Neverwinter Campaign Setting Races

aescleal

I've looked through the Neverwinter Campaign Setting today. Specifically I'm looking at Elves & Eladrin.

In this MMO, Elves are in. But are elves to be considered all the Wood Elf variety? Will there be Moon Elves? Because Moon Elves in the Neverwinter Campaign Setting actually "are" Eladrin. And Eladrin have different abilities from Elves, notably Fey Step.

I've mentioned this on this forum in the past, but wondered if anybody had heard news on this yet.

Will subraces be included? And if not, which of each race will represent the standard?

Thanks

gillrmn

I believe there is enough leeway to define both of them together instead of an or choice.
I don't think it would matter if they decide to have moon elves as the abilities/etc would not change. So it would be possible to have many elves (sun/moon/wood/high/etc.) which may just change appearance a little bit. So a elf class could have many subclasses (or even if you want to define them according to how you want to). They can allhave same ability of elf class.
However, simultaneously we can also have eladrin with their abilities based on eladrin.
So I would say that whatever rocks the boat of developers, they can choose it to be that way.

iamtruthseeker

Technically subraces were intiially overlooked, then mentined to the devs, so it's unlikely or uncertain if they will show up in the initial release. Even though this was pre-forum conversion, my Neverwinter Online New User's Guide has a link to the Questions for StormShade (devs) thread, and I went through and found the replies listing the responses:

5. Do you plan subraces system that was introduced in Neverwinter Campaign Setting?

I'm not familiar with that system, can you explain it to me a little?

Originally Posted by Wintersong
Neverwinter Racial Variants

Got it. I don't have a solid answer for that right now. However, I'm pretty sure we'll be talking more about character customization and creations as we get closer to release.

I'll add this to my New Users FAQ questions, thanks.

aescleal

It's funny they would go to the trouble of creating drow as a separate race, instead of a subrace.

gillrmn

aescleal wrote: »

It's funny they would go to the trouble of creating drow as a separate race, instead of a subrace.

Drow has always been a separate race like they have now separated eldarin from elves. Part of this is probably because they were overpowered and not meant to be playable. The spell resistance ability of drow makes them very different from any other class. And just this single ability makes them overpowered (or used to when first introduced and later balanced)

iamtruthseeker

gillrmn wrote: »

Drow has always been a separate race like they have now separated eldarin from elves. Part of this is probably because they were overpowered and not meant to be playable. The spell resistance ability of drow makes them very different from any other class. And just this single ability makes them overpowered (or used to when first introduced and later balanced)

Drow don't have spell resistance or are not ECL anymore that went with 3.5.

Drow
Graceful and deadly, at home in the depths of darkness
RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5'4" - 6'0"
Average Weight: 130 - 170

Ability scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma or +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares.
Vision: Darkvision

Languages: Common, Elven
Skill Bonuses: +2 Intimidate, +2 Stealth.
Fey Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Feywild, so you are considered a fey creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Lolthtouched: You have your choice of either the cloud of darkness or darkfire power.
Trance (Drow): Rather than sleep, drow enter a meditative state known as trance. You need to spend 4 hours in this state to gain the same benefits other races gain from taking a 6-hour extended rest. While in a trance, you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.


Drow Racial PowerCloud of Darkness
A shroud of blackness descends around you, hiding you from sight.
Encounter
Minor Action Close burst 1
Effect: The burst creates a cloud of darkness that remains in place until the end of your next turn. The cloud blocks line of sight, squares within it are totally obscured, and creatures entirely within it are blinded until they exit. You are immune to these effects.

Drow Racial PowerDarkfire
A flickering halo of purple light surrounds the target, making it easier to hit.
Encounter
Minor Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma vs. Reflex. You gain a +4 bonus to the attack roll.
Level 11: The bonus increases to +6.
Level 21: The bonus increases to +8.
Hit: Until the end of your next turn, all attacks against the target have combat advantage, and the target cannot benefit from invisibility or concealment.
Special: When you create your character, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character?s life and does not change the power?s other effects.

gillrmn

iamtruthseeker wrote: »

Drow don't have spell resistance or are not ECL anymore that went with 3.5.

yes, but I was just commenting in how drows traditionally have always been treated as different race rather than just a sub-race; unlike other sub-races.

So I was trying to say that treatment of drow being a separate race is not a new phenomenon but they were treated as a different race even just after they were introduced.

singularitarian

I've been assuming that there will be an eladrin race (to be purchased) to account for the moon and sun elves, mainly because the description on the races page really only applies to the elf race (wood and wild elves). Eladrin are another animal. They don't live in 'heavily wooded areas', aren't exactly 'athletic' in the elven sense, and shouldn't really give a damn about preserving 'natural beauty' as the elves would define it.

As the great Aeofel Elhromane once said, 'Elves are the eladrin's hillbilly cousins.'

aescleal

I hope they will reveal more on this at E3. Among other things of course. The community here needs more to go on. There are so many questions. And we're all so hopeful this will be a, dare I say it, HIT? A slayer of that other D&D game? Ahem, okay, DDO.

macabrivs

aescleal wrote: »

I hope they will reveal more on this at E3. Among other things of course. The community here needs more to go on. There are so many questions. And we're all so hopeful this will be a, dare I say it, HIT? A slayer of that other D&D game? Ahem, okay, DDO.

