UA: New Race Options, Eladrin and Gith

The Eladrin ability score adjustment needs to be: +2 Charisma, +1 any other.

Charisma and all of its connotations [charm, innate magic, bardic song, etcetera] is what best represents the Fey Elf concept.

Intelligence is an accident of D&D only having Wizard class in the beginning, but it has merit in folklore too.

Dexterity is irrelevant.

Maybe handsized sprites connote Dexterity, but humansized spirits of magic, less so.



Edit.

Elves can work better this way:

Wood Elf: +2 Dexterity
High Elf: +2 Intelligence
Eladrin Elf: +2 Charisma

That is what the Elf feels like.



Edit.

High Elf
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence (!)
Trance
Investigation skill proficiency
Languages: Elven, Sylvan, and Common
Cantrip
Elven Armor (permanent Mage Armor, appears as supple chain armor or as invisible force)
High Elf Weapon Training (longsword proficiency, treat as finesse weapon and spell focus)
(Darkvision too?)



Edit.

Eladrin are a group of elves that are native to the Fey Plane. They feel like a separate race of Elf with their own four subraces. The concept of the Eladrin evolves across the editions, and their association with the four seasons seems to enjoy traction. They consolidate well into four kinds of Eladrin, each one corresponding to a season.

Eladrin Elf
• Spring: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity (Ghael, Coure)
• Summer: +2 Charisma, +1 Strength (Firre, Bralani)
• Autumn: +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence (Tulani)
• Winter: +2 Charisma, +1 Wisdom (Noviere, Shiere)

 

[Greenmtn]

I'm surprised that the Githyari don't have long sword proficiency included in their Martial Prodigy trait.

 

[Elon Tusk]

It's not surprising people think there's something "missing" with the Gith entry in the article... it's because it's true! There is literally something missing!

The Eladrin section starts with several paragraphs of description of who they are as a race, and there follows a huge section on the eladrin's personality types. And only after that do they give the game mechanics for the race.

Whereas the Gith are presented purely as their game stats. That's it. So of course something feels missing, because no description of who they are as a people are presented, giving us the story and flavor of who they are and how their game mechanics are meant to be interpreted.

Which is exactly what WotC wants for this part of the Gith playtest.

They don't want us critiquing the story aspects of these two subraces of Gith. All they want is for us to look at where the ability score bonuses were placed, and how the game mechanics of Decadent Mastery, Martial Prodigy, Githyanki Psionics, Monastic Training, and Githzerai Psionics all look... and for us to tell them whether there are any obvious problems with those features. If there aren't, and no one comments in the upcoming survey "Hey, the problem with Monastic Training is--" blah blah blah... then they know they are on the right track with the mechanics and can then focus on the story of the Gith race and make sure once that is in place that the game mechanics still align to it.

Obviously, because Eladrin have already had preliminary work done in the entry in the Dungeon Master's Guide, they are far enough along where WotC was fine giving us both story and mechanics together for us to critique. Which is completely okay.

Gith description and backgrounds in 5e already exist in the Monster Manual in (2 pages worth); Eladrin had 3 paragraphs in the DMG and changed significantly..

 

[kenmarable]

It's not surprising people think there's something "missing" with the Gith entry in the article... it's because it's true! There is literally something missing!

The Eladrin section starts with several paragraphs of description of who they are as a race, and there follows a huge section on the eladrin's personality types. And only after that do they give the game mechanics for the race.

Whereas the Gith are presented purely as their game stats. That's it. So of course something feels missing, because no description of who they are as a people are presented, giving us the story and flavor of who they are and how their game mechanics are meant to be interpreted.

Which is exactly what WotC wants for this part of the Gith playtest.

They don't want us critiquing the story aspects of these two subraces of Gith. All they want is for us to look at where the ability score bonuses were placed, and how the game mechanics of Decadent Mastery, Martial Prodigy, Githyanki Psionics, Monastic Training, and Githzerai Psionics all look... and for us to tell them whether there are any obvious problems with those features. If there aren't, and no one comments in the upcoming survey "Hey, the problem with Monastic Training is--" blah blah blah... then they know they are on the right track with the mechanics and can then focus on the story of the Gith race and make sure once that is in place that the game mechanics still align to it.

