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MammonAzrael
2007-12-22, 07:05 AM
Seriously WotC, could we get another race for Christmas? Why so heavy on the elves? Anyways, here's the article. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20071221)

And for those without the membership:
Once they were a single race: The elves say they were elves, the eladrin say they were eladrin. The drow say they were debased, unfinished, and fatally flawed, and would have stayed that way but for the help of Lolth.

In the younger days of creation, a fey race walked the borders between the world and the Feywild. Corellon and the two sisters, Sehanine and Lolth, delighted in this race, for all three gods saw in them the qualities they most valued. Corellon prized them for their artistry, their innate sense for the ebb and flow of magic, their song, and their fierce anger in battle. Sehanine loved their stealth, their gentle footsteps in the shadows of the forest, and their curiosity and wonder at the newborn world. And Lolth particularly enjoyed those who sought power and seized it, who spied and schemed to achieve their goals, who showed no mercy to their enemies or their rivals.

For this young race, like most of the fey, had a very different sense of morality from that of other races. Moradin, Pelor, and Bahamut taught their followers the noble path of law and good, encouraged them to shun evil, value life, and build societies that protected their weaker citizens. The elves, though, were as changing as the seasons and the moon, mercurial in their passions. Corellon taught them to love beauty and savor life but to kill in an ecstatic fury of blasting magic and whirling blade when they faced their enemies in battle. Sehanine taught them to find their own paths without any particular ethical code. And Lolth extended Sehanine's doctrine to its extreme, teaching the elves to place their own goals above all other cares and to stop at nothing to achieve them.

The elves as a race were neither good nor evil -- they didn't think in those terms. They enjoyed beauty and pleasure, and many of them found pleasure in kindness and beauty in every facet of life, and so acted in good ways. Still, they might inflict pain or even death, not out of cruelty, but purely out of curiosity. Others found pleasure in causing pain, and turned their path to evil.

Sehanine, god of the full moon, was fair-skinned and dark-haired, while Lolth, god of the new moon, was the opposite. As the race of elves spread and built their first cities, Lolth marked her favorites -- those elves who delighted in murder and destruction -- by matching their coloration to hers. Even before Lolth's rebellion, these dark-skinned elves began to claim the name of drow, an ugly Elven word that refers to the things that haunt the night.

Up to this point, the legends and histories of the three races mostly agree. Some details may differ -- most notably the name by which the unified race was known -- but the broad outline is the same. With the rebellion of Lolth, however, the histories diverge. They agree on the fact of Lolth's revolt: She turned against her sister and Corellon and led her chosen ones in battle against the other elves. The reason for her revolt is less clear. The most common legends include the following:

* Lolth grew tired of sharing her power and authority with Sehanine and tried to kill her sister, to claim the shadows and the moon as her exclusive domain.
* Lolth was jealous of the affection between Corellon and her sister and tried to kill one or the other of them.
* Lolth descended into the Elemental Chaos and even plumbed the Abyss in a search for knowledge or power, and she made alliances with demons -- and then Corellon and Sehanine sought to punish her blasphemy.
* Or Lolth believed that her chosen people should rule the elf race and led them to seize power, which only then resulted in conflict among the gods.

Whatever the reason for the revolt of Lolth and the drow, the consequences were devastating. War tore through the shining fey cities and consumed the woodlands of the world with fire. Some say that the world and the Feywild grew more distant from each other, making passage between them more difficult and driving a wedge between the elves who favored one over the other. Ultimately, the drow were cut off and banished from elf and eladrin communities, driven into the dark places of the world, the Feywild, and the Shadowfell. Lolth made her home in the Abyss, taking the title of the Demon Queen of Spiders.

By the end of the rebellion, the elves, the eladrin, and the drow were three distinct races. Each was shaped by the nature of their home and the favor of their gods.

Elves: A Closer Look

Whatever the history and legend of their origin, the elves of the present day are very much creatures of the world. Though still fey in their nature, they are attuned to the world and its primal power, at home in the woodlands, and they live in harmony with the beasts and trees that share their home.

Since the revolt of the drow, the elves have walked quietly over the earth, leaving little trace. As kingdoms and empires grew and collapsed -- the human realm of Nerath, the dragonborn Arkhosia, the tiefling Bael Turath, and countless nations before them -- the elves remained in their woodland homes, mostly unaffected by the rise and fall of nations. On a few occasions, the eladrin built kingdoms in the world. Sometimes these kingdoms sought cordial relations with their elf neighbors, and elves and eladrin lived as close as they ever had since Lolth's rebellion. At other times, the eladrin tried to force the elves into a reunion of the races and met bitter resistance. There can be no doubt, now, that the two races will never again be one.

