Unapproachable East --- someone scored a copy!

[JPL]

Of star elves, we know nothing, except they're from the "Unapproachable East" (not mainland Faerûn) and that they are "eldritch" (see this). My bet would be that they have an Int bonus, spell-like abilities, and stuff like that, so that we may have "elves that are innately magical" and "attuned to the weave", like all the elf fans say they are.

Suits me fine. I wonder...eldritch = magic, magic = Mystra, Mystra = uses stars as a symbol...maybe star elves are associated with Mystra?

One natural idea to explore would be more planetouched nonhuman species. These could be considered "subraces", although I'd rather treat them as isolated families or clans. RoF suggests that such critters exist...maybe star elves are nothing more than the descendants of regular elves and a powerful celestial in the service of Mystra?

Again, I'd tend to model this with background feats [or feat chains, to allow access to some cooler abilities]...maybe even templates...but unusual ancestry, isolation, and cultural could justify treating these guys as a whole different subrace.

Forest gnomes are probably just the result of a rock gnome who ran off in the woods chasing a pixie girl and was never seen again.

 

[Gallo22]

Ah, the land of Minsc. I wonder if they have a section on space hampsters?

The other FR books in softcover look, feel, and smell so nice, it's a shame this is a a hard cover. I'd still have paid the $30 for it ( maybe even more)
Looking at the table of contents, does anyone else think it's wierd that chapter 2 is about prestige classes? Shouldn't we read about the lands, culture and other things about the life in the east before we get to the PrC's? If we read about the PrC's first we won't be able to see where it gets it's identity. D&D books have had this problem for the last 29 years.

I SO MUCH agree with this. I personally just want the land, culture, etc in these books. You can place prestige classes and odd ball races here or there, but not 1/2 the book. Very disappointing! Typical WoTC. And why in the world do we need more elves! Give me a break.

Does the book have different races/cultures of man. That would be much better, like what they did with the different races of man in Greyhawk books.

Gallo22

 

[Drakron]

WotC is trying to sell their FR books to non FR players/DMs.

Problem to FR players is that, INHO, most of we originaly did not stayed in FR because of the gazillion choises of classes/spells/whatever but because of the detail of the world.

With will lead to a question, at the rate things are going many players will leave FR for other worlds that offer detailed world background and Hasbro will just release the "1 book per year" to maintain the license and the relative profitable novel line.

 

[Mirth]

Nah, it's an altruistic idea, but face the reality of facts, they are servile creatures that love nothing but work

Those would be Keebler elves

 

[Technik4]

From a mechanic standpoint I hope the star elves are a foil for drow. Meaning ECL +2, useful abilities, etc.

For flavor? I don't know, as others have said we have an elf for just about every class already (wood = ranger, wild = barb, moon+sun = wiz, fey'ri = sorc, avariel = cleric).

Technik

 

[Simplicity]

I wonder how such a long lived race can have such species deviation? It seems that elves split up into subraces every time they live in a different area... Live in the woods, they become a wood elf. Live underground, they're dark elves now. Eat a tuna sandwich, and they become tuna sandwich elves.

Tuna Sandwich Elves
-2 Wis: Tuna sandwich elves often feel sleepy after a good tuna sandwich, but they don't ever sleep. That's gotta suck.
+2 Con: Tuna sandwich elves are rarely hungry.

+2 Automatic Search roll for tuna sandwiches
Flourescent-light vision: Tuna Sandwich elves see clearly under the pale flourescent lights in sandwich shops

 

[Drakron]

Elves are not a native race to the planet but yes ... its silly having a gazillion subraces so they can cover elves that rather hold it that go into the bathroom.

Its not a problem in the setting itself, its a problem with the setting staff that keeps making more and more subraces and creatures until FR will have more monsters/subraces/templates that all other settings combined.

Also its a problem that will only go away when the staff changes their mentality or its replaced and cannot be adressed until a new edition cames out so for better and worst you guys are stuck with it.

 

[Arnwyn]

I'm more excited about this than I thought I would be. Thesk *and* the Great Dale - two untouched areas getting the accessory treatment.

Now that's what I'm talking about.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Urrgh.

I've never complained about a WotC release until now, but I'm really beginning to be ticked off about the mix of rules content and flavor text in FR supplements.

As it stands, FR is a well-developed gaming environment with a cohesive 3e approach and "feel" behind it. It seems to me that this sort of environment, coupled with WotC's ability to schedule its releases at least one year into the future, means that WotC could have released all of its FR prestige classes in one book, all of the races in one book (Races of Faerun, maybe?), and most of the spells and items in one book (Magic of Faerun, perhaps?) and left more room in the regional supplements for actual historical and geographical detail and adventure hooks. I see no reason why Silver Marches needed any PrCs (except perhaps the Knight-Errant of Silverymoon), and I certainly see no reason why UE needs 'em.

As for races: I agree. IMFRC, there are precisely five elven subraces: High (gold), moon (silver), wood (copper), aquatic, and drow (dark). I am on about the polar opposite end from Gez on most issues involving elves (my FR elves look rather a lot like Tolkien elves, down to a decent ECL, which means that in practice, no one actually plays them), but I certainly don't believe in elven subrace profusion, or subrace profusion in general (MFRC has only two halfling subraces, ghostwise and lightfoot, and only deep gnomes).

 

[Chauzu]

Elves:

• Aquatic elves
• Dark elves (drow)
• Deep elves
• Draegloth (half-drow, half-glabrezu) [Forgotten Realms]
• Dwelf (half-elf, half-dwarf) [Forgotten Realms]
• Fey'ri (planetouched demon-blooded gold elves) [Forgotten Realms]
• Forsaken elves [Scarred Lands]
• Gold elves [Forgotten Realms] (also called sun elves or high elves in Faerûn)
• Grey elves [Greyhawk]
• Half-aquatic elves
• Half-dark elves
• Half-elves
• High elves (also called moon elves or grey elves in Faerûn)
• House elves
• Werewolf elves (lythari)
• Rockseer elves
• Santa elves
• Shadow elves [Mystara]
• Snow elves
• Star elves [Forgotten Realms]
• Valley elves [Greyhawk]
• Wild elves (grugach)
• Winged elves (avariel, also known as ee'aar on Mystara's savage coast)
• Wood elves

And we are told that humans are the most diversed race...............