Elves

[Old Man]

Re: Elves

 

Wow' date=' some major hate against elves. Perplexing.[/quote']

 

It's because of all the minimaxing players I've seen who play elves, or drow, or elf-giant half breeds, because that gives them an excuse to make a character who is better, stronger, faster, magicaller, and better looking than the rest of the party.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Elves

 

It's because of all the minimaxing players I've seen who play elves' date=' or drow, or elf-giant half breeds, because that gives them an excuse to make a character who is better, stronger, faster, magicaller, and better looking than the rest of the party.[/quote']

 

It's more like so they feel they can act snooty and obnoxious, then play the 'I'm playing my character' card, when they really don't have a leg to stand on when making that claim.

 

"I'll live for 800 years!"

"Wanna bet?"

[Kristopher]

Re: Elves

 

It's because of all the minimaxing players I've seen who play elves' date=' or drow, or elf-giant half breeds, because that gives them an excuse to make a character who is better, stronger, faster, magicaller, and better looking than the rest of the party.[/quote']

 

It's quite a leap from reacting to that, to the bile I've seen spat upon elves in this thread.

[wlogue]

Re: Elves

 

I've got elves. Not as a PC Race.

They are aloof and (as far as humans and dwarves can tell) immortal. There are Elves and Dark Elves. The difference is that the Dark Elves tried to wipe the substandard (not as "good" as elves) races from the world about five hundred years ago. Elves and Dark elves look exactly the same, if you discount the maniacal gleam of EVIL in the eyes of the Dark Elves.

It may be possible that the Dark Elves are simply misunderstood; as no one in my world has actually met a Dark Elf (I'm saving tham as the really BIG bad guys).

They've fought armies of undead, utterly alien reptilian races, and a world spanning wannabe world government, but nothing truely EVIL.

[Curufea]

Re: Elves

 

I'll let PCs play anything. But I'll warn them if I don't think they are likely to be good enough to roleplay it. For a PC to be an Elf, they have to be willing and able to roleplay a non-human.

[Hermit]

Re: Elves

 

Do you have Elves in your fantasy world? If you do' date=' what are they like?[/quote']

 

It depends on WHICH of my worlds actually. In some of them I play up the fae angle, making almost a part of the forest mist, in others they are a very mortal (if long lived) dying race whos time has passed, and so on. I tend to have Dwarves in my D&D campaigns swear that the secret to 'elven chain' was stolen from them by the pointy ears . Whether it is true or not doesn't matter, its fun

[Enforcer84]

Re: Elves

 

Edean has no elves.

However, the long lived forest folk who look like Elf-like plants take a similar role

So does the artistically appreciative frog people

 

I have no dwarves but a short race of miners who bear a passing resemblance to moles exists, and a race of magical artisans that appear as minotaurs or humanoid bison exists.

 

I wanted a world that lacked the "traditional" races but I still have traditional monsters, goblins, giants, dragons, goos, gongers...okay the last two are seriously only seen in the Breath of Fire consol games.

[DEFCON Clown]

Re: Elves

 

The only fantasy world I have doesn't have a name. Its the standard fantasy world with one major difference. The only race is human. Everyone is a human, all the good guys, all the bad guys, everyone is a human. There are still all sorts of monster but you won't find Minotaurs, Centaurs, or god forbid Driders. *shudders*

[Phil]

Re: Elves

 

Yes, I have elves in my Fantasy Hero game. They are generally much more powerful than normal humans, but balanced by the fact that all PCs are considered to already be at the level of 'hero' status. There are four different types: Noldor, Sindar, Falathrim and Laiquendi.... hehe, guess what fantasy world *my* game is set in ;-)

 

Phil

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Elves

 

My main setting has various "elves" all based pretty heavily on celtic mythology, with some of my own twists.

The Daoine Sidhe are my immortal "high elves", who exist in the Otherworld more than they do in this one. Mortals have a hard time dealing with them..their glamour comes from being more "real" than most mortal minds can cope with. To most they appear to flicker when they move, like an image caught in a strobe light. Iron grounds them to the mortal plane and causes them pain and disorientation.