Shunning kingdoms of their own, the elves no longer build cities as their ancestors did, but make their homes among the trees. They live in family or clan units, sleeping in tents or under the stars as they range through the forests and gather what they need to survive. At other times, they in temporary villages built on platforms in the branches, linked by vines and ropes -- almost a natural part of the trees themselves. They roam with the seasons, following animals on their migrations or journeying to where fruits and nuts grow in greatest abundance. At least twice a year -- at midsummer and midwinter -- elf families and clans gather together to observe the turning of the seasons, share stories and news of the recent months, and celebrate marriages, births, and deaths.

In the darkness that has been growing since the fall of Nerath, the elves find it more and more difficult to maintain their traditional ways. Many of their forests are no longer safe even for their keen-eyed archers and hardy warriors. Some forests have burned to their roots, driving the elves to find safe refuge in the better-defended settlements of other races. Where, in the past, it was unusual to find elves in human towns except as traders, now many elf families have taken up permanent residence among humans, halflings, and even dwarves, joining with these other races for protection against the darkness.

As a race, elves are fleet of foot and agile. Though they are by no means stupid, they do not place the same value on learning and intellect that their eladrin cousins do. Rather, they value the wisdom of years and the truth of intuition and insight. Their more comic legends are full of eladrin who are puffed up with their own knowledge but lack even a modicum of common sense, and cunning elf heroes who trick their foolish cousins.

Elves share a passionate and emotional nature with many of their fey cousins. They experience feelings deeply and intensely, and their emotions are often mercurial. An elf can swing from wailing grief to heartfelt laughter in a moment, and as quickly to burning rage. They make bitter enemies, sometimes clinging to grudges through long generations, but they are reliable and compassionate friends who remember gratitude longer than wrongs.

Many elves still revere Corellon and (particularly) Sehanine, but many others worship Melora, god of the wilds where they make their homes. Even those elves who drift toward evil rarely turn to Lolth. The legend of her rebellion stings too much. Instead, they worship the Raven Queen, Zehir, or occasionally savage Gruumsh.

For many elves, the gods are not much different from the clan elders who have moved on from this life to another. They remember the gods in thanks and might pray for insight, but not many elves become champions of any god's ideals as a cleric or paladin. They are not as fascinated with arcane magic as their eladrin cousins, often growing impatient with its intricacies and precision. They are drawn more to mastery of primal power, which keeps them attuned to the natural world with its spirits and forces. Elf rangers, rogues, druids, and barbarians are the most common adventurers.

Eladrin: A Race Apart

The eladrin claim to be the original race from which both elves and drow split, with the (usually) unspoken implication that both other races fell away from the state of near-perfection that the eladrin embody. Certainly, the eladrin are still the most fey of the three elf races, still steeped in the magic of the Feywild and still the favored children of Corellon. Arcane magic suffuses their bodies and souls, sometimes emanating from them in a soft nimbus of fey light.

Many races of the world can look back in history to a shining example of their ancestors' accomplishments: the dragonborn empire of Arkhosia or the human realm of Nerath, for example. When the eladrin reflect back on their days of glory, they think first and foremost of the time before Lolth's rebellion, when the whole Feywild shined with the light of the eladrin cities. Those cities now lie in ruins, still hauntingly beautiful among the fey forests with moonlight shining on their shattered spires and ivory walls, but haunting in their testimony to the violence of the rebellion.

Eladrin still build towers of graceful beauty in the grandest places of the Feywild -- breathtaking gorges and verdant glens -- and sometimes even among the ruins of their ancient cities. But no eladrin city of the present day, or of the past hundred centuries, can compare to the heights of the eladrin race in that mythic time before. Eladrin cities of the present day are usually little more than a single ivory spire rising above a scattering of smaller homes, all built in perfect harmony with their surroundings as if carved from the earth by wind and rain.

There have been times in the history of the world when eladrin tried to rebuild the ancient glory of a united race, extending their city-states into the natural world and making overtures to nearby elf communities. These dreams of kingdoms that would bridge the worlds have always crumbled to dust with the passing of years, usually within the span of a single generation.

