Half-Elf, Mark of Detection, Mark of Storm
by Prince Phantom
Half-Elves are one of the most versatile races in 5e, from their extra ability score increase to the laundry list of potential subraces, many of which read like a best hits collection of the various Elf features. Before all that, let’s get into the base features that every Half-Elf gets.