At 12:19 PM 6/30/98 -0500, Clayton F. Hinton wrote:
>At 03:20 AM 6/30/98 -0500, you wrote:

>Wait...you think elves should have more mastery of magic that human blooded
>wizards, as a rule? What ever happened to the tendancy of most elves to be
>latent in their studies? To view magic as an interest, not a path to
>ultimate power? In AD&D, elves are inherently different from humans. They
>are not simply long-lived humans. Because of their long lives, they are
>weaker than humans in many ways.
>1) they do not breed nearly as fast as humans

Okay, I agree with this

>2) they do not have the "fire" humans do to excell and become extremely
>powerful (i.e., no level limits in any class), BECAUSE of their long life;
>their "flame" burns more slowly, but there is the same amount of "fuel" for
>a elf as there is for a human.

One word: CRAP! This is at best stereotypical and at worst a caricature.
This view of elves came about as a function of solely of artificially
imposed level limits from the 1st edition AD&D game, Birthright elves should
not be treated in such a caricatured fashion. They are people, some have
more focus than others. There is NO LIMIT on elven ability as a wizard in
Birthright, see the birthright rulebook. As far as humans being more driven
than elves, for a classic example take a look at Rhuobe Manslayer. He has
spent the last 2000 years killing humans whenever and wherever he can, is he
not "driven".

>3) they cannot adapt to new situations as quicly as humans do, because
>they do not have the same amount of "turnover" in generations to bring new
>ideas and use them. Only now, after over a thousand years, are they
>getting a grip on their new place in the world. And they still haven't
>gotten used to the idea of the gods (big problem).
>
On an individual basis, I suspect that the average elf adapts to a new
situation at least as fast as a human, having the same average wisdom, a
higher average intelligence, and a racial prediliction to a chaotic
environment (generally chaotic neutral alignment). As far as getting a grip
on their "new place" in the world, what makes you think they are content to
stay there?

I have trouble with the philosophical concept of gods (omniscient,
omnipotent). IMC the elves look upon the gods as powerful extraplanar
beings, not as something to be worshipped. They do understand that the gods
exist, they just aren't ponying up to the altar with offerings for beings
who have never done anything for them except kill them.
>

Pieter A de Jong
Graduate Mechanical Engineering Student
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada