Origins of the "New" Races

[Plane Sailing]

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


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


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


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.

My response wasn't rude. I was genuinely surprised.

Yours however is. Please behave somewhat better.

 

[justanobody]

I was genuinely surprised.

I really don't like the idea of defending that person, and thankfully I am only defending his view here.

A highly arcane "elf" isn't much of a stretch to see "porting" around in fiction outside of science fiction. The thing that fiction does do is tell a story rather than allow someone to play through combat, so the porting elf or other creature in a game could be problematic where there is no destined plot.

But it is not uncommon to see things teleport around in fantasy fiction.

Actually I recall sometimes i used to read having creatures that would teleport short distances as a method of travel to augment flight or something else, or just the flight or normal walking type movement was so fast that it appeared as teleporting.

Of course, this could have all been children's books considering how long ago I recall reading them....

As for it happening in a game, it could be quite problematic from the aspect of fighting something that does move so fast you can't see it long enough to get a bearing on it to attack it or defend from it.

Hope this shows that is does happen in fiction, but may not belong in the game for the stated reasons.

Sorry, for butting in here to this heated private dialogue. I will continue to just lurk around this thread as I have been doing from the start. Just hoped to prevent some further argument with a little added info form a third party.

 

[pawsplay]

But it is not uncommon to see things teleport around in fantasy fiction.

I have never heard of an "elf" in fiction teleporting that did not have either tiny insect-like wings or a bad fake Irish accent and a derby.

 

[justanobody]

I have never heard of an "elf" in fiction teleporting that did not have either tiny insect-like wings or a bad fake Irish accent and a derby.

I won't dispute that. As I said they may have been children's books I recall reading about them in.

 

[Oni]

The teleporting doesn't bother me.

It's the weird alien eyes.

 

[Fifth Element]

I have never heard of an "elf" in fiction teleporting that did not have either tiny insect-like wings or a bad fake Irish accent and a derby.

As pointed out before, in Chainmail at least the terms "elf" and "fairy" were interchangeable. As they are in most folklore.

So eladrin are more fey than elves in previous editions? That's pretty clear I think.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I think Fey Step (hell even the ability has it in its name) and the rest of what an Eladrin is like is completely oriented into making it not just another Elf-race. But instead a true Fey-race. I for one am quite happy they went this route instead of just having another Elf race that is more magical then the other.

Fey-folk have such a large mythological/folklore footprint and also such a large fantasy novel footprint that it is really in a way silly that they have been somewhat left to the side when it comes to D&D. It is nice to see a PHB race be oriented around the Fey and to have built right into the core-setting a Fey-realm.

As just an aside back to some of the old stuff mentioned in the thread. For the Tiefling, I think they decided to just go with the base Tiefling appearance, which has been horns + tail. Unfortunately they made them much too exaggerated in my eyes.

 

[Intrope]

It's worth noting that there was a devil-people race (more or less) all the way back in the Immortals set as well, called Diabolus. Don't know if this had any influence on Tieflings, though.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

For me, the teleport-thingy represents the human fear of faeries - that they can simply appear out of nowhere, and take what they want. THAT is what creeped people out in times past: You´d never know when one would appaear, and your stoutest walls and strongest doors were useless against them.
It´s entirely appropriate.

 

[rounser]

It´s entirely appropriate.

Except as a core race for PCs. For monsters, it's fine. But then, I don't expect many to understand the distinction.