I always favored the character race of half-elves, mainly for their racial diversity as well as racial conflicts which make their character development all the more interesting (not to mention dysfunctional). Which is why I wanted her to be what she is, in hopes to observe the severe judgment she would receive from her Elven family, as well as to explore the tasks she would make for herself in order to prove her worth to them.
I've figured the coupling between a human and a Sun elf would be uncommon as it is, but surely it isn't completely unheard of, right? Perhaps an exceptionally intelligent, innovative, and insightful human individual could impress the haughty, noble-blood elitist Sun elf - completely catching them off-guard, and possibly wedge in some room for a mutual affection to ensue. From which, in time, could result with the emerging of a half-breed child.
But even then, I'm certain there are plenty of other factors that should come into play, here. For instance, would a Sun elf even go so far as to copulate in the short notice that it would require for a human in their youthful prime to procreate? Sun elves live significantly longer, so much so that I would think by the time they do experience any strong infatuation for their human companion, the human would have already reached old age!
Perhaps my speculation is a bit over-the-top, and I do hope it is. However, I can't help but dig into the specifics and gather some plausible foundation to my ideas, instead of just throwing together a shoddy fairytale love-story. So again, whatever critique and advice I can get would be carefully considered as well as greatly appreciated.
So if you don't want a fairy tale, try a haughty elf slumming it up for a couple months with a human. Any offspring would be mildly embarrassing and illegitimate, but technically family. You'll have years of strife trying to connect to elven society, between racial prejudice and the appearance of seeking a hand-out.
But even then, I'm certain there are plenty of other factors that should come into play, here. For instance, would a Sun elf even go so far as to copulate in the short notice that it would require for a human in their youthful prime to procreate? Sun elves live significantly longer, so much so that I would think by the time they do experience any strong infatuation for their human companion, the human would have already reached old age!
Humans in RL don't have to be in their "youthful prime" to procreate. If you want the human father to have conceived with a sun elf mother when he is 60-80, there's no scientific reason to stop you (much less constraints in the fantasy world). I think it would be interesting and appropriate for the human man to fall in love with the elf and pursue her unsuccessfully for years, even a few decades maybe, but the sheer persistence is what opens the elf's eyes to what man can do (the fact that he sacrifices so much of his short-lived life for her even when it seems that she'll never accept him). Finally, he gets in enough that she gets to know him and later love him. Yeah, he's plenty old but this is even better because he's gained so much wisdom and experience and lost that youthful human frivolity that her kind maybe can't stand, so now he fits in a little better though her people are still suspicious of his intentions and such. At some point, she gives in to his human passion (she has learned from him over time what it is like to experience a fully "in the moment" moment) and they have a child.
See the thing is, for the thing to happen each of them are likely to be a step outside their own societies, anyway. More curious or just "strange" they are likely drawn to each other a little in the first place because he is still human but personality-wise he has quirks and mannerisms that help him feel a little more belongingness than the average person within elven society and vice versa with her and how she interacts with him. Basically, there are few ways that this is a probability but several possibilities within that spectrum.
Children are typically raised by the entire community and both families not simply the two parents.
Elves actually are known to have an easier time bonding romantically with humans then with their fellow elves. (which is why there are so many half-elves). Because Human life spans are so brief, they aren't promising the rest of their life, just he next 30 to 50 years. Which would still be a long time even for an elf. But is a much easier commitment.
But sun elves are a bit different aren't they?
But still for your half-elves parents they don't need to love each other enough to spend the next nine hundred years together. Just enough for the next fifty which will probably entail the human sides remaining life span.
Here's a plausible background.
Your parents were once adventures they bonded through the trials of life and death that the occupation entails. Your human parent was a wizard whose cunning and intelligent greatly impressed your sun elf parent.
If a sun elf is going to fall for human a wizard is your best bet. If there going to meet adventuring is your best bet.
You want an implausible pairing.
I once played a half-drow elf. Now she could not be classified as a half-elf. As she was 100% elven. She was born to a drow mother and a high elf father. The father was a character I played back in 3.0 a lawful good high elf monk, who long story short married a drow woman.
"My husband taught me how to make love without sex"
—Daria Silvermoon*
"Sometimes doing the right thing hurts"
—Zathress Silvermoon 'Godslayer'
*She abandoned her drow name and took the name Daria.
Another option is magic. In a world with powerful mages throwing fireballs and lightning bolts around willy-nilly, magic is an easy solution.
