D&D (2024) Half Race Appreciation Society: Half Elf most popular race choice in BG3

[Vaalingrade]

Water Breathing is a spell.
Longstrider is a spell.
Darkvision is a spell.

Transmuting biology is magic.

Learning new magic is cultural.

This is just lazy design, not something that really exists in the fiction.


And like most laziness, it causes so many more problems.

 

[Mistwell]

It depends on the spell description of the cantrip. A Waterbreathing cantrip can easily be "always on".

That's what we call "not a cantrip." The game has magic effects which are always on, and they're not spells.

Spells are not always on. They have a duration. And cease working if various conditions are met. And require effort and some form of knowledge to cast, even without components.

WHY are you dying on this hill when none of this is necessary or appropriate to deal with this particular issue?

In a world of magic, culture includes cultures of magic.

Similarly in reallife, in a world of technology, culture includes cultures of technology.

I have no idea if you have kids, but if you do I know you know your baby was not using a cell phone at 6 weeks old. Culture requires a level of maturity to transmit, and we're discussing things which must be innate to function.

Consider genetically modifying an ovum to cure known illnesses. This would be a cultural phenomenon that directly alters biology.

Likewise, implanting a computer chip into the brain. Culture.

I think if this is the sort of analogy needed to justify this means of dealing with the issue, it's time to discard the concept. If sea elves now need to resort to what is analogous to brain implants of a computer chip to exist as sea elves, we've lost track of the setting concept. Because at that point you've made a huge fundamental change to the concept of sea elf which goes way past what's needed or useful for this issue.

 

[Yaarel]

This is just lazy design, not something that really exists in the fiction.


And like most laziness, it causes so many more problems.

The biggest problem is racism. There cannot be "subraces" (or any word that means "subraces") in the 2024 Players Handbook.


So, if waterbreathing elves are important in a setting, they can be a Triton/Elf multispecies or a separate species. Or. Waterbreathing can be cantrip. Or the community might know ritual that creates gills.

Sea Elves wont exist in the 2024 Players Handbook, in any case.

With regard to Darkvision, the Drow Elves can fill their children areas with Dancing Lights and Faerie Fire, until they are old enough to see in the dark. Or. Darkvision can be a cantrip.

 

[Scribe]

The biggest problem is racism. There cannot be "subraces" (or any word that means "subraces") in the 2024 Players Handbook.


So, if waterbreathing elves are important in a setting, they can be a Triton/Elf multispecies or a separate species. Or. Waterbreathing can be cantrip.

Sea Elves wont exist in the 2024 Players Handbook, in any case.

With regard to Darkvision, the Drow Elves can fill their children areas with Dancing Lights and Faerie Fire, until they are old enough to see in the dark. Or. Darkvision can be a cantrip.

You actually do your professed cause a disservice with how you are mistakenly repurposing and misapplying words and concepts.

A Drow child doesnt need Dancing Lights and Faerie Fire. They are born able to see in the dark.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The biggest problem is racism. There cannot be "subraces" (or any word that means "subraces") in the 2024 Players Handbook.

Basically we have some elf types that are clearly cultures and some that are clearly game constructs to put an elf-type being in a new environment.

And also this, IMO absolutely terrible idea that the environmental elves need to keep recasting some kind of magic to exist in that environment because the designers didn't think that far in turning an inherent mutant power into a spell because EVERYTHING needs to be a spell to be magical or fantastic... or biological.

So to me, we make things that are spellcasting into Suggested Cultures and then have a Custom Culture where you pick some Things. Then you have the environmental elves that again, stop being elves. Sea Elf -> Triton already have the one traditional elven trait of self-superiority. Drow are now Just Drow, not Drow eleves. Maybe they still used to be elves, but they're not anymore. And the winged elves can steal the name of the 3.5 failure, the Raptorians and they were never elves.

I'm sure I'm missing some kind of fire elves, because D&D, but I think that's it.

At the very least, I don't want 'environmental adaptations' to be translated to 'cantrips' with all the baggage being a spell in D&D brings with it.

Oh, there you go--make elves biomemetic and give them something like 'environmental adaptation' that gives them darkvision or waterbreath and a swim speed, or a climb speed, or winged flight.

 

[Mistwell]

"At the very least, I don't want 'environmental adaptations' to be translated to 'cantrips' with all the baggage being a spell in D&D brings with it.

