Piedmon_Sama
2010-05-19, 02:51 PM
Some of you may remember a long time ago, I posted stats and fluff for Orcs, Half-Orcs and Shara-Kim as I reimagined them. This thread is for roughly the same setting (that was a long time ago, my ideas have changed a little since then). While Orcs are little changed, my Elves have much less in common with the post-Tolkien depictions, and are (I hope) more evocative of earlier mythological and romantic depictions.
I'm not worried about them being "balanced" versus other player races. In this setting, Elves are just better---use them at your own risk. But I would like to know what kind of ECL people think this should warrant. Among other things, I've changed their true name. "Elves" is a human corruption of their ancient name, Alfari (the Norse word for elves with an -i tacked on because it sounds better to me).
Alfari
Also called Elves, or referred to in various texts as the Elders, Elder Race, the Wise Powers, and Vanrlings, the Alfari are magical, fay creatures* whose civilization stretches back to the primordial days of the world. Whether they are truly immortal, or bequeathed a life of many thousands of years, is unknown. They are mentioned in legends and old stories across the north, usually appearing to lost men as merry revelers in the deepest forest.
*"Fay" or "Fairies" is a very loose term, of course, which can describe minor deities (nymphs and satyrs), creatures that are not divine but inhuman and magical (the dwergar, alfari) or any sapient magical being (treants, for example). "Immortals" and "Fay/Fairies" are essentially catch-all terms, then, for "mysterious, inhuman, intelligent and magical."
A recurring motif in many sagas and stories, elves obviously have a powerful effect on the human psyche. They are what humans must desire beyond everything--immortal, forever beautiful, and powerful in mind and body. But if the old tales are anything to go by, the Elder Race are as capricious as they are beautiful. There are many stories of men cursed and ruined, or vanished and never heard from again, after insulting or dishonoring one of the Elves. There are also tales of the Eldritch Race bestowing great gifts and power upon human heroes, even making a mortal one of their own after his death.
Reports of Elf-Sightings come down to the present day. Usually it is in the deepest, most trackless forests, where only skilled men can go with hope to return. Usually reports come of Elves seen flitting from tree to tree as shapes in the corner of the eye, and can easily be dismissed as imaginary. Others report seeing companies of beautiful and richly dressed youths and maidens, dancing in a glade or relaxing on blankets in the shade by a brook. A common image in stories and reports also is that of the feast-table, where a great company of the Deathless Ones sits at a long, richly adorned table under the tall canopy, merrily eating and making glad talk to the sound of harps, tabors, shalms and the like. The beautiful dancers, revelers and food almost always vanish at even the fleetest woodsman's approach, but there are a few wild stories of humans taken into their company.
Darker stories blame the Elves for stealing children, or making them appear to die and be reborn in the Fairy World as pages for Elven lords and ladies. Likely that is just wishful thinking on the part of peasants and simple folk. It is unknown what "an elf-child" might be like, or if they exist. The personality of the Elves in these folk-tales, however, is remarkably consistent: they reward humans who are courteous and pay them respect, perhaps giving them a "bauble," some magic item or fabulous treasure, or telling them a deeply hidden secret. Humans who are proud, rude, priggish or unhelpful may find themselves cursed, turned around, and lost in the woods, perhaps maddened or sent unwitting into a bear's cave.
There is one, and only one, legend that deals comprehensively with Elven Society. Its author wrote under the pen-name "Bare-Bones Traveler." The work is almost 200 years old and continues to be widely read. Philologists who have studied the text guess from his vocabulary that the Traveler was a self-educated man; from his interests and the personality suggested in his writing, he was either an Imperial Gallician or man of the Free North, and he had probably been a soldier at one point.
To sum up this work: the land of the Elves is a place that touches all lands, but cannot simply be walked into. It lies outside our world, and can only be passed into through moonlight passing through the canopy of certain sacred groves, at least one of which lies within every kingdom in the world. The Elf-Land itself is like the most verdant and sweet forest, clear in most places of any undergrowth, with merry sweet-smelling pines and old sprawling oaks and ashtrees, where the ground itself gives a rich smell and invigorates the foot that touches it. "Many and easy are the earthen highways through this forest." It is surrounded on all sides by shining, snow-peaked mountains, or as if it lay in one massive caldera. In the center of the forest lie the Houses of the Elves, of noble marble and lime masonry, pillared with gold and lapis, the stones etched in rune-writings and adorned with silver, and soaring above are trees as tall as the ancient tower of Babel, so that their branches reach into the clouds.
