Why do people hate Elfkind?

[Staffan]

Yeah, the worst book in all of 2nd Edition, in my oh so humble opinion, was the Complete Elven Supremacist's Handbook, where were learned that elves do everything better than everyone else (think dwarves are the quintessential crafters? HELL NO, elves are even better!).

The Swedish game Eon had an interesting take on this. Regarding crafting, the very best an elf can do is generally better than the very best a dwarf can do. The thing is that the elf is spending like a decade on making that thing, while the dwarf is spending a month or so.

This means that elven fighting forces has a small number of people using uber-swords and light armor and the rest using staves and clubs (essentially being skirmishers), while dwarves all use metal-hafted pretty-good axes, heavy shields, and reinforced mail armor.

 

[Wolv0rine]

Because elves cause cancer ...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HNrLMob39qI

As an elf-fond individual (if done right, that self-righteous uber race crap's gotta go) I have to say... that was a beautiful, hilarious piece of art, thanks for sharing.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I see we all recognize the "fun" that was Complete Book of Elves.

Query: How many "bladesingers" did your group seem to have after that book was released?

None. None in 3.X edition either.

every powergaming twink dork was playing an elf who wielded two long swords which he was specialized in at first level.

For the record, I was playing a drow Rgr/Dr/MU years before Drizzle ever saw the light of day.

OTOH, he was a staff-wielder who also had a longsword...

He started off twinky when I first started playing him at age 14, but he evolved over time.

 

[Fenes]

One adventure with two bladesigning elves was enough for me to grow to hate the whole kit.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Basically, because it sometimes looks like elves are an entire race of Mary Sues - they are more attractive, dextrous, have better senses and longer life spans, and all in all look like if an ancient human wizard had gone through a checklist and gave his children all those traits so that they would live better lives than he did.

But maybe that's exactly what happened...

 

[Steely Dan]

This is becoming an obsession

Becoming?

It already is!

…I hope you're not prejudice?



As for elves, pretty much every D&D group I've been in for the last 20+ years, people would choose elves (all types) and humans, before pretty much any other race, but of course that is just my experience.

 

[Ranger REG]

Query: How many "bladesingers" did your group seem to have after that book was released?

One. My PC. Got frustrated because my DM would put any weapons in treasures but longswords, which make me hate the 2e kit more because that's all they're good for.