New Design article: Elves

[frankthedm]

Elves rely on hard-won intuition and senses tuned to an arrow’s point instead of reason, intellect, or debate

Hmmm, sound like elves are taking an intelligence hit this edition. Maybe also a Charisma hit.

 

[Stone Dog]

Hmmm, sound like elves are taking an intelligence hit this edition. Maybe also a Charisma hit.

Or possibly these things aren't reflected by statistic adjustments at all. They might have a reroll for certain actions instead.

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

Sold!

 

[Szatany]

Are we to assume the Eladrin are no longer the paragon champions of the Chaotic Good ethos, proud planar knights and all that? I do recall some Planescape material hinted that there existed ties between the two, but more akin to the ties between Homo Sapiens and Homo Erectus... a far cry from this "cousin" business.

I'd be really really sad if 4e were to demote Eladrin to simply being an offshoot of mortal elf

How do you know elves are not the offshot of eladrin?

 

[hero4hire]

Hmmm, sound like elves are taking an intelligence hit this edition. Maybe also a Charisma hit.

I always thought it made more sense then Con.

I live out it the forest roughing it but I am sickly. Never made sense to me.

But damn near every elf was a haughty jerk. Even when being nice.....

 

[Kvantum]

Maybe "eladrin" in 4e are going to be something like the Celadrin from Dragon 350. FR Planetouched sun elves, descended from Eladrins.

 

[Elsenrail]

I don't like the idea of Elves loving the nature magic more than arcane magic... Elves love woods but that doesn't mean they're all druids and rangers. I rather like the idea od mages and warriors (more Tolkien-like).

 

[Beckett]

I like. I was already planning on playing up the fey aspect of elves, rather than the ancient magical empires bit.

The eladrin currently in the MM always struck me as celestial elves (I've certainly used the D&D minis as elves more often than I have as eladrin), so it doesn't bother me that they're being treated as that in 4E. I'm interested in seeing them as a core celestial replacement for the aasimar.

 

[Victim]

Yeah, there's no point to a long lived race if they're more vulnerable to injury, sickness, and other forms of hardship and privation. They'll die before getting much use out of their extra years. Of course, the portrayal of elves generally ignored those little problems with their Con penalty - and in fact gave them attributes normally associated with Con bonuses.

 

[WayneLigon]

Very interesting. Especially 'They prefer the magic of the natural world to arcane magic'. That's a pretty major change, and a welcome one. They might get a stat bonus to Wisdom or Charisma than Dexterity.