Elves

[tkdguy]

Re: Elves

 

There is no difference really for the Norse between Dwarves and Elves. Svartalfar' date=' their name for Dwarves literally means "black elf" or even "dark elf".[/quote']

I also read about a dwarf in the Elder Eddas called Gandalf. He was an elf/dwarf hybrid, according to the text. So the Alfar and Svartalfar were interfertile, which backs up your claim.

 

Not that the Norse were experts in genetics, of course.

[Susano]

Re: Elves

 

I also read about a dwarf in the Elder Eddas called Gandalf. He was an elf/dwarf hybrid, according to the text. So the Alfar and Svartalfar were interfertile, which backs up your claim.

 

Not that the Norse were experts in genetics, of course.

 

Greeks were worse. I mean, Zeus scores with teh hot and sexy chicks in the form of what? A bull, a swan, and a shower of gold?

[tkdguy]

Re: Elves

 

I think Zeus approached them in those forms and then changed himself into his regular dashing self before giving the ladies some love. Either that, or he liked 'em kinky!

 

It's good to be the king (of the gods)!

[Old Man]

Re: Elves

 

"You said I'm a half-ling. What's a 'Ling.'"

 

Let me whip out my 'ling and show you...

 

I, too, dislike the concept of half-breeds. Partly for suspension-of-disbelief reasons, and partly because they, again, attract munchkins.

[Lezentauw]

Re: Elves

 

Since I use the Kalamar campaign setting, Elves are used.

 

Since Elves are suppose to be the masters of combat techniques, they are for the most part the only race that is allowed to use Martial Arts in my campaign. I use this training as one of the reasons, elves are able to hold off the goblinoid invasions.

[GamePhil]

Re: Elves

 

Depends on the game setting. I was, for a good, cathartic time, running a game in which the elves, being the CN jerks (this was D&D) I had generally seen people running, basically rulled the world. Other races were de facto slaves, holding on but basically helpless when the elves rolled through town. An entire race that was virtually immortal and only cared for themselves.

 

And one of my players just didn't get it and kept trying to go to the human forces for help. Ah, well.

 

The only fantasy game I'm currently running is based in the future of the Hero Universe, and the elves are the remnants of some of the folk that escaped from Faerie when it was destroyed centuries before. Which are the elves from the Turakian Age that have lived there for still more millennia, to be by this time creatures of pure magic rather than flesh, and are generally individuals of unique properties (though there are exceptions, such as the Redcaps).

[Curufea]

Re: Elves

 

I also read about a dwarf in the Elder Eddas called Gandalf. He was an elf/dwarf hybrid, according to the text. So the Alfar and Svartalfar were interfertile, which backs up your claim.

 

Not that the Norse were experts in genetics, of course.

 

That's where the name Gandalf comes from for Tolkein

 

And Elves and Dwarves are basically the same race in Norse mythology (see my earlier post)

[Kenn]

Re: Elves

 

Greeks were worse. I mean' date=' Zeus scores with teh hot and sexy chicks in the form of what? A bull, a swan, and a shower of gold?[/quote']

 

A bull and a swan are kinky enough but what exactly is the difference between a "shower of gold" and a "golden shower"?

[Manic Typist]

Re: Elves

 

One's just warm, the other is scalding hot?

[Susano]

Re: Elves

 

A bull and a swan are kinky enough but what exactly is the difference between a "shower of gold" and a "golden shower"?

 

The former was a rain of gold coins, IIRC.

[Kenn]

Re: Elves

 

Which would still hurt like the dickens. Unless you're Uncle Scrooge McDuck.

[Lucius]

Re: Gods

 

I always thought it was a poetic description of a beam of sunlight.

 

Sunlight, so vital to the Earth's ability to bring forth abundantly, after all, makes sense as a symbol of masculine fertility.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary asks why I'm not in bed yet. Goodnight everyone.

[JackValhalla]

Re: Elves

 

There were elves in my campaign world. I tried not to hold a grudge against elves. But I do hate "elf gamers" (I shapechange into an elf!) with an abiding passion, so I... 'disincentivized' them?

Oh, alright, I nerfed the pointies.

Elves had to take the following:

Ultrasonic hearing, Ultraviolet vision, 3 points Longevity, 1 CSL: Bows, 1 CSL: Swords, starting language is Elvish (which non-elves can barely hear, let alone understand) so if they want to communicate with non-elves they'd best learn another language, KS: Elvish History, PS: Woodcrafting, PS: Dancing, PS: Musical Instrument, SS: Botany, SS: Magical Theory, Stealth, Survival, Tracking, WF: Bows, WF: Swords.

About 30 points worth of stuff, required to play an elf. In a 150 pt campaign. Most of it will never come up for a character, but it's part of being an elf. Also, 1 1/2 BODY from Iron and Steel Weapons, 1d6 per phase in contact with iron, steel or bronze.

Yeah. You can play an elf. Yeah, you will be all cool like elves are. And you will pay for every point of it. Watch your head, everyone uses steel weapons.

If someone wants to play an elf "becuz elves r teh kewl!!!!!" then they can deal with it. If someone wants to roleplay an elf because they want to roleplay an elf, then everything on that list is stuff that they should take anyway.

[Kristopher]

Re: Elves

 

Where did the idea that elves are hurt by iron, steel, whatever, come from? I don't recall anything about that in Tolkein, for example, and that seems to be where the most common concept of elves in RPGs comes from.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Elves

 

Where did the idea that elves are hurt by iron' date=' steel, whatever, come from? I don't recall anything about that in Tolkein, for example, and that seems to be where the most common concept of elves in RPGs comes from.[/quote']

 

It's standard folklore. Tolkien's take on things isn't the only source for gaming inspiration.

