New Design article: Elves

[Merlion]

Dunno, but I'd love to play an eladrin paladin/wizard... assuming the new multiclassing rules are viable (which admittedly I have no reason to assume at this juncture).

Holy Astral Deva, someone other than me used the word "juncture"!


Sorry, I'm ok now.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Holy Astral Deva, someone other than me used the word "juncture"!

George H. W. Bush, is that you?

 

[William Ronald]

At the end of the day, to most people, a winged good guy from Heaven is still an angel, no matter what you call it.

I appreciate why Gygax did what he did, but once the word "angel" appeared in the Monster Manual at all, the green and bald should just go. Let them have variable appearances, depending on individuals, but drawing the line at keeping them looking like an old Star Trek alien seems (and has always seemed) an odd artistic choice.

Maybe a good look for them might try to go for a look like Ambassador Kosh on Babylon 5, minus the encounter suit.

Here is a close up of how the Minbari see Vorlons:

The actual appearance is something very alien, which might be a good approach for creatures from other planes.

 

[Shemeska]

Outsider is the only category based on where you live/ where you are born rather than what you are.

Outsider doesn't have anything to do with where you're born. It's entirely about what you are.

A random glabrezu is still a fiend, malignant chaos taken physical form, an outsider. A human randomly born by circumstance in one of the outer planes is still mortal, still entirely human except for being nominally extraplanar and getting that tag. They don't become an outsider because of where they where born.

 

[Shemeska]

The Court of Stars is slumming

Obviously we've still got little to go on, but I can't help but go from the succubi rework, the vanishing erinyes, and now some sort of mortal eladrin related to elves... and feel a growing sense of alienation about the direction 4e is heading. They're in a position to win me back, get me excited, and make me inspired, but it's not looking good on all fronts.

I rather prefer Eladrin as benevolent chaos taken physical form, an exalted celestial reflection of the fey, and as the inspiration that the Seldarine looked to when they created mortal elves.

Of course my players' reactions have been more along the lines of "wtf", so it's going to be a much harder sell for them (and it's ultimately their decision for any edition changes in our campaign, not mine, and they've still got me running 3e rather than 3.5).

 

[jasin]

(Seriously - what's the distinction between "giant" and "humanoid" really? Giants are just Large-size or larger humanoids.)

It was Jack the Giant Killer, not Jack the Humanoid Killer.

 

[Jer]

It was Jack the Giant Killer, not Jack the Humanoid Killer.

Meh - when demons, devils, angels, djinn, efreet, modrons, slaadi, guardinals, rilmani, eladrin, formians, and yugoloths can all be put under a single type of "outsider", I have zero problem with Bugbears and Ogres both being considered "Humanoid". You could just as easily have "Giant" as a subtype of humanoid in the way "goblinoid" is a subtype of humanoid. The only real reason to have a separate "Giant" type is to make the "type as class" system that 3e monsters use work for how giants "should" work in D&D.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It was Jack the Giant Killer, not Jack the Humanoid Killer.

There's no such thing as a giant. Tell me the stat block for a giant. I see fire giant, frost giant, storm giant.... but not just "Giant". Did the guy kill trolls, too?

Can someone be an elf hater? Or can you only be a humanoid hater?

 

[pawsplay]

It was Jack the Giant Killer, not Jack the Humanoid Killer.

In AD&D, giants are all of humanoids, "people," and giants.

 

[pawsplay]

Well, I personally don't really want charm and dominate person to be even more powerful....

In AD&D, both worked on giants as well as many monstrous humanoids.