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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 7144594" data-attributes="member: 58172">At the moment, I am mulling a new homebrew setting.Regarding elves, in recent settings, I tweaked the 4e-inspired triad. (Either I was the DM, or the DM was favorable.)• High Elf (Eladrin): Cha, plus Int or Dex.• Wood Elf (Elf): Dex, plus Wis or Str.• Dark Elf (Drow): Dex, plus Cha or Wis.Personally, I associate the Elf archetype with the following abilities, in decreasing order of prominence.Charisma − charm is the quintessence of reallife accounts of Elf (Norse Alfr, Scot Sith, English Aelf, French Faie, etc.); supernatural beauty (Norse Alfr is sky-spirits associating with sunrays, complete with a gentle solar aura; in the north, the sun is warm, gentle, and lifegiving, as opposed to in the south, where the sun is hot, fiery, and scorching); inspiring fear and fascination; innately magic, the Elf is a personification of the concept of magic (in Middle English, the word ‘fairie’ means ‘magic’, with word ‘magic’ coming later to avoid confusion with a specific kind of magical creature) (Norse Alfr especially associates with Seiðr mind-influencing magic); songsters, poets.Intelligence − magic item creators, personification of skillfulness, and technology, advisors, scholars (Norse Skald, Celtic Bard).Wisdom − prophets, oracles, discerners of real motives, enforcement of poetic justice, and reliable advisors (Shakespeare Fairy are childlike land-spirits, personifying natural fertility, whence nature and fate).Strength − warriors (Scot Sith are known as spirits with ridiculous superhuman Strength).Dexterity − magic item artisanry and craftsmanship; no archery (Norse Alfr associate with sword and spear, and have moreorless nothing to do with archery). However, English archery (English Aelf associates with ‘Aelfshot’, where invisible magic arrows cause seizures and muscle spasms, and Stone Age stone blades were sometimes attributed to the remains of magical elven arrowheads); D&D Elf Dexterity is a Tolkienism, deriving from scenes of Legolas and a troop of Elven archers; the Shakespeare Fairy is known for dancing.Constitution − long lifespans, source of healing, disease resistant, and tough.Looking again at my list, I clearly perceive the Elf archetype as a ‘mental race’.If I had my way totally, the Elf abilities would simply be: Charisma +2, and any other ability +1. This makes enough sense in light of the Half Elf Charisma +2 and two other abilities +1. The problem is, Dex is a D&D-ism that is popular enough. So, I want to make room for it.Maybe a coherent compromise can be: Elf with strong ties to the magical Elf homeworld (Feywild, Alfheimr, etcetera):Your Charisma ability score increases by 2, and one other ability score increases by 1.Elf with strong ties to the mundane Human homeworld (Tolkien, Greyhawk):Your Dexterity ability score increases by 2, and one other ability score increases by 1.When creating your Elf character, decide whether the Elf is more otherworldly or more mundane.</blockquote>

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