Half-Elf Ethnicity Legality


Pathfinder Society

3/5

2 people marked this as FAQ candidate.

Quick(ish) question on legality of something:

Are Spireborn Half-Elves allowed as an ethnicity? None of the half-elf ethnicities in Bastards of Golarion are called out as legal, but ethnically restricted traits are called out as legal with some exceptions. That leads me to believe that the ethnicities are allowed. The ethnicity doesn't change racial stats or traits in any way, but does change the languages to Azlanti and Elven rather than Common and Elven. I know in the case of Tien ethnicity humans, they are given Common as an additional language for PFS despite Tien ethnicity replacing Common with Tien. I'm just super confused as to whether I can actually have the ethnicity. I don't want to take any crazy traits or use it to qualify for anything, I just want it for flavor. I can also just take Azlanti as a language and say I'm a Spireborn without having it on my character sheet, but I'm weird and particular.

Thanks!


1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.

They are not allowed period, as I understand it.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.
Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

If they are not allowed, how will players be able to take the legal traits that require the half-elf ethnicities? While the "Mordant Envoy" trait isn't legal, other traits are. For example, the "Child of the Sea" trait is PFS legal, but there's no discussion on the legality of Shoreborn half-elf ethnicities.

This creates a grey area; I think that they should be looked at and either called out as sanctioned or not.

3/5 **** Venture-Agent, Massachusetts—Boston Metro

Rigby Bendele wrote:

If they are not allowed, how will players be able to take the legal traits that require the half-elf ethnicities? While the "Mordant Envoy" trait isn't legal, other traits are. For example, the "Child of the Sea" trait is PFS legal, but there's no discussion on the legality of Shoreborn half-elf ethnicities.

This creates a grey area; I think that they should be looked at and either called out as sanctioned or not.

The person meant Spirebound. That and half drow I believe are the only options not allowed at all. Everything else is legal.


Rigby Bendele wrote:

If they are not allowed, how will players be able to take the legal traits that require the half-elf ethnicities? While the "Mordant Envoy" trait isn't legal, other traits are. For example, the "Child of the Sea" trait is PFS legal, but there's no discussion on the legality of Shoreborn half-elf ethnicities.

This creates a grey area; I think that they should be looked at and either called out as sanctioned or not.

The traits don't require the ethnicities. The ethnicities are simply a package combo of traits that can be taken seaprately. You can take "Child of the Sea" without being a Mordant Half-Elf. The Spire is not the only source of aquatic elves.

3/5

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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

The traits don't require the ethnicities. The ethnicities are simply a package combo of traits that can be taken seaprately. You can take "Child of the Sea" without being a Mordant Half-Elf. The Spire is not the only source of aquatic elves.

The traits DO require the ethnicities, though. The Jungle Affinity alternate racial trait is specifically legal per Additional Resources, but one must be a Wildborn Half-Elf to take that trait, and that ethnicity is NOT specifically legal per Additional Resources. Basically, per PFS rules, NONE of the traits in Bastards of Golarion are effectively legal because one can't be of those ethnicities. Now, if the ethnicities ARE legal, and certain traits are NOT allowed, such as Thinblood Resilience and Mordant Envoy, then I could still be of those ethnicities, but NOT able to take those traits, which is exactly what I'm asking and where the ambiguity lies.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 *** Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha

Most of the heritages are allowed. Ekujae wildborn has been popular, for instance. I seem to recall that half-drow and spireborn were the exceptions, but I cannot find a post to confirm that.

3/5

The only thing that additional resources specifically allows are the alternate racial traits for the heritages/ethnicities, not the heritages/ethnicities themselves. That's where my confusion lies. I think the general *assumption* is that if the alternate racial trait is allowed then the heritage is allowed. PFS doesn't run on assumptions though.

