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WHAT GOOD IS THE ELF?
If you wait till the right season they taste good with pickels.
Do elves move faster if they're in a snit or if they're in a huff?
Elves is good, Elves is best.
If you aint an elf.
You if less.
I've never played an elf, there's something to be said for being able to grow really, really old though.
If you're looking for real, mechanical boons of the elf, it's a solid race.
Dexterity is the strongest stat in the game, covering AC, initiative, reflex saves, and a couple skills. Dex based characters do very well with the elf. Intelligence is another great stat (better than charisma) since it offers additional skill points. A penalty to constitution sucks, but it can be overcome easily so long as con isn't a primary stat (like the barbarian).
Low-Light vision is a serious perk over humans. +2 vs enchantments is also great, as is extra weapon proficiencies, spell penetration for casters, and a +2 perception (most used skill in the game).
Witches can trade out elven immunity to pick up Dreamspeaker and really further their slumber hex. Non-casters can trade away elven magic for a variety of bonuses: +1 attack vs orcs/dwarves, skill bonuses, or the ability to be truly awesome at stealth.
Comparing favored class bonuses is a wash, because the human is pretty much better/equal in all respects:
Barbarian - doesn't matter, elves aren't awesome barbarians.
Bard - human wins
Cavalier - human wins again
Fighter - human wins for versatility
Ranger - human wins again. Rangers are going to take the feat that this doesn't stack with.
Sorcerer - human wins, hands down
Wizard - Human saves money, but the elf gains a real mechanical bonus. It's probably not a great bonus for most players, though.
I'll bet you're a dwarf-lover.OMG, dude, Elves are great for LOTS of characters!
Want an effiminate PC?
. . . . Elf!Want to play an arrogant, self-righteous, effete snob?
. . . . Elf is the answer.How 'bout a PC who thinks that living to be a million years old and yet having a naturally weak CON score makes sense?
. . . . You know the Race to play.All in all, Elves are a great choice for anyone who wants to play a member of a race full of whiney, good-for-nothing, think-they-created-magic, pretend they're better than everyone else cuz they remember Sauron when he was here last but were too pathetic to really stop him and now crying for humans and dwarves (Real races) to save their lame-ass selves and now, 1000 years later are begging for help again all the while being dicks cuz they remember from last time even though no one else gives a damn.
That's the Elf.
Hard to love a race when you can't distinguish males and females because both have beards.
Hard to love a race when you can't distinguish males and females because both have beards.
To be fair, some people are into beards on women. Weird I know, but they are.
Elves are also known for baking tasty cookies. Does that count?
Same racial modifier as your average male gamer.
I'd be surprised if anyone loves dwarves considering their penalty to Charisma. :P
Touche. Though that doesn't exactly disprove my point. A certain joke about a theoretical physicist in an ice cream shop comes to mind. :P
Gotta love a sense of humor. :)
One thing I like is getting the racial weapons proficiencies. If I play an elven wizard, I like to have a composite longow as my chosen arcane bond weapon. With that, I don't have to waste a feat on martial weapon proficiency with the longbow.
That's just one thing I do like about elves.
Doesn't that interfere with somatic spells because you have to wield it with two hands?
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elf sorcerers do make passable arcane bloodline sorcerers with the sage wildblood mutation. which allows you to capitolize on your INT bonus at the "Cost" of being able to completely dump CHA.
the advantage is that the increased skill points allow you to have more useful dungeon crawling type cross class skills (like perception and stealth)
the "disadvantage" is that your UMD will be weaker, but you don't really need it.
I once ran a Elf Time Thief, it worked well with the flavor, the extra INT gave me the needed skills to be a decent monkey, and I managed to compensate for my low combat damage with an Elven Curve blade and Weapon Finesse.
Also, every single girl gamer I know plays an elf. The more elves, the better!
What class does an elf excel at, and how does one build such a character that a human could not do better?
The "I Can Live Past The Age Of 250" class is one where Elves kick the snot out of Humans.
Any class that uses Int and doesn't mind having Dex. Which is to say, any class that uses Int. Wizards, Witches, Wizards, and Alchemists come to mind. I listed Wizards twice because they're awesome Wizards.Are the better wizards than a human?
