D&D 5E Jeremy Crawford Discusses Details on Custom Origins

[Helldritch]

Not sure why LOTR elves matter. I mean, yes, elves in D&D are obviously modeled at a high level after them. But it's been several versions since they were actually immortal and had no souls, they've never been as superior as LOTR elves.

But I have the same issue with trying to create LOTR elves or vampires as a D&D race that I do of mapping super heroes to D&D. Some things just don't fit, D&D isn't really designed to model The Hulk who can toss tanks around like frisbees any more than it tries to map the Noldor.

So I don't see why it matters.

It does not. But some seems to think it does. Who cares? To each his own and I don't mind the discussion.

 

[Flamestrike]

Plot armor is so powerful. It can even kill a god. (or make you uncorruptible in the case we're talking).
So find something else. The exception is not the rule.

And as someone said: "There's always an exception. Always."

Yeah, and those powerful elves were the exception.

The Ed!ain (who were men) were noted as being significantly stronger and better at warfare than Elves.

Elves only had an advantage due to immortality. They were attractive (although this is subjective) and graceful, but not noted as being strong, tough, wise or even particularly smart relative to humans.

Their man advantage was immortality giving them centuries or even millennia to work on their craft.

 

[Torquar]

Odd how nobody seems to have an issue with the fact that high elves and gnomes get a bonus to intelligence which kind of implies that all humans are kind of stupid*.

Almost like gnomes are not humans but are a fantasy species (races are specifically called out as separate species in the rules BTW) that does not and cannot exist that happen to look roughly like a human.

*If you agree with the logic that an average of +1 or +2 is a significant difference. I don't.

High Elves get the same +1 bonus to Int that Humans get. Gnomes are a bit smarter of course.

 

[Oofta]

High Elves get the same +1 bonus to Int that Humans get. Gnomes are a bit smarter of course.

Depending on if you use the base human or not, but that still begs the question. Why is it okay for gnomes to get a +2 to intelligence? Every other race is (depending on you POV) fundamentally better than humans at some ability.

Personally I think a minor ability score bump will never make a difference big enough to actually be noticed in play, but if that's the case than there's no reason to change. If it is a big deal then where's the hue and cry about how humans are at a disadvantage and prejudiced against compared to gnomes?

 

[Remathilis]

And as someone said: "There's always an exception. Always."

Except to ability scores modifiers.

 

[Argyle King]

In my head, I'm imagining an incredibly jacked kobold (after a player dumps all the boosts into STR).

Kobnan, the Barbarian (with his massive traps, biceps, and forearms) grovels, cowers, and begs to lull the dragon into a false sense of security. Everybody knows that kobolds, with their P90X and crossfit, are weak and pathetic. Ah-ha! But little does the dragon know that Kobnan recently purchased a black card at Planet Fitness! Kobnan snatches the dragon by the throat, and the dragon is helpless in the mighty grasp of a kobold: Kobnan snaps the creature's neck with his bare hands. As he slings a sack of gold and jewels over his shoulder, Kobnan makes a mental note that tomorrow is leg day.

 

[Helldritch]

Except to ability scores modifiers.

Again wrong. Nothing prevents a DM to change the stat bonuses for one particular character. I have done so on many occasions in my 37 years of DMing. But again, these were not the norm they were, exceptions for the rule of cool. I even once lifted the limitations on levels for a single classed elven fighter (no multiclass, just a plain simple fighter). Anything can be done as long as the players understand that this is an exception.
But when the exception is the norm... there's no point in having an exception does it?

 

[Helldritch]

In my head, I'm imagining an incredibly jacked kobold (after a player dumps all the boosts into STR).

Kobnan, the Barbarian (with his massive traps, biceps, and forearms) grovels, cowers, and begs to lull the dragon into a false sense of security. Everybody knows that kobolds, with their P90X and crossfit are weak and pathetic. Ah-ha! But little does the dragon know that Kobnan recently purchased a black card at Planet Fitness! Kobnan snatches the dragon by the throat, and the dragon is helpless in the mighty grasp of a kobold; Kobnan snaps the creature's neck with his bare hands. As he slings a sack of gold and jewels over his shoulder, Kobnan makes a mental note that tomorrow is leg day.

You Good Sir. Made my day. There's a whole lot of movies about Kobnan in my head now...

 

[Crimson Longinus]

The Ed!ain (who were men) were noted as being significantly stronger and better at warfare than Elves.

Citation needed.

Elves only had an advantage due to immortality. They were attractive (although this is subjective) and graceful, but not noted as being strong, tough, wise or even particularly smart relative to humans.

Tolkien elves are wiser, more graceful, more charming and yes, tougher* than humans. You might argue that they're not physically stronger (but nor are they weaker,) they seem to be smarter though albeit that is a bit hard to gauge. In terms of D&D stats they're simply better, Tolkien's stories just aren't about balanced groups of adventures encountering level appropriate foes so it really doesn't matter.

*Silmarillion: “Men were more frail, more easily slain by weapon or mischance, and less easily healed; subject to sickness and many ills; and they grew old and died.”

 

[Undrave]

Then why are you here? If you don't care, why the fuss?
I care.
Others care the other way.
But if you don't? Care to explain? I am gueninely curious.

Edit: Unless you are just mocking us...

Just surprised the thread is past the 1000 comment at this point. Feels like its going in circle and the rules aren't even out in the wild... shouldn't this discussion just be put on hold until people have tried the rules for a while? I don't think there's anything left to be said.