New Elven Favoured Class?

[demiurge1138]

Duskblade. Ranger is a close second.

Demiurge out.

 

[LostSoul]

I like Ranger. The Dex bonus helps, so do the skill bonuses, and the low-light vision. The Con penalty sucks, though. But it sucks for every class, so what are you going to do?

 

[Imruphel]

I haven't voted yet but would go for either ranger or a bladesinger-ed version of the duskblade.

In FR where I would prefer to DM, the favoured class would very much depend on the sub-race.

 

[DragonLancer]

My vote goes for Ranger. Sure, its a cliche but thats how I tend to view elves in D&D.

 

[PieAndDragon]

Ranger.

In most D&D campaigns I seem to run, one usually appears as a PC. Quite often they die quickly, but they do appear in the campaign.

They seem to represent a lot of elven traits. Close to nature, out and about, good with bows, stealthy, friends with animals.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Exactly!


Though I'd honestly vote for Scout if it was basically a magic-less Ranger. Unfortunately it is what it is, and that 'isness' is something I dislike for a variety of reasons.

 

[Kaodi]

Duskblade?

I haven't actually voted yet, because I'm not really sure, though I'm leaning duskblade. The problem is I don't know absolutely how the majority of those classes work, and for some, I can only guess.

I see why ranger is tempting, but elves already have that as a favoured class. They're called wood elves. If you look back at OD&D, when elves apparently were their own class, able to both fight and use magic (of the arcane variety, was it not?), duskblade seems like the obvious choice. And while D&D high elves and their inspiration may not be the same, I don't recall that wearing some nice chainmail stopped the majority of elves from using their magic. Movies aside, Glorfindel was a warrior, and it take more than steel to hold the Nazgul at bay.

 

[Sejs]

Bard.

Nicely sums up the 'I've had time to learn a little bit of everything' flavor that goes with the elven lifespan, and even the whole singing and dancing thing fits.

 

[Aaron L]

Duskblade.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Sorcerer.

Ranger, Scout and Duskblade are not bad choices from a flavor perspective, but if all you're changing is favored class, giving a race that gets weapon proficiencies as a racial perk a favored class that grants those same weapon proficiencies is... not a good idea. Especially since elves don't need a power-down by any stretch of the imagination; -2 Con is just brutal in every 3e D&D game I've ever seen.

Wizard is just... silly, as said above. Elves are supposed to be of above-average intelligence (in Tolkien), but not nearly to the degree they're supposed to be of above-average charisma (in same). In D&D, the beautiful side has always been played up more than the brilliant side, with the possible exception of Dark Sun. What's more, elves are supposed to be inherently magical beings with a touch of the arcane (again, according to FR/Spelljammer/Mystara/BD&D/Greyhawk, and it's not out of character for Dragonlance, either).

D&D elves, despite having a somewhat woodsy flavor, really don't mesh naturally with D&D druids. From a flavor perspective, elves seem more tied to the arcane (fey) side of nature, IMO, except when they outright consider themselves nature's rightful master (creating cities like Myth Drannor, or molding plants to their will to make living ships in Spelljammer). From a mechanical perspective, giving them a favored class that can't use their racial weapons and benefits from only one physical stat - the one elves lose - again, seems like a bad idea.