D&D General So how do Half-Elfs feel different to Elfs?

[MGibster]

The carcination phenomenon (animals convergently evolving crablike body plans) is a bit overstated in pop science media. Like, it’s definitely a thing, but mostly among animals that aren’t too distantly related to crabs and face similar environmental pressures. There are a lot of similar examples of convergent evolution that for whatever reason don’t get near as much attention. For example, the analogous phenomenon for mammals would be mustilization - many mammal species convergentky evolving to be more weasel-like.

I find myself growing more crabby as I evolve with age....

 

[Yaarel]

so your elf character’s age reflects the time since they last woke up rather than the time since their birth.

Because Elves are future-oriented, it makes sense they are highly attentive about today, and which future timelines are branching out from this point on toward tomorrow.

In folkbeliefs about elves, they do love and grieve. Interestingly, the elves also alter each others fates.

Elves steer fates toward a Good future, and prevent the outcome of an Evil future. But others who arent prescient dont see these oncoming futures. So when an elf aggressively pursues some fateful agenda, the actions can seem cruel, and the elf can come across as a bastard. Sometimes "inscrutable" at best.

 

[Remathilis]

I find myself growing more crabby as I evolve with age....

Crabs and weasels. Evolution is gonna turn everything into Reddit.

 

[Charlaquin]

Because Elves are future-oriented, it makes sense they are highly attentive about today, and which future timelines are branching out from this point on toward tomorrow.

In folkbeliefs about elves, they do love and grieve. Interestingly, the elves also alter each others fates.

Elves steer fates toward a Good future, and prevent the outcome of an Evil future. But others who arent prescient dont see these oncoming futures. So when an elf aggressively pursues some fateful agenda, the actions can seem cruel, and the elf can come across as a bastard. Sometimes "inscrutable" at best.

Your preferred elf lore is not everyone’s preferred elf lore.

 

[Yaarel]

Your preferred elf lore is not everyone’s preferred elf lore.

Heh, vice versa.

For example, those opinions that view elves as archconservative traditionalist xenophobes who hate change and do nothing but wait, are appalling. These are the opposite of the reallife lore about elves.

Elves are about the future. Not the past.

 

[Charlaquin]

Heh, vice versa.

For example, those opinions that view elves as archconservative traditionalist xenophobes who hate change and do nothing but wait, are appalling.

Did I ever suggest that I liked that take on them, let alone that you should…?

These are the opposite of the reallife lore about elves.

All lore is real life lore.

Elves are about the future. Not the past.

Elves are made-up. If someone wants to depict them as “about” the future, the past, the reason they can never find the left sock any of any pair, or whatever else they like, it’s all valid. Your insistence that they’re about one specific thing is weird.

 

[Yaarel]

Elves are made-up.

Elves are a reallife cultural heritage. Reallife folkbeliefs.

 

[Charlaquin]

Elves are a reallife cultural heritage. Reallife folkbeliefs.

There are real cultural folk beliefs about elves. D&D elves are, at best, loosely inspired by those folk beliefs. They are a copy of a copy of a copy (of a copy of a copy, etc.) that make no claims of accuracy to the source folk beliefs, and indeed often intentionally deviate from those folk beliefs.

If you want to depict elves in your games as more true to a particular set of folk beliefs, that’s awesome, more power to you. But it’s really weird when you talk authoritatively about what elves “are.” You play pretend the way you like to play pretend, and let others play pretend the way they like to play pretend.

 

[Yaarel]

There are real cultural folk beliefs about elves. D&D elves are, at best, loosely inspired by those folk beliefs. They are a copy of a copy of a copy (of a copy of a copy, etc.) that make no claims of accuracy to the source folk beliefs, and indeed often intentionally deviate from those folk beliefs.

If you want to depict elves in your games as more true to a particular set of folk beliefs, that’s awesome, more power to you. But it’s really weird when you talk authoritatively about what elves “are.” You play pretend the way you like to play pretend, and let others play pretend the way they like to play pretend.

Is this cavalier approach true for any cultural heritage? Japanese, Nigerian, Indigenous American, etcetera?

 

[Charlaquin]

Is this cavalier approach true for any cultural heritage? Japanese, Nigerian, Indigenous American, etcetera?

Are you suggesting you have elven heritage…?