Why do people hate Elfkind?

[Reneshat]

Valley Elf

Valley... elf. I now have a new reason to hate FR with a fiery, burning passion.

There is not going to be a "Valley Elf" in the new FRCS. Instead, there is going to be a more complete write-up for dark elf or drow. I know it sounds like I was being redundant, but one of the things they did was turn all the "good drow" into dark elves so that drow would be evil again. I'm not sure if one set of stats will be the same for both, or if we are getting them for one or the other, or what, but basically all you are getting is the full write-up for the third elf race.

 

[Fenes]

So, they either rewrite the background of Drizzt (the coverboy for FR 4E), or we still have "good drow".

 

[Reneshat]

Special

So, they either rewrite the background of Drizzt (the coverboy for FR 4E), or we still have "good drow".

I think the attempt is to make him "special."

 

[Steely Dan]

I don't understand the elf-hate, I've just always wanted to have relations with them, especially drow tranny ones.

 

[Fenes]

I think the attempt is to make him "special."

Emphasis on attempt. If Drizzt can be a good Drow, anyone can be a good drow.

Although it will make more sense for Drizzt - I always imagined, should we ever meet Drizzt in game, to say to him "Hey, Drizzt, we met the good drow down there near Waterdeep. Are you related to them?" and pull the rug out of his self-pity.

Seriously, the guy gets off on his "misunderstood and alone, exiled from my family and race", all the while there's tons of other good drows and a good drow goddess even just a few hundred miles - or just a mile, in the time he lived in Waterdeep - away. Serious case of insufficient coordinating between authors.

 

[Fredrik Svanberg]

Why can't eldar eladrin, wood elf and dark elfdrow not be simply something culturally, like in Warhammer?

Why don't you just decide that it is so? I mean, D&D races aren't really biological definitions anyway. Some of them are different species altogether while elf, human and orc apparently are the same race and able to reproduce with each other. It's unknown whether orc and elf can reproduce or if they just kill all such offspring immediately. Of course none of them actually evolved so using terms like "species" is probably wrong. What I'm getting at is that a D&D "race" might just as well be a different culture, it doesn't matter.

 

[Steely Dan]

Two words: Valley Elf.

Like, gag me with a leaf.


I know, you've heard it!

 

[Reneshat]

Emphasis on attempt. If Drizzt can be a good Drow, anyone can be a good drow.

Although it will make more sense for Drizzt - I always imagined, should we ever meet Drizzt in game, to say to him "Hey, Drizzt, we met the good drow down there near Waterdeep. Are you related to them?" and pull the rug out of his self-pity.

Seriously, the guy gets off on his "misunderstood and alone, exiled from my family and race", all the while there's tons of other good drows and a good drow goddess even just a few hundred miles - or just a mile, in the time he lived in Waterdeep - away. Serious case of insufficient coordinating between authors.

There WAS a ton of other good drow and a good drow goddess. Now there are good dark elves, evil drow, Drizzt and no more Ellistrae.

 

[Fenes]

There WAS a ton of other good drow and a good drow goddess. Now there are good dark elves, evil drow, Drizzt and no more Ellistrae.

Only for those who follow that timeline. And as long as they do not convert Drizzt to "good dark elf", there will always be "good drow" since where there's one, there can be two, three, and so on.

 

[taliesin15]

Glad we do agree about the annoying proliferation of Elf subraces; for myself I would extend this to the other demi-human races. I would rather there be outlines of regional differences, just like humans who speak a different dialect of Common on the other side of the mountains and tend to have curlier hair (or whatever).

As to the the -2 Constitution racial ability adjustment, I've never liked it, but if I was going to change the Ability Modifier, most of you would cry foul. It would probably stay at a +2 Dex; but +4 Int, +4 Wis and +6 Charisma. Also I would automatically give all Elves a couple of skill points of Perform Elven Songs and Poetry. But I've sidestepped all such controversy IMC by letting players do a generous point buy system, and tell them to ignore the racial adjustments.

Another problem I'm thinking people might have with Elves is some of the way too dorky-looking illustrations of them in the core books. Every single illustration of Mialee in the 3rd edition PHB & DMG looks like a really poorly rendered Anime character, not an Elf. Same goes for Gnomes and Halflings. What's up with SKINNY Gnomes and Halflings? And why does the Gnome Illusionist appear to be a sloppy caricature of a little Irishman? At least they've got the Dwarves and Half-Orcs pretty much right.