Eladrin society has more in common with the human structures of nobility and rulership than it does with the family-based society of the elves. Noble houses ruled by eladrin with titles such as Bralani of Autumn Winds or Ghaele of Winter govern tiny princedoms scattered across the Feywild. The eladrin swear loyalty to their noble protectors, who promise to help defend them against fomorians and other dangers of the fey darkness. Unlike human rulers, these noble eladrin wield tremendous power derived from a close connection to the magic of the Feywild, so their tiny city-states do remain as lights, however dim and flickering, standing against the encroaching darkness.

Eladrin share the grace and agility of their elf cousins but place more value on the developed intellect than on intuition and emotion. All eladrin are scholars to some degree, versed in the history of their race and the theories of magic and more inclined to calculate possible solutions than to run with a gut feeling.

The eladrin can seem cold and emotionless to outsiders, if sometimes capricious, and they are certainly less passionate than the elves. Their grief manifests as a wistful melancholy, their pleasure as a soft smile, and their anger as a simmering glare. Much like the elves, they have long memories for both gifts and grudges.

Most eladrin worship Corellon and Sehanine. Some temples in the Feywild are still arranged as they were before Lolth's rebellion -- built as three interlocking circles, each with its altar to one of the three elf gods. In most of these temples, Lolth's altar has been destroyed or defaced. Sometimes it is draped with black cloth to hide it from view, and sometimes it is visible but simply unadorned. There are eladrin who believe that the three gods will one day be reconciled, just as the three races will again be one.

Some say that Corellon's dominion of Arborea lies in the Feywild, while others claim it floats in the Astral Sea. It's possible that it drifts between the worlds or somehow exists in both places at once. To the eladrin mind, Arborea is perhaps not so different from the court of any noble eladrin -- larger and more magnificent, perhaps, but a place where any eladrin would feel at home, even in the presence of so great a lord as the noble Corellon. Sehanine, it's said, wanders freely in and out of Corelllon's home but spends much of her time in the Feywild, where travelers might stumble across her path. Some who attend one of Sehanine's moonlit feasts are said to become lost for centuries, while others awaken after a single night to find themselves blessed with gifts and powers beyond their imagining.

More so than the elves, eladrin sometimes become champions of a god in much the same way that one might become a fey knight in service to a noble eladrin. Divine magic is not alien to the eladrin, but arcane magic is their love and part of their nature. Eladrin wizards are far more common than warlocks, sorcerers, or bards, but any form of arcane magic is a source of endless fascination for the race.

Noble Eladrin

The lords and ladies that rule the eladrin are powerful fey who embody the character of the race. Their magic is tied to seasons and emotions. A ghaele might lash out with a blast of wintry cold, while a coure sows strife among her enemies. They are enigmatic and aloof and can be very capricious, especially when mortals venture into their domains. The tale of Ferrin Toth, a human wizard who ventured into the Feywild seeking arcane secrets, illustrates the nature of the noble eladrin.

Proud of his knowledge and confident in his arcane power, Ferrin Toth used a ritual to transport himself into the Feywild. After parting the veil between worlds, he found himself in a lovely valley with a crystalline spire rising beside a sparkling waterfall at the valley's head. He presented himself at the palace gate in the late afternoon, asking for an audience with the ruler of the place.

Two women escorted him into the presence of their lord Immeral, Firre of Passion. Warm braziers lit the audience hall against the approaching twilight and fire seemed to dance in the opalescent eyes of the eladrin lord. He welcomed the human wizard graciously, descending from his throne to escort the traveler on a tour through the palace. Ferrin lingered by the doorway to the eladrin's magnificent library, but Immeral told him he could explore the library in the morning. Ferrin tried to protest -- there was still enough daylight for him to read -- but the eladrin wouldn't hear him. He hurried Ferrin to a luxurious guest room, warned him not to leave the room until dawn's light burned on the horizon, and left him alone.

Ferrin couldn't sleep. His glimpse of the lord's great library tormented him, and desire to plumb its secrets consumed him. When the palace was silent and the full moon glittered in its spires, Ferrin crept from his room and tried to retrace his steps to the library. As he walked, the corridors seemed to twist in on themselves, and soon the gleaming crystal walls melted into thickets of briars. He wandered through what had become a labyrinth until dawn began to brighten the sky. Then the two women who had brought him to the lord's audience hall stepped out of the thickets. Their lovely faces and forms vanished in a flash, revealing monstrous creatures of wood and vine, swinging arms like mighty cudgels at him.

