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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Keldryn" data-source="post: 5912456" data-attributes="member: 11999">I would hate to lose the flavor of elves having a knack for magic-use simply because of how the mechanics of the game have evolved.  The woodsy spellcasters who are talented archers and swordsmen is true to the source material which inspired elves in D&D in the first place.  Yeah, it's pretty much a direct conversion from AD&D:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">90% resistance to sleep and charm spells and effects</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">infravision to 60'</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+1 on "to hit" rolls with long swords, short swords, long bows, and short bows</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">3 in 6 chance to find a concealed door or 2 in 6 chance to find a secret door when actively looking for them.  1 in 6 chance to notice a concealed door when merely passing by</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">if not in metal armor and either alone or accompanied by elves or halflings not in metal armor, can move so silently as to surprise opponents with a 4 in 6 chance (this is the only one that didn't get translated into 3e in some form)</li> </ul>As with a number of other aspects of the game (particularly around the checks and balances on spellcasting), the designers seem to have not thought through all of the ramifications of the changes to the core of the game.Yes, it ends up being that way in 3e.  The game mechanics in pre-3e D&D reinforced the magical aptitude of elves by allowing them to be magic-users when non-human races generally could not be and by allowing them to mix spellcasting with swordplay and/or thievery very effectively (in 1e, elven and half-elven fighter/magic-users could cast spells in full armor with no penalties).  The nature of the XP tables meant that a fighter/magic-user would generally be 1 level in each class behind the rest of the party.  That's what really made elves special as wizards.  3e took that away by giving those abilities to everyone else and didn't give them anything to replace it (other than the lame Favored Class that a lot of people seem to ignore anyway).Thinking about it this way, I like the idea of making elves better at effectively combing swordplay, archery, and magic use as opposed to simply making them better wizards.  Rather than trying to make Wizard an attractive option for elves, make a Fighter/Wizard the attractive option.  It reinforces the archetype and helps get away from the "race X makes the optimal class Y" stuff that has crept into the game.</blockquote>

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