Level Up (A5E) Level Up Playtest 1: Elves
- Thread starter Haldrik
- Start date
"Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Trance. Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining conscious. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that became reflexive through years of practice. When you take a long rest, you spend 4 hours in your trance state (instead of sleeping for 6 [?] hours). During the trance you suffer no penalty to Passive Perception. A long rest remains 8 hours for you as normal, and the remainder of the time must be filled only with light activity."
The above organization is a 4e thing.
But I look at the Monster Manual. Do any Fey creatures have Charm resistance? It seems more like an Elf thing, than a Fey thing.
Maybe "Fey Ancestry" or the Fey creature type should instead allow the creature to see into the Feywild Plane, into the Dreaming, as a faint intangible presence in the Material Plane. That seems like something all Fey might be able to do.
Trance is likewise an Elf thing, and relates well to the connection to the Dreaming Fey Plane. Mentioning that the elf remains "conscious" is good, and makes the trait worthwhile. I would also relocate the immunity to sleep, to here. If Trance means the elf is conscious while sleeping, it likewise relates to how the elf is immune to sleep.
Mention Charm resistance separately as an elf heritage trait. And it relates to familiarity with elves wielding charm magic.
Trance. Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining conscious. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that became reflexive through years of practice. When you take a long rest, you spend 4 hours in your trance state (instead of sleeping for 6 [?] hours). During the trance you suffer no penalty to Passive Perception. A long rest remains 8 hours for you as normal, and the remainder of the time must be filled only with light activity."
The above organization is a 4e thing.
But I look at the Monster Manual. Do any Fey creatures have Charm resistance? It seems more like an Elf thing, than a Fey thing.
Maybe "Fey Ancestry" or the Fey creature type should instead allow the creature to see into the Feywild Plane, into the Dreaming, as a faint intangible presence in the Material Plane. That seems like something all Fey might be able to do.
Trance is likewise an Elf thing, and relates well to the connection to the Dreaming Fey Plane. Mentioning that the elf remains "conscious" is good, and makes the trait worthwhile. I would also relocate the immunity to sleep, to here. If Trance means the elf is conscious while sleeping, it likewise relates to how the elf is immune to sleep.
Mention Charm resistance separately as an elf heritage trait. And it relates to familiarity with elves wielding charm magic.
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maceochaid
Adventurer
I favor discussions of the Feywild that focus on "what stories could be told there" rather than "coherent logical sense." The later is important, but only as it informs the former. So I do tend to like the Feywild as stories that seem to come out of Celtic Fairytale esque conventions. While I have taken several courses in Folkloristics and Celtic archeology and history, I never assume my players have, and choose to tell stories that will connect to their schemas rather than my own. So while a plot device hingeing on Norse elves having solar connotations would be VERY interesting to me and i would love to be a player in that game, for a general reference I would prefer this Playtest focus on communicating fairy tale like story elements that connect to a broader audience, so thinking Stardust, Pan's Labyrinth, or 4E's Heroes of the Feywild.
As for other story elements of Elves, I appreciated that in the philosophy of correcting a history of traditionally dark skinned fantasy races more prone to being evil (Orcs, goblins, etc), I think that the Elves are a place to also introduce story elements to say that traditionally light skinned fantasy races are also capable of evil. I think Elven villains are fantastic! Coldly beautiful High-Elven princes indifferent to how their courtly schemes might affect short lived mortals are great elements and will help correct these dichotomies of ugly = evil, beautiful = good. Hellboy, Tad Williams' Memory Sorrow and Thorn, and Celtic mythology definitely have this idea of the perilous fair folk.
As for other story elements of Elves, I appreciated that in the philosophy of correcting a history of traditionally dark skinned fantasy races more prone to being evil (Orcs, goblins, etc), I think that the Elves are a place to also introduce story elements to say that traditionally light skinned fantasy races are also capable of evil. I think Elven villains are fantastic! Coldly beautiful High-Elven princes indifferent to how their courtly schemes might affect short lived mortals are great elements and will help correct these dichotomies of ugly = evil, beautiful = good. Hellboy, Tad Williams' Memory Sorrow and Thorn, and Celtic mythology definitely have this idea of the perilous fair folk.
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Most players that know anything about elves, probably know about the "light elves" of the Norse, who are the solar elves who live in the sky, and are the opposite of the "dark elves" who live underground.