 

The Fallen, or the People of the Hollow Hills, are Sidhe who have lost or were born without their ability to interact with the Otherworld, and who have gone into exile in realms created beneath the hills and in other majectic lonely places. Still very bloody magical. Not as sensitve to iron. They are my "wood elves", and the most likely to be allowed as a PC

 

The Scaileanna are dark mirrors of the Sidhe, servants of Chaos and Old Night just as are the Formorians. The wonder and awe associated with Sidhe are turned to despair and fear, and the glamours they weave lead mortals astray to their dooms. They will not harm one who keeps true to his path.

 

The Mordhel (as named by the northmen & thanks to Master Feist for a great race idea) are the mortal (but very long lived) offspring and decendants of the Scaileanna. They haunt forests and mountains in family warbands seeking victims. Considered in my game as possibly the most "evil" race short of the actual Formori... They have an unusual chaotic reproductive system that leads to a radical gender imbalance, a matriarcial society, and a savage warrior culture based largely on conducting "breeding raids" where elegible females are captured from enemy lands and used by the mordhel to breed Formori... Mordhel by design of the dark ones may breed with anything bearing a large enough womb and SOMETHING will eventuially claw its way out. These lesser formori are the main forces in the armies of the dark gods.

These are my "fight to the death, kill the children first if we lose" badguys.

[CourtFool]

Maybe elves deserve a little bile now and then

 

It's quite a leap from reacting to that' date=' to the bile I've seen spat upon elves in this thread.[/quote']

 

Which post or posts are you referring to? I have seen some posts stating that people do not like elves…but spitting bile?

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Elves

 

It's more like so they feel they can act snooty and obnoxious, then play the 'I'm playing my character' card, when they really don't have a leg to stand on when making that claim.

 

"I'll live for 800 years!"

"Wanna bet?"

Ah, which is exactly why the elves in my world are aloof and detached not because they think they're better, but because the laws protect them much better if they stay in their own territory, and most human ceilings are too low for them to hang out comfortably indoors. It made me laugh as I was coming up with it.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Elves

 

From my D&D-esque world, Temoris:

 

General Info

Temoris is home to five major subraces of Elves, each of which was civilized before man mastered the use of fire. The White Elves, Gray Elves, and Blue Elves are joined in loose allegiance to the traditions and authority represented by the Elvish Court, and in the person of Lord Rodney of Treehome. Most Black Elves treat other Elves with casual disdain, and the Green Elves ignore the decrees of the civilized Elves. Elves live between 500 and 800 years, and achieve maturity between 80 and 125 years.

 

Their culture is very similar to the golden age of Greece, where philosophy and art are considered the highest ideals to which a person can aspire and wars are short but fierce affairs.

 

Personality

Elves can be safely said to love life in all its glory. They are a people of deep passions and great emotion, a fact which can cause no little amount of consternation among their human and Dwarvish neighbors. They value personal freedom above all things, and this is reflected in their way of life.

 

Elves are thought to have little patience or discipline, since they seldom settle down and learn a trade or craft. But in fact, Elves are the finest artists and craftspeople in the world. Their long lives mean that they have plenty of time both to study a skill and to live a life of ease. Elvish parties are famous for lasting several days.

 

Also adding to the Elves' undeserved reputation of laziness, Elves are naturally nocturnal, preferring to sleep during the day and come awake at night. Elves can see in all but total darkness, so they are masters of the night.

 

Elves treat sex as they treat most other things in life — as a wonderful pastime to be enjoyed. Elves are not nearly as fertile as the shorter-lived races, so they indulge their sexual appetites with little care. It is seen as an unexpected blessing if a child is conceived. Elves have a hard time understanding the stodginess of other races regarding sex. The common Elvish opinion is, "What could possibly be bad about it?"

 

Many Elves, particularly the young adults, are intensely curious about the world around them. They often set out to explore and adventure, leaving their homes without a backward glance. This is common among the Elvish peoples, and no one gives it a second thought.

 

Society

In keeping with their love of freedom, the Elves have a unique form of government. They call it "democracy," or "rule by the people." Most of the other races scratch their heads at this strange way of life, but it seems to work just fine for the Elves.

