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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 3785970" data-attributes="member: 22424">Okay, right away I hit a problem with this. As far as the mechanical changes, I don't have an issue with the changes they are making. There are several weaknesses in 3.5e, and fixing these means taking a long hard look at the system as a whole. So, things change. Fair enough.Not all the changes are to my taste (e.g. Vancian magic going away), but I wouldn't argue that they are being made for no reason.That said...Okay, case in point: elves.In BD&D (where I came in), elves were effectively a class, said class being a Fighter/Magic-User hybrid. In 2nd Edition (where I progressed), the default elf was what we would typically refer to as a High Elf. They were described as a powerful magical race, and were the only race to be permitted to cast spells in Elven Chain (a huge benefit for their Fighter/Mages). And, of course, in 3rd edition they had the favoured class of Wizard, and the default elf was again the High elf. In 2nd and 3rd Edition, other types of elves existed, but these were not the default as presented in the core.Now, in 4th edition, the default elf has been changed to be what was once a Wood Elf (perhaps a Wild Elf). They are now described as a Ranger race, with what little flavour text has been supplied backing that re-interpretation.Now, what is the rationale for the change? Where is the tangible benefit of making this change? I submit that there is none - a player who only used the 3.x core to run his Elf has just has his character vastly changed, and gains almost nothing from the change. (Indeed, to make the 'same' character in 4e, he may be best served in changing the character's race entirely, to Eladrin.)That's what I mean by "change for change's sake" - unnecessary changes to the rules or (more commonly) the flavour text that change the way things have worked for years, and provide no noticable benefit.</blockquote>

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