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Old 11-11-2020, 09:10 AM   #10
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Elves as "closer to nature and lower-tech" - give them a revulsion to metal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby Bush View Post
Necessity is the mother of invention. No needs -> no invention. Special nature powers -> less need -> lower tech.
This will do it in isolation, but if the elves have significant interactions with the "lesser" races, they'll quickly see the benefits of technology, so there needs to be a factor preventing them from capitalizing on such. SolemnGolem's suggestion of some degree of supernatural weakness/revulsion to metal is one solution. Religion and/or arrogance could also keep them from using it, simply on grounds of morality, an innate sense of superiority, etc. You could even have superstition play a role - maybe an elf walking around in full metal plate would be completely unaffected, but if elves honestly believe wearing such would strip them of their unaging nature, they may not be willing to take the risk ("Sure, wearing bark scale armor means I might have a higher chance of dying today, but wearing that metal crap means I'll definitely die someday, and have to deal with old age as well").

Of course, if the elves' advantages over humans are able to sufficiently compensate, you don't necessarily need a particularly strong revulsion to metal/technology to keep them from using it. Historically, mail was inferior to plate in terms of protection, weight, and cost, yet mail seems to be highly favored, likely because, while it was heavier, it was more comfortable to wear. If advanced technology makes elves more fidgety and makes it harder for them to concentrate, or has other subtle effects (possibly not even enough for a GURPS mechanical effect), this could easily cause them to reject it. This is much harder to justify if their low tech makes them markedly inferior to the other races, of course, which is why you need those compensating factors.
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