[Vaevictis Asmadi]

OK... my attempt to post my replies to the entire thread was too long to post! I hope it is not excessive to put it in 3 posts? Is it considered rude to reply this thoroughly? I don't want to hijack the conversation.


Please post the Calaquende lens? I personally suggest giving them bonuses (beyond other elves) to Health, Will, maybe 1 or 2 points to Strength, plus all the "in both worlds" advantages, and the lowest level of the Glowing (quirk level, appearance normal). There's a Pyramid article with Glowing written up as Ads and Disads, I don't know if they were incorporated into 4th Edition. I would give Calaquendi the lowest level, since it seems to be visible mainly in the dark. (Glorfindel seems to glow extra because he was reincarnated). Or it might be mostly visible only in the unseen world. Also, Calaquendi would have some knowledge about the Valar and Maiar that most folks don't get.

There's a lot of good stuff in here that you guys have come up with, even though I mostly post replies to what I disagree with. I've been trying to work out some of this stuff on my own, but my knowledge of Middle-Earth is not matched by equal knowledge of GURPS. It's really nice to see you guys' ideas.

Originally Posted by Gavynn

I had thought about some kind of talent for crafts in the Noldo template, but I was thinking that this might be better represented by high individual skills for those who had learned from Aulë the Smith.

I think it was a cultural, rather than racial thing, that they just tend to spend their centuries of experience acquiring huge skills in crafting. Not necessarily only those who learned directly from Aule, either.

Originally Posted by Gavynn

I was reading up on the way sense checks worked, and now I tend to agree. Boosting per effectively increases the acuteness of all of their senses simultaneously, then I can leave it to individual elves to increase their individual senses as he or she might see fit. I'll have to explain that to my players, though, as I am sure the first thing they will want to know is why elves don't have acute vision. So an increase in per and telescopic vision should cover that. With the acute vision and the per increase I was effectively doubling up, like I was doing with the will and the fearlessness earlier. You're right, point economy is not a particular concern of this template, just modeling the elves. I don't intend to allow elves as a PC race anyway. I think that elves having heightened sense of taste would fit well with the theme. I am thinking particularly in wines here. The elven palette can appreciate far more subtle variations in flavour than that of Men. I see that being a point in the story.

You have a good point here, doubling high Perception with Acute Vision is overkill. Similarly, doubling Fearless with high Will. The Telescopic vision is good though. What about an ability to see into the unseen for the Calaquendi? They would for example, be able to see the "true" form of ringwraiths, or see people who used the One Ring to be invisible. I wonder if in the unseen, they can see things about people that are not obvious in the physical plane.
I don't get any impression that the unseen world has tons of spirits running around in it. It would contain faded elves, and ghosts and lesser wraiths, and maybe give a bonus to detecting the presence of "unclad" Maiar. But I don't know of any spirits that are native to the unseen world. That seems more an animistic sort of thing. Anyway I don't see spirits being as common as people, until the Fifth Age or something when most of the elves are faded.

Originally Posted by Celjabba

-i wouldnt get elves any iq racial bonus. they have some great minds, but i don't remenber them being a genius race.

Yeah, the bonus they get from their long lives would be better modeled with Eidetic memory and tons of CP to sink into skills. I don't see them as racially mentally superior to humans.

-tolkien world is definitively a low 'mundane magic' world. is there a reason for the racial magery ?
perhaps rather a alchemy variant ?

I agree there. D&D it is not. The most impressive magic belonged to Gandalf anyway, and he was a Maia. I wouldn't consider them a playable race.
The elven "magic" seems to me to be a matter of alchemy, of creating "magical" objects, not of casting spells or lighting fires by magic. It is an extension of the Noldor's amazing skill in crafting. Same with dwarven magic, really.

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

Why not Language Talent [10] (B.65)?

I agree, Noldor seem to have Language Talent. Although be careful here; Finrod's especially impressive talent was a specific psionic thing, probably unique to him. According to the War of the Jewels Finrod "'was renowned among the Eldar for this power which he had, because of the warmth of his heart and his desire to understand others; yet his power was no greater than that of the least of the Maiar.'"

I have a vague recollection of some First Age badass elf healing from a vicious wound overnight, that sounds like Regeneration: Regular [25]. If the fastest healing elf ever has Regeneration: Regular [25], then maybe Regeneration: Slow [10] might be right for the average elf; it’s 6 times faster than the average human, 1.5 times faster than the best human.

That was Beleg, I think. However, looking at the passages in Children of Hurin, it only says that he was wounded, not how badly. And only that "he remained perforce in Bar-en-Danwedh until his wounds were healed." but not how long that took.

I don't think they have Regeneration. They do heal more quickly than humans are capable of, but they can't regenerate body parts. I don't know where the relevant passage is written so I can only 'quote' from memory: "The Quendi healed rapidly from injuries that would kill mortals, but their bodies could not replace lost members, such as a hand hewn off."