In this other world, the Elves cannot be touched by time. Nor do they pay worship to the gods, since they have no fear of death. Indeed, when the world was young, the Elves desired to be worshipped, and created the Druids and Bards to be their priests and heralds among men. They busy themselves with merry-making and sports, or making the most lovely crafts. The Traveler notes that, since they play much and fear little, it is natural the Alfari are not unlike powerful children--thus their often-vengeful and cruel nature in the old stories.
The Elves have no one, but two rulers: The Lady In Spring, and the Lord In Winter, who rule as King and Queen over the undying land. The Elves say theirs was the very first marriage, but they have since fallen into quarrel and never see each other. Instead, one emerges from hibernation and the other enters it as the seasons change. In the Lady's warm months of rule, the Elves gather in the glens and glades to dance, revel and make glad-talk, playing games of courtly love and intriguing amongst themselves to win the Queen's attention. In Winter, the Lord leads the Elves in only two games: hunting and war. All through the forest, the greatest beasts are chased down and slaughtered, and raiding-sorties are made on the homes of orcs, dwarves, hobgoblins, and ogres with the elven men competing to win the most renown. Elves never marry, because they delight in secret loves, and every turn of Winter or Spring brings a new slate: new victors will emerge and new loves bloom, as if the past year never existed.
The Traveler concludes that Elves are not merely immortal, but truly forever young--always exploring new loves, pursuing new challenges, and forgetting the old with little ado. They live in a kind of paradise, but one, he piously concludes, without maturity or gravity. The Bare-Bones Traveler's account is the only travelogue of the Elves' world ever made by man, and he never explains why he was allowed to tour it, if a word of the travelogue is true. Most educated persons, of course, scoff at the "delirious and fanciful" tales of other worlds and other races so prominent in the north; the nations of the north, goes typical Imperial sentiment, will only mature when they abandon their fanciful world for the civilized pursuits of philosophy and pious sacrifice.
Alfari - Stats
-Alfari are Medium Fay creatures. They advance by character class only.
-Base Speed: 30 ft.
-Ability Modifiers: +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Wis, +4 Cha. Alfari are virtually all healthy and athletic. Their otherworldly mein can make them commanding and regal, or downright terrifying to mortals.
-Low-Light Vision (Ex): Can see twice as far in low light or torchlight.
-Trackless Step (Ex): Alfari leave no trail in natural surroundings unless they choose to suppress this ability.
-Long-Lived: Even the youngest Alfari are at least a century old. Their long experience gives them a leg up on mortals. At 1st level, an Alfari character chooses any five skills (regardless of class). These skills gain a +3 bonus.
-Skill Modifiers: +4 Spot, +4 Listen, +2 Survival, +4 Knowledge [Arcana], +4 Spellcraft,
-Bestow Curse (Sp): 1/day, an Alfari may cast Bestow Curse as a Spell-Like Ability, as a Sorcerer of the Alfari's character-level. Being immortal, Alfari are able to tamper to a limited extent with the fates of mortal creatures: only mortal creatures (usually humanoids) can be targeted with this ability.
-Illusory Terrain (Sp): 3/day, an Alfari may cast Illusory Terrain over forest terrain, and only over forest terrain, as a Sorcerer of the same level.
-Disguise Self (Sp): At will, an Alfari can cast Disguise Self in order to look like a mortal human of any sex, age or body-type.
-Favored Class: Sorcerer (Typical classes of Alfari Adventurers: Wizard, Bard, Druid, Fighter, Scout, Duskblade)
-Bonus Languages: Any (Alfari are assumed to be literate at character creation)
Becoming an Alfari: Only the greatest, fairest and most courteous heroes may attain this honor upon their death (being a king or prince isn't required, but it helps). Humans, Half-Elves, and some other mortal races may be chosen, and they must be not only great warriors or adventurers that accomplished mighty deeds, but be fair in face and voice. The reborn character gains all (Ex) and (Sp) abilities of the Alfari, as well as the skill bonuses, but not the additional bonuses for being long-lived; they retain all previous feats, skill points and skill bonuses (such as a Half-Elf's diplomacy bonus) but lose any other racial abilities. Their old racial bonuses/penalties, if any, are removed and replaced with the Alfari's. Any ability penalties due to aging are removed, but bonuses from aging remain.
