Star Elves

[AFGNCAAP]

Well, the whole idea of statting out demihuman subraces & not human subraces is a bit irksome to me, but that's another thread/rant (and a past one, IIRC; BTW, I think that the demihuman subraces shouldn't be statted out, & at the most, be treated as the various human cultures are in FRCS, but that's besides the point).

I think that some of the concepts seen in the elves are quite nice concepts, except for the fact that they're elves. For example:

The avariel are a cool idea for a winged humanoid race (and who aren't outsiders or half-humanoid/half-other creature combos). They use glassteel as a construction material for buildings and armaments, and have their own cultural style. But they didn't need to be elves--the original "winged folk" race that popped up in an old Dragon magazine were basically winged humans. I think it was in 2nd ed. (in the Complete Book of Elves) when they were introduced as elves.

Aquatic elves are a cool race, but once again, they would have been cool without the "elf" label/feature added.

IMHO, I think that their really wasn't a need for wood & wild elves--one would have done just fine (and, IMHO, the term "wood elf" would work best, but the wild elf stats are better).

Star elves (and Dragon's ghost elves) are a nice concept, and like the avariel that concept would work fine without the "elf" branding on it. Heck, it'd be a bit refreshing if the concepts were linked to other races (winged gnomes, aquatic orcs, ghost lizardfolk, star dwarves, etc.).

 

[Paragon]

The Avariel appeared as they currently are in an issue of dragon, back in 1e. they were always winged elves. it's an issue in the 70+- range

For example:
The avariel are a cool idea for a winged humanoid race (and who aren't outsiders or half-humanoid/half-other creature combos). They use glassteel as a construction material for buildings and armaments, and have their own cultural style. But they didn't need to be elves--the original "winged folk" race that popped up in an old Dragon magazine were basically winged humans. I think it was in 2nd ed. (in the Complete Book of Elves) when they were introduced as elves.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I think that some of the concepts seen in the elves are quite nice concepts, except for the fact that they're elves. For example:

The avariel are a cool idea for a winged humanoid race (and who aren't outsiders or half-humanoid/half-other creature combos). They use glassteel as a construction material for buildings and armaments, and have their own cultural style. But they didn't need to be elves--the original "winged folk" race that popped up in an old Dragon magazine were basically winged humans. I think it was in 2nd ed. (in the Complete Book of Elves) when they were introduced as elves.

Aquatic elves are a cool race, but once again, they would have been cool without the "elf" label/feature added.

IMHO, I think that their really wasn't a need for wood & wild elves--one would have done just fine (and, IMHO, the term "wood elf" would work best, but the wild elf stats are better).

Star elves (and Dragon's ghost elves) are a nice concept, and like the avariel that concept would work fine without the "elf" branding on it. Heck, it'd be a bit refreshing if the concepts were linked to other races (winged gnomes, aquatic orcs, ghost lizardfolk, star dwarves, etc.).

So only because other races don't have them, the elves may not have them, either? Remember that while there are no aquatic or winged dwarves or gnomes, the other races are hardly without subraces. Sure, the elves have about the most subraces (dwarves have lots, too), but the others also have different subraces with nice powers.

And I think it's good that the focus isn't on humans - we see that too often.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I don't think it was intentional, but seriously. All the elves are good except the black ones? If I were WotC, I'd make my next elven subrace (because you *know* there's going to be one) black, good elves.

I really think you're reading too much into this. Kind of like the people who claim that Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars prequels have rascist undertones.

And not all elves are good except for the drow. Based on their description in Races of Faerun, I'd definately classify the sun elves as mostly lawful neutral (with more than a few of them falling into the lawful evil category).

 

[Kemrain]

Why is it that the races that breed the slowest have the most sub races, and the ones which breed faster have fewer? Makes no damn sense to me!

- Kemrain the Humanist.

 

[Oaken25]

Man I'm at work so I don't have any of the books in front of me, but I remember in Dreams of the Red Wizards it talked about the elves and called them Yuir elves, Yuirwood elves, and made them out that they could be different elves than seen before, more fey than other elves. it is also in there it talks about the scry proofness of the Yuirwood for the first time. have to check on that when i get home.

Right, in the write up for Aglarond in Dreams of the Red Wizards it says "sylvan elves." Which are also wild/wood elves. They are called Yuir or Yuirwood elves because they live in that forest.

 

[RenoOfTheTurks]

Right, in the write up for Aglarond in Dreams of the Red Wizards it says "sylvan elves." Which are also wild/wood elves. They are called Yuir or Yuirwood elves because they live in that forest.

Which doesn't preclude the possibility that the elves could be a different subrace. Sylvan Elves could have subdivisions, for example Wild/Wood Elves seem to be two subdivisions of Sylvan Elves. Perhaps a third? And maybe Yuirwood Elves didn't *merely* live in the Yuirwood, but were elves specific to that forest.

I do think WotC should watch it with the "flowering subraces" deal, but they have a couple more subraces for all the other races as well in 3E.

I hope there's cool new races in Serpent Kingdoms! Ones that just haven't been detailed before....

 

[Oaken25]

Which doesn't preclude the possibility that the elves could be a different subrace. Sylvan Elves could have subdivisions, for example Wild/Wood Elves seem to be two subdivisions of Sylvan Elves. Perhaps a third? And maybe Yuirwood Elves didn't *merely* live in the Yuirwood, but were elves specific to that forest.

Ah but again until 3e the Wood/Wild/Sylvan elves were all one elven subrace in FR. 3E has split them into seperate Wood and Wild elven subraces and then retconned in the Star Elves, replacing the Wood/Wild elves who were the original elves of the Yuirwood.

 

[Wilphe]

Why is it that the races that breed the slowest have the most sub races, and the ones which breed faster have fewer? Makes no damn sense to me!

- Kemrain the Humanist.

Depends on the mixing. If elves in region x only mate with elves in region x and elves in region y mate only with elves in region y, then they will become genetically distinct populations. Especially so if the environments in x and y are different enough to force different adaptations.

Stereotypically dwarves and elves are secluded and insular, it would tend to follow that they would only get to select mates amongst a limited peer group and hence the pressures towards specieation are great. If halflings, humans and orcs are much more mobile and exogamous then their gene pools will stay more mixed and they will develp fewer sub-races.

Besides, varient human races WOULD get you in more trouble than you really need.

This is of course if you want a pseudo-scientific suggestion based on genetics and Darwinism and not just "it's magic / they were created that way / who cares."

 

[Pseudonym]

Did wild elves exist in the Realms prior to 3rd edition? If I recall correctly, the wild elves and valley elves were a Greyhawk thing, but somehow the wild elves got dropped into the Realms.

Did this happen in 2nd or 3rd?