With a word of refuge, Ferrin returned to the sanctum of his own tower. But the vision of the Firre of Passion's library haunted him. Every night he tossed and turned on his bed, thinking of the library and the wonders he had glimpsed through its doorway. Every morning, when dawn's light burned on the horizon, he thought he stood again in that doorway, and hope surged in his chest -- but as soon as the sun rose above the distant hills, his vision cleared and he was still in his tower. Many times he returned to the Feywild, but he was never able to find Immeral's palace again.

Drow: Lolth's Chosen

The drow are creatures of evil and darkness, exiles banished to the subterranean realms beneath the Feywild, the world, and the Shadowfell. Their ties to the forests and valleys of nature are cut, and they live by cruelty and domination, no longer in harmony with the beasts of the wild.

The drow build their cities deep underground, their slender spires and feylit towers echoing or mocking the graceful eladrin cities of the Feywild. Their society is a study in paradox. Within a drow city, various families or houses hold power. A drow without a connection to one of these houses is an outcast, and members of other races are rarely anything but slaves to these houses. The drow are inclined to empire, unlike their cousins, and the well-ordered houses would perhaps conquer both the Underdark and the surface world were it not for Lolth and her priests. Lolth is a god of treachery and chaos, and at her urging, her priests lead the house matrons in constant battles for dominance. Even when a single house manages to cling to power for an extended time, it must be constantly vigilant against the threat of a lesser house trying to claim its position, and struggles among the lesser houses prevent the city from acting in anything like a concerted effort toward conquest.

Drow share the agility of their cousins, which they often put to use in stealth and trickery. Although they are no taller than eladrins, they have a presence that often makes members of other races feel smaller and on edge -- a fury seems to be at constant boil behind their blank white eyes, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. Like the elves, their moods can change in an instant, most often transforming into blind, murderous rage.

The drow remain Lolth's own, and they tolerate the worship of no other god. The names of Corellon and Sehanine are blasphemy to a drow's ears, and even a euphemistic reference to either god is accompanied by spitting on the ground. The drow revere spiders because Lolth chose them as her symbol, and they traffic with demons because Lolth has made some demons her servants. The priests of Lolth hold political as well as spiritual power, serving as advisers to the house matrons if not actually filling that position themselves. Drow society revolves around Lolth, though it means a constant state of civil upheaval.

While elves and eladrin are inclined to view the gods as simply a greater form of their own lords and elders, the drow give Lolth their unquestioning devotion. Far more drow follow divine paths to become clerics or paladins than either elves or eladrin do -- perhaps in part because of the temporal authority that comes with service to Lolth but also for the opportunity to commune more closely with their god and savor her power flowing through them. They have not forgotten their heritage of arcane study, however, and produce many mighty wizards and warlocks. While religion and politics are primarily the arena of women among the drow, the arcane masters of the race are mostly men.

The more high-minded elves and eladrin sometimes take a compassionate view of the drow, perhaps believing that the three races might one day be reunited. The drow, on the other hand, permit no such weakness of thought, as they see it. Whatever their short-term plans of conquest or rebellion, the drow long for the day when they will exterminate their kindred, obliterating the stain of elves and eladrin from the world and the Feywild. Only occasionally do these dreams manifest in any kind of action, but drow have been seen fighting alongside fomorians in the Feywild.

Without a doubt, the aspirations of the drow echo the dreams and schemes of Lolth, the Spider Queen. In her Abyssal domain of the Demonweb Pits, she sits and waits, plotting the day when she can snare her sister and Corellon in her webs and finish the work she started at the dawn of time.

And then the three races will be only one.

Drow As Player Characters

With the release of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting in the summer of of '08, drow will be presented as a fully playable character race. Although drow as a race are a singularly wicked people, cruel and treacherous in their dealings with others, a smattering in every generation learn cooperation and the value of alliance. While some of these are merely cunning in their decision to gain the trust of others, a few truly come to value the positive aspects of camaraderie and friendship, sometimes even with those not of their own race.

Play a drow if you …

* want to be good at skulking about, striking quick, and employing a variety of dirty tactics;
* ?enjoy playing a hero in search of redemption and who struggles to rise above the wickedness of his people;
* ?are considering a ranger, rogue, warlock.