Would they make a good Magus?
What about a Eldritch Knight (compared to the Magus) probably not.
I had an Elf Magus switch hitter that rocked. Unfortunately he was only in two sessions before I dropped out the game due to logistics. If you go this route, plan on putting all level stat bonuses into strength.
I think Mr.Green was hoping to stir up something with this thread, but if I am wrong, please correct me.
I once ran a Elf Time Thief, it worked well with the flavor, the extra INT gave me the needed skills to be a decent monkey, and I managed to compensate for my low combat damage with an Elven Curve blade and Weapon Finesse.
Also, every single girl gamer I know plays an elf. The more elves, the better!
Huh. 2/3 for me.
Huh. 2/3 for me.I once ran a Elf Time Thief, it worked well with the flavor, the extra INT gave me the needed skills to be a decent monkey, and I managed to compensate for my low combat damage with an Elven Curve blade and Weapon Finesse.
Also, every single girl gamer I know plays an elf. The more elves, the better!
+1, elves are just so cool! I also like gnomes and halflings.
Elves are cool... but the CON hit can really hurt... and infact cause you to FORCE Retire your character..
I had a 1/2 Elf 1st level Fighter/4th level Diviner(wizard) with a 11 CON killed in our Kingmaker campaign... reincarnated into an ELF..
Pathfinder Reincarnate = 2 Permanent Negative Levels (-10 Hitpoints) and I was changed into an ELF... so my CON went from a 11 to a 9... so another -5 hitpoints..
Was a 5th level character with 14 Hitpoints... but now I can live for a 1000 years... so I retired.. .and do King building in the background...
Kinda cool to be alive... but when you are a liability to the party.. no amount of "Roleplay" is going to fix that..
Imagine being 22 years old... killed... brought back to life... very Frail (hitpoints) but now you can live for another 900 years (we assumed 22 years old 1/2 Elf = 110 or so in Elf years)..
I dont know about you... but I would retire from Adventuring after that... NPC land here I come
Elves are cool... but the CON hit can really hurt... and infact cause you to FORCE Retire your character..
I had a 1/2 Elf 1st level Fighter/4th level Diviner(wizard) with a 11 CON killed in our Kingmaker campaign... reincarnated into an ELF..
Pathfinder Reincarnate = 2 Permanent Negative Levels (-10 Hitpoints) and I was changed into an ELF... so my CON went from a 11 to a 9... so another -5 hitpoints..
Was a 5th level character with 14 Hitpoints... but now I can live for a 1000 years... so I retired.. .and do King building in the background...
Kinda cool to be alive... but when you are a liability to the party.. no amount of "Roleplay" is going to fix that..
Imagine being 22 years old... killed... brought back to life... very Frail (hitpoints) but now you can live for another 900 years (we assumed 22 years old 1/2 Elf = 110 or so in Elf years)..
I dont know about you... but I would retire from Adventuring after that... NPC land here I come
something similar happened to me in 3.5, I didn't retire. The "permanent" negative levels can be gone in 2 weeks.
Do elves move faster if they're in a snit or if they're in a huff?
When I asked that question to my orc-loving friend, he said: "Red 'uns go fasta!" I have no idea what it means.
I find Elves make surprisingly interesting monks.
And you will NOT get that mofo with a Will-save spell. :)
As pure casters, Elves are pretty damned spiffy, especially when dealing with Spell Resistance, which I've grown to loathe with a fury that would scour continents down to basalt.
something similar happened to me in 3.5, I didn't retire. The "permanent" negative levels can be gone in 2 weeks.Elves are cool... but the CON hit can really hurt... and infact cause you to FORCE Retire your character..
I had a 1/2 Elf 1st level Fighter/4th level Diviner(wizard) with a 11 CON killed in our Kingmaker campaign... reincarnated into an ELF..
Pathfinder Reincarnate = 2 Permanent Negative Levels (-10 Hitpoints) and I was changed into an ELF... so my CON went from a 11 to a 9... so another -5 hitpoints..
Was a 5th level character with 14 Hitpoints... but now I can live for a 1000 years... so I retired.. .and do King building in the background...