Maybe a human mage who was infatuated with a particular sun elf used a glamer to look like that elf's current mate, long enough for a single tryst. Keep in mind that this could even work for a female human...who would then be more likely to give the child a proper home and loving upbringing than a sun elf mother (due to the elitist attitude of that particular subrace.)
A charm spell could work as well. Imagine the drama of a couple who gets along well...so long as the charm spells one of the couple casts every day keep working...and then suddenly fail, but not until after a child is born. Keep in mind that most charms spells don't cause memory loss...so the charmed individual would remember their relationship with the other after the charm wore off.
One other option that wasn't mentioned but you might have already considered is the child being the result of a ****. However, such a thing might not be appreciated with your gaming group for various reasons.
Another option is magic. In a world with powerful mages throwing fireballs and lightning bolts around willy-nilly, magic is an easy solution.
Maybe a human mage who was infatuated with a particular sun elf used a glamer to look like that elf's current mate, long enough for a single tryst. Keep in mind that this could even work for a female human...who would then be more likely to give the child a proper home and loving upbringing than a sun elf mother (due to the elitist attitude of that particular subrace.)
A charm spell could work as well. Imagine the drama of a couple who gets along well...so long as the charm spells one of the couple casts every day keep working...and then suddenly fail, but not until after a child is born. Keep in mind that most charms spells don't cause memory loss...so the charmed individual would remember their relationship with the other after the charm wore off.
All of those uses of magic would qualify as **** technically.
All of those uses of magic would qualify as **** technically.
I see your point, though by "****" I was referring specifically to the action of physically forcing someone to have sex against their will. The other two were examples of alternative ways to seduce someone.
However, that discussion is extremely off-topic, and would potentially upset many people. Therefore, let us please leave it at that.
Then there is always the possibility that the the sun elf parent just has a thing for humans. Adolescent elves also are known to have any number of trysts in there lengthy youths, perhaps one such tryst was with an especially bright and attractive human, and it resulted in a half elven child.
Apart from that, the "youthful indiscretion" version sounds like the easiest to incorporate into the game. In that case, the child would probably not be recognized, at least not officially.
So it could happen. Just needs the right elf and the right human and the right time of the month(or right time of the however long the elven menstrual cycle is)...
But if you must, then by all means go for it.:P
;)
-Of course. Many Half-Elves with Sun Elven parentage exist all over Faerûn.
Well, no half-sun elves off the top of my head, but there's a couple examples I can think of of Sun Elves not having a problem with humans - Taslin in Erik Scott de Bie's Depths of Madness has an elderly human companion, and she's a Sun Elf priestess of Corellon Larethian.
The characters referred to have been together a long, long time--since Asson was a younger, more vibrant man (he is now in his eighties). He is hardly the first human Taslin (who is around 300 or so) has loved--there's a whole conversation about it in the novel.
So yes, it does happen. If a sun elf can overcome his or her natural snootiness, there's a lot to be said for the love of a human--and it also demands a LOT of patience on the part of the human. But as in all relationships, the ones that work are the ones you *make* work.
There arent any Sun elves in 4e, theyre just elves. Actually the way i understand it sun elves (and moon elves) are now Eladrin. So you would essentially have a Half-Eladrin character. That could be interesting. How would you write that up? what kinda of racial power would they have? or would they essentially be half-elves? Or what about a half-elf, half-eladrin? would they just be one or the other? or a mix of both races?
At the moment, 4e half-eladrin that are different from half-elves would have to involve a house rule, as the rules don’t currently support them. There are, however, a number of different ways to handle this conundrum. My suggestions are these:
1) Half-elves vs. half-eladrin: Require “half-elves” in your game to specify whether they are the product of elves or eladrin, and then let them have access to that parental races’ race-specific feats, just as they have access to elf feats now. (This is more or less balanced.)
2) Make half-elves “mutts”: A half-elf is a descendent of both races. Expand the half-elf feat selection to include eladrin feats as well as elf feats. This is a bit unbalanced.
3) Half-elves are devolved: A half-elf has “gone mundane” much as elves have. I have speculated before that elves are just eladrin, albeit removed from the feywild and lost their strange feywild essence through evolution--or, to put it more precisely, eladrin are closer to the way the original fey race, while elves are kind of a "lesser" off-shoot. It is reasonable to think that human blood might “taint” eladrin heritage in much the same way, making a child of a human and an eladrin basically a half-elf (as though the eladrin parent had been an elf). This changes nothing mechanically (and this is what I do in my games).
