D&D General trying to make an alien-themed race but they keep turning into elves, help.

[JiffyPopTart]

Obviously you are a little bit of "an elf guy" if all creative roads lead to elves for you. It's okay; there's nothing wrong with that. Now to paraphrase from a very wise source on ninjas:

Facts:
1. Elves are mammals.
2. Elves live ALL the time.
3. The purpose of the elf is to be like humans but better.

Also they have pointy ears. But the point is going counterwise on any of these, by making your spacey race non-mammalian (though even a non-ape-adjacent mammalian may do); non-long-lived; and/or not more elegant, wise, and whatever than humans, and they won't feel like elves.

I get your facts reference! I miss that t-shirt.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

how do I avoid just making an offensive take on it out of simple ignorance?

Gotta say, I’ve seen a lot of discussions on what RPG facets offend people- can’t say I’ve seen the monk singled out any more than any other D&D class.

that comes as basic alienness I was looking for more mental stuff to push the common personality away from elfdom?

You posted that (above) in response to my biologically based suggestions, then responded to the question about listing personality traits with this (below):

slender, tall, unusually attractive, often pointy-eared

That’s not personality, that’s physical traits. IOW, just like things I suggested.

deep connection with nature, often live in forests/trees

In D&D, that’s more cultural- it depends on what kind of elf you’re talking about. It’s true for wood or wild elves, not so much for Drow, Grey, High, and others.

very long lifespan and eternal

That’s a physical attribute, not a personality trait.

powerful magical capabilities, high magic potential

Those are supernatural attributes, not personality traits.

expert fighters, especially bowmen

That’s a side effect of their life spans and culture.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

It is gratifying, indeed, to see that @Mind of tempest has learned the lesson that so many of us have already learned.

Elves, like cockroaches, serve no function but to breed and survive. They have occupied that special part of every gamer's brain ... the part that says, "What if me, but better ... more agile, more smart, more magical, more awesome?"

That's right. It doesn't matter if you're talking about Legolas, or Space Legolas, Elves are a pernicious rot that isn't about the actualization of racial differences but about the actualization of HOW AWESOME SOMEONE IS.

Do not subscribe to their newsletter. Better to be a realized Horta than some sort of space elf that is simply the fantasy of what you imagine how awesome you could be.

I don't dislike elves, but you certainly have perfectly described here what is the thing about how elves are commonly used that I dislike.

Elves often are just like humans, except prettier, more magical and generally more awesome. This is something I try to combat when designing elf equivalents. For example in my current setting I combined elves with halflings and gnomes, so that whilst they are pretty and magical they also are small and whimsical and a bit silly. That way any human concept isn't just instantly more awesome if you made it an elfling instead.

---

As for OP, I'm a bit confuse what you're after. What you want these creatures to be like? First nail down the things they must have, and if some of those are elfy, you can choose unelfy things to compensate.

 

[Mind of tempest]

The only personality trait, there, is "Deep Connection with Nature". So make them nature-agnostic. Like humans, natural resources are just that: Resources. They "Respect the Environment" precisely enough to avoid killing themselves with pollution, and no more.

Make your new group of people average sized, not particularly attractive, perhaps no ears whatsoever?
Kill the cultural expectation of skill in combat by making them just normal people some of whom are trained for battle but the majority of whom would get their butts kicked.

this is workable and will be considered.

Give 'em a normal or even shortened lifespan.
No magic, or no more than anyone else.

Done.

this would lose the proud scholar race and the mystical race bit which would make them too human to be worth making.

You posted that (above) in response to my biologically based suggestions, then responded to the question about listing personality traits with this (below):

That’s not personality, that’s physical traits. IOW, just like things I suggested.

ah, I remember I did not make it clear I am fine for developing physical traits myself hence I as for mental traits as fake biology is something of a speciality.

Gotta say, I’ve seen a lot of discussions on what RPG facets offend people- can’t say I’ve seen the monk singled out any more than any other D&D class.

I do not accidentally want to walk into orientalism by accident.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

@Mind of tempest

I have some ideas based on mystical animism that may be to your liking, but my church service is about to start. Will post later…

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

OK.

Have the race‘s “mysticism” be based in an animist kind of philosophy, Everything has a spirit, so everything has “feelings” of some kind. As such, this race tries to live in harmony with nature, preferring to find non-destructive ways to get through life in order to avoid harming or angering the spirits. They’re not particularly long lived, but their animist philosophies almost always make them consider the long term implications of their actions.

So while they understand all the various technologies we take for granted in civilized (FRPG) societies, they use them sparingly. You won’t find them quarrying tons of rock to build cities, clearing whole forests for farmland or hollowing out mountains to smelt ores. Instead, they’ll use such skills only so much as is necessary. And they take great pains to minimize waste. They‘ll use as much as they can of an animal they’ve hunted. Their main crops usually have more than one use or usable part. What few permanent structures they build will be multi-purposed.

One outgrowth of this minimalist mindset is that they use very little metal, much less sothan other races. As a consequence of this, when it comes to the art of war, they have long cultivated mastery of unarmed combat. Besides that, they will often augment their martial prowess with the aid of the spirit world (as they envision things). Make no mistake, though- there ARE those among them who are just at home in plate armor and wielding a sword and shield. They’re just rare in comparison.

 

[Mind of tempest]

OK.

Have the race‘s “mysticism” be based in an animist kind of philosophy, Everything has a spirit, so everything has “feelings” of some kind. As such, this race tries to live in harmony with nature, preferring to find non-destructive ways to get through life in order to avoid harming or angering the spirits. They’re not particularly long lived, but their animist philosophies almost always make them consider the long term implications of their actions.

So while they understand all the various technologies we take for granted in civilized (FRPG) societies, they use them sparingly. You won’t find them quarrying tons of rock to build cities, clearing whole forests for farmland or hollowing out mountains to smelt ores. Instead, they’ll use such skills only so much as is necessary. And they take great pains to minimize waste. They‘ll use as much as they can of an animal they’ve hunted. Their main crops usually have more than one use or usable part. What few permanent structures they build will be multi-purposed.

One outgrowth of this minimalist mindset is that they use very little metal, much less sothan other races. As a consequence of this, when it comes to the art of war, they have long cultivated mastery of unarmed combat. Besides that, they will often augment their martial prowess with the aid of the spirit world (as they envision things). Make no mistake, though- there ARE those among them who are just at home in plate armor and wielding a sword and shield. They’re just rare in comparison.

I thank you for the attempt but it just sounds like you fell into the elf trap more exactly one not far from wood elves.

read the first bit again and you get an elf.

do you see how unironically hard it is to not make an elf?

 

[Shades of Eternity]

Use a potato as a basis.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Use a potato as a basis.

Final Fantasy XIV already did that.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Use a potato as a basis.

Final Fantasy XIV already did that.

this is going to take some explaining, please explain?