I've been thinking of basing a character concept on the incomprehensible and alien nature of the elves. It says in Elves of Golarion that other races find them "confusing," "contradictory," and "unpredictable." I have gotten some fun ideas from that book, but I thought I'd ask you all what you've tried; what works and what doesn't.
How do I, with a human nature, roleplay an elf who has such a foreign nature? I'd love specific ideas. (I'm going for typical high elf, not Forlorn or wild elf.)
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What I really like is the Elven idea that you don't ever tell other people what to do.
You can make quite interesting characters with that.
I go for philosophical ruminations and kindness but never issuing orders, making demands or leading anyone.
My elf also has a tendency to go and do what he thinks he should do without telling anyone - he wouldn't tell them what to do, so can't imagine they would want to tell him what to do.
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One thing to remember is that elves live for a very long time. Consequently they don't get into too much of a rush, nor do they consider things that might be very important to others as worthy of that much attention. To an elf, it is not unusual to spend 20 years (or more) to make a single sword just to make sure you get it right.
It also describes elves as being "tempestuous". So they're prone to very quick mood swings. Quick to laugh, quick to anger, quick to forgive.
Elves also enjoy finding the beauty in things that other races might not be able to notice. Point out how you love the way a tree branch curves just so. This also applies to the beauty of movement. Combat isn't just a race to hack the other person into tiny pieces before he does so to you. Your elf might get lost in the abstract beauty of form and motion in a sword duel. Especially if it is charged with the emotion of being a fight to the death. And especially if he is a part of it.
Finally, there's the elven sense of superiority. Elves are one of the oldest races in existence. They were mastering the arcane when humans were still hitting each other on the heads with clubs. And they know this. An elf might appreciate the gifts and unique talents of other races, but in his heart, he knows that he is simply a superior species. This has lead to no small amount of pompousness amongst elves. Even if you can't do something better than the party human, remember, elves in general can.
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Finally, there's the elven sense of superiority. Elves are one of the oldest races in existence. They were mastering the arcane when humans were still hitting each other on the heads with clubs. And they know this. An elf might appreciate the gifts and unique talents of other races, but in his heart, he knows that he is simply a superior species. This has lead to no small amount of pompousness amongst elves. Even if you can't do something better than the party human, remember, elves in general can.
I've always thought that even ELves that thought this would try not to show it. It would be terribly infra dig and would actually undermine the idea (if you're better than them then why are you so much worse than them at being polite?).
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hmmmmm.....
"I've often wondered, while sitting under a tree having lunch, what the leaf thinks of my quick passing. So fast I am there and then not. Such a minute part of it's life, with so many differences... and I may never return again. Then it dies.
My life goes on much longer than that of course, and I must remember that when I look at life in this manner.
And then I also have to remember that even though the leaf is such a short life, the tree has such a long life to live...
what did the tree think when I was there?
and the ground? the rock over by the stream? the air I'm breathing?"
the thoughts of the elf as per my imaginings....
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Alternatively, be paranoid and defensive. You have hundreds of years of life that could be destroyed in moments. You could be afflicted with something terrible that lasts for far longer than any human would have to endure!
The world is out to kill you. Humans might die like flies but you are an elf. You have so much more to lose.
Finally, there's the elven sense of superiority. Elves are one of the oldest races in existence. They were mastering the arcane when humans were still hitting each other on the heads with clubs. And they know this. An elf might appreciate the gifts and unique talents of other races, but in his heart, he knows that he is simply a superior species. This has lead to no small amount of pompousness amongst elves. Even if you can't do something better than the party human, remember, elves in general can.
Whatever you do, just don't play the elf like a prickish spotlight hog, it's just as annoying as the lawful stick up the butt Paladin who dictates others actions. I'm played in campaign where every single elf was like that PCs and NPCs alike. After the whole incident where we found out elves sent orcs to attack random caravans to get the city riled up instead of just explaining things because, "We can't let outsiders know of our shame" I almost fell (I was playing a Paladin) because of my desire to cause genocide to the elves (It also didn't help that the elf players would question my character all the time, such as "you can stealth?" and "You tripped an orc? That's just wrong"). Regardless of skin color, NPC or PC, or Alignment they were all played as uptight, manipulative, self-righteous pricks who would screw over others to protect their reputation...
