Hey I'm back. So I'm working on making a nation of elves and in the RoW read that elves use magic in their everyday lives. I was thinking about having 65% of all elves (including commoners have at least one level of adept or wizard) so would this be balanced in the average game,if not might you advice me on how do you make elves with magic in your campaigns?
Magical elves
- Thread starter rawgt3
- Start date
I would instead go with some kind of innate spell-like abilities. There are several feats that give you minor magic abilities several times a day. Maybe give elves one of these feats (player's/GM's choice which one for any given character). A single bonus feat shouldn't be hard to balance with either some other drawback or maybe removing something elves normally get (like their extra weapon proficiencies).
Hmmm. I might go with the spell-like ability feat. also this maybe off topic, but I had an elf char. once and it occured to me that since he only needed 4 hrs. of "sleep" imagine how much more he could do and learn while the rest of the party was asleep. I talked to the DM about it but he could'nt think of a way to show this extra learning mechanically without being unbalencing so it never happened. Also I just had a thought that since elves live so long, the average elf would be much more skilled than the average human. So would there be a way to show how awesome elves are without making them the only race worth being? Bonus feats,extra skill points,easier multi-classing all too much? Probably, but I'm just thinking out loud. 
DrunkonDuty
he/him
Just in respect to your second point: I agree that Elves should, in theory, be able to accomplish so much more than an average human given the centuries of extra time and the extra 4 hours a day.
In game play the problem is as you mentioned: it makes them unbalanced in regards to other races, especially the shorter lived ones.
What I could see my way to doing as a GM would be allow them to gain skills in non-adventuring related areas. Like cooking, music (although beware of Bards), dance, writing poetry. Everyday things and those things elves are expected to be good at. Possibly they spend a great deal more time on their grooming. Ya don't get to be that pretty day in day out without working at it. Maybe they're just lazy buggers who hang out at the wine shops trying to pick up.
As for those who insist on being go-getting, highly motivated and successful A-type personalities who "wouldn't waste their time writing poetry when they could be perfecting their swordsmanship." Well, I might be convinced to allow this extra training time to stand instead of the needed training between levels (Yes, I still hang onto that old AD&D ruling. But technically a character has to have the XP before the training can be effective.)
Of course what I would actually do for that would be swordsman is roll for extra monster encounters due to the noise. And have th other PCs' sleep disturbed. If that continued I would then start inflicting "fatigued" on the PCs and see how long the elf is allowed to carry on before the rest of the party commit murder. What can I say, I don't like A-type personalities.
In game play the problem is as you mentioned: it makes them unbalanced in regards to other races, especially the shorter lived ones.
What I could see my way to doing as a GM would be allow them to gain skills in non-adventuring related areas. Like cooking, music (although beware of Bards), dance, writing poetry. Everyday things and those things elves are expected to be good at. Possibly they spend a great deal more time on their grooming. Ya don't get to be that pretty day in day out without working at it. Maybe they're just lazy buggers who hang out at the wine shops trying to pick up.
As for those who insist on being go-getting, highly motivated and successful A-type personalities who "wouldn't waste their time writing poetry when they could be perfecting their swordsmanship." Well, I might be convinced to allow this extra training time to stand instead of the needed training between levels (Yes, I still hang onto that old AD&D ruling. But technically a character has to have the XP before the training can be effective.)
Of course what I would actually do for that would be swordsman is roll for extra monster encounters due to the noise. And have th other PCs' sleep disturbed. If that continued I would then start inflicting "fatigued" on the PCs and see how long the elf is allowed to carry on before the rest of the party commit murder. What can I say, I don't like A-type personalities.
pogre
Legend
rawgt3 said:Hmmm. I might go with the spell-like ability feat. also this maybe off topic, but I had an elf char. once and it occured to me that since he only needed 4 hrs. of "sleep" imagine how much more he could do and learn while the rest of the party was asleep. I talked to the DM about it but he could'nt think of a way to show this extra learning mechanically without being unbalencing so it never happened. Also I just had a thought that since elves live so long, the average elf would be much more skilled than the average human. So would there be a way to show how awesome elves are without making them the only race worth being? Bonus feats,extra skill points,easier multi-classing all too much? Probably, but I'm just thinking out loud.
Makes sense on one level, but I have always thought of Elves not considering this kind of skill advancement as important. Their alien minds just do not think in linear terms of advancement the way humans and dwarves do. Elves just take the extra time to enjoy the moment of the beauty of it all, or some such foppery.
Herobizkit
Adventurer
Elves are lazy aristocrats who have nothing but time on their hands. While some dedicate their time and energy to studying swordplay or sorcery, most sit around, breathe the forest air, drink fey wine, and enjoy their free time. In a way, they're more like Bards than Bards are. I see the elves a lot like the ancient Greeks, even if they come from Norse mythology.
This in mind, I fully endorse the innate spell-like abilities. I mean, Drow get 'em, why not the "regular" elves? In fact, if you want elves to be teh awesome, model them after the Drow model, slap on a +2 LA, and voila - they have more skills/abilities/powers than Joe Schmoe human but have taken more time (ie the XP penalty for LA) to do what they do.
This in mind, I fully endorse the innate spell-like abilities. I mean, Drow get 'em, why not the "regular" elves? In fact, if you want elves to be teh awesome, model them after the Drow model, slap on a +2 LA, and voila - they have more skills/abilities/powers than Joe Schmoe human but have taken more time (ie the XP penalty for LA) to do what they do.
jmucchiello
Hero
If you want them to have innate magic why aren't you making them sorcerers or bards? Their innate magic is in their spell book?
Aus_Snow
First Post
Indeed. One of the stranger 'quirks' in 3e, IMO. Well OK, disconnects.jmucchiello said:
I gave my freaky 'magic-addicted' LA+2 (hm, not exactly LA) fey 'Elves' Sorcerer (not core) as a favoured class. Well, one variety of 'Elf'. The other has Ranger, though not the core one. Oh, never mind. So many house rules leading to so many others. . .
Last edited:
Similar Threads
