"You're a half elf? Really?" From the P.A. Podcasts

[malraux]

But half-elves are basically just slightly slimmer than average humans. And adopt the dress style of their upbringing. So finding pret a porter clothing (assuming that even exists) that fits is not hard.

And again eladrin =/= elf. The other half of the family tree are the elves, not the eladrin. The eladrin are at best distant cousins, as closely related as the drow.

 

[MarkB]

Well, let's use this group as an example. Originally, IIRC, Wil Weaton wasn't part of the group. His Eladrin character came in later. Now, there's a perfect opportunity. Even if you're a half-elf raised by humans, it's pretty natural to be at least a little curious about the other half of your ancestry.

So, some time after meeting Aofel (or however you spell that), the half elf character makes a point of asking questions about where the elf came from. He wants to know a bit more about the other side of the tree, so to speak. Maybe drop in the odd bit of elven dialogue (they both do speak elven).

As already established, Wil's character is not an elf, he's an eladrin. It'd be like a baboon/orang-utan hybrid who's never met an orang-utan asking his new friend the chimpanzee to tell him all about orang-utan society.

That aside, maybe Aofel isn't the first ever elven character he's met, and he's already long since satisfied his curiosity about elves.

Maybe make a point when in town (Shadowfell wasn't it?) to look up some elf stuff or buy something made by elves. Complain that the tailors never get things to fit right since you're not built like a human (a complaint I make here in Japan ALL the time - being over 6 foot and ... erm... built for comfort makes buying clothes here a real chore).

That's off the top of my head.

Half-elves aren't that rare. They're likely as well catered-for as any other race by tailors in general, and not especially well catered-for by elven tailors, any more than they would be by human ones.

I just don't get why this rubs you up the wrong way, especially with a half-elven character. I see no need for any player to go out of their way to emphasise their race's stereotypes when playing, given that it's just one aspect of a complete character, and half-elves simply don't have that much there to play up in the first place.

 

[SSquirrel]

But half-elves are basically just slightly slimmer than average humans. And adopt the dress style of their upbringing. So finding pret a porter clothing (assuming that even exists) that fits is not hard.

And again eladrin =/= elf. The other half of the family tree are the elves, not the eladrin. The eladrin are at best distant cousins, as closely related as the drow.

Well considering the drow were once light elves who turned their back on the surface world and adopted Lloth as their deity instead, that's pretty close. The races split several thousand years ago, but in the end, eladrin are still elves.

 

[Dire Bare]

Well, there might not be a "right" way to play a non-human, but, IMO, there most definitely is a wrong way.

No.

It's cool if you personally prefer to roleplay non-human races as "different" in some way. And as DM, if you "enforce" this preference at your table, well I suppose that's okay . . . although I probably wouldn't enjoy playing at your table.

But to criticize someone else for not playing the way you do . . . badwrongfun . . . is just uncool man.

D&D fantasy races tend to the same issue as Star Trek races . . . different HUMAN stereotypes with wrinkly foreheads, or pointed ears. This has been pointed out in the thread before, but it bears repeating.

Playing a half-elf as "different" is cool. But not focusing on that aspect of the game is also cool. As long as the folks playing the game are having fun there is no wrong way to do it.

 

[Blair Goatsblood]

"I had no idea your character was black. He should act more black!"

 

[SSquirrel]

So we just need to search more deeply for standard stereotypes? Dwarves are known for their beer, any particular food they love? Particular mode of travel, conversational standards (other than the scottish accent).

We frequently see fantasy/alien races in film that appear to fit the stereotypes of modern ethnic groups. In the Star Wars prequels, the Gungans were viewed to be Jamaican-ish, the Trade Federation appeared to be modeled (and voiced) by some East Asian ethnic variety, etc etc. Do Gnomes or Half Orcs or Dragonborn have similar counterpoints? Or would discussion on this line of thought just get problematic quickly?

 

[Umbran]

We frequently see fantasy/alien races in film that appear to fit the stereotypes of modern ethnic groups. In the Star Wars prequels, the Gungans were viewed to be Jamaican-ish, the Trade Federation appeared to be modeled (and voiced) by some East Asian ethnic variety, etc etc. Do Gnomes or Half Orcs or Dragonborn have similar counterpoints? Or would discussion on this line of thought just get problematic quickly?

I don't think this line is problematic, so long as we remember to consider the good along with the bad - to not talk about modeling only the flaws of real-world cultures, but also their strengths.

The Star Wars examples are not the best, in my opinion, merely because they were not well done. I would point you at the TV show Babylon 5 for better examples:

The Centauri Republic were the late Roman Empire.
The Narn were a genericized middle-eastern culture.
The Mimbari were a stylized semi-feudal Japan.

 

[SSquirrel]

Right, and I never really got into Bab 5 so I wouldn't have that reference to post. The Star Wars were a quick example of one way to re-color an ethnicity for your own purposes. Never said it was a godo one, just one way you could

 

[UngainlyTitan]

So we just need to search more deeply for standard stereotypes? Dwarves are known for their beer, any particular food they love? Particular mode of travel, conversational standards (other than the scottish accent).

Dwarves are doing alright, it is elves and eladrin that need the help. The snooty elf stereotype is actually useless because there is a strong implication that he/she would not be caught dead in the company of lesser races. They really need a stereotype that justifies adverturing.

 

[tuxgeo]

Dwarves are doing alright, it is elves and eladrin that need the help. The snooty elf stereotype is actually useless because there is a strong implication that he/she would not be caught dead in the company of lesser races. They really need a stereotype that justifies adverturing.

Umm, I'm having trouble with this. I imagine that the trouble that I am having derives from the edition-change, where 3.5E High Elf becomes 4E Eladrin.

In fantasy tropes that I admire (OK, primarily Tolkien), it is the High Elves (4E Eladrin) that have the most notably snooty attitude, whereas Tolkien's wood-elves (4E Elves) are most typically represented by Legolas son of Thranduil, who was companionable enough and gregarious enough to offer his help to Frodo before Gimli son of Gloin offered his own.

So, to answer the stated question: The thing that 4E Elves bring to an adventuring party is Perception, coupled with a distinct presence of Dexterity (both already reflected in the racial Stat bonuses). In 4E, Elves aren't so much "snooty" as they are "innocent" and "primitive," and (to quote G.B. Shaw) they "think that the customs of [their] tribe and island are the laws of nature." (spoken of Brittanus in _Caesar and Cleopatra_)