I'm not worried about them being "balanced" versus other player races. In this setting, Elves are just better---use them at your own risk. But I would like to know what kind of ECL people think this should warrant. Among other things, I've changed their true name. "Elves" is a human corruption of their ancient name, Alfari (the Norse word for elves with an -i tacked on because it sounds better to me).
Alfari
Also called Elves, or referred to in various texts as the Elders, Elder Race, the Wise Powers, and Vanrlings, the Alfari are magical, fay creatures* whose civilization stretches back to the primordial days of the world. Whether they are truly immortal, or bequeathed a life of many thousands of years, is unknown. They are mentioned in legends and old stories across the north, usually appearing to lost men as merry revelers in the deepest forest.
*"Fay" or "Fairies" is a very loose term, of course, which can describe minor deities (nymphs and satyrs), creatures that are not divine but inhuman and magical (the dwergar, alfari) or any sapient magical being (treants, for example). "Immortals" and "Fay/Fairies" are essentially catch-all terms, then, for "mysterious, inhuman, intelligent and magical."
A recurring motif in many sagas and stories, elves obviously have a powerful effect on the human psyche. They are what humans must desire beyond everything--immortal, forever beautiful, and powerful in mind and body. But if the old tales are anything to go by, the Elder Race are as capricious as they are beautiful. There are many stories of men cursed and ruined, or vanished and never heard from again, after insulting or dishonoring one of the Elves. There are also tales of the Eldritch Race bestowing great gifts and power upon human heroes, even making a mortal one of their own after his death.
Reports of Elf-Sightings come down to the present day. Usually it is in the deepest, most trackless forests, where only skilled men can go with hope to return. Usually reports come of Elves seen flitting from tree to tree as shapes in the corner of the eye, and can easily be dismissed as imaginary. Others report seeing companies of beautiful and richly dressed youths and maidens, dancing in a glade or relaxing on blankets in the shade by a brook. A common image in stories and reports also is that of the feast-table, where a great company of the Deathless Ones sits at a long, richly adorned table under the tall canopy, merrily eating and making glad talk to the sound of harps, tabors, shalms and the like. The beautiful dancers, revelers and food almost always vanish at even the fleetest woodsman's approach, but there are a few wild stories of humans taken into their company.
Darker stories blame the Elves for stealing children, or making them appear to die and be reborn in the Fairy World as pages for Elven lords and ladies. Likely that is just wishful thinking on the part of peasants and simple folk. It is unknown what "an elf-child" might be like, or if they exist. The personality of the Elves in these folk-tales, however, is remarkably consistent: they reward humans who are courteous and pay them respect, perhaps giving them a "bauble," some magic item or fabulous treasure, or telling them a deeply hidden secret. Humans who are proud, rude, priggish or unhelpful may find themselves cursed, turned around, and lost in the woods, perhaps maddened or sent unwitting into a bear's cave.
There is one, and only one, legend that deals comprehensively with Elven Society. Its author wrote under the pen-name "Bare-Bones Traveler." The work is almost 200 years old and continues to be widely read. Philologists who have studied the text guess from his vocabulary that the Traveler was a self-educated man; from his interests and the personality suggested in his writing, he was either an Imperial Gallician or man of the Free North, and he had probably been a soldier at one point.
To sum up this work: the land of the Elves is a place that touches all lands, but cannot simply be walked into. It lies outside our world, and can only be passed into through moonlight passing through the canopy of certain sacred groves, at least one of which lies within every kingdom in the world. The Elf-Land itself is like the most verdant and sweet forest, clear in most places of any undergrowth, with merry sweet-smelling pines and old sprawling oaks and ashtrees, where the ground itself gives a rich smell and invigorates the foot that touches it. "Many and easy are the earthen highways through this forest." It is surrounded on all sides by shining, snow-peaked mountains, or as if it lay in one massive caldera. In the center of the forest lie the Houses of the Elves, of noble marble and lime masonry, pillared with gold and lapis, the stones etched in rune-writings and adorned with silver, and soaring above are trees as tall as the ancient tower of Babel, so that their branches reach into the clouds.