Yeah, when WotC makes all humanoid alignments depend on the individual, every heritage will have a mix of good guys and bad guys, and normal guys.
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All Elf Gifts, for the elf heritage, relate to different kinds of sensitivity and senses.
Elf Gift: Preternatural Awareness senses danger actualizes as:
Prophetic Instincts
• become immune to being surprised.
• add Wisdom to the Initiative roll.
Keen Senses
• proficiency with Perception skill.
This Gift helps the elf character express the concept of personifying "Fate". I like associating the Perception skill with a concept. Immunity to surprise is powerful.
I am unsure how I feel about calling out Wisdom specifically. Is this feature only for elves that optimize around a Wisdom build? Mainly for elf Druids only? Or elf Monks too? When looking at the different kinds of elves, really any mental ability is possible: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Instead of singling out Wisdom, make Prophetic Awareness add the proficiency bonus to the Initiative check.
Elf Gifts
Elves are known for their uncanny perceptiveness, which according to some can even extend to the power to read minds and see the future—although such powers, if they truly exist, are very rare. In addition to the traits found in your elf heritage, select one of the following gifts.
Preternatural Awareness
The conventional senses of elves are thought to be more finely tuned than that of other mortals. Some scholars debate whether it is merely a matter of sensitivity, or if the elvish trance meditation grows their awareness in a way other mortals simply don’t bother to attempt.
Elves with the gift of Preternatural Awareness have the following features:
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Prophetic Instincts. Your ability to detect danger is nearly supernatural. You gain a bonus to Initiative rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you can’t be surprised while conscious (including during your Trance).
Mystic Rapport
Some elves are so attuned to the arcane that they can see magical energy with their eyes, sense the presence of nearby elves, and communicate mentally.
Elves with the gift of Mystic Rapport have the following features:
Arcane Sensitivity. You have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Arcane Empathy. Your sensitivity to the flow of magic lets you speak to the hearts of others. You have a limited ability to communicate telepathically with those within 30 feet of you. Though this grants the target no ability to respond telepathically, they can understand you as long as you share a language with them.
Prescient Vision
Some elves don’t live in the present moment —their spirits shift back and forth in the currents of time. This mystical experience, besides being contemplative, is also useful for predicting the future… But the future always churns like sand in the waves.
Elves with the gift of Prescient Vision have the following feature:
Glance the Future. Your very eyes can see a few moments into the future, and your mind apprehends the divergent possibilities. As a bonus action, roll a d20 and record the result. Before the end of your next turn, when a creature you can see within 60 feet makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to replace their roll with your recorded result.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you take a short or long rest.
Elves are known for their uncanny perceptiveness, which according to some can even extend to the power to read minds and see the future—although such powers, if they truly exist, are very rare. In addition to the traits found in your elf heritage, select one of the following gifts.
Preternatural Awareness
The conventional senses of elves are thought to be more finely tuned than that of other mortals. Some scholars debate whether it is merely a matter of sensitivity, or if the elvish trance meditation grows their awareness in a way other mortals simply don’t bother to attempt.
Elves with the gift of Preternatural Awareness have the following features:
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Prophetic Instincts. Your ability to detect danger is nearly supernatural. You gain a bonus to Initiative rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you can’t be surprised while conscious (including during your Trance).
Mystic Rapport
Some elves are so attuned to the arcane that they can see magical energy with their eyes, sense the presence of nearby elves, and communicate mentally.
Elves with the gift of Mystic Rapport have the following features:
Arcane Sensitivity. You have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Arcane Empathy. Your sensitivity to the flow of magic lets you speak to the hearts of others. You have a limited ability to communicate telepathically with those within 30 feet of you. Though this grants the target no ability to respond telepathically, they can understand you as long as you share a language with them.
Prescient Vision
Some elves don’t live in the present moment —their spirits shift back and forth in the currents of time. This mystical experience, besides being contemplative, is also useful for predicting the future… But the future always churns like sand in the waves.
Elves with the gift of Prescient Vision have the following feature:
Glance the Future. Your very eyes can see a few moments into the future, and your mind apprehends the divergent possibilities. As a bonus action, roll a d20 and record the result. Before the end of your next turn, when a creature you can see within 60 feet makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to replace their roll with your recorded result.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you take a short or long rest.
Elf Gift: Preternatural Awareness senses danger actualizes as:
Prophetic Instincts
• become immune to being surprised.
