Origins of the "New" Races

[Mallus]

It is a massive change from anything that has ever existed before in D&D.

But it's not a massive change from folklore.

Where have you EVER come across this concept outside of science fiction?

Replace the science fictional word 'teleport' with the phrase 'momentarily slips the bonds of the mortal world and steps into the Twilight Lands/Faerie/Feywild'.

Really?

Yup. Eladrin represent a change from prior D&D elves, but D&D has more legitimate influences than Tolkien and itself.

 

[diaglo]

?!?!??!!?

I can't see it as doing anything other than fundamentally changing the whole way that a race exists and relates to other races. It is a massive change from anything that has ever existed before in D&D.

I'm astonished that you think this regular teleporting "doesn't significantly affect the concept of the high-arcane elf". Where have you EVER come across this concept outside of science fiction?

Really?

chainmail had faeries.
they got dragged into OD&D.
faeries are elves who don't have contact with humans on a regular basis. and why faeries were a monster (elf) race.
just like gnomes were a monster (dwarf) race.
and hobbits were a monster (halfling) race...

or at least that is the easiest way to explain them after those races got "changed" by further rules and possible lawsuits.

 

[Elphilm]

I'm astonished that you think this regular teleporting "doesn't significantly affect the concept of the high-arcane elf". Where have you EVER come across this concept outside of science fiction?

In Moorcock's Corum books, the Vadhagh (Corum's race) had the ability to move between the planes at will. The effect of this ability is so similar to the Eladrin Fey Step (turning invisible and reappearing again a short distance away) that I'd wager to guess Fey Step was chiefly inspired by the Corum books.

 

[Fifth Element]

chainmail had faeries.
they got dragged into OD&D.

Indeed. IIRC, 'faeries' and 'elves' had precisely the same game stats in Chainmail. The terms were used interchangeably.

 

[Fifth Element]

?!?!??!!?

?!?!?!?!%?!??!?!?!?!?%!?&!?!?!?!?!?#!?!?!?!?!?!?**!?!?@!?!

I'm astonished that you think this regular teleporting "doesn't significantly affect the concept of the high-arcane elf".

Really? You're actually astonished that someone has different thoughts than you?

Where have you EVER come across this concept outside of science fiction?

I guess I'd start with folklore, which is my favourite source of inspiration for D&D.

Really?

Yes, really, or I wouldn't have written it.

Sorry if my answers are a bit snippy, but your post was more than a bit rude.

 

[Allister]

Er, a short range teleport is definitely more influenced by FANTASY than science fiction.

I'm honestly blanking on what scifi races actually have teleportation powers....This seems straight out of fantasy where they talk about races slipping through the threads of reality...

 

[Jhaelen]

I'm astonished that you think this regular teleporting "doesn't significantly affect the concept of the high-arcane elf". Where have you EVER come across this concept outside of science fiction?

Well, in my Darksun 2E campaign. I wouldn't say, though, that the relatively common ability to teleport in some way didn't affect the campaign in a non-significant way

 

[diaglo]

Er, a short range teleport is definitely more influenced by FANTASY than science fiction.

I'm honestly blanking on what scifi races actually have teleportation powers....This seems straight out of fantasy where they talk about races slipping through the threads of reality...

D&D has several examples of this.
it isn't hard to template and add it to elves.

phase spiders (phasing), blink dogs (blinking), unicorns (teleport), dryads (walking into home tree), astral and ethreal or other planeshifters.

dim door even for magic users...

 

[thecasualoblivion]

They even made Dimension Hop in PHBII, which was a 2nd level spell, not to mention Benign Transposition at level 1.

 

[pawsplay]

Much has already been made of the tiefling/World of Warcraft connection. Wowever, what they immediately reminded me of was the Tarterans from Talislanta's Midnight Realm, a race of the fiend-blooded ruled by an aristocracy of necromancers.

Eldadrin are high elves that teleport. Their archetype hearkens back to Corum's folk, but also the more fey and strange elves, after the fashion of Poul Anderon and Patricia McKillip. The teleporting thing seems to come from "fey=teleport."

Dragonborn may or may not have drawn inspiration fro GURPS Fantasy's lizardfolk, a proud, martial folk who once ruled a desert empire brought to its knees by human armies and now often work as mercenaries. In appearance, they look a lot like Dragonlance's draconians, to me.