Plenty of fluff info. Drow will be available as a PC shortly after the Core books are released and their society still appears fairly matriarchal. Eladrin aren't quite the jackasses of Grey elves, but they aren't far behind.

Lets hope for info on a non-elf race soon!

Swordguy
2007-12-22, 07:18 AM
That's surprisingly solid fluff. I like it.

KIDS
2007-12-22, 07:20 AM
Not what I expected, but I like it and think this change will be an easy spark for tons of new roleplaying ideas. Very nice!

Morty
2007-12-22, 07:24 AM
There're quite many concrete facts there. I'm positively surprised, it's much better than "whatever you do, elves do better" elves of 3rd edition. Also, we know that sorcerers and bards will be present in 4ed one way or another.

Dhavaer
2007-12-22, 07:53 AM
Even though all we have is a name, I'd like to hear more about Zehir the Raven Queen. I'm hoping for a Chaotic Evil god or war less stupid than Erythnul.

Altair_the_Vexed
2007-12-22, 10:37 AM
That's surprisingly solid fluff. I like it.

I hate solid fluff.
When we get handed fluff by our game authors, it stifles creativity in DMs and players. I far prefer some lose ideas about the world and a free reign. Suffice to say I've never in my 20+ years of playing bought a campaign setting from a third party.

However, you're right: it's a well-written bit of fluff.

Drider
2007-12-22, 11:37 AM
Play a drow if you …

* want to be good at skulking about, striking quick, and employing a variety of dirty tactics;
* ?enjoy playing a hero in search of redemption and who struggles to rise above the wickedness of his people;
* ?are considering a ranger, rogue, warlock.



lol?

Swordguy
2007-12-22, 11:41 AM
I hate solid fluff.
When we get handed fluff by our game authors, it stifles creativity in DMs and players. I far prefer some lose ideas about the world and a free reign. Suffice to say I've never in my 20+ years of playing bought a campaign setting from a third party.

However, you're right: it's a well-written bit of fluff.

Different vernacular. In my neck of the woods, "solid" (in reference to written work) is synonymus with "well-written". That's how I meant it, in any case.

Sebastian
2007-12-22, 12:08 PM
Play a drow if you …

* want to be good at skulking about, striking quick, and employing a variety of dirty tactics;
* ?enjoy playing a hero in search of redemption and who struggles to rise above the wickedness of his people;
* ?are considering a ranger, rogue, warlock.



lol?

* want to fight with twin scimitars and have a panther companion.

Amphimir Míriel
2007-12-22, 12:18 PM
* want to fight with twin scimitars and have a panther companion.

As much as we may hate them, Drizzt-lovers are a non-trivial market for D&D products.

A good thing that may come out of it, however, is that we may have usable Two-Weapon Fighting in this edition... We have already been promised usable Sword-and-Board, so here's some hope

Swooper
2007-12-22, 01:03 PM
I must say, I like it. When the first rumour of splitting elves into elves and eladrin came, I was very sceptical. But as someone said, this is pretty well written.

I'm starting to think they're making a brand new campaign setting to serve as the 'default' setting instead of Greyhawk. All this talk of the dragonborn empire Arkhosia, the human realm of Nerath and the tiefling Bael Turath... Also, the new gods mentioned in the article - Zehir the Raven Queen and Melora, god of the wilds. Looks like they're aiming for a darker style of fantasy than before. I like it.

Deepblue706
2007-12-22, 01:07 PM
This whole article seems a bit poorly written to me. I bet it was rushed. But that's okay, because I never use the world material they provide anyway - I don't think I've ever used a campaign setting, either. Though, I recall Kalamar (I think 3.0?) being fairly well done...

Oh, and...

"Some say that Corellon's dominion of Arborea lies in the Feywild, while others claim it floats in the Astral Sea..."

Arborea. ARBOREA?

Sorry, that infuriates me.

Altair_the_Vexed
2007-12-22, 05:53 PM
This whole article seems a bit poorly written to me. I bet it was rushed. But that's okay, because I never use the world material they provide anyway - I don't think I've ever used a campaign setting, either. Though, I recall Kalamar (I think 3.0?) being fairly well done...

Oh, and...

"Some say that Corellon's dominion of Arborea lies in the Feywild, while others claim it floats in the Astral Sea..."

Arborea. ARBOREA?

Sorry, that infuriates me.

