Half-Elf Ideas

[AFGNCAAP]

Correct. Half-elves are allowed to choose from Human, Elf, and Half-Elf racial feats but not the Eladrin ones or the (non-existent as of yet) Drow ones.

Thanks. I was wondering about this. I wonder if they will provide those varieties of half-elves, or even state that the Elves connection to the Prime Material/severance from the Feywild is what enables them to be able to couple with humans & produce offspring (IIRC, unlike the Eladrin who still bear some connection, and the Drow [whom I'm guessing are connected to the Shadowfell]).

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Thanks. I was wondering about this. I wonder if they will provide those varieties of half-elves, or even state that the Elves connection to the Prime Material/severance from the Feywild is what enables them to be able to couple with humans & produce offspring (IIRC, unlike the Eladrin who still bear some connection, and the Drow [whom I'm guessing are connected to the Shadowfell]).

Drow are from the Feywild just like Eladrin and Elves, they simply fled to the Underdark in the World. Their "Fey Humanoids".

 

[pukunui]

I see. Yeah. Very different. Much better.

Cool. To put it even more simply, I was thinking iI would give the half-elf every advantage of being trained in all skills except for the +5. I realize it's not as big a boost as it would be in a 3.5 game but I figure it's probably about the same as a +1 group diplomacy bonus. It also gives that multiclass "dabbler" feel without actually giving them free multiclassing.

EDIT: I didn't realize (until just now) that there is actually a feat in 4e called Jack of All Trades. It gives you a +2 bonus to all untrained skill checks. Maybe Half-elves could get that for free as a bonus feat even if they don't meet the prerequisite (Int 13).

and the Drow [whom I'm guessing are connected to the Shadowfell]).

They're Fey just like the others (they were all once the same people but the drow rebellion instigated by Lolth separated them into three different races). The Shadowfell's poster children are emos ... I mean, shadar-kai.


EDIT: Instead of swapping the elves' +1 group perception for the apparently overpowering +1 Reflex ... how about granting them a bonus to saves or a bonus to a skill check? It seems like racial saving throw bonuses come at +5. What would be good for an elf? Perhaps they could get a +2 bonus to Stealth checks or something?

 

[Destil]

Half Elf [Human]
You are a half-elf, a child of a human and a fey race.

Prerequisite: 1st level only.

Choose one race with the Fey Origin ability (such as Eldrin, Elf or Drow) at character creation. You may select feats from both your parent races.

In place of a bonus at will power, a half elf may choose one of the following: Either gain the encounter power of their fey parent race as a daily power or gain an at will power of any class as an encounter power.

Special: Because being a half-elf is something you are born too, this feat can not be retrained.

 

[pukunui]

Half Elf [Human]
You are a half-elf, a child of a human and a fey race.

Prerequisite: 1st level only.

Choose one race with the Fey Origin ability (such as Eldrin, Elf or Drow) at character creation. You may select feats from both your parent races.

In place of a bonus at will power, a half elf may choose one of the following: Either gain the encounter power of their fey parent race as a daily power or gain an at will power of any class as an encounter power.

Special: Because being a half-elf is something you are born too, this feat can not be retrained.

Hey that's a cool idea. Why not take it a step further and make it a built-in feature of the race instead of a feat? Then you don't need to worry about the "this feat can't be retrained" bit. Just have it replace Dilettante.

 

[Torchlyte]

Cross out "Half-Elf" and write "Numenor," and it will all make sense.

 

[Destil]

Hey that's a cool idea. Why not take it a step further and make it a built-in feature of the race instead of a feat? Then you don't need to worry about the "this feat can't be retrained" bit. Just have it replace Dilettante.

I like elegant solutions. Half-elves work best as subset of one race or another.

Retraining isn't a problem from a mechanical perspective, or even a flavor one (loosing touch with your feywild origins as you spend more time in the material world). The problem is retraining this out, then back in with a new race. And that fix is uglier: 'if you retrain this feat out and then back in, you have to make the same choices.'

The half-elf who inherited his elvish mother's strength-of will, sword-style and left him drawn to the woods inexplicably takes +2 Wis, Elven Accuracy and Nature.

While half-elderin warlord who's father taught her to reshape reality with her mind has +2 int and can occasionally tap into the storms that surge across the feywild for a thunderwave. And knows enugh about Arcana to argue the finer points with the party wizard for hours.


Between the floating +2 bonus and the extra skill human is the most flexible way to model this. This way we actually remove a race instead of adding ... 4 (half gnome!) And if you want other 'Half Elf' exclusive feats, just make this one a prerequisite.

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

 

[Xath]

Moved to House Rules.

 

[pukunui]

I've updated my original post to reflect the new changes I'd like to make to half-elves.

To recap, though:

1) +2 CHA, +2 any one other
2) Half-elf, half-eladrin or (theoretically at least) half-drow. Which one you pick determines what racial feats, in addition to human and half-elf ones, you can take. It also modifies dilettante so you can choose to take your fey parent's racial encounter power instead of a class power.
3) Jack of All Trades or multiclassing feat for free instead of the sucky group diplomacy thing.

 

[pukunui]

EDIT: I changed my mind. I was toying with the idea of letting half-elves choose where to put their two +2 skill bonuses but, after thinking about it some more, I decided that Diplomacy and Insight are all right after all.

That puts me back at square one in terms of what to do about the Group Diplomacy thing. I really don't like it but I feel that something should take its place.