• add Wisdom to the Initiative roll.
Keen Senses
• proficiency with Perception skill.
This Gift helps the elf character express the concept of personifying "Fate". I like associating the Perception skill with a concept. Immunity to surprise is powerful.
I am unsure how I feel about calling out Wisdom specifically. Is this feature only for elves that optimize around a Wisdom build? Mainly for elf Druids only? Or elf Monks too? When looking at the different kinds of elves, really any mental ability is possible: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Instead of singling out Wisdom, make Prophetic Awareness add the proficiency bonus to the Initiative check.
Wisdom is a good choice because dumping wisdom will hurt when it comes to lots of nasty stuff so it's usually avoided by fighter/barbarian/etc & just gives them an extra excuse to maybe throw in a 12 or whatever there along with investing in +wis gear.
The elf gift, Mystic Rapport, combines two separate concepts, magic detection and mental telepathy. It is important flavor, but seems better to split the concepts to develop each mechanically.
Here I create two new Elf Gifts, "Magic Instinct" and "Mind Play", as suggestions to replace the one playtest gift, Mystic Rapport. Regarding Mind Play, it becomes two-way telepathic communication.
MAGIC INSTINCT
The elven heritage is born of magic, by magic, and for magic. An elf can sense the presence of magic, as a human can see sights or hear sounds.
Innate Magic. You have proficiency with the Arcana skill. You can use your spellcasting ability instead of Intelligence for any Arcana skill use. You can cast any spell you know, that lacks a costly gp component, by means of words only. You yourself are the spellcasting focus.
Faierie. While concentrating, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. You can sense its general direction and distance. If the magic effect or item is in line of sight, you see an aura of soft white light around it.
MIND PLAY
Elven children grow up playing with each others minds, inviting playmates, sensing thoughts, and sharing delightful imaginations.
Delight. You have proficiency with the Persuasion skill, Performance skill, or the Insight skill. You can use your spellcasting ability instead of Charisma for Persuasion and Performance and instead of Wisdom for Insight.
Dreaming Minds. You can communicate telepathically with a willing creature within 30 feet. You can send each other emotionally-charged images and sounds. You and the creature must share a language in common to understand any words.
At level 9, you can communicate this way with anyone that is personally known to you and willing.
Here I create two new Elf Gifts, "Magic Instinct" and "Mind Play", as suggestions to replace the one playtest gift, Mystic Rapport. Regarding Mind Play, it becomes two-way telepathic communication.
MAGIC INSTINCT
The elven heritage is born of magic, by magic, and for magic. An elf can sense the presence of magic, as a human can see sights or hear sounds.
Innate Magic. You have proficiency with the Arcana skill. You can use your spellcasting ability instead of Intelligence for any Arcana skill use. You can cast any spell you know, that lacks a costly gp component, by means of words only. You yourself are the spellcasting focus.
Faierie. While concentrating, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. You can sense its general direction and distance. If the magic effect or item is in line of sight, you see an aura of soft white light around it.
MIND PLAY
Elven children grow up playing with each others minds, inviting playmates, sensing thoughts, and sharing delightful imaginations.
Delight. You have proficiency with the Persuasion skill, Performance skill, or the Insight skill. You can use your spellcasting ability instead of Charisma for Persuasion and Performance and instead of Wisdom for Insight.
Dreaming Minds. You can communicate telepathically with a willing creature within 30 feet. You can send each other emotionally-charged images and sounds. You and the creature must share a language in common to understand any words.
At level 9, you can communicate this way with anyone that is personally known to you and willing.
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Wisdom is great! But not all elves are about high Wisdom. Some are about Intelligence. And some are about Charisma.
The heritage that includes every kind of elf, should be more inclusive.
The elf gift, Prescient Vision, is mechanically powerful but looks balanced. (Per rest, spend bonus action and reaction to replace the d20 roll of one ally or foe.)
I love it.
What I love most about it is how it makes elves mythologically accurate personifications of fate and success.
And balanced too! Well done.
I love it.
What I love most about it is how it makes elves mythologically accurate personifications of fate and success.
And balanced too! Well done.
maceochaid
Adventurer
Polled my players in Discord, they all unanimously assumed Norse elves would have snow powers
I would love to play with your group where you can assume they all have read the Eddas and the Book of Invasions. Seems like I would get along with you all. But I still think you guys might be a little more erudite than you give yourself credit for.
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