Yeah... sometimes naming fantasy stuff can be a bind. All the best names have been stolen by earlier authors.

BTW - when I said it was "well-written", I think I meant more along the lines of "sensibly" and "coherently" rather than any artistic merit. Of course, if one goes to far down the artistic merit road with elven background material, you're going to end up with the Silmarillion... :smallbiggrin:

Behold_the_Void
2007-12-22, 06:08 PM
This whole article seems a bit poorly written to me. I bet it was rushed. But that's okay, because I never use the world material they provide anyway - I don't think I've ever used a campaign setting, either. Though, I recall Kalamar (I think 3.0?) being fairly well done...

Oh, and...

"Some say that Corellon's dominion of Arborea lies in the Feywild, while others claim it floats in the Astral Sea..."

Arborea. ARBOREA?

Sorry, that infuriates me.

Arborea is already an existing plane in the great wheel, as I recall. Looks like it's still sticking around.

Generally liked this article. And I still don't see why people complain so much about pre-packaged fluff. It gives people something to use if they want to and can easily be discarded if you want to do something else. It's a suggestion, not a mandate.

MCerberus
2007-12-22, 06:36 PM
Eladrin wizards are far more common than warlocks, sorcerers, or bards, but any form of arcane magic is a source of endless fascination for the race.

So sorcerers weren't cut out after all. Interesting stuff. Oh and the elf fluff yes...

Ceres
2007-12-22, 07:41 PM
So sorcerers weren't cut out after all.

Bards and sorcerers will be includes eventually, as will gnomes as player races, just not in the first Players Handbook.

And I really like the article. Some good stuff there. Although I won't use it in my campaign, I might borrow a few ideas.

Eldmor
2007-12-22, 08:50 PM
I really like this. I just can't wait for 4E now.
I wouldn't expect that quality of fluff in anything less than a specific race book or campaign setting. Congratulations to them.

shadowdemon_lord
2007-12-22, 09:07 PM
Nicely written. I enjoy reading well done fluff, even if I rarely actually use it.

The Glyphstone
2007-12-22, 09:10 PM
Uh....Elves worshipping Grummsh?

Am I missing something here?

tyckspoon
2007-12-22, 09:38 PM
Uh....Elves worshipping Grummsh?

Am I missing something here?

It says that about those (non-drow) elves who are evil. Racial gods probably aren't so tightly bound to their races in the fluff now and/or the elf/orc fight is being deemphasized.

kamikasei
2007-12-22, 09:50 PM
Uh....Elves worshipping Grummsh?

Am I missing something here?

Like tyckspoon says: it seems they're moving away from "racial gods" and towards "generic gods which some races particularly revere", so Grummsh as an Erythnul-style god of strength and conflict would be a clear "orcish" god who might also be worshiped by other races.

puppyavenger
2007-12-22, 10:15 PM
Wait wasn't erythul still there in the evil church's articly on wizzards a while back?

Matthew
2007-12-22, 10:27 PM
A new spin on an old theme. Seems fine to me, and much closer to The Lord of the Rings paradigm, which I prefer.

Metal Head
2007-12-22, 10:28 PM
The elves have been violated.

Fax Celestis
2007-12-22, 10:34 PM
The elves have been violated.

What makes you say that? Elves have changed fluff between editions before.

Lord_Kimboat
2007-12-22, 10:43 PM
Now I am getting worried. Is 4E just going to be for the fanboys (and girls) then? They toss Gnomes because they say that people don't like them - although I've seen plenty played. Then they decide to bring in Dragon people and make Tieflings core for those with a bad boy/girl complex. Elves are great for all those people who loved Legolas in LotR but we need to bring Drow in now.

I swear, I should have just written a fantasy book with a hyper cool Gnome in there and we'd be getting those back!

Tallis
2007-12-23, 12:01 AM
Overall I like it. It's a nice way to condense the elven subraces while giving them clearer roles. Not sure if I like the nomadic elves idea, but it's easy to throw out if I decide not to use it.
I like the relationship between the gods. Finally there is a reasonable explanation for drow being black! Although it's a bit vague I like the ties between the different races of elves and the 3 worlds. Drow tied to the shadowlands sounds more interesting to me than previous drow history.

