Level Up (A5E) Sea Elf question

[Corinnguard]

Sea Elves in 5e are the only Elf subrace that can breathe both air and water. So if they were converted over to A5e, would the ability to breathe both air and water be treated as a Heritage Gift?

 

[xiphumor]

Sea Elves in 5e are the only Elf subrace that can breathe both air and water. So if they were converted over to A5e, would the ability to breathe both air and water be treated as a Heritage Gift?

Probably, although I would add a little more on top of it. Maybe use the recent Waterborn Elementaari gift as a starting point.

 

[Corinnguard]

Probably, although I would add a little more on top of it. Maybe use the recent Waterborn Elementaari gift as a starting point.

Okay. I am going to guess that the Waterborn Elementaari gift will probably involve being able to breathe both air and water, cold resistance and a few water-related spells.

 

[Morrus]

I wouldn't do it that way. Heritage gifts aren't the equivalent of 5E's 'subraces'. They are designed to allow players to have characters of the same heritage which are a bit different to each other, but not so different that they're a different species. Being able to breathe water sounds like an entirely separate heritage to me. And then your sea elves can have a choice of their own heritage gifts--maybe some are really fast swimmers, and others have some innate water power of some kind, or something.

 

[Corinnguard]

Sea elves do share the same commonly held traits found within the Elf Heritage. But would the presence of a single trait not shared by other elves really mean that they have their own heritage?

 

[Morrus]

Sea elves do share the same commonly held traits found within the Elf Heritage.

Do they? There isn’t an A5E sea elf, so I guess they have whatever you decide they have!

But would the presence of a single trait not shared by other elves really mean that they have their own heritage?

Like I said it’s not how I’d do it. Feels far too much like forcing gift to mean ‘subrace’ to me. You can do it any way you wish, of course, if you feel differently. It sounds like you’ve already decided, but I thought I’d offer my opinion since you asked.

 

[xiphumor]

It really depends on how much you want them to be distinct. Personally, I would have had Tieflings, Aasimar, and Elementaari all be distinct heritages, but that's not the way that A5e decided to go, so it's a matter of taste.

 

[xiphumor]

Okay. I am going to guess that the Waterborn Elementaari gift will probably involve being able to breathe both air and water, cold resistance and a few water-related spells.

Just for the record, here's the Waterborn gift. As you can see, swim speed and holding your breath are only a small part of the heritage.

The waterborn planetouched, true to their nature,
often have aquatic features, though these can be
as subtle as bright blue eyes or small patches of
scales to needle-like teeth, prominent fins, and
colorful skin in tones of blue, green, or even those
of tropical fish. You have the following traits:
- Gentle Ministrations. Leveraging water’s
power as a natural healing agent, you can
use an action to touch a willing creature and
restore a number of hit points equal to your
level. Once you use this trait, you must finish a
long rest before doing so again.
- Liquid Undulation. Your fluid movement
grants you an expertise die to resist attempts to
grapple you and to escape grapples.
- Piscine Aspect. You have a swimming speed
of 30 feet and you can hold your breath for up
to 15 minutes at a time.

 

[Corinnguard]

It really depends on how much you want them to be distinct. Personally, I would have had Tieflings, Aasimar, and Elementaari all be distinct heritages, but that's not the way that A5e decided to go, so it's a matter of taste.

What about keeping the Planetouched Heritage, but creating lineages that cover those of Celestial, Fiend and Elemental descent? The Manual of Adventurous Resources (MOAR): Wilderness by Purple Martin Games has a Goblinoid heritage that covers a Goblin lineage, a Hobgoblin lineage and a Bugbear lineage.

Just for the record, here's the Waterborn gift. As you can see, swim speed and holding your breath are only a small part of the heritage.

Interesting.

 

[Corinnguard]

Do they? There isn’t an A5E sea elf, so I guess they have whatever you decide they have!


Like I said it’s not how I’d do it. Feels far too much like forcing gift to mean ‘subrace’ to me. You can do it any way you wish, of course, if you feel differently. It sounds like you’ve already decided, but I thought I’d offer my opinion since you asked.

Give it time. Eventually someone will make an A5e Sea Elf, either officially or thru a homebrew.

This is the Sea Elf from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. I picked this version because it has traits which could form the basis of Sea Elf culture.

• Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

• Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
• Trance. Elves do not sleep. Instead they meditate deeply, remaining semi-conscious, for 4 hours a day. The Common word for this meditation is "trance." While meditating, you dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive after years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit a human would from 8 hours of sleep.
• Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
• Sea Elf Training. You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.
• Child of the Sea. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe air and water.
• Friend of the Sea. Using gestures and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with any beast that has an innate swimming speed.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Elven, and Aquan.

Traits in yellow are those traits that are commonly held by all elves in A5e. Those in green could be used for a possible Sea Elf culture. Child of the Sea is the tricky one. While you could throw any elf into a large body of water and expect to see them swim via a successful Athletics check, only Sea Elves don't need to make a CON check to hold their breath underwater.