Damn, im even looking for neverwinter campaingn adventures lol already found gates of neverdeath and crown of Crown of Neverwinter and i also read almost all the neverwinter campaing setting aswell

Cant wait for E3 news :P

Edit: About the sub-races i wouldnd mind about them for now, i prefer to see all the other forgotten realms races and classes first. (gold, shield dwarves, moon, sun elves can come later)

Another edit/question:

I know we will only be able to play with certain classes/races, is that mean there wont be any dragonborn NPC's (for example) in city of neverwinter ?? Neverwinter is a huge forgotten realms city which i belive have all kind of habitants and visitors... just wondering

qumi0

"Eladrin" is a DnD 4 default term, Forgotten Realms called them all elves and that's it.

Drow being a separate race is... well, it's not. They are still a subrace, they just got more mechanics than usual subraces. Star Elves were also described in 3,5 ed separately, but were still a subrace.

You also have to consider the lore, where drows are cursed elves.

Anyway, I do hope they include the variant races system, partly introduced in Player's Handbook 2 and with a slightly different approach in Neverwinter Campaign setting.

gillrmn

qumi0 wrote: »

"Eladrin" is a DnD 4 default term, Forgotten Realms called them all elves and that's it.

Drow being a separate race is... well, it's not. They are still a subrace, they just got more mechanics than usual subraces. Star Elves were also described in 3,5 ed separately, but were still a subrace.

You also have to consider the lore, where drows are cursed elves.

Anyway, I do hope they include the variant races system, partly introduced in Player's Handbook 2 and with a slightly different approach in Neverwinter Campaign setting.

In neverwinter campaign guide, elves and eladrin are treated toghether. In the section discussing racial variants it lists out the headings as:-

ELVES AND ELADRIN
- Moon Elf (Eladrin)
- Sun Elf (Eladrin)
- Wild Elf
- Wood Elf

Drows are always different because most of them are 'rare' renegades(I don't think they would be rare in game though).

As for what is a race or what is a sub-race, you must understand that lines are very thinned and race doesn't actually matter. Races do not mean they are of different species as all can reproduce with each other including half-bloods/dragons/tieflings so they all must belong to the same species. The reason drow halfs don't exist was only said to be because of the fact that they kill all foolish humans who would interact with them. Race usually perhaps means the adaptations to environment because of generations of background and not some species.

Drows have never been treated as a sub-race although they used to share similar background to elves. Their worship of evil gods and abandoning of elven ways made them sort of non-elven. But if they were sub race or a race would always be open for discussion, but they have always been treated as a different race.

singularitarian

qumi0 wrote: »

"Eladrin" is a DnD 4 default term, Forgotten Realms called them all elves and that's it.

FR doesn't just cut out the eladrin. In-world, moon elves and sun elves are elves, for the sake of consistency of language with the pre-Spellplague Realms. Rule-wise, they are eladrin.

gillrmn

Found a link regarding eladrin.

Drow, elves, and eladrin can all trace their histories back to a common ancestor in the Feywild. Millennia of life on Faer?n, coupled with their natural proclivity for adapting to their environment, have fostered numerous social, cultural, and even physical differences that result in making them distinct peoples. Although there are marked differences between eladrin and their cousin races, eladrin have subgroupings of their own that some folk mistake for different races.

So elves are simply ones who came out of the fairy world way earlier. Drow are those who went underground as soon as they came and started worshiping evil deities. While eladrin are those who were left behind and are forced to come out now because of spellplague. So basically all three are same creatures of fey/fairyworld but are different from each other because of a lot of generations of history.

Its seems to me that they are trying to present drow/elves/eladrin using the old portrayal of fairies instead of middle earth elves. I hope in time elves and fairies become small the size of birds and live in meadows.

EDIT: A cartoon show named Shadow of the elves comes to mind, I think it was translated from german show middle-lands

iamtruthseeker

qumi0 wrote: »

"Eladrin" is a DnD 4 default term, Forgotten Realms called them all elves and that's it.

Drow being a separate race is... well, it's not. They are still a subrace, they just got more mechanics than usual subraces. Star Elves were also described in 3,5 ed separately, but were still a subrace.

You also have to consider the lore, where drows are cursed elves.

Anyway, I do hope they include the variant races system, partly introduced in Player's Handbook 2 and with a slightly different approach in Neverwinter Campaign setting.

Actually, Eladrin have existed since 2nd ed, and were introduced in Planescape...lemme see if there's a wiki here...yep:

Eladrin

When we think (or thought) of Eladrin, we often think of the ghaele.

DDO even has a planar mission where you confront the very powerful glow-y eyed CG sylvan race.

Now as to Elves and Eladrin branching off, that was done in the 4th ed write-up.

aescleal

Nice info. Thanks! Great find!

armathorquebec

Elves and eladrins kick <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> ;-)

tharkan

Still waiting for them to announce the Dragonborn race (and no, I will not name mine Fus Ro Dah or anything like that).