[JackValhalla]

Re: Elves

 

I keep saying that one of these days I'm going to run a FRP that's based on an amalgamation of the Grimm's fairy tales. Let's see 'em run a elf in that setting....

[Lemurion]

Re: Elves

 

There were elves in my campaign world. I tried not to hold a grudge against elves. But I do hate "elf gamers" (I shapechange into an elf!) with an abiding passion, so I... 'disincentivized' them?

Oh, alright, I nerfed the pointies.

Elves had to take the following:

Ultrasonic hearing, Ultraviolet vision, 3 points Longevity, 1 CSL: Bows, 1 CSL: Swords, starting language is Elvish (which non-elves can barely hear, let alone understand) so if they want to communicate with non-elves they'd best learn another language, KS: Elvish History, PS: Woodcrafting, PS: Dancing, PS: Musical Instrument, SS: Botany, SS: Magical Theory, Stealth, Survival, Tracking, WF: Bows, WF: Swords.

About 30 points worth of stuff, required to play an elf. In a 150 pt campaign. Most of it will never come up for a character, but it's part of being an elf. Also, 1 1/2 BODY from Iron and Steel Weapons, 1d6 per phase in contact with iron, steel or bronze.

Yeah. You can play an elf. Yeah, you will be all cool like elves are. And you will pay for every point of it. Watch your head, everyone uses steel weapons.

If someone wants to play an elf "becuz elves r teh kewl!!!!!" then they can deal with it. If someone wants to roleplay an elf because they want to roleplay an elf, then everything on that list is stuff that they should take anyway.

 

I'm curious where the 1d6/phase for being in contact with bronze comes from. I know the iron/steel, but in most of the source material I've seen elves use bronze almost exclusively, which this would preclude. They are normally metal tool users, just don't use ferrous metals.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Elves

 

I'm curious where the 1d6/phase for being in contact with bronze comes from. I know the iron/steel' date=' but in most of the source material I've seen elves use bronze almost exclusively, which this would preclude. They are normally metal tool users, just don't use ferrous metals.[/quote']

 

I was wondering that myself. The origin of the whole "Elves get ganked by Iron" is usually seen as a folk record of the conflicts between cultures during the cusp between the iron and bronze ages.

[Old Man]

Re: Elves

 

Since Elves are suppose to be the masters of combat techniques' date=' they are for the most part the only race that is allowed to use Martial Arts in my campaign. I use this training as one of the reasons, elves are able to hold off the goblinoid invasions.[/quote']

 

Interesting. Only Humans are allowed martial arts in mine.

[Kenn]

Re: Elves

 

But can elves bake cookies, still?

 

Make toys working as slave labour for some fat dude with a fondness for venison?

[JackValhalla]

Re: Elves

 

I'm curious where the 1d6/phase for being in contact with bronze comes from. I know the iron/steel' date=' but in most of the source material I've seen elves use bronze almost exclusively, which this would preclude. They are normally metal tool users, just don't use ferrous metals.[/quote']

The explanation is actually very simple: It's because I'm an idiot. Bronze shouldn't be on that list, and I don't know why I typed it in. They only took damage from iron and high-iron alloys.

[Hierax]

Re: Elves

 

IMO, an Iron allergy/Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability Disadvantage really adds more flavour to Elves by helping to balance out their uber-powers, and giving them real game-mechanic reasons to act more elf-like (elusive hit-and-run archers and gives a reason to distrust the iron-loving Dwarves).

 

YMMV but I just got sick of Elves being long-lived pointy-eared humans with advantages and no disadvantages, fine for the mary-sues but not my cup-of-tea.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Elves

 

IMO' date=' an [b']Iron allergy/Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability Disadvantage [/b]really adds more flavour to Elves by helping to balance out their uber-powers, and giving them real game-mechanic reasons to act more elf-like (elusive hit-and-run archers and gives a reason to distrust the iron-loving Dwarves).

 

YMMV but I just got sick of Elves being long-lived pointy-eared humans with advantages and no disadvantages, fine for the mary-sues but not my cup-of-tea.

 

Eh ... my elves have plenty of drawbacks, primarily in limited STR, CON, and BODY when I do FH (and associated limited PD, ED, REC and STUN, of course). Since they aren't 'innately' more magical than anybody else, they don't have any kind of supernatural drawbacks. They do make better wizards than other races, though, since I use the Mana rules, and they have a higher racial max on INT and EGO (which makes for higher Mana and Mana REC).

 

I suppose they're more naturally inclined to be magicians, but not supernaturally so, if that makes any sense. An Elf and a Dwarf both with equal INT and EGO (and spells bought, and levels, etc.) are both equally skilled and powerful magicians. They aren't 'uber-powered'.

[Kristopher]

Re: Elves

 

It's standard folklore. Tolkien's take on things isn't the only source for gaming inspiration.

 

Standard folklore for elves, or for something that we've come to associate / confuse / conflate with elves?

[Kristopher]

Re: Elves

 

IMO' date=' an [b']Iron allergy/Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability Disadvantage [/b]really adds more flavour to Elves by helping to balance out their uber-powers, and giving them real game-mechanic reasons to act more elf-like (elusive hit-and-run archers and gives a reason to distrust the iron-loving Dwarves).

 

YMMV but I just got sick of Elves being long-lived pointy-eared humans with advantages and no disadvantages, fine for the mary-sues but not my cup-of-tea.

 

Yeah, because the "mary-sue" phenomenon or power-gaming are the only reasons anyone would ever want to play that kind of elf...