need a more powerful elven race

[Animal]

i want to bring more tolkienish flavour into my next game so i'm looking for a really powerful elf race variant. couldn't find anything good in the books i've got so i'm asking for your advice. any homebrew variants are also welcome. it just needs to represent the tremendous power accumulated by immortal creature during his lifetime, great magical capability, combat prowess and probably a hint of divinity. LA doesn't matter as long as it is not insanely big.
any thoughts?

 

[Archade]

If you are looking at tolkein elves, a game system that did a great treatment of them was Harnmaster, callling them the Sindarin (gray elves).

As I recall, they had the equivalent of bonuses to Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, and Charisma. They had skill bonuses to spot and listen. They healed twice as fast as humans, and were immune to most diseases. They were natural spellcasters, and as well were (aside from the extra teeth and ribs) indistinguishable from humans.

If you can find the Harnmaster rules, you could extrapolate the changes to D&D. Failing that, I'd make them either Celestial or Half-Celestial Elves and call it done.

 

[skelso]

I recommend finding a monster or race with the stats and abilities you want and then just calling them elves. Keeping the new monster's LA and the old elves' appearance, of course.

 

[Sitara]

I recommend you check out the PHBII; the conjurer specialist wizard gets a teleport ability whch Eladrin elves get in 4e.I suggest you give this ability to your elves.

 

[Animal]

If you are looking at tolkein elves, a game system that did a great treatment of them was Harnmaster, callling them the Sindarin (gray elves).

is this a setting or an entire new system? which book to look for?

I'd make them either Celestial or Half-Celestial Elves and call it done.

very good idea, thanks. i'll consider it. i especially like this template to get more powerful with HD growth, so ancient elves would be far more powerful. i might change some of their spell-likes, but overall i like it. btw, how many LA levels can i drop if i remove wings, spell resistance and some other non-elven stuff?

the conjurer specialist wizard gets a teleport ability whch Eladrin elves get in 4e.I suggest you give this ability to your elves.

hmm.. i don't think that giving elves some random broken ability will make for their special feel. by making them more powerful i actually meant raw magical power, inhuman wisdom and knowledge, divinery, etc. not some cheesy tricks like abrupt jaunt.

 

[nittanytbone]

I would second just adding a template.

 

[Goobermunch]

How about using the LeShay from the ELH?

--G

 

[Animal]

what's ELH? if E stands for Eberron - bad luck, i've got no eberron books.

 

[griff_goodbeard]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/leshay.htm

 

[Arkhandus]

Use the LeShay, from the Epic Level Handbook.

Of course, then that means all your elves are epic-level bad-arses right off the bat.....

.....otherwise, just houserule in some benefits. Like, tack on a +2 Level Adjustment to the standard elves, and in exchange, change their ability adjustments to +2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +6 Constitution, +6 Intelligence, +6 Wisdom, and +6 Charisma.