Something that occurred to me making a mage in BG

[Loké]

Well, BG2 to be specific. I notice that elves and half-elves can't be necromancers. (along with other silly stuff-why can't a halfling be a mage?)

 

Just wondering if anyone knows. Is this the whole 'Look at me, I'm a prissy elf and don't sully myself with icky things like that!' thing, or just D&D version 2 rules being their idiotic idiosyncratic self again?

[berelinde]

I'd vote for 2E being illogical.

 

But FR halflings are sort of based on hobbits, and they're not terribly fond of magic.

[Kulyok]

Elves are prejudiced against necromancy, they loathe undead and undeath more than perhaps anything else, including drow. Undeath is nigh the only thing that robs them of their afterlife, of their eternity in the gardens and so on. I suppose that is the reason.

[Lord Ernie]

I suppose, but you can play an atypical elf that doesn't care a whit about all that, and just likes animating dead people. Many people swear by 2nd Edition and would rather burn the books than play 3rd, but personally I've always thought the whole race-class limitations beyond ridiculous.

[Domi]

I think that those restritions were ridiculous, with 'elves cannot be necromancers' at least having a half-decent explanations. I am sure that many a DM allowed the exceptions such as Lord Ernie described. In the computer game though, they make it a matter of a rule and balance, I suppose, though it still beats me how elven druid or bard is so darn powerful that it's going destroy the game, lol! I never hesitated to cheat on that account.

[berelinde]

"But it's all about balance!" (berelinde wails, as she frantically minimizes the screen displaying the character record for her chaotic good elven bard)

[Domi]

Yeah, that bard with Dex of 19 is just going to... pick every pocket!!! Or like... hit someone with an arrow once in a while. Disaster, I tell ya, a complete and horrible disaster.

[Elfen Lied]

Well, BG2 to be specific. I notice that elves and half-elves can't be necromancers. (along with other silly stuff-why can't a halfling be a mage?)

 

But FR halflings are sort of based on hobbits, and they're not terribly fond of magic.

 

thats what i figured, mostly the thief type, but the can be a fighter if they want.

 

Just wondering if anyone knows. Is this the whole 'Look at me, I'm a prissy elf and don't sully myself with icky things like that!' thing, or just D&D version 2 rules being their idiotic idiosyncratic self again?

 

elves, esp the sylvanian ones arent too well known for using the art of necromancy i dont think, but surely the drow (or dark elves) would.

[Gabrielle]

Elves are prejudiced against necromancy, they loathe undead and undeath more than perhaps anything else, including drow. Undeath is nigh the only thing that robs them of their afterlife, of their eternity in the gardens and so on. I suppose that is the reason.

Quoted the truth. They hate the undead with a passion.

[Elfen Lied]

well that explains it then. well why elves cant be necromancers.

 

any info as to why a halfling cant be a mage.

[Morthond]

I never understood why the cleric class is (I understand to be) fairly common among halflings, and the thief the halflings most suited class (it would be argued), yet they can't be cleric/thieves. What gives there? (*goes to roll a halfling and edit to cleric/thief with shadowkeeper*)

[Elfen Lied]

yeh that is weird.

[Twani]

I personally love how elves can't be cleric/thieves, and yet around 40% of Erevan Ilesere's clergy is cleric/thieves (or specialty priest/thief)- and I think a similar case can me made for Brandobaris's clergy, but I'm not opening up demihuman deities to check.

 

Honestly, 2E is full of silliness- silliness that's loveable and less dry then almost anything 3E has put out, but it's silliness all the same. Gnome's can only be illusionists, and yet there being cases of gnome wizards controlling undead. Halflings having foot-hair braiding merchants, and then a sudden 'HALFLINGS DO NOT HAVE FOOT HAIR THEY ARE NOT HOBBITS RLLY WE SWEAR lolz' outbreak. Elves who die in violent ways away from home not being able to end up in Arvandor, and yet there being elven organizations dedicated to violent crusades far from home. Special attention to 'you can only be a cleric for ONE DIETY' and then around three novel characters popping up being clerics for two different ones.

 

BG has all sorts of inaccuracies anyway, so I always feel free to play whatever I want. Elf and halfling cleric/thieves, elven/gnome/halfling druids, bards of whatever race I feel like... it is a shame that Shadowkeeper has to be used, though, particularly when combinations are allowed in 2E (and of course 3E) FRs.

[Elfen Lied]

yeh, Halflings seems to be very reminescent of hobbits one minute then not reminescent the next.

 

BG has all sorts of inaccuracies anyway,

 

yeh better to just accept it and use SK to do what you want when you want.

[Loké]

yeh, Halflings seems to be very reminescent of hobbits one minute then not reminescent the next.

 

BG has all sorts of inaccuracies anyway,

 

yeh better to just accept it and use SK to do what you want when you want.

Pffft, I accepted the Baldur's Gate series was just plain stupid in VERY many aspects (Draconis and Abazigal being two wonderful examples) long ago. I was just curious if it was fluff or not-I had a feeling it would be, it's the sort of thing prissy elves get snobby over.