A superiority-complex just does not work with many groups. It's an annoying trait unless you're in the party where putting each other down is just part of the social contract.
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When GMing, I roleplayed elvish NPCs as having zero inhibitions and self-control. Their emotions are stronger than those of humans, but they burn fast, and an elven ally could flip out and kill someone over a careless comment, and then collapse into tears moments later, grieving over their overreaction, only to rise, wipe their face, kick the body and forget the entire thing five minutes later.
The weight of decades worth of life-experience washes over the elves like water off of a ducks back, as the bulk of their emotional intensity is entirely in the present. The past fades and becomes dull and flavorless. The future is meaningless, something few elves even bother to think about. Only in the present, only in the eternal now, does an elf see in colors, smell the richness of the world around them, and only the pleasures (and pains) of the moment are real and potent, those past fading away and becoming pale and tasteless, causing the elf to constantly live his or her life in expansive gestures and dramatic moments.
Negotiating with elves can be tricky, as behaving too diplomatically bores them and they wander away, but the wrong step can lead one to an extreme of emotion, or even violence. There's a fine line between inciting an elf to violence or boring her so completely that she wanders away.
To someone who has seen an elf, perhaps even a longtime companion or lover, in the grip of a passionate rage, they can seem terrifying and inhuman, more like sharks than people, always with great feeling beneath the surface.
When GMing, I roleplayed elvish NPCs as having zero inhibitions and self-control. Their emotions are stronger than those of humans, but they burn fast, and an elven ally could flip out and kill someone over a careless comment, and then collapse into tears moments later, grieving over their overreaction, only to rise, wipe their face, kick the body and forget the entire thing five minutes later.
The weight of decades worth of life-experience washes over the elves like water off of a ducks back, as the bulk of their emotional intensity is entirely in the present. The past fades and becomes dull and flavorless. The future is meaningless, something few elves even bother to think about. Only in the present, only in the eternal now, does an elf see in colors, smell the richness of the world around them, and only the pleasures (and pains) of the moment are real and potent, those past fading away and becoming pale and tasteless, causing the elf to constantly live his or her life in expansive gestures and dramatic moments.
Negotiating with elves can be tricky, as behaving too diplomatically bores them and they wander away, but the wrong step can lead one to an extreme of emotion, or even violence. There's a fine line between inciting an elf to violence or boring her so completely that she wanders away.
To someone who has seen an elf, perhaps even a longtime companion or lover, in the grip of a passionate rage, they can seem terrifying and inhuman, more like sharks than people, always with great feeling beneath the surface.
Interesting Set, as always..VERY interesting.
I've been thinking of basing a character concept on the incomprehensible and alien nature of the elves. It says in Elves of Golarion that other races find them "confusing," "contradictory," and "unpredictable." I have gotten some fun ideas from that book, but I thought I'd ask you all what you've tried; what works and what doesn't.
How do I, with a human nature, roleplay an elf who has such a foreign nature? I'd love specific ideas. (I'm going for typical high elf, not Forlorn or wild elf.)
Elves are at a few points obsessive (20 years on a sword) and for many other things, just don't care.
Play a neutral elf. Alternately do good acts, but do things many would consider utterly evil because in your mind there is no good or evil. It's not about balance. It's about a specific thing. Find a small but specific code of honor, maybe a few lines, be lawful and follow those laws to the letter. Be utterly chaotic otherwise.
In one particularly interesting game I played a neutral elf. There was an organization trying to convert all members of the party to the side of evil. Most of the party was "good". Everyone found it ironic that of everyone, the elf was the hardest to turn. Being "evil" or "good" just seemed nuts to him and were just going around with the party for profit. Even offering a ton of platinum to him wouldn't tempt him to go insane.
When in doubt on Elves, consult Tolkien. The Simarillion is full of all manner of strange elfisms, if you can handle the sometimes painfully dry style of the book.