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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GreenTengu" data-source="post: 7273833" data-attributes="member: 6777454">Well,  it really is this edition that merged dark vision and low light vision. I'm actually considering separating them again... It might be fun to even work in some penalties-- for instance, perhaps Dark Vision races are actually colorblind not just in the dark, but in general... and races with good night vision are vulnerable to bright light (though not as severe as sunlight sensitivity, but if someone tries to blind you with bright light you roll at disadvantage) and maybe both have reduced vision range on sunny days.That way instead of a free boon, it balances out. Part of the problem of the 3rd edition/pathfinder system is that well... almost nothing used low light sensitivity. It was practically an elf-only thing. Any creatures generally used with villains were given dark vision... as were basically all races that came out later.But maybe it could be altered... for instance maybe Orcs and Kobolds have dark vision, but Goblinoids have low-light vision.I think racial alignments are best avoided if possible. But certainly there could be certain flaws, ideals and traits that would be common among a race. It would probably be good if someone could pick from class, race or background when choosing those for their character.It would just take a long time to come up with tables for all of them given just how many races there are. I still have almost half the existing races not done yet.Really?Just look at how every elf tends to be described as attractive, graceful, elegant, regal, etc., how every creature that has amorous intentions for typical PC races has preference for them, how every dragon and every goddess who is meant to be the pinnacle of charm and beauty takes the form of them... the very fact that they are the ONLY creature in D&D that humans are expected to want to sleep with so badly and so often that it is an absolute necessity to include half-breeds in every single edition of D&D. Half-Orcs exist solely to allow for good guy Orc characters, pretty transparently so as no sign of human heritage is ever indicated like it is for the half-elf and they tend to be as mechanically different from a human as an elf or a dwarf (in fact, 4E even disavowed any relation between half-orcs and orcs!) But Half-Elves? Elves are by such a degree meant to be the most attractive, most charming, most desirable of all peoples that there is no second thought that your hero humans get with them and breed like bunnies.Despite the fact that beauty standards and attraction preferences are totally subjective, how there wouldn't even be distinct races of different sizes and shapes unless there was preference for those sizes and shapes among those populations... and yet the elves get treated like the absolute objective standard of attractiveness with even the deities themselves ascribing to this.And while you could argue that one can be beautiful without being charismatic, there is absolutely no doubt that any person who everyone in the world wants to get with is going to have quite an advantage at learning to be charming and charismatic if they put any effort into it. Which means that one would easily expect elves to have an advantage in that department... which doesn't stop one from just dumping that stat anyway and ending up with an elven hero with a charisma of 10.Even those that dislike them pay them special attention and seem to look up to them, albeit with resentment, giving elves an edge when it comes to both diplomacy and intimidation.Really, compared to the scant evidence for them being jittery, wiry, hyper Dexterity race like Halflings or Goblins... there is just vastly more reason see them as the charisma race. I have trouble imagining how one would even go about making a more fully supported concept of a charisma-specialty race. I mean, sure-- once in a while you get a clearly nimble, acrobatic elf... but you get a nimble, acrobatic any race at some point, really... the typical elven warlock/wizard or paladin tends instead to be depicted as anything but that and instead the focus is definitely on giving off this aura of power and privilege and superiority.Even their skill of archery just seems more to suggest that maybe archery should be linked to Wisdom rather than Dexterity since it is probably thanks to their keen eyesight and calm, steady will that they can get accurate shots.</blockquote>

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