Why Half-Elves???

[Olive]

speaking as a person who's bi-racial (caucasian, native canadian) why not half-elves. or do you people have objections with half-breeds?

I think tht most people see a difference between different tuypes of human and a cross breeding of a fantesy race with a human. Sorry if you don't.

 

[Miquiztli]

One feat for being a human vs:

- Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects.
- +2 racial saving throw bonus against Enchantment spells or effects.
- Low-light Vision: Half-elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
- +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
- Elven Blood: For all special abilities and effects, a half-elf is considered an elf.

Heck, the bonus to Listen Search and Spot alone is almost worth it. The cost of 1 skill point per level offsets the rest of the benefits. Seems about right to me.

Greg

Really, I would take the human's bonus feat and skill point bumps any time. The 3.0 and 3.5 half elf would be my last choice as a race. It has nothing that makes it stand out as a race. Why take a watered down half elf compared to a elf. For the ability to mulit-class like crazy? Well if your planning on that fighter/rogue/sorcerer/cleric, have at it.

 

[Norfleet]

One feat for being a human vs:

- Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects.
- +2 racial saving throw bonus against Enchantment spells or effects.
- Low-light Vision: Half-elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
- +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
- Elven Blood: For all special abilities and effects, a half-elf is considered an elf.

Heck, the bonus to Listen Search and Spot alone is almost worth it. The cost of 1 skill point per level offsets the rest of the benefits. Seems about right to me.
Greg

Sleep becomes a nonissue past L4. If your character wasn't going to survive even that long, he was hopeless to begin with. Next!

The +saves bonus is very minor and confined to a very specific group of saves. Since 3E saves are largely rigged, and you're dead meat against anything that targets a weak save, anyway, it's not really useful. Does it even stack with the +2 saves feat?

The low-light vision is rather nice, admittedly, but unless your character is a stealth character such as a rogue, it's not really crippling not to have it. Even as a rogue, there's a +2 dex for going wgith full elf.

The +1 bonus to listen/search/spot is basically a nonfeature. The bonus is not sizeable enough to be noticed, and if you don't have the skill anyway, your ability to use these skills are nonexistent. They won't help you qualify for a PrC, and even if you do have these skills, a tiny +1 bonus isn't enough to make a real difference.

So, we can do a comparison of each of these abilities to the human and elf version.

+Saves:
Vs. Human: This is maybe a halfway version of Iron Will. Maybe counts as half of a feat.
Vs. Elf: Elves get this also.

LowLight:
Vs. Humans: This is maybe a half-feat also. It's not quite blind-fight, and it falls short of Darkvision.
Vs. Elves: Already got one.

Skills Bonus:
Vs. Human: Okay, a total of +3 to skills you may or may not actually have is supposed to somehow be the equal to +4 skillpoints at first level, +1 per every level beyond that, which is equivalent to an entirely new skill you didn't have before? Yeah, right.
Vs. Elves: The elf bonus is better, IIRC.

Favored Class:
Vs. Humans: Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt.
Vs. Elves: Okay, admittedly, the elf FC of wizard is pretty useless, since you simply don't MC a caster if you expect to do anything useful with it, unless you're heading up a PrC, and besides, elves has zero inherent aptitude towards wizardry. However, unless you seriously plan on doing some multiclassing madness, it's not worth it, and FC: Any isn't even always an advantage, as somebody else pointed out.

Bottom line:
If you're going to do something, do it right. Don't do something half-assed and pick the half-elf.

 

[Kai Lord]

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[Felon]

speaking as a person who's bi-racial (caucasian, native canadian) why not half-elves. or do you people have objections with half-breeds?

No, but I do have certain reservations concerning cheap, out-of-context indignation.

My thoughts regarding the half-elf are outlined pretty clearly.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Statistically the half elf is a no goer, I believe 3.5 is going to give them a +2 bonus to diplomacy and gather info however. Imo that may not be enough.

I have a problem with the halfbreeds in general. Okay forgetting the scientific classification of humans and elves being the same species but different race. Why would they intermarry and have children?

Mum and dad won't grow old together and either mum or dad will see their children die before them. Pretty grim stuff. If it is a casual attraction and "oops, I'm pregnant" attitude, well this begs the question of why they are different races and not all intermarried?

The dragonlance world covered half-elves nicely by making them rare. I think that the half-elf racial description should by default assume this.

Give the half-elf the human skills/favoured class and elven low light vision/(half-elf) life span/+1 spot/listen/elven blood.

 

[Angcuru]

I have a problem with the halfbreeds in general. Okay forgetting the scientific classification of humans and elves being the same species but different race. Why would they intermarry and have children?

Seems kinda obvious to me: THE POWER OF LOVE COMPELLS YOU!

 

[Tewligan]

speaking as a person who's bi-racial (caucasian, native canadian) why not half-elves. or do you people have objections with half-breeds?

Yes, you are absolutely correct to be offended. After all, there is OBVIOUSLY no difference between (a) a union of two people of different ethnicities and (b) a number-crunching discussion about the imaginary offspring of a human and a magical creature that can see in the dark, lives for hundreds of years, and doesn't need to sleep. Only a racist would question the statistical benefits of playing a half-elf.

Sheesh.

 

[Hikaru]

Give the half-elf the human skills/favoured class and elven low light vision/(half-elf) life span/+1 spot/listen/elven blood.

I dig this version.

 

[The Allamistako]

Oh dear, it seems I kicked off a flame-war...

Sorry guysngals....

Now, for a happy ending:

The Newbe who asked about the half-elves has just made public he will be playing a half-elf! Why? Coz his gf (who playes a VERY successful half-orc in my game...) thinks the half-elf in the PHB looks cute...

!!!!!!!

-Alla