Oh, there you go--make elves biomemetic and give them something like 'environmental adaptation' that gives them darkvision or waterbreath and a swim speed, or a climb speed, or winged flight."

This seems a much wiser course then claiming babies are culturally taught waterbreathing cantrips or have a culturally based chip implanted in their brains at birth to survive underwater.

 

[Yaarel]

@Vaalingrade
@Mistwell

Note, in Mordenkainen, the traits for the Sea Elf are identical to the traits of the Triton, namely Swim Speed, Amphibious, Cold Resistance. The Sea Elf might really be an Elf/Triton multispecies. It might not be worth altering the traits of the Elf species because of the special case of the Sea Elf.

In any case, with flavor of "shapechanging adaptation" in mind ...

Looking at the design space of the Playtest Elf. It seems like a choice of "Elven Adaption" might work, each being worth a species feat. (Heh, turns out "adaption" is actually a word, as a variant of adaptation, albeit rare.) This Elven Adaption feature replaces "Darkvision 60 and Perception proficiency".


Elven Adaption
Elves inhabit environs across the multiverse, and many venture into the unknown to bond with new environs there. A child is born with the Adaption to the environment that one of the parents bonds with, but can bond with a different environment later in life. The transmutation is magical, but the form that results is nonmagical and enduring. Each time you level, you can swap your Adaption for a different Adaption instead. You can also use your level-4 feat to gain two Adaptions of your choice.
• Darkvision 120
• Darkvision 60, Perception proficiency
• Walk Speed +5, Climb Speed
• Swim Speed, Amphibious, Darkvision 60
• Resist 2 chosen damage types, immune when it is of a natural environment: Acid, Cold, Fire (=2), Forc, Ltng+Thun, Necr, Pois (=2), Radi
• Telepathy 60, Resist Psychic


Note. The above needs refinement but the approach seems doable.

 

[Vaalingrade]

@Vaalingrade
@Mistwell

Note, in Mordenkainen, the traits for the Sea Elf are identical to the traits of the Triton, namely Swim Speed, Amphibious, Cold Resistance. The Sea Elf might really be an Elf/Triton multispecies. It might not be worth altering the traits of the Elf species because of the special case of the Sea Elf.

Ah, see then you simply delete the sea Elf and then refer to the Triton derisively as the Sea Elf.

Elven Adaption
Elves inhabit environs across the multiverse, and many venture into the unknown to bond with new environs there. A child is born with the Adaption to the environment that one of the parents bonds with, but can bond with a different environment later in life. Each time you level, you can swap your Adaption for a different Adaption instead. You can also use your level-4 feat to gain two Adaptions of your choice.
• Darkvision 120
• Walk Speed +5, Climb Speed
• Swim Speed, Amphibious, Darkvision 60
• Resist 2 chosen damage types, immune when it is of a natural environment: Acid, Cold, Fire (=2), Forc, Ltng+Thun, Necr, Pois (=2), Radi
• Telepathy 60, Resist Psychic


Note. The above needs refinement but the approach seems doable. Notice, the Elf lacks darkvision except the ones that have the Adaption of Darkvision 120, or the Adaption of Swim Speed with Darkvision 60. The Speed can be beefier, since climb is less powerful.

This works. And makes the elf the invasive fungus they were always meant to be.

 

[Yaarel]

Ah, see then you simply delete the sea Elf and then refer to the Triton derisively as the Sea Elf.


This works. And makes the elf the invasive fungus they were always meant to be.

Youre welcome.

 

[Scribe]

Elven Adaption
Elves inhabit environs across the multiverse, and many venture into the unknown to bond with new environs there. A child is born with the Adaption to the environment that one of the parents bonds with, but can bond with a different environment later in life. Each time you level, you can swap your Adaption for a different Adaption instead. You can also use your level-4 feat to gain two Adaptions of your choice.
• Darkvision 120
• Darkvision 60, Perception proficiency
• Walk Speed +5, Climb Speed
• Swim Speed, Amphibious, Darkvision 60
• Resist 2 chosen damage types, immune when it is of a natural environment: Acid, Cold, Fire (=2), Forc, Ltng+Thun, Necr, Pois (=2), Radi
• Telepathy 60, Resist Psychic

Note. The above needs refinement but the approach seems doable.

I think you are getting closer at this point, but the ability to 'adapt' on level in such a manner, isnt something I would incorporate.