Kinda cool to be alive... but when you are a liability to the party.. no amount of "Roleplay" is going to fix that..
Imagine being 22 years old... killed... brought back to life... very Frail (hitpoints) but now you can live for another 900 years (we assumed 22 years old 1/2 Elf = 110 or so in Elf years)..
I dont know about you... but I would retire from Adventuring after that... NPC land here I come
In Pathfinder the negative levels are Permanent
Seems people were powergaming or over abusing the spell.. and Pathfinder fixed it... First time I've ever been Raised or Reincarnated
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*snip*In Pathfinder the negative levels are Permanent
Seems people were powergaming or over abusing the spell.. and Pathfinder fixed it... First time I've ever been Raised or Reincarnated
Some abilities and spells (such as raise dead) bestow permanent level drain on a creature. These are treated just like temporary negative levels, but they do not allow a new save each day to remove them. Level drain can be removed through spells like restoration. Permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life. A creature whose permanent negative levels equal its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.
I'd say mechanically a +2 to any stats is probably a bit better than the +2/+2/-2 to fixed stats, but overall elves are decent in many classes. I'd say they are best used as casters, though - imo the substitutions for elven magic aren't all that great. I'd say that for Pathfinder, the authors have focused on the "high elf" archetype - long robes, wizard towers, etc. The "wood elf" archetype has somewhat fallen to the side - you can't tell me a tribe of pseudo-fey that spend millenia in the deep woods with little technology or formal education would have a penalty to constitution or a bonus to intelligence ;) .
Humans tend to have the better alternative favoured class bonuses, though - I'd say the best on most classes. Most 1st level abilities elven casters more of rounds of tend to be of rather limited value at higher level. Seriously, a ray with 30-foot range, doing 1d6+6 damage as a standard action is pretty much nothing at level 10 - even as an at-will it doesn't strike me as particularly impressive. There are some better ones, but two more spells known seem a lot better compared to one more round of the arcana/wizard ability.
Actually, it surprised me that humans get the extra spells known for casters - I'd expect them to specialize (i.e. every two levels choose a spell, get +1 CL or DC on it) and half-elves or elves to be the generalists with the bigger spellbooks.
Elves are also known for baking tasty cookies. Does that count?
Don´t think so. I believe it´s halflings, who are famous for cookies, elves are infamous for salads. Brrr..
The great thing about playing elves is they are the only hermaphraditic race. If you are playing a human you are stuck with being a chick or a dude. If you play an elf you can choose each session, or make a random roll.
Also, they taste great in a curry sauce.
My grandmother died from elven cancer.
Elves are also known for baking tasty cookies. Does that count?Don´t think so. I believe it´s halflings, who are famous for cookies, elves are infamous for salads. Brrr..
You mean Keebler's been lying to me all these years? He's a halfling, not an elf? AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, you can... because elves overall, including "wood elves" are a fading race. The Con penalty reflects that.
Are they, and does it? The whole "Elves are fading" was true in Middle Earth, but in Golarion I don't remember any signs that elves are on the wane. The constitution penalty has little to do with that, unless elves' ability to thrive was tied to their marathon running regimen. Also, note that dwarves are also traditionally a "fading" race, but they've always had bonus to constitution.
Intelligence may, in-game, be responsible for skill points, but is considered to represent mental acuity and being able to resolve complex mental problems. Yet elves have seldom been shown as brilliant theoretical scientists, at least in Golarion - that's usually the purview of gnomes, certainly not some backward elven tribes in the middle of Nowhere Wood.
Golarion Elves are really far from the cliché of the Middle-Earth elf.
They are not fading, they are back on Golarion and want to take their land back.
The main elven god is the goddess of Lust, Revenge and Trickery.
To be short, Golarion Elves are witted tricksters who came to steal your money, woo your woman or take revenge for something you or your parents did (and sometimes all the three together).
Yes, you can... because elves overall, including "wood elves" are a fading race. The Con penalty reflects that.Are they, and does it? The whole "Elves are fading" was true in Middle Earth, but in Golarion I don't remember any signs that elves are on the wane. The constitution penalty has little to do with that, unless elves' ability to thrive was tied to their marathon running regimen. Also, note that dwarves are also traditionally a "fading" race, but they've always had bonus to constitution.
