So, like 7 years too late, I came across a thing and feel the need to rant.
Half-Elf lineages from the SCAG are... frustrating. I've complained before about how poorly the SCAG was cobbled together, but it's weird that they provide options for funny half-elves, but do it REALLY poorly.
"But Erokow," I hear you start to ask, "I haven't cracked open the SCAG in 6 years! What does it say?" It says that you can choose to give up your two proficiencies for any one of the following benefits:
More Elvish - specifically Perception. You could pick Perception AND something else, but it's too human so drop the second option and be limited to Perception...
Half Sea-Elf, you get a 30ft swimming speed in exchange for those skills. Solid trade. No amphibiousness, but that's okay.
Half-Drow? Instead of your two skills you get Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire at level 3, and Darkness at level 5. Awesome!
High Elf, but they can't call it that for some reason, you get a Wizard Cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting focus for it... Not as good as a cantrip matching your +2, and later on two other spells, but I guess one cantrip might be worth two skills. -OR-
High-Half-Human and get proficiency with longbow, longsword, shortbow, and shortsword. (Not those AND the cantrip).
Right-Half-Wood and get +5 to your walking speed.
Left-Half-Wood or get Mask of the Wild. (Not the mask and +5)
Lower-Half-Wood to gain proficiency in longbow, longsword, shortbow, and shortbow... AGAIN?! I had to read these like 5x while making my spreadsheet because listing the same option twice seemed rediculous. Honestly, just making a fifth option called "Elvey" where you trade your two skills for Perception and Elvish Weapon Training feels much more reasonable... or "Martial Half-Elf" who just gets the weapon training, listed once! Maybe I undervalue weapon perficiencies, but by the time you get to wood elf (who is the first listed), it just seems deliberately confusing and sloppy. Then Sun or Moon Elf is equally guilty, because both options just really aren't good. Drow and Sea Elf at least make sense and seem fair... but HEY! Given how lame Wood and High Halflings are, why doesn't Drow also offer Drow Weapon Training as a choice? Or just upping your darkvision to 120ft without the sunlight sensitivity, because wood elf and high elf showed us that you can't gain two abilities.
Then I went back later and saw there was errata for it claiming that you can no longer trade two optional skills for specifically Perception anymore.
I feel you on Racial benefits. I still feel - and have enforced in my own game - that Humans are by RAW too weak, partially evidenced by no one ever wanting to play one, regardless of how "ridiculously overpowered" the bonus feat is. It's not a huge gap, I feel perfectly justified in changing the ability score bonuses to the current standard of a floating +2, +1 (alternately three floating +1's). That change by itself just makes the human a little closer to being balanced IMO.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
So, like 7 years too late, I came across a thing and feel the need to rant.
Half-Elf lineages from the SCAG are... frustrating. I've complained before about how poorly the SCAG was cobbled together, but it's weird that they provide options for funny half-elves, but do it REALLY poorly.
"But Erokow," I hear you start to ask, "I haven't cracked open the SCAG in 6 years! What does it say?" It says that you can choose to give up your two proficiencies for any one of the following benefits:
More Elvish - specifically Perception. You could pick Perception AND something else, but it's too human so drop the second option and be limited to Perception...
Half Sea-Elf, you get a 30ft swimming speed in exchange for those skills. Solid trade. No amphibiousness, but that's okay.
Half-Drow? Instead of your two skills you get Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire at level 3, and Darkness at level 5. Awesome!
High Elf, but they can't call it that for some reason, you get a Wizard Cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting focus for it... Not as good as a cantrip matching your +2, and later on two other spells, but I guess one cantrip might be worth two skills. -OR-
High-Half-Human and get proficiency with longbow, longsword, shortbow, and shortsword. (Not those AND the cantrip).
Right-Half-Wood and get +5 to your walking speed.
Left-Half-Wood or get Mask of the Wild. (Not the mask and +5)
Lower-Half-Wood to gain proficiency in longbow, longsword, shortbow, and shortbow... AGAIN?! I had to read these like 5x while making my spreadsheet because listing the same option twice seemed rediculous. Honestly, just making a fifth option called "Elvey" where you trade your two skills for Perception and Elvish Weapon Training feels much more reasonable... or "Martial Half-Elf" who just gets the weapon training, listed once! Maybe I undervalue weapon perficiencies, but by the time you get to wood elf (who is the first listed), it just seems deliberately confusing and sloppy. Then Sun or Moon Elf is equally guilty, because both options just really aren't good. Drow and Sea Elf at least make sense and seem fair... but HEY! Given how lame Wood and High Halflings are, why doesn't Drow also offer Drow Weapon Training as a choice? Or just upping your darkvision to 120ft without the sunlight sensitivity, because wood elf and high elf showed us that you can't gain two abilities.
Then I went back later and saw there was errata for it claiming that you can no longer trade two optional skills for specifically Perception anymore.
Okay, I feel better. That's my rant.
I feel you on Racial benefits. I still feel - and have enforced in my own game - that Humans are by RAW too weak, partially evidenced by no one ever wanting to play one, regardless of how "ridiculously overpowered" the bonus feat is. It's not a huge gap, I feel perfectly justified in changing the ability score bonuses to the current standard of a floating +2, +1 (alternately three floating +1's). That change by itself just makes the human a little closer to being balanced IMO.