POLL - What is the general alignment of elves?
- Thread starter Edena_of_Neith
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Dave Blewer
First Post
I voted Chaotic Good, but in my Homebrew world the Elves of Rhandollar tend more towards Lawful Evil - magical experimentation on sentient captives, slavery, xenophobia, they go in for it all...
ForceUser
Explorer
It's a parody of this website, which is itself a parody of something far more sinister than elves...Wolvorine said:
Gothmog
First Post
First, I HATE elves. No other race in D&D is more overused or cliche than elves.
Having said that, I like the medieval versions of legends dealing with the fey and alfar. In legends, they are completely amoral beings who don't care about good, evil, or societal law- they are simply out for themselves and for their kind. They have no problems tormenting, abusing, killing, or otherwise antagonizing other races. The only way they might aid another race is if it strikes their fancy and they find is amusing, or if they stand to profit greatly from the interaction. I have presented elves like this in my homebrew world for the last 10 years, and players are actually scared of them, and hate them with a passion. In fact, a PC paladin lead the party against a band of elves who had been provoking hostilities with humans and destroyed them without a second thought. Maybe he overreacted, but considering the trouble the buggers were making for human society, the paladin was rewarded for protecting innocent lives.
Having said that, I like the medieval versions of legends dealing with the fey and alfar. In legends, they are completely amoral beings who don't care about good, evil, or societal law- they are simply out for themselves and for their kind. They have no problems tormenting, abusing, killing, or otherwise antagonizing other races. The only way they might aid another race is if it strikes their fancy and they find is amusing, or if they stand to profit greatly from the interaction. I have presented elves like this in my homebrew world for the last 10 years, and players are actually scared of them, and hate them with a passion. In fact, a PC paladin lead the party against a band of elves who had been provoking hostilities with humans and destroyed them without a second thought. Maybe he overreacted, but considering the trouble the buggers were making for human society, the paladin was rewarded for protecting innocent lives.
Irda Ranger
First Post
Neutral Good?
I put in Neutral Good, but on reflection it seems like the only "good" things that elves do is oppose "evil" races like Orcs and Kobolds. But that could be chalked up to simple self-preservation.
Good? Where are the charities for Halfling orphans? Where is the sharing of knowledge and peace with the "younger races"? If Elves are so good and powerful, why don't they try to protect or help people more often, rather than walling themselves off in hidden kingdoms all the time?
As for the whole chaotic thing, the elves in the WotC campaign settings seem to be big on large, powerful kingdoms and nation-states, which require a certain "greater good" mentality that chaotics would not be able to maintain for long. I mean, that's how it works for other races.
A race made entirely of chaotics might have a queen or prime minister, but I think that would be largely a ceremonial role. Chaotic Goods would always be charging off, not waiting for the group consensus, to do good deeds and right wrongs. Seen a lot of elven missionaries running around?
When I think of Evermeet, I think of Switzerland in a lot of ways. Or maybe Japan before the British forcibly opened them up. Not necessarily worse than other places to live, but definitely not a nation of all chaotic good beings. You want all chaotics, check of the Abyss or Asgard. I would say that Evermeet/ Qualinesti/ Silvanesti were all Lawful Neutral. Lawful, because they built and maintained a civil society where dissent was limited that lasted for thousands of years, and Neutral, because, well, they didn’t go out of their way to label themselves good. Not a damn soup kitchen in the entire place, just closed doors for outsiders.
Athas: Chaotic Neutral. Our tribe first, no bones about it. In fact though, you could, through deeds, prove that you were out to help the tribe, and earn a place in it. Then, no matter your race, you were your brother. That seems like Chaotic Good to me, just in a very harsh setting where the laws of survival dictated above social niceties. I mean the Inuit of northern Canada used to leave grandparents and sick children alone out on the ice to die. It wasn’t evil, it was necessary. The elves of Evermeet have no such excuse.
Irda Ranger
I put in Neutral Good, but on reflection it seems like the only "good" things that elves do is oppose "evil" races like Orcs and Kobolds. But that could be chalked up to simple self-preservation.
Good? Where are the charities for Halfling orphans? Where is the sharing of knowledge and peace with the "younger races"? If Elves are so good and powerful, why don't they try to protect or help people more often, rather than walling themselves off in hidden kingdoms all the time?
As for the whole chaotic thing, the elves in the WotC campaign settings seem to be big on large, powerful kingdoms and nation-states, which require a certain "greater good" mentality that chaotics would not be able to maintain for long. I mean, that's how it works for other races.
A race made entirely of chaotics might have a queen or prime minister, but I think that would be largely a ceremonial role. Chaotic Goods would always be charging off, not waiting for the group consensus, to do good deeds and right wrongs. Seen a lot of elven missionaries running around?
When I think of Evermeet, I think of Switzerland in a lot of ways. Or maybe Japan before the British forcibly opened them up. Not necessarily worse than other places to live, but definitely not a nation of all chaotic good beings. You want all chaotics, check of the Abyss or Asgard. I would say that Evermeet/ Qualinesti/ Silvanesti were all Lawful Neutral. Lawful, because they built and maintained a civil society where dissent was limited that lasted for thousands of years, and Neutral, because, well, they didn’t go out of their way to label themselves good. Not a damn soup kitchen in the entire place, just closed doors for outsiders.
Athas: Chaotic Neutral. Our tribe first, no bones about it. In fact though, you could, through deeds, prove that you were out to help the tribe, and earn a place in it. Then, no matter your race, you were your brother. That seems like Chaotic Good to me, just in a very harsh setting where the laws of survival dictated above social niceties. I mean the Inuit of northern Canada used to leave grandparents and sick children alone out on the ice to die. It wasn’t evil, it was necessary. The elves of Evermeet have no such excuse.
Irda Ranger
Nine Hands
Explorer
Gothmog said:
That's pretty interesting and partially true. I run a game with a group of all elves and the interparty role playing is excellent. When it comes to other races, they tend to keep at arms length and usually mock them behind thier backs. To an outsider, these elves are elitists, racists, and generally obnoxious. To an elf, they are more couteous, less prone to violence, etc.
I will see how they react when confronted with truly racist and elitist elves, I expect that some will reconsider thier attitudes towards other races.
Edena_of_Neith
First Post
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