Holiday Present - The Elf PHB entry

[HeinorNY]

Group Awareness: Is it psionic? Does magic stop it? Does it occur when the elf is unconscious? Does it work through cover? Does it need line of effect, or does it work like a spread? Can the allies use it to find the elf if he is nearby and hidden? How about if he is invisible? When is a newly met creature considered an ally and can gain the benefit?

But it's so simple!
Imagine yourself walking in the woods with a watch dog. Suddenly your dog raises his ears, or stares to some direction, or becomes impatient in some place. That's a +1 bonus to your perception.

 

[med stud]

True... but a long-term nutrition shortage the type you'd see in the middle-ages stunts growth, not the height/weight relation. So if food is scarce in elven-country, they should be shorter, not necessarily so much thinner.

Also, there's still the majority of people living in non-western countries. They are not THAT thin, unless they suffer a more acute famine.

Also note that they've given you the average.. skinny elven maids are goin to weight even less.

Yes but in this case I'm sure it's explained by genetics (or their fantasy equivalent). A healthy elf is that thin, it's just the way it is. There are human races that are on average thinner than other humans (innuits and somalians for example) so that a different species are thin don't bother me at all.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

I can see the rational behind all this. But since it so drastically reduces the chance of failure, the question arises if it is economical to still roll dice at all. Might just do..

Elven Accuracy + Perception: Once per encounter, by using this ability one of you're arrow hits!

.. and get on with the story.


Also, it seems a strange tie to make this racial. Why not include this feat in some archer talent-path for the warrior/ranger/whatever. By tying this so closely to elves, you've just made archers from all other races a whole lot less attractive.

Because one of their design goals was to make certain races attached to certain roles and activities? Elves are often thought of as archers and this rule reinforces that image.

 

[Aloïsius]

True... but a long-term nutrition shortage the type you'd see in the middle-ages stunts growth, not the height/weight relation. So if food is scarce in elven-country, they should be shorter, not necessarily so much thinner.

Also, there's still the majority of people living in non-western countries. They are not THAT thin, unless they suffer a more acute famine.

Also note that they've given you the average.. skinny elven maids are goin to weight even less.

Last year summer, I weighted 63 kg for 1.77 meter. That's 138 pounds for 5,88 feet. And I was not anorexiac at all nor in bad health. So an "alien" race weighting 130 pounds for 6 feet ? I don't have any problems with that, especialy if they have hollow bones or this kind of stuff.

 

[mhensley]

6' tall, 130 pounds?! Anorexia nervosa should also be a 'racial power'.

Just like I've always thought, all elves are really girls-

The average height for a female model is said to be 5’8” while the average weight is supposed to be between 108-125 lbs.

http://www.blurtit.com/q838415.html

 

[delericho]

Because one of their design goals was to make certain races attached to certain roles and activities? Elves are often thought of as archers and this rule reinforces that image.

Actually, that elf write-up says they get to reroll one attack - it doesn't specify that it has to be with a bow, or anything else. So, it doesn't really emphasise their role at all.

 

[Dausuul]

That's the thing, though. You don't know that they don't, yet here you are complaining about them. How about waiting for the rules to come out before you complain about rules which may or may not be badly explained?

I never understand this argument. If the rules come out and they are badly explained, what the heck are we supposed to do about it? If there actually is a problem, and people complain about it now, it might get fixed. If we wait to be sure the problem exists, by the time we know the answer it'll be too late to change it.

 

[HeinorNY]

6' tall, 130 pounds?! Anorexia nervosa should also be a 'racial power'.

I think they are fine.

Removed picture of Victoria's Secret models that we don't really need on the site. ~ Piratecat

Anorexia Nervosa: Once per encounter you dazzle 1d10 opponents for 1d4 rounds because you are so DAMN HOT!!!!

 

[mhensley]

But it's so simple!
Imagine yourself walking in the woods with a watch dog. Suddenly your dog raises his ears, or stares to some direction, or becomes impatient in some place. That's a +1 bonus to your perception.

Nah, when you travel with an elf you get so tired of her gloating about her senses being better than yours that you concentrate harder in an effort to show her up.

 

[catsclaw227]

OK -- I haven't gotten past the top of page four of the thread yet, so if this has been addressed, kindly ignore.

It appears that people are interchanging the term power and feat. Elven Accuracy is a power, not a feat, and maybe racial powers are intended to be slightly weaker than feats acquired through level gain.

As for the perception bonus to allies in a 5 square radius, well, I don't consider 5% statistically insignificant because a "missed by one!" comes up in every session we play. Also, I will likely houserule this to work in non-combat situations as every ally in the scene gains the bonus. If Joe the fighter is in another room talking to the captian, and the rest of the party is listening to the dukes advisor in the study, then Joe won't get the bonus.

So far, I like the class. The 7sq movement gives (from what we can tell) a 1sq move bonus to the race, making tactical movement more interesting. That's something people aren't really talking about yet.

So far, so good.