Half-elves........why no one chooses them?

[Ridley's Cohort]

A +2 on enchantment saves is handy early on but useless by the time, say, mind blank comes along; the human's feat and skill points always stay useful.

Actually I would say the opposite is true. Unless you have 8th level spell slots coming out your ears to burn on Mind Blank (for the whole party?!), enchantments consistently become more and more dangerous as you go up in level.

 

[Wolf72]

I play Half-elves for character concept

ps ... no, I really don't have anything to add to this thread other than a reason for playing half-elves ... I'm more concerned about the 'cool' (to me) factor than the stats/abilities factor.

 

[messy]

i once played a 1/2 elf because i didn't want to play an elf

being a 1/2 elf didn't make her weak.

being multiclassed DID make her weak

messy

 

[Glyfair]

In 2nd edition, half-elves were my favourite race because they had the widest selection of multi-classing options, as well as a few "Half-Elf only" combinations (such as Ranger/Cleric).

I think this has some value. Half-elves are attractive when they have options no one else has (as is any race).

In Eberron half-elves are an attractive race. The background ties them into two of the more influencial Dragonmarked Houses. They are the only race who can gain those dragonmarks. In fact, I've had someone tell me that the most powerful dragonmark is the Mark of Storm (for the ability to use Control Weather once/day at 9th level).

So, there is something attractive to the power-gamers (who want to be able to create a hugely damaging tornado) and the roleplayers (who like the role of being part of an interesting dragonmarked house) in the setting.

 

[GeorgeFields]

Is it just me or am i the only one who thinks half-elves are so underpowered that no one ever plays them unless required to?

The ONLY half-elf I have was updated from 2e. THe ONLY reason I made him then was to be a fighter / cleric / mage.

I can't recall anyone making a half-elf in ANY d20 game I've ever been involved.

I don't know that they're underpowered, maybe just dull?

 

[Particle_Man]

If you do not need versatility and do care about the CON hit, you go half elf.

PS. I often play Dwarves.

So half-elves are inferior to dwarves in the only slot you left open to them.

Maybe that is the problem. There is nothing a half-elf can do that another race can't do better, except "Face man" or "weird multi-class". I could maybe see a half-elf bard or paladin that really focused on the diplomacy angle (since dwarves get a cha penalty, and gnomes don't quite get the diplomacy bonus, I could at least see room for the half-elf there) but except for "corner cases" there is very little room for the half-elf to shine.

 

[Seeten]

I dunno, if I wanna do face, I'll generally go human there, also. The extra skill points let me take ALL THOSE great diplo synergies faster, and there is a good 4 of em. Yes, half-elf makes an ok face, but I'd rather a human face, for more skill points, and...a free feat! Woo hoo!

You know, I feel like I get jumped on sometimes for saying it straight, because the roleplayer crowd gets their back up, but I'd like to play Half-Elves. I like to roleplay as much as I like to powergame, and I would like Half-Elf to be a reasonable race, mechanically.

So, to wit, a proposal.

Half-Elves

All things they have now
+2 to any stat. -2 to any stat.

If you like, they can be to the same stat, thus giving you no modifiers.

Enjoy. A race that isnt at the very low end of the totem pole.

 

[Orius]

I'll have to side with the "what's the point?" crowd. You're half elf, half human, with half the benefits of each race. Unless you're the "Real Roleplayer" type, there's no real point to the race. At least half-orc is good for a strong bruiser of a barbarian that likes to smash things up, but half-elf doesn't really have a niche except loney outcast.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I dunno, if I wanna do face, I'll generally go human there, also. The extra skill points let me take ALL THOSE great diplo synergies faster, and there is a good 4 of em. Yes, half-elf makes an ok face, but I'd rather a human face, for more skill points, and...a free feat! Woo hoo!

You know, I feel like I get jumped on sometimes for saying it straight, because the roleplayer crowd gets their back up, but I'd like to play Half-Elves. I like to roleplay as much as I like to powergame, and I would like Half-Elf to be a reasonable race, mechanically.

So, to wit, a proposal.

Half-Elves

All things they have now
+2 to any stat. -2 to any stat.

If you like, they can be to the same stat, thus giving you no modifiers.

Enjoy. A race that isnt at the very low end of the totem pole.

That ability doesn't make any sense though. Why would a half-elf have +2 Con -2 Dex? If you wanted to recreate the outcast half-elf instead of this unusual loved-by-all 3.5 half-elf, you could take away all the new Cha skill bonuses and make the half-elf +2 Dex -2 Cha (Dex from elven blood, Cha loss from constant persecution -> inferiority). That would be quite appealing without being weird.

 

[Bront]

That ability doesn't make any sense though. Why would a half-elf have +2 Con -2 Dex? If you wanted to recreate the outcast half-elf instead of this unusual loved-by-all 3.5 half-elf, you could take away all the new Cha skill bonuses and make the half-elf +2 Dex -2 Cha (Dex from elven blood, Cha loss from constant persecution -> inferiority). That would be quite appealing without being weird.

That's what Dark Sun did with them (a few other minor tweeks), but that made them unique. Unfortunately, that nixes the one niche they had, being diplomats if you don't give them sometime instead of the bonus on diplomacy.

You could always give them a flat +2 Charisma bonus, from having to learn inner strength from persicution. Maybe cut the Gather info and Diplomacy bonuses in half or remove them. It gives them a bonus to a casting stat (usually not a good thing), but it only helps bards (who could use it), and sorcerers (well, elves are inately magical, so why not?), and Paladins (An class that could use a race that leads towards it). It's generaly useful, but not extremely mechanicaly usefull except to those 3 classes since it only effects skills in most cases.