Dervag
2007-12-23, 12:09 AM
Play a drow if you …

* want to be good at skulking about, striking quick, and employing a variety of dirty tactics;
* ?enjoy playing a hero in search of redemption and who struggles to rise above the wickedness of his people;
* ?are considering a ranger, rogue, warlock.

lol?Well, if they don't completely change the flavor of the subspecies (making them, say, stalwart heroic musclebound warriors), that list is pretty much inevitable. They're supposed to be evil and sneaky and fight dirty, and to be extra-good at those things because they live underground. If you have a good drow then they match that second description more or less by default. And the third is just a list of classes- suggesting that most rangers are either 'nature warriors' (which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but could be explained if rangers stereotypically use skirmish tactics), rogues (makes sense to me), or warlocks (wizards who sell their soul to the devil for power, which makes sense to me).

Talyn
2007-12-23, 12:38 AM
Elves worshipping Gruumsh didn't surprise me as much as the notion of Paladins of Lolth! I guess paladins are going to be exemplars of every alignment now, instead of the traditional "always Lawful Good."

Or is that old news and I just missed it?

Dhavaer
2007-12-23, 12:46 AM
Elves worshipping Gruumsh didn't surprise me as much as the notion of Paladins of Lolth! I guess paladins are going to be exemplars of every alignment now, instead of the traditional "always Lawful Good."

Or is that old news and I just missed it?

It's old news.

Talyn
2007-12-23, 01:08 AM
Could I get a link, please?

Brawls
2007-12-23, 01:13 AM
Like many here I am pleased with what is presented. Also, like many here, my group rarely plays a 3rd party campaign setting. Still, the general traits and mechanics of the characters get incorporated to some degree. For me, it is more a return to the seperation in the LotR, which is a good thing. The Feywild and its inhabitants sound much more like folkloric creatures, particularly reminding me of Neil Gaiman's work. Again, I think this is a good thing. I've never been a big fan of Drow, but i will say that the presented background makes them more plausible.

All told, I think WotC are on the right track and hopefully this is indicative of the level of thought and development for 4e as a whole. Still unsure about Tieflings and pissed about Gnomes, but somehome I'll survive.

Brawls

Zeal
2007-12-23, 01:26 AM
*sigh* sad to see FR continuing and even endorsing the trend of just being a game of "Drow and Friends". Oh well, as for the rest of it, interesting stuff, not stuff I'm going to use ever, but still interesting.

Lord_Kimboat
2007-12-24, 12:52 AM
Talyn, there is a link in the first post of the thread.

bosssmiley
2007-12-24, 05:45 PM
Eladrins = mysterious Grey Elves/Sidhe from the misty celtic feywild realms
Elves = forest-dwelling, all-singing, all-bladedancing Wood Elves
Drow = evil, vicious Drow (but with an official 'heroic CG minority')

Executive summary of article: "business as usual". :smallsigh:

v-- Oh, they'll be back. Elves are like the cockroaches of D&D. :smalltongue:

Woot Spitum
2007-12-24, 06:59 PM
At least they managed to cut out the wild elves, the wood elves, the sea elves, the winged elves, the sun elves, the moon elves, and the the star elves. I'd be willing to call three elven subraces progress.

thorgrim29
2007-12-25, 12:34 AM
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! you fool! You brought doom upon us all by mentionning these thrise accursed subraces, now they will surely be included in the splattering of splatbooks of the next 5 or 6 years!

More seriously? Now I can even consider playing an elf and not going against all that I consider holy. I cant wait for the dwarf fluff...... damn, after weeks of mocking it, I might just buy races and classes if it's that high quality stuff. I need to craft my adventure before the big release after all.

Human Paragon 3
2007-12-25, 12:46 AM
Wow. That is... long. Started out kind of interesting, then degenerated into a bunch of baloney about gods- which I always do away with when I actually play. I felt as though I was reading a long, overblown breakdown of somebody's home brewed campaign world- which I have no intention of playing. Which is basically the case.

What I read of it was well written though, so I'm sure it's well thought out and useful to those interested in such things.

Thinker
2007-12-25, 01:00 AM
While I enjoy homebrewing worlds and such, I do enjoy having the default fluff for one-shots and other such things. Its good to have some baseline to help make sure you remembered everything for your own world and it helps inspire ideas.

cupkeyk
2007-12-25, 01:22 AM
I think Talyn asked for a link of the UA variant paladins: http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/unearthedCoreClass.html#freedom-slaughter-and-tyranny

My comment, meh... elves. Now gimme some halfling fluff. -_-