Has anyone House Ruled the Half-Elf???

[Al'Kelhar]

I nicked the concept of half-elf as a 1st level human character's bonus feat off the boards a few months back, and this is the version which I now use IMC:

"Half-Elf

A half-elf is a human who has taken the following feat as their bonus feat at 1st level.

Half-Elf (Initial)
The blood of elves courses through your veins.
Prerequisites: Human race, character must be 1st level.
Benefits: You gain the following benefits as racial benefits:
- Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects, and a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against Enchantment spells or effects.
- Low-light Vision.
- +1 racial bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.
- Elven blood: Your Humanoid type modifier is (elf). For all special abilities and effects, you are considered to be an elf. For example, you are not affected by a ghoul’s paralysing touch.
- Longevity and fine features: Your starting age and the effect of aging on you are determined by reference to the Half-Elf row on Tables 6-4 and 6-5 on p93 of PH. Your height and weight are determined by reference to the Half-Elf row on Table 6-6 on p93 of PH."

The result is that the character retains the bonus skill points and favoured class of the humna, but gains some substantial racial benefits too. IMHO, one of the more powerful feats available.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[haiiro]

The result is that the character retains the bonus skill points and favoured class of the humna, but gains some substantial racial benefits too. IMHO, one of the more powerful feats available.

This is a very interesting approach, and a neat idea.

This feat is very powerful, though, even as a nascence feat. IMO, the skill bonuses, low-light vision, and sleep immunity (with save bonuses) are each worth a feat on their own. Unless you're angling for something specific, I can't think of too many reasons why a human PC wouldn't take this feat.

 

[Mike Sullivan]

This is a very interesting approach, and a neat idea.

This feat is very powerful, though, even as a nascence feat. IMO, the skill bonuses, low-light vision, and sleep immunity (with save bonuses) are each worth a feat on their own. Unless you're angling for something specific, I can't think of too many reasons why a human PC wouldn't take this feat.

One presumes, then, that you can't think of too many reasons anyone would play a Human if the Half Elf race came with +1 skill point per level?

Just checking...

 

[haiiro]

One presumes, then, that you can't think of too many reasons anyone would play a Human if the Half Elf race came with +1 skill point per level?

Just checking...

Basically, yes. I think PHB half-elves are a bit weaker than either elves or humans (elves get more bonuses/features, humans get slightly better goodies), but that giving them the bonus skill points probably makes them slightly too strong to be balanced.

If you did just give them the bonus points, then the only non-RP reason to play a human would be if you wanted a specific feat as opposed to the pre-selected bonuses -- and the bonuses are better than many feats.

The variant half-elf I posted towards the top of the thread ducks this issue by making other changes (no sleep immunity, favored class: bard, stat shift), but even with those changes I mentioned that I think it might be too powerful.

 

[Maximillian]

I think that the human's feat is its single greatest (no questions asked) benefit. With the huge influx of feats since the inception of 3e, anything interesting you want to do with your character requires feats. Being non-human stifles your growth as a character in comparison. Fighters don't worry so much about this, but any other class will. For this reason, I see no problem, balanc-wise, in giving the skill points to half-elves... I just don't think it suits me for flavor.

 

[maransreth]

Psionics

One way I am houseruling half-elves which noone really seems to have mentioned is to give them a psionic wild talent. Reasoning is the mixture of elven and human blood freakily makes all have some psionic ability.

Of course this is not useable if you don't use psionics, but in our campaigns noone uses psions, etc, but this makes for a nice difference of certain individuals having access to powers that noone else does.

Of course they only get a couple of power points to power the ability. If they roll poorly they get a 0 level power and if really well they get a 2nd level power.

Just something different and thought would throw this bone in to stir the water a bit.

 

[Relic]

racial bonus to skills

Since in my perspective (and my game world) half elves operate on the borders of their parent's culture (elves do not entirely accept them as elven - being "tainted" and humans have difficulty identifing with their elven half), I grant half elves a +2 racial bonus to Sense Motive.

Half elves may not be all giggles and smiles with people but with their upbringing of operating on the outside of their parent culture they have had time to watch and study people. They often see how humans act in one way while elves act another way.

I was also thinking of offering a bonus based on whether the character was raised by elves or by humans. If raised by elves I would grant a +2 racial bonus to diplomacy to represent the need to follow custom and avoid being the center of attention (thus disdain and ridicule). If raised by humans I would grant a +2 racial bonus to Bluff to represent the half-elf's cunning and manipulate to keep from being abused and/or bullied by peers.

I have not done the latter but I think it would be a viable way to differentiate the half elf from humans and elves yet still be a part of both.

 

[MattyHelms]

I've been watching The Fellowship of the Rings recently and began thinking about using half-elves not as strict results of mixed-race parents, but more a hybrid bloodline, like the Aragorn and his line of Numenor.

I haven't even thought of touching any rules yet, just an idea I've been kicking around.

Later,
Matt

 

[DonAdam]

I might switch to the Aelfborn in Dragon 307.

The idea that being part elf and part human makes you insane is just too intriguing.

 

[Pickaxe]

I actually use a point-buy system similar to what was described above. Elven blood is contingent on the character actually buying something inherently elven. I don't have the point distribution at hand, but I recall that extra skill points were the most expensive, followed by the extra feat and the weapon proficiencies.

Regarding the lack of racial modifiers to the personality abilities, I can think of one reason that the rules avoided giving any bonuses to these abilities. A +2 bonus to INT, WIS, or CHA would allow a character to have a 20 in that ability, which would allow the character to have 2 bonus first level spells at first level. Thus, a first level sorcerer could start with 5 first level spells per day, and it would mean an increase of 50% in the first level spell slots of a 1st level druid. Maybe it doesn't seem like much, but it is a significant increase in power at that level. It also gets the character further along the path to getting higher level bonus spells perhaps faster than the rules intended.

A comment on elven weapon proficiencies: There's an irony here. The fact that elves get free proficiencies means that they are more attractive for classes that don't get martial weapons (but that aren't otherwise restricted). Cleric, sorcerer, and wizard are probably the main ones in this category. Druids can't use swords or bows, monks are focused on unarmed combat, and fighters, barbarians, rangers, and paladins already have these weapons, so, for these classes, the weapon proficiencies are basically a wasted power. The irony is that this list of non-benefiting classes includes two rather "elfy" classes (ranger and druid), as well as fighter. Why is the latter ironic? The PHB describes elves as masters of swordplay, which presumably means that the ultimate masters would be elven fighters. Yet, I bet a lot of people don't consider elf as a race for their fighter in part due to the fact that one elven feature (weapon features) gains them nothing. One solution (if you really think elves need any help) is to create a feat for elves that enhances their swordplay, or create exotic elven blades (martial for elves, thanks to the new weapon familiarity) that have some special feature, e.g., increased crit range.

Lastly, I'll just note that the above list of "non-benefiting" classes in terms of elves might be the best candidates for standard half-elves, since they have no weapon proficiencies to lose, yet retain some elven features, along with a smidge of human flexibility. Not that I've met anyone yet who wants to play a half-elf.

--Axe