Obviously, because Eladrin have already had preliminary work done in the entry in the Dungeon Master's Guide, they are far enough along where WotC was fine giving us both story and mechanics together for us to critique. Which is completely okay.

I think the issue with people finding them bland is not "there's no flavor text." It seems to me that it is more of an issue of:

"Do you think these racial traits are balanced?" The answer may be yes for most people.

however

"Do you think these racial traits best capture how this race should be portrayed?" For many that answer is no even if they answered yes to the above question.

or even

"Do you think these racial traits are interesting and you would want to play a gith character?" For many that answer is no as well.

So it's not that the flavor is missing from the race description, it is that many feel flavor is missing from the mechanics of the race itself. The mechanics may be well balanced and reasonable. But they may also be a bad fit conceptually OR just not all that interesting even separated from the history of the races.

 

[Blue]

I misunderstood at first - Eladrin aren't a complete race, they are a subrace so they get everything a base elf gets.

Stupid overlook. I'm posting my mistake in hopes that if others had the same thoughts they could be enlightened.

 

[Yaarel]

Upgrading the High Elf with +2 Intelligence and +2 Dexterity balances similar to the Mountain Dwarf +2 Strength and +2 Constitution.

Where the Strength and heavy armor proficiency are moreorless redundant for this Dwarf, the Intelligence and cantrip are moreorless redundant for this Elf.

With +2 Intelligence, the High Elf can make an archetypal Wizard.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[schnee]

Gith are kinda meh. Boring.

Where are the interesting ribbon abilities like Elven meditation?

The armor is good for the Yanks, but Greatsword expertise isn't a given?

I'd like to see something related to their Astral heritage. Advantage on Survival in the Astral? Eh.

 

[Xeviat]

The gith both feel like they're missing something. I'm not interested in them looking at their stats. I'm not grabbed.


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[Yaarel]

I like sleek design.

Inconsequential ribbon features, feel like unnecessary clutter to me.

I like to see the mechanics of a race or a class do something vivid, effectively and comprehensively.

My favorite mechanics actualize the flavor in a clear useful way.

The Wood Elf is an excellent design, for example. The mechanics work well together and express the flavor of a stealthy, precise, attunement with nature.



The Githzerai design fares ok. The Wisdom and the telepathic Detect Thoughts make sense for psionic flavor. Albeit, this particular spell seems underpowered, little more than an Insight skill check, but its Wisdom flavor makes sense.

The quasi-telekinetic Mage Hand works with the Psionic flavor. The quasi-telekinetic Shield synergizes mechanically with the AC bonus, and both flavors make sense in the context of Monk training, again working well with Wisdom flavor.



By contrast, the Githyanki design seems a bit disorganized and cluttered. The Githyanki has Strength with redundant medium armor proficiency, seemingly non-psionic. Then has quasi-telekinetic Mage Hand and Jump. Jump also seems underpowered. But this Jump is telekinetic? Or is it psychometabolic? Is the high Strength somehow psionic in a psychometabolic shapeshifting sense? The mechanics seem unclear. Why is there Misty Step? It seems mechanically redundant with Jump? Why the flavor? Maybe a limited form of planeshifting back and forth from the Astral Plane is more appropriate? Isnt Misty Step an Eladrin thing?

 

[Chaosmancer]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Four Seasons. On one hand, a character who physically changes while their emotions change is cool, but that is something I'm adding. A character who spirals into different emotions, getting sad makes them go winter which makes them sadder let the spiral begin, is kind of interesting... but I'm also adding that in aren't I?

As written.... they just have fancy names for being angry or sad? I mean, you can interpret the changing of ideals and flaws as meaning it is extreme emotional change... but I could also play a dwarf who has extreme emotions, bouncing between despondency at the loss of life during a battle to rage when they think of an enemy to happiness when they get good ale. I mean, that isn't exactly something too difficult to do without pointing it out.


So, I like it as a Fey/Dryad (I have a half-Dryad race I pilfered a while ago I've always meant to use) personality quirk, but it doesn't sell me on Eladrin.


Not sure what to make of the Gith, I kind of like Githzerai for Mystics and Monks, but I don't really care or see them as something to be very excited about. They've never been part of my games so they are names in a book for me, nothing really to recommend them more than other races and classes that have more presence in my games.