 

The various sub-races of Elves each have their own distinguishing physical characteristics. Indeed, the sub-races are much more physically distinct than the sub-races of Dwarves or Hobbits. However, they are all considered Elves, bonded by common culture, language, and cross-breeding. One characteristic that all Elves share is that they all have no facial or body hair, and the hair on their heads tends to be thin. Widow's peaks are common on both men and women.

 

Even though humans and Elves may interbreed, there are no Half-Elves. Instead, any offspring take after their mother – a human mother and Elf father will give birth to a human child, with a few Elvish characteristics (like a slight build or a musical voice). An Elf mother and human father will have Elvish children with some minor human characteristics (such as facial hair).

 

Homelands

Elves primarily live in the area known as Pasion, the Elvish nation. Pasion is a land of thick forests, gushing rivers, mighty mountains, and deep oceans, and the Elves fit into each of these niches perfectly. They often war with those who attempt to encroach on their lands, usually Orcs but sometimes humans from neighboring states.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Elves

 

Ah' date=' which is exactly why the elves in my world are aloof and detached not because they think they're better, but because the laws protect them much better if they stay in their own territory, and most human ceilings are too low for them to hang out comfortably indoors. It made me laugh as I was coming up with it. [/quote']

 

 

I keep forgetting some people use tall elves. I prefer short (5' or so).

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: Elves

 

I keep forgetting some people use tall elves. I prefer short (5' or so).

In the english language, "elfin" does call to mind petite and short. I prefer the taller ones, at least for this particular world. I have plenty of races that are short.

[Cancer]

Re: Elves

 

Wow' date=' some major hate against elves. Perplexing.[/quote']

 

My take on Elves is pretty unflattering, but I wouldn't say "hate". It's just my extrapolation on what it has to mean, on a planetary ecosystem sense, to have a sentient race with a lifespan of 20,000 years or so. They have to have a low fertility, and that means they can't afford to take losses. Which means that in order to survive, they have to manipulate all their (ecological) short-lived competitors. With their advantage of a much longer time perspective, this is pretty easy to imagine.

 

So all this comes from trying to think on a planetary scale, and how a long-lived race might fit in. I chose to call that race "Elves" because it's a familiar, vaguely relevant, but deceptive handle that fantasy gamers are familiar with. But (whatever you call them) it makes for a race which, by most people's standards, isn't very nice.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Elves

 

Yes, we've got Elves. They're tall, tend toward a thin, angular build, don't age, and are very often only seen in trading caravans, or their native territories. On another continent, there are Wood Elves, who are the result of a lost bet between two gods. Wood Elves are much wilder, and rarely travel from their forests. They are not immortal, but age very slowly.

 

The Elves were the victors of an ancient war with the Dragons, who were all locked up in remote prisons. The war left the world with two less continents, and several shattered regions. The elves were helped in this task by the Dwarves, a race created by yet another god to serve the Elves. Some time after this war, the Dwarves rebelled, and started a cycle of wars, where humans were used as pawns of both sides. That lasted until the humans rebelled, and forced a truce.

 

JoeG

[sinanju]

Re: Elves

 

Elves in my fantasy world (when I still had one running) were tall and slender and beautiful. They were designed that way by the Ancients, to serve as decoration and sexual playthings.

 

Just like dwarves were designed to be compact, strong and tireless--the better to labor in the unobtainium mines. And halflings were designed to small, unobtrusive house servants. And humans were designed to be generalists, workers who could be slotted into whatever workforce needed more hands.

 

And goblins and orcs were designed to be cannon fodder and shock troops respectively. And minotaurs and centaurs and other half-humanoid creatures were designed to be entertaining prey for hunts. Ditto for giants (but the giants are nearly extinct, and suffering from severe inbreeding--hence multiple limbs, cyclopses, two-headed giants and the like).

 

The Ancients (long since gone) were not nice people. Nobody misses them.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Elves

 

Geez. And I thought I didn't like elves.

[Kristopher]

Re: Elves

 

My take on Elves is pretty unflattering, but I wouldn't say "hate". It's just my extrapolation on what it has to mean, on a planetary ecosystem sense, to have a sentient race with a lifespan of 20,000 years or so. They have to have a low fertility, and that means they can't afford to take losses. Which means that in order to survive, they have to manipulate all their (ecological) short-lived competitors. With their advantage of a much longer time perspective, this is pretty easy to imagine.

