Why do people hate Elfkind?

[Fenes]

Elves were balanced at the start of 3.0. Then they started to add "an elf for every class" subraces, so anyone who wanted the perfect whatever had an elven subrace with the right stat mods to pick. Then add all the "reserved for ELVES" prestige classes, and special items and special magic.

Elven Fanservice at its best.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I guess we'll find out with Forgotten Realms, as I think that's where a lot of the original blame lies for the elf explosion.

If only that were true.

Two words: Valley Elf.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As for the "Baskin Robins" argument, this is a lie.

You know, for something to be a lie requires intent. And since people on this thread have made this claim, you're accusing them of, well, being liars. I vote another word would go better here, like "myth."

 

[hong]

If only that were true.

Two words: Valley Elf.

Like, gag me with a spoon!

 

[Fenes]

Mall Elves.

 

[Ahglock]

As for the "Baskin Robins" argument, this is a lie. Someone on the WotC boards did a count of race variants in 3E, and dwarves ended up having more flavors than elves. So, can we finally drop this insipid complaint?

And as always the racial count argument falls flat due to it missing the entire point.

1. They usually add anything short into the dwarf grouping, massively padding the numbers. And they add in lots of races that came late in 3.5 largely put there to show some level of parity with the elf sub-races.

2. More importantly the complaint is never centered around dwarves, humans etc. Because the elf pantheon was largely designed to be a player race. The so called sub-races for all the other races were designed as monsters, which some people played.


Elves legion of custom player races, dwarves like a couple player races with the same stat bonuses, not the wizard package, the thief package, the fighter package.

 

[Reneshat]

Elves

You might as well ask why so many people have irrational things against hippies or the French.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You might as well ask why so many people have irrational things against hippies or the French.

Most hippies and French people are actually elves.

 

[Reneshat]

Most hippies and French people are actually elves.

That's no longer true. The French are now "Eladrin."

 

[Cryptos]

If only that were true.

Two words: Valley Elf.

Edit: I just checked the reference re: Valley Elves in a Dragon magazine from 1982.

Still, it seems like an absurd amount of the subtypes came from FR.

Looking into the article that gave me the reference you were making, on wikipedia, more than half of the page is "Elves in the Forgotten Realms" and features aquatic, winged, dark or drow, lythari, moon, star, sun, wild, and wood elves.