D&D 5E Wandering Monsters: Morons and Salads

[Klaus]

On that level, I'm not sure that there was an actual change. Both 'elf angels' and 'lords of Faerie' would have been suitable ways to describe the 2e Eladrin. The Firre for example seem inspired by fairy muses (Leanan sídhe), the Shiere are trooping fairies, and the Tulani have always been described as 'Lords of Faerie'.

True, true. I just think Planescape never really sold that "fey realm" aspect of Arborea as well as the Feywild.

And what KM described above is probably how DDN will handle the eladrin (PC-race is a lower caste, and nobles rise to the ranks of the "elf angel" eladrins).

 

[Shemeska]

True, true. I just think Planescape never really sold that "fey realm" aspect of Arborea as well as the Feywild.

Planescape never handled the actual fey as front and center as it could have compared to other things, but it's important to remember that there was a distinct split between the eladrin as beings of incarnate benevolent chaos, versus the fey, the seelie and unseelie courts, etc. The eladrin may have shared some traits with them, and with the elven gods who also shared space in Arborea, but they were never fey themselves. I always liked to think that the Seldarine created mortal elves in reverence of the eladrin of Arborea who were in truth older than themselves.

I think an approach like Pathfinder handles it better than PS in that you have the eladrin (azata in PF) with their own distinct thematic niche, but also a clear and defined space (and plane) for the fey linked to the natural world and not the outer planes. I'm biased in this perhaps.

And what KM described above is probably how DDN will handle the eladrin (PC-race is a lower caste, and nobles rise to the ranks of the "elf angel" eladrins).

I've only been paying partial attention to Next, but have they actually used eladrin as anything other than the 2e/3e term? I don't recall if they've actually called a mortal pc race eladrins rather than elves; it seems like they've bailed on the 4e usage and returned it to its roots.

 

[Klaus]

I've only been paying partial attention to Next, but have they actually used eladrin as anything other than the 2e/3e term? I don't recall if they've actually called a mortal pc race eladrins rather than elves; it seems like they've bailed on the 4e usage and returned it to its roots.

Not in the actual playtest packets, but in the Wandering Monsters article that focused on Celestials, James Wyatt mentioned that as the probable approach to having both 4e and 2e eladrins as one (and it was well received in the poll).

 

[pemerton]

I think an approach like Pathfinder handles it better than PS in that you have the eladrin (azata in PF) with their own distinct thematic niche, but also a clear and defined space (and plane) for the fey linked to the natural world and not the outer planes.

In my case, I've never really worked out what that "distinct thematic niche" is.