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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 8330613" data-attributes="member: 58172">I am surfing sites relating to the Elves of Mystara.I have mixed feelings about how to represent them in 5e, whether to make them different cultures of the same kind of Elf, or make them different kinds of Elves. Mystara seems to do both.5e Tashas is excellent here, because players can officially swap the ability score improvements and swap the proficiencies. This allows the same kind of Elf to embrace completely different cultures.• The Bards with Charisma score +2  and Intelligence score +1 are "well known for their poetry, dance, song, lore". • The Wizards of Blackmoor with Intelligence score +2 and Wisdom score +1 swap out their longsword for Alchemist Tools. • Meanwhile, Dexterity +2, Intelligence +1, Eldritch Knights are typical military across certain regions. Many Eldritch Knights are Strength +2.• And Water Elves, Dexterity +2 Intelligence +1 coastal-seafaring-terrain Rangers sailing the waters of the world, swapping in Rapier, Ship Vehicle, and Survival.And so on. The breadth of diversity that these swaps allow suits the cosmopolitan tone of the Mystara setting. The Elves are diverse, and competent.I find it helpful to list the two or three classes that are prominent in each culture or subculture. "Prominent" means prestigious. Whether the members of the class are few or many, the culture tends to know about it and revolve around it. In some cultures, one of the prominent class might be <s>Lawyer</s> Lore Bard, in other cultures the prominent class might be Bladesinger Wizard, and in other cultures Moon Druid.The choices for the ability scores lean toward the prominent classes.Likewise, each culture lists the most prominent weapons, tools, skills, and languages.Many or most members of a culture dont belong to the two or three prominent classes, and will have abilities and proficiencies unrelated to them. Likewise, player characters from any culture can choose whatever class, abilities, and proficiencies they wish.When describing a Mystara Elf, make clear that the player character has choices for the abilities and proficiencies. Then list suggestions separately for each culture, which the player or DM may or may not want to follow closely.The fluidity of each culture and subculture helps counteract any feel of racial essentialism.By the way, while reading the old school descriptions of Elf, the trope that an Elf is an "ethically Good haughty racist" occasionally happens. This racism is icky, and like 4e and 5e, I hope 5e Mystara ends this trope decisively.Some differences between the Mystara Elves involve other areas of the design space. For example, Sea Elves (not to be confused with Water Elves) breathe water. Moreover, I feel that some nocturnal or subterranean cultures should have darkvision, while some daytime cultures should not. Swapping darkvision for a cantrip or an other proficiency is fair. Perhaps Gills can itself be understood as a cantrip to breathe water. While there is an option to try make certain 5e Elf subraces fit into Mystara, it might be more useful to design a new Elf for Mystara that can easily swap these kinds of traits, while comparing specific cultures in mind.</blockquote>

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