As someone who has worked in statistics and information collection before.
That freeform area at the end of certain sections and at the very end of a document.
People who fill those out are the ones who tend to be investigated the most.
Wizards has /investigated/ me?!? Argh! My privacy!
I'm not convinced that stepping on the other classes toes, in terms of mechanics or themes, is a concern for the WotC devs anymore.
I'd spin it as: "5e is all but free of the heavy-handed niche protection that plagued the early game."
May be true (I've never read those books),
Elric is a sickly ablino member of non-/pre-human, but very humanoid, species, the heir to a decadent empire that he helped destroy, and his family has had pacts with 'Gods' of Chaos, very much like D&D Demon Lords, really, that allow him to call for supernatural aid now and then, using knowledge he memorized as a child, and a ring, the Atrios, which symbolizes the pact.
Moorcock conceived of Elric in a fit of pique when his Conan pastiche was panned by a critic for being, well, Conan pastiche. So Elric is the anti-Conan. Civilized, decadent, effete, and sickly where Conan is barbaric, strong, and vital.
Magic-using where Conan cuts sorcerers in half. Dependent on one magic sword rather than going through weapons like they were disposable. (Though, perhaps ironically, Elric's Melnibone did fall to 'barbarians' (humans) and his people are dying out, being supplanted by the more vigorous, less civilized, human race, in keeping with REH's politically incorrect theories of history.) Also, ironically, Elric of Melnibone was panned by a critic (who presumably never read it) as being just another Conan rip-off.
So, yeah, pact with an Evil power, demon bound in a sword, pact-
implementfocus. D&D warlock's pretty close in concept.
Moorcock might even approve (or sue, whatever).
but Gandalf's a plot contrivance, not a wizard.
And a maiar, not a human.
He's also the exposition character... so much exposition...