In this other world, the Elves cannot be touched by time. Nor do they pay worship to the gods, since they have no fear of death. Indeed, when the world was young, the Elves desired to be worshipped, and created the Druids and Bards to be their priests and heralds among men. They busy themselves with merry-making and sports, or making the most lovely crafts. The Traveler notes that, since they play much and fear little, it is natural the Alfari are not unlike powerful children--thus their often-vengeful and cruel nature in the old stories.
The Elves have no one, but two rulers: The Lady In Spring, and the Lord In Winter, who rule as King and Queen over the undying land. The Elves say theirs was the very first marriage, but they have since fallen into quarrel and never see each other. Instead, one emerges from hibernation and the other enters it as the seasons change. In the Lady's warm months of rule, the Elves gather in the glens and glades to dance, revel and make glad-talk, playing games of courtly love and intriguing amongst themselves to win the Queen's attention. In Winter, the Lord leads the Elves in only two games: hunting and war. All through the forest, the greatest beasts are chased down and slaughtered, and raiding-sorties are made on the homes of orcs, dwarves, hobgoblins, and ogres with the elven men competing to win the most renown. Elves never marry, because they delight in secret loves, and every turn of Winter or Spring brings a new slate: new victors will emerge and new loves bloom, as if the past year never existed.
The Traveler concludes that Elves are not merely immortal, but truly forever young--always exploring new loves, pursuing new challenges, and forgetting the old with little ado. They live in a kind of paradise, but one, he piously concludes, without maturity or gravity. The Bare-Bones Traveler's account is the only travelogue of the Elves' world ever made by man, and he never explains why he was allowed to tour it, if a word of the travelogue is true. Most educated persons, of course, scoff at the "delirious and fanciful" tales of other worlds and other races so prominent in the north; the nations of the north, goes typical Imperial sentiment, will only mature when they abandon their fanciful world for the civilized pursuits of philosophy and pious sacrifice.
Alfari - Stats
-Alfari are Medium Fay creatures. They advance by character class only.
-Base Speed: 30 ft.
-Ability Modifiers: +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Wis, +4 Cha. Alfari are virtually all healthy and athletic. Their otherworldly mein can make them commanding and regal, or downright terrifying to mortals.
-Low-Light Vision (Ex): Can see twice as far in low light or torchlight.
-Trackless Step (Ex): Alfari leave no trail in natural surroundings unless they choose to suppress this ability.
-Long-Lived: Even the youngest Alfari are at least a century old. Their long experience gives them a leg up on mortals. At 1st level, an Alfari character chooses any five skills (regardless of class). These skills gain a +3 bonus.
-Skill Modifiers: +4 Spot, +4 Listen, +2 Survival, +4 Knowledge [Arcana], +4 Spellcraft,
-Bestow Curse (Sp): 1/day, an Alfari may cast Bestow Curse as a Spell-Like Ability, as a Sorcerer of the Alfari's character-level. Being immortal, Alfari are able to tamper to a limited extent with the fates of mortal creatures: only mortal creatures (usually humanoids) can be targeted with this ability.
-Illusory Terrain (Sp): 3/day, an Alfari may cast Illusory Terrain over forest terrain, and only over forest terrain, as a Sorcerer of the same level.
-Disguise Self (Sp): At will, an Alfari can cast Disguise Self in order to look like a mortal human of any sex, age or body-type.
-Favored Class: Sorcerer (Typical classes of Alfari Adventurers: Wizard, Bard, Druid, Fighter, Scout, Duskblade)
-Bonus Languages: Any (Alfari are assumed to be literate at character creation)
Becoming an Alfari: Only the greatest, fairest and most courteous heroes may attain this honor upon their death (being a king or prince isn't required, but it helps). Humans, Half-Elves, and some other mortal races may be chosen, and they must be not only great warriors or adventurers that accomplished mighty deeds, but be fair in face and voice. The reborn character gains all (Ex) and (Sp) abilities of the Alfari, as well as the skill bonuses, but not the additional bonuses for being long-lived; they retain all previous feats, skill points and skill bonuses (such as a Half-Elf's diplomacy bonus) but lose any other racial abilities. Their old racial bonuses/penalties, if any, are removed and replaced with the Alfari's. Any ability penalties due to aging are removed, but bonuses from aging remain.