 

So all this comes from trying to think on a planetary scale, and how a long-lived race might fit in. I chose to call that race "Elves" because it's a familiar, vaguely relevant, but deceptive handle that fantasy gamers are familiar with. But (whatever you call them) it makes for a race which, by most people's standards, isn't very nice.

 

I was talking about comments like this:

 

I have elves' date=' but they are short, made of cookie dough and live in hollowed out trees. The inhabitants in the game LOVE elves, especially during the hot season when they get a nice and baked....[/quote']

 

Nope' date=' no elves. I hate elves. If elves existed in my world, they all died doing something stupid well before the other races were around.[/quote']

 

Mmmmmmm..........elves, the other white meat. I use elves to feed the good guys - my orcs.

 

...

 

Those are the ones I have the most fun with anyway, which is weird, cause I really don't care for elves. Unless of course, It's Whats For Dinner.

 

Elves are beautiful, willowy, graceful, dexterous, effeminate, and--most of all--arrogant. Until you hit them with a weapon. Then their graceful, willowy bones shatter like kindling, their watery blood splashes lightly upon the ground, and they die.

 

Well, sometimes they last long enough to plead for mercy, and hear the mocking laughter in response...

 

Those kinds of comments.

[Lucius]

Re: Elves

 

I could be way off here, but...

 

I think some people percieve Elves as an entire race of "mary janes."

 

Does that make sense?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary adds that they may also be percieved as just being overdone and cliched.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Elves

 

I could be way off here, but...

 

I think some people percieve Elves as an entire race of "mary janes."

 

Does that make sense?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary adds that they may also be percieved as just being overdone and cliched.

 

Are you sure you don't mean Mary Sues?

 

I was kind of surprised at how many people made elves these otherworldly immortal spirity things rather than a simple long-lived humanoid race. I've never encountered the like in a game.

[Lucius]

Re: Elves

 

Are you sure you don't mean Mary Sues?

 

I was kind of surprised at how many people made elves these otherworldly immortal spirity things rather than a simple long-lived humanoid race. I've never encountered the like in a game.

 

I probably do. I'm only familiar with the concept from discussions online here, and could easily have botched the name.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary adds that Lucius may give his own take on Elves, when he finds that writeup he did...

[Lucius]

Elves

 

I wrote up a set of pages titled "What Everyone Knows About ____" and companion pieces "What ____s Know." Thus when I run a fantasy game, I can hand this out to anyone wanting to know how Elves (or whatever) work as I envision them. If you want to play an Elf, you get to see "What Elves Know." Anyone can see "What Everyone Knows About Elves" and get the game world's "conventional wisdom" - just remember that "What Everyone Knows" is sometimes wrong! And yes, there is also a "What Everyone Knows about Humans" and "What Humans Know."

 

What Everyone Knows About Elves

 

They live forever - or, from a Human standpoint, might as well. They are all magicians, often both subtle and powerful. Most are skilled with sword, staff, and bow. They are such masters of woodcraft that an army of them could pass a sentry unseen and unheard. They have sharp ears, see in the dark, and are never surprised, even in sleep. Each knows the lore of several Human lifetimes, but they are secretive, mysterious, and not to be fully trusted, for if they speak at all they may lie, speak in riddles, or be misleading. Some of them aren't above stealing either. The worst of them may: steal children, or even adults, keep them captive for centuries, and finally let them go when tired of them; ambush with their magick arrows to strike a person deaf, dumb, blind, or lame; and curse crops and cattle, for they love not to see such things when they remember when the whole world was a wilderness and all plants and animals grew wild and free. Even the most friendly of them look down on other beings, but are too polite to say so. Elves excel at every kind of art, trade, or craft, except blacksmith, for they cannot abide the touch of iron; that metal is poison to them. They are graceful, but not strong or sturdy. Elves are often noble and wise in their own ways, but their ways are forever strange to mortals.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises 2002

[Eosin]

Re: Elves

 

I have Elf Tofu - the Mordha, they fill the same rolls but the texture is different. What an analogy.