One of the many improvements Wizards made to Forgotten Realms a few years prior to the 4E debacle, and that Paizo carried over when creating Golarion, is to drop the very badly overused cliche of Elves and Dwarves as dying races.
Does anybody else predict an impending race war in this thread?Is that because Elves PWN!?!?More because people who like them and people who hate them will be attracted to this thread like ants to sugar, and shall not be polite.
To prepare for this eventuality, I shalt roll initiative.
1d20
...B*&~+#!s. *Prepares for A brutal fraka*
If you were an Elf, you would get a plus on that roll.
Whatever happened to playing a race/class combo because you liked the roleplaying aspect of it? If I wanted to play optimized characters, I would play WoW! :)
This is an RPG-Forum! You don't talk about roleplaying in an RPG-Forum? These places exist only to discuss munchkin character builds!
Do elves move faster if they're in a snit or if they're in a huff?When I asked that question to my orc-loving friend, he said: "Red 'uns go fasta!" I have no idea what it means.
In Warhammer 40k Orks believe that red paint applied to any thing (usually vehicle) makes it go faster. The crazy thing is that due t the weird psychic aura generated when groups of orks congregate the red ones actually DO go faster. Simply: It works for orks because they think it should.
So now imagine an elf dipped in red paint streaking through the forest with a pack of hungry - or bored - orcs chasing. The elf should win.
Do elves move faster if they're in a snit or if they're in a huff?When I asked that question to my orc-loving friend, he said: "Red 'uns go fasta!" I have no idea what it means.In Warhammer 40k Orks believe that red paint applied to any thing (usually vehicle) makes it go faster. The crazy thing is that due t the weird psychic aura generated when groups of orks congregate the red ones actually DO go faster. Simply: It works for orks because they think it should.
So now imagine an elf dipped in red paint streaking through the forest with a pack of hungry - or bored - orcs chasing. The elf should win.
the thing is I was thinking of this earlier and thinking of making orc fast zombies have a reddish tint on their skin so they go faster.
Do elves move faster if they're in a snit or if they're in a huff?When I asked that question to my orc-loving friend, he said: "Red 'uns go fasta!" I have no idea what it means.In Warhammer 40k Orks believe that red paint applied to any thing (usually vehicle) makes it go faster. The crazy thing is that due t the weird psychic aura generated when groups of orks congregate the red ones actually DO go faster. Simply: It works for orks because they think it should.
So now imagine an elf dipped in red paint streaking through the forest with a pack of hungry - or bored - orcs chasing. The elf should win.
Strikes me as more a matter of proper motivation than magical paint.
This is an RPG-Forum! You don't talk about roleplaying in an RPG-Forum? These places exist only to discuss munchkin character builds!
It shouldn't be an or question. Role playing and roll playing are like chocolate and peanut butter in a reeses peanut butter cup. They work together to give you that special taste.
Hmmm.. i should check the discount halloween bins.. brb...
First rule of role-play club is we don't talk about role-play club.
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Elves are the best arcane archers.
Kidding aside, elves are the better witches, I had to decide between optimizing and fun when I chose human over elf.
p.s. I don't like elves, because every new female player I met wanted to play an elvish bard. Not one woman said : "argh, I take a beardy dwarf over those whimps anytime".
Doesn't that interfere with somatic spells because you have to wield it with two hands?One thing I like is getting the racial weapons proficiencies. If I play an elven wizard, I like to have a composite longow as my chosen arcane bond weapon. With that, I don't have to waste a feat on martial weapon proficiency with the longbow.
That's just one thing I do like about elves.
I have generally assumed that you only need two hands on a bow when you are actually shooting with it, which means that you would have a free hand when you need it but would find it highly inconvenient to actually hold anything in that hand. Does anyone else play it differently?
This has been an amusing thread, but I have often wondered what people would play if all races were just descriptions. Same stats. Same number of feats etc, but you could choose the race you liked, but there were zero in game benefits or disadvantages of say Elf over Dwarf over Human or whatever
I would stop playing humans all together their boring, I barely play them now as it is for that reason. Also, I might find myself playing more dwarves.