4) Wait until rules for hybrid races appear--or make your own. This power from this race, this power from that . . .
Cheers
1) Half-elves vs. half-eladrin: Require “half-elves” in your game to specify whether they are the product of elves or eladrin, and then let them have access to that parental races’ race-specific feats, just as they have access to elf feats now. (This is more or less balanced.)
Note, this is what I've done with my Half-Drow characters in 4E. But then, that was always one of my favorite sub-races. Wild Elves were fun, too. But we can thank Elaine Cunningham for that.
Note, this is what I've done with my Half-Drow characters in 4E. But then, that was always one of my favorite sub-races.
Same! High five, my fellow LN-deity worshipper!
Wild Elves were fun, too. But we can thank Elaine Cunningham for that.
We can thank Elaine for breathing life into:
- ALL types of elves
- Evermeet
- The Harpers
- Rashemen
- Ruathym
- The Wealdath
- Waterdeep
Not that others didn't. But just look at how much Elaine has done for FR!
3) Half-elves are devolved: A half-elf has “gone mundane” much as elves have.
This is how I would do it. Easiest and you don't have to worry about balance or extra rules. My crinti (half-drow) paladin works this way.
Gomez
Cheers
One of my regrets about the transition from 3.5 to 4e was not getting to write a Crinti story. Hmm. Some day, maybe.
Cheers
You can still do it, Erik. After the details of the new Downshadow sequel-trilogy are hammered out (and gods help us I will make sure they give you that trilogy:cool
, you can state the case for a Crinti story. They won't say no... and if they do, I'll organize protests outside their headquarters with the rest of your fans until they cave. It's a call to arms!:DYou can still do it, Erik. After the details of the new Downshadow sequel-trilogy are hammered out (and gods help us I will make sure they give you that trilogy:cool
Truly! I'd even graffiti the holy symbol of Hoar if that'd get their attention. Though that's probably a little overboard, and nevermind the fact that the next question would be which holy symbol...
We can thank Elaine for breathing life into:
- ALL types of elves
- Evermeet
- The Harpers
- Rashemen
- Ruathym
- The Wealdath
- Waterdeep
Not that others didn't. But just look at how much Elaine has done for FR!
To quote Ed Greenwood.
- Elaine Cunningham can read my mind!
Not that others didn't. But just look at how much Elaine has done for FR!
No kidding. Elaine still remains my favourite author. I for one thought that the omission of the Half-Eladrin from RAW was always a bit of a gap that screamed out at you. I mean, obviously they exist... or at least did. Moving the sub-racial material into the realms of being flavour only, not a kicker... not being able to deal with characters like Arilyn within the mechanics? Yeah, that bugs me.
Truly! I'd even graffiti the holy symbol of Hoar if that'd get their attention. Though that's probably a little overboard, and nevermind the fact that the next question would be which holy symbol...
Overboard? I don't think so. Slaying the designer who decided to make Hoar Evil might be overboard, but tagging the WOTC HQ so Erik can get his books secured? Not at all!
Overboard? I don't think so. Slaying the designer who decided to make Hoar Evil might be overboard, but tagging the WOTC HQ so Erik can get his books secured? Not at all!
You forgot the part where I brand the holy symbol of Hoar onto the body.
If your gonna do it, do it right.
*cue a roll of three thunders*
One of my regrets about the transition from 3.5 to 4e was not getting to write a Crinti story. Hmm. Some day, maybe.
Cheers
-No reason to believe they're all gone (hint, hint). ;)
3) Half-elves are devolved: A half-elf has “gone mundane” much as elves have.
This is how I would do it. Easiest and you don't have to worry about balance or extra rules. My crinti (half-drow) paladin works this way. Gomez
Same here. I think a "Half Eladrin"-half human character would basically be a half-elf, with the influsion of Human blood weakening the tie to the Feywild so much that the character is basically your standard PHB Half-Elf as far as the rules are concerned, with physical traits that may outwardly reflect their Eladrin parantage being entirely cosmetic (i.e. Moon Elven blue hair, or Gold Elven gold-tinged skin, for example.)
However, from past sources I would think that the child of an Elf and an Eladrin coupling could skew either way. Take Galaeron Nihmedu, for instance...his father was a Moon Elf (if I remember correctly) and his mother was a Copper Elf. He and his sister Keya seem to have taken after their father so much that they were raised as Moon Elves in Evereska. So the child of an Elf/Eladrin pairing could either be an Elf or an Eladrin depending on which parent they most take after.