What happened to elves?

[Sixchan]

Yes, I did prefer the happy, musical, fun-loving elves. And I've only just reaalised it. I've also only just realised how much they changed from my mental image of elves! DAMN!

I WANT MY HAPPY ELVES!

 

[Drakron]

Well, no ...

Its Ravenloft after all, elves are very uncommon and they only have a dreaded realm were they are "native".

The large majority of Ravenloft was always composed of humans, there never was a "golden age of elvenkind" (since the whole place appears to started with Barovia) and most dreaded realms never had a elven population to start.

So its almost the same thing as we seen a Vulcan going down the street, its a alien creature we never see and so we have a natural distrust towards it, only that in Ravenloft there are always strange events going to make the local population even more afraid of strangers (expecialy strange creatures).

 

[Angcuru]

What do expect them to be like when they are about to face tens of thousands of uruk-hai in a battle that may very well end their otherwise unending lives!? Skip, jump, and make merry? ARE YOU PEOPLE INSANE!? Hell, I'd be more rigid than a statue and concentrate on survival!

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Although Tolkien made sure to mention that all the Elves could be merry and sing the night away, he also stressed that the Wood Elves, the ones in The Hobbit, were the ones most light-hearted (and, maybe not incidentally, the least wise). The ones we see in the Lord of the Rings were the Sindar (Legolas and probably Celeborn) and Noldor Elves (Galadriel and Glorfindel), the most wise (especially the Noldor) of the Elves left in Middle Earth.

I don't know why D&D Elves are so short. I've seen various mentions of Elves in different mythologies, such as Norse, and there doesn't seem any general consensus on how tall Elves - or the beings that correspond to D&D Elves - are. Since AD&D Elves were divided up into groups much like Tolkien's Elves, it seems reasonable to assume Tolkien's Elves influenced D&D's Elves. Why they "shrunk" in D&D is beyond me. In my campaign world, they range from as tall as average humans to 6 1/2 feet tall and taller.

 

[Drakron]

Elves tradicionaly been "hit-and-run" troops, they dont face others in a open battlefield.

Instead they keep in forests were they use ranged weapons and traps against their enemies and destroy their enemies supply lines.

(LotR movie is very liberal when it comes to the books, in the books besides Longlegs there were no other elves in that battle.)

 

[rounser]

in the books besides Longlegs there were no other elves in that battle.

For purposes of the movie, I reckon it improved the story, though...which was sort of the idea, I guess.

 

[rounser]

Some flavour ideas on making elves less Tolkien and more fey:

Make all elves accountable to the Seelie or Unseelie Courts for their actions, and have a bloodline traceable to the monarchs.
Have elves hang out with and live in communities with pixies, sprites, leprechauns, brownies, dryads, nymphs and other faeries.
Add some innate cantrips to the elvish ability list (as per gnomes, but perhaps slightly different cantrips) and balance accordingly.
Remove drow from the campaign, and make dark elvish status a product of actions, not race. Dark elves probably hang out with other dark and twisted fey, such as redcaps and quicklings.
Have rare elves possess some vestigial butterfly or faerie wings.

Any other ideas?

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I have a strong opinion on this.

I DO NOT like the way in which they've taken the High Elven race.
The Noldor of Rivendell, as portrayed in Tolkien's The Hobbit, should be THE standard for the High Elves in D&D. (Obviously, Grey Elves, Wood Elves, and Wild Elves should differ ... High Elves, are HIGH Elves. Just like Hylarian Dwarves - High Dwarves - are HIGH Dwarves: they are not like Daewarian, Theiwarian, Daegarian, Klarian, Duergarian, Agharian, or Zhakarian Dwarves.)

I do happen to think the Drow are a very neat concept, however.

 

[Angcuru]

I have a strong opinion on this.

I DO NOT like the way in which they've taken the High Elven race.
The Noldor of Rivendell, as portrayed in Tolkien's The Hobbit, should be THE standard for the High Elves in D&D. (Obviously, Grey Elves, Wood Elves, and Wild Elves should differ ... High Elves, are HIGH Elves. Just like Hylarian Dwarves - High Dwarves - are HIGH Dwarves: they are not like Daewarian, Theiwarian, Daegarian, Klarian, Duergarian, Agharian, or Zhakarian Dwarves.)

I do happen to think the Drow are a very neat concept, however.

The Drow WERE originally Tolkien's by the way. Read the Silamarillion, he mentions a sect of elves that broke off from the rest, the Moriquendi, 'Dark Elves'. HA!

 

[rounser]

he mentions a sect of elves that broke off from the rest, the Moriquendi, 'Dark Elves'. HA!

Dark elves pre-date Tolkien.

Did he mention the Moriquendi lived underground like trolls and had black skin and a spider fetish? If not, then he didn't invent the idea of D&D's drow.