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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4374672" data-attributes="member: 19675">I love elves.I just don't think we need a Fantasy Megapack of Elves- A New Race For Every Niche!When you look at the legends, &quot;Elf&quot; was often interchangeable with terms like &quot;Faerie,&quot; &quot;Fey,&quot; &quot;Dwarf,&quot; &quot;Gnome&quot; and &quot;Goblin.&quot;&nbsp; By making an Elf for every situation, you leave less room for the other legendary supernatural creatures.&nbsp; Suddenly, a perfectly serviceable race- as far as legend and mythology goes, at least- loses its niche and people start wondering why they are in the game at all.Exhibit 1: the Gnome.&nbsp; Very commonly used as a term for nature loving diminutive fey or as handcraft-loving fey who assist tradesmen in need.&nbsp; That first niche was taken entirely by Elves, the second was somewhat mocked in the form of the Tinker Gnomes...In some legends, Gnomes were master craftsmen...but that role in RPGs is often depicted as being carved out for Dwarves.&nbsp; (Unless the Elves are better still.)Sometimes, Gnomes were masters of magic.&nbsp; In D&amp;D?&nbsp; Elves.Together, all this means leaving Gnomes without a distinct, positive niche in the game.Exhibit 2: other Fey.&nbsp; There are fey already associated with bodies of water...why Aquatic Elves?&nbsp; There are already fey associated with being xenophobic nature dwellers...so why Wild Elves?Exhibit 3: Elves themselves.&nbsp; Elves were very commonly associated with being aloof masters of magic- Oberon, Underhill, Changelings, The Raven King, the split between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, etc.&nbsp; They could have really played up this aspect in the game and left the other niches alone, leaving Elves as being powerful and mysterious.&nbsp; Instead, they're as common as drunken teenagers on Gulf Coast beaches during Spring Break.&nbsp; They've lost their luster, their mystery.&nbsp; They've become common.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 4374672, member: 19675"] I love elves. I just don't think we need a Fantasy Megapack of Elves- [I]A New Race For Every Niche![/I] When you look at the legends, "Elf" was often interchangeable with terms like "Faerie," "Fey," "Dwarf," "Gnome" and "Goblin." By making an Elf for every situation, you leave less room for the other legendary supernatural creatures. Suddenly, a perfectly serviceable race- as far as legend and mythology goes, at least- loses its niche and people start wondering why they are in the game at all. [B]Exhibit 1[/B]: the Gnome. Very commonly used as a term for nature loving diminutive fey or as handcraft-loving fey who assist tradesmen in need. That first niche was taken entirely by Elves, the second was somewhat mocked in the form of the Tinker Gnomes... In some legends, Gnomes were master craftsmen...but that role in RPGs is often depicted as being carved out for Dwarves. (Unless the Elves are better still.) Sometimes, Gnomes were masters of magic. In D&D? Elves. Together, all this means leaving Gnomes without a distinct, positive niche in the game. [B] Exhibit 2[/B]: other Fey. There are fey already associated with bodies of water...why Aquatic Elves? There are already fey associated with being xenophobic nature dwellers...so why Wild Elves? [B] Exhibit 3[/B]: Elves themselves. Elves were [I]very[/I] commonly associated with being aloof masters of magic- Oberon, Underhill, Changelings, The Raven King, the split between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, etc. They could have really played up this aspect in the game and left the other niches alone, leaving Elves as being powerful and mysterious. Instead, they're as common as drunken teenagers on Gulf Coast beaches during Spring Break. They've lost their luster, their mystery. They've become [I]common.[/I] [/QUOTE]

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