Half-elves........why no one chooses them?
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Oryan77
Adventurer
Two out of 5 of my players are Half-Elves (and I allow 30 other non core races to choose from). Funny thing is they are both female players.
I think they just liked the idea of being an outcast race. It can be nice to have players that pick a race as a concept rather than to powergame.
I think they just liked the idea of being an outcast race. It can be nice to have players that pick a race as a concept rather than to powergame.
Sejs
First Post
Aside from playing in Eberron, where being a half-elf can carry a particular social benefit (namely being part of House Whatchamacallit), I can see two main benefits in playing a half-elf.
You're a social type character (such as a bard or socially focused rogue) and you want to push your Diplomacy and Gather Information skills as much as you can.
You're a sneaky type character and you want Low Light Vision (because stumbling around in the dark when you're supposed to be stealthy is just embarassing), and you want to be able to reasonably blend in with your average urban population.
You're a social type character (such as a bard or socially focused rogue) and you want to push your Diplomacy and Gather Information skills as much as you can.
You're a sneaky type character and you want Low Light Vision (because stumbling around in the dark when you're supposed to be stealthy is just embarassing), and you want to be able to reasonably blend in with your average urban population.
I don't play half-elves, but then again I tend to play humans more than any other race, with the exception of some that strike my fancy (like Kalashtar in Eberron) but I have gamed with several player who almost exclusively play elves or half-elves (about a 50-50 split for the same gamer). Let me rephrase that, I have played 1 half elf but never an elf. That was in 2nd ed where the multiclassing rules pretty much "forced" you to play a non-human if you wanted to multi-class.
They do have some "advantages" as have been pointed out previoulsy:
Low light vision
Interaction skills
Some others:
No ability score adjustments - (which means no downgraded ones too)
Saving throw bonuses to enchantment spells and immunity to sleep spells
Elven blood (helps for certain feats and prestige classes that requires being an elf)
Bonuses to Listen, Search and Spot checks
Favored class - any (just like humans)
So they do have some things going for them.
They do have some "advantages" as have been pointed out previoulsy:
Low light vision
Interaction skills
Some others:
No ability score adjustments - (which means no downgraded ones too)
Saving throw bonuses to enchantment spells and immunity to sleep spells
Elven blood (helps for certain feats and prestige classes that requires being an elf)
Bonuses to Listen, Search and Spot checks
Favored class - any (just like humans)
So they do have some things going for them.
Sound of Azure
Contemplative Soul
"Oryan77
Two out of 5 of my players are Half-Elves "
Wow.... there are real elves in the world!
Two out of 5 of my players are Half-Elves "
Wow.... there are real elves in the world!
Aeric
Explorer
I've played three half-elves in my gaming career, and I enjoyed doing so immensely. It was never about the powers for me; it was about the social stigma, the challenge of living in two worlds at once and not fully belonging to either. Half-elves as the ultimate diplomats makes as much sense to me as gnomes having bard as their favored class (see my icon for more info about that!).
I'd like to play a half-orc sometime for the same reasons.
I'd like to play a half-orc sometime for the same reasons.
Li Shenron
Legend
I've seen people playing half-elves in our games for various reasons: character concept, roleplay ideas, cool factor being the most common.
I have also seen someone choosing half-elf over elf in order to play a multiclass combo (if you eliminate multiclassing penalties and then find that half-elves have not a single advantage, then it's your problem) without completely changing their background to that of a human.
All this in 3.0, without even the extra crumbs that 3.5 tossed to half-elves.
I agree that if you look at the list of racial bonuses, they definitely get less than the other races. But...
1- Many times people don't even use most of their racial bonuses (many dwarves just happen not to ever have a chance to use stonecunning, or to ever fight a giant)
2- Racial bonuses are much less important than class features, and become even less important the higher you go in level
IMHO, many players just like to think in terms of numbers, and because of this they may never want to play a half-elf. Not too bad, since this kind of players anyway roleplay everything in the same way: the very_elaborated "want to get more rich & powerful" character concept, sometimes with a variation like "want to become able to kill the gods" or "want to force the DM to use epic rules".
I have also seen someone choosing half-elf over elf in order to play a multiclass combo (if you eliminate multiclassing penalties and then find that half-elves have not a single advantage, then it's your problem) without completely changing their background to that of a human.
All this in 3.0, without even the extra crumbs that 3.5 tossed to half-elves.
I agree that if you look at the list of racial bonuses, they definitely get less than the other races. But...
1- Many times people don't even use most of their racial bonuses (many dwarves just happen not to ever have a chance to use stonecunning, or to ever fight a giant)
2- Racial bonuses are much less important than class features, and become even less important the higher you go in level
IMHO, many players just like to think in terms of numbers, and because of this they may never want to play a half-elf. Not too bad, since this kind of players anyway roleplay everything in the same way: the very_elaborated "want to get more rich & powerful" character concept, sometimes with a variation like "want to become able to kill the gods" or "want to force the DM to use epic rules".
Li Shenron said:
I've seen this far too often. Well my group "tends" to choose role-playing over power-gaming style of play. So when a player chooses to power-game they stick out (we've had a couple over the years, but they don't game with us anymore).
That is one of my groups do - the other one tends to be more of a split, but they still tend towards power-gaming, albeit some try to role-play it.
GandhitheBFG
First Post
I've played one half elf, ever, and that was in Eberron. Obviously, he was a rogue House Lyrandar sky-pirate.
I wouldn't mind playing a non-dragonmarked half-elf in eberron, either. Even a non-sky pirate (gasp!), since I like the way they're treated as a full race by society.
I don't play them in Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms, since I don't like being treated as a half-breed. The elves pity you, and the humans don't trust you. Too much potential angst for my liking.
I wouldn't mind playing a non-dragonmarked half-elf in eberron, either. Even a non-sky pirate (gasp!), since I like the way they're treated as a full race by society.
I don't play them in Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms, since I don't like being treated as a half-breed. The elves pity you, and the humans don't trust you. Too much potential angst for my liking.
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