair to blond hair to white hair.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Elves? Really? Like they don't have enough subraces already?

Ugh. Just, ugh. I'm not even going to read this one.

 

[pukunui]

My only complaint about the Avariel is my inability to wrap my head around a 30 ft fly speed.

FWIW: Aarakocra get a 50 foot flying speed, while the winged tiefling also only gets 30 feet.

 

[Marandahir]

To be fair, Shadar-kai were Fey in 3.0's Fiend Folio. 4e's Shadow Humanoid Shadar-kai was cooler, though. Is the idea to merge Shadar-kai with Dusk Elves?

Also, I'm confused, because Volo's Guide to Monsters cannibalized past artwork from both 4e Dark Ones and 4e Shadar-kai in the new 5e creature known as the Darkling. I thought Shadar-kai had been reworked into Darkling Elders, which was disappointing but not entirely off the mark given how the lore for the creature was pretty close to the Fiend Folio version.

 

[SMHWorlds]

Shadar-kai were originally shadow fey, at least way back in 3/3.5. I do realize they were changed for 4e at least for the Realms, but having them be an elven sub race does make a bit of sense, touching back to the 3e version. /shrug.

 

[Parmandur]

So, three months in a row with loads of Planar themed race options: real subtle, WotC.

Interesting that Tieflings and Elves both got to see of new subraces: maybe we'll see that for other core races? Kyrnn Draconians for Dragonborn, other Dwarven varietals? Rogue Modrons to go with the Great March AP...? At any rate, something cosmic this way comes...

 

[Guest 6801328]

In D&D 1e, the Grugach Elf is called the ‘Wild Elf’ and has +2 Strength.

(3e is the one that changed this.)

By the way, the name ‘Grugach’ is a Scottish nickname that means ‘fair hair’, ranging from light red hair to blond hair to white hair.

So is a Grugachnard a fair-haired gaming curmudgeon? (Maybe the +2 strength refers to...uh, how do I put this?..."aroma".)

 

[Parmandur]

Also, is it just me or are WotC very eager to make the Raven Queen a sort of Tim Burton dark fairy queen of some sort...?

I doubt many people much remember the Shadar Kai from 3E or 4E, really, so there is room for retconning if people like the Goth Metal Elves.