1/5

I know half drow isn't legal because campaign leadership has said so in no uncertain terms. As to the rest the AR certainly seems to say they're legal though I'll believe that spirebound is also banned.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 *** Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha

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The heritages don't have any mechanics attached to them. They are as much a background/flavor aspect as human ethnicity. There is nothing about them to be designated legal/not-legal except for campaign world building, and Drow are the only half-elf option I've seen explicitly disallowed.

It's not an assumption, it is how the campaign is structured.

Edit: Spireborn might fall under the Azlanti prohibition, but it's not super clear.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
KingOfAnything wrote:

The heritages don't have any mechanics attached to them. They are as much a background/flavor aspect as human ethnicity. There is nothing about them to be designated legal/not-legal except for campaign world building, and Drow are the only half-elf option I've seen explicitly disallowed.

It's not an assumption, it is how the campaign is structured.

Edit: Spireborn might fall under the Azlanti prohibition, but it's not super clear.

Except that they do have mechanical requirements. They are listed as prerequisites for the traits AND effect what languages players know as starting languages.

Edit: Removed a sentence that didn't really work for what I'm trying to say.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 *** Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha

Not to conflate racial and character traits, but being from Cheliax is a prerequisite for some regional traits. That doesn't make your choice of ethnicity fall under the AR. You can be from Nex, or Xa Hoi or wherever, but you can only ever choose one.

The language change for spireborn is listed as both optional and mandatory in the book. It is clearly not appropriate for a character to begin play without speaking Common, but it is not clear whether that alternate racial option is disallowed or Spireborn as a heritage.

3/5

There's a big difference in being from Cheliax and being Chelish. Human ethnicities ARE cited as specifically legal on the AR.

For example, if I make an Osiriani human, he begins play speaking Osiriani. He can still be -from- Cheliax.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 *** Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha

Huh. It seems there is some inconsistency on which sources are legal for ethnicities. I was only looking at Inner Sea Races, because that source came first to mind.

2/5

Drow Heritage from Blood of Shadows appears to be PFS legal, if I am reading the addition resources right, and allows Half-Elves to be half-drow. Though as almost all Drow feats are not PFS legal it does not achieve anything much.


Mighty Squash wrote:
Drow Heritage from Blood of Shadows appears to be PFS legal, if I am reading the addition resources right, and allows Half-Elves to be half-drow. Though as almost all Drow feats are not PFS legal it does not achieve anything much.

Actually, that section being legal appears to have been an oversight. As in, no drow, half-drow, or any bit of drow ancestry is allowed.

Book of Shadows and Drow-Relations.

Scarab Sages

PaperStSoapCo wrote:

There's a big difference in being from Cheliax and being Chelish. Human ethnicities ARE cited as specifically legal on the AR.

For example, if I make an Osiriani human, he begins play speaking Osiriani. He can still be -from- Cheliax.

Could be wrong, but I thought the language was Garundi, for modern Osiriani natives.

Scarab Sages

On subject, I recall that many of the Spire elf themed archetypes are legal for play. There's a few. My understanding is that the heritage is legal, even if some of the racial traits aren't. Drow, as I understand it, are the only elf related race that is banned.

Grand Lodge 4/5

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Murdock Mudeater wrote:
PaperStSoapCo wrote:

There's a big difference in being from Cheliax and being Chelish. Human ethnicities ARE cited as specifically legal on the AR.

For example, if I make an Osiriani human, he begins play speaking Osiriani. He can still be -from- Cheliax.

Could be wrong, but I thought the language was Garundi, for modern Osiriani natives.

It's the other way around: Garundi humans, who come from Osirion, other places in northern and eastern Garund (the southern continent, not-Africa) and also make up a substantial part of Absalom's population, speak the (modern) Osiriani language.

Shadow Lodge 2/5

If you have a copy of 'People of the North', there is a trait called "Child of Two Peoples" on page 15. The trait basically allows your character to reflect a distinct tie to both parts of what makes them a 'Half-?' in Pathfinder. Just us the ethnicity you want with your "Half-?' character when you take the trait. :)

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