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<blockquote data-quote="Mephista" data-source="post: 9355167" data-attributes="member: 6786252">Personally, I honestly don't care about specific mechanics, I prefer to discus tropes, vibes, and the like.&nbsp; Because, if we're going to talk about the mechanics...Then we have to address the elephant in the room.&nbsp; Mainly, the greatest mechanical appeal of the half-elf was the fact that they had +2 CHA and two floating +1s (total of 4, matched only by mountain dwarves). Not only did 5e have an abundance of CHA classes, but half-elf was seen as the bard-elf type (as opposed to high elf wizard, wood elf ranger/druid, and drow assassin).&nbsp; Thus the +2 CHA when most elves are surprsingly non-charisma. The skill versatility as well was a nod to bard being the half-elf signature class rather than human ancestry.Now?&nbsp; You can't get a total of +4 stats on a species, and everyone has flexible stats.&nbsp; This immediate association with bard isn't a big deal anymore, given that 5.5e has moved away from molding their species into having a singular favored class direction.&nbsp; Immediately, what has proped up the half-elf's &quot;mechanical identity,&quot; to borrow a term from elsewhere on these forums, has immediately dissolved.&nbsp; Darkvision and a resistance are common other species. Which means the only thing really of note about the half elf?&nbsp; Two extra skills.&nbsp; Ngl, nothing to sneer at, but nothing amazing either. And as I posted earlier, it's trivial to make a muggle elf that gets skills instead of spells.Half-elf has dropped from being one of the best species options in the game... to potentially being the absolute worst, much as it was in 3e.&nbsp; Its much like the 5e sorcerer problem. If everyone is a flexible caster... then what is the sorcerer's gimmick?&nbsp; You need to reinvent them from the ground up. So, that's where the half-elf is in 5.5e right now.&nbsp; In dire need of a reimagining, because mechanically its in pretty bad shape.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mephista, post: 9355167, member: 6786252"] Personally, I honestly don't care about specific mechanics, I prefer to discus tropes, vibes, and the like. Because, if we're going to talk about the mechanics... Then we have to address the elephant in the room. Mainly, the greatest mechanical appeal of the half-elf was the fact that they had +2 CHA and two floating +1s (total of 4, matched only by mountain dwarves). Not only did 5e have an abundance of CHA classes, but half-elf was seen as the bard-elf type (as opposed to high elf wizard, wood elf ranger/druid, and drow assassin). Thus the +2 CHA when most elves are surprsingly non-charisma. The skill versatility as well was a nod to bard being the half-elf signature class rather than human ancestry. Now? You can't get a total of +4 stats on a species, and everyone has flexible stats. This immediate association with bard isn't a big deal anymore, given that 5.5e has moved away from molding their species into having a singular favored class direction. Immediately, what has proped up the half-elf's "mechanical identity," to borrow a term from elsewhere on these forums, has immediately dissolved. Darkvision and a resistance are common other species. Which means the only thing really of note about the half elf? Two extra skills. Ngl, nothing to sneer at, but nothing amazing either. And as I posted earlier, it's trivial to make a muggle elf that gets skills instead of spells. Half-elf has dropped from being one of the best species options in the game... to potentially being the absolute worst, much as it was in 3e. Its much like the 5e sorcerer problem. If everyone is a flexible caster... then what is the sorcerer's gimmick? You need to reinvent them from the ground up. So, that's where the half-elf is in 5.5e right now. In dire need of a reimagining, because mechanically its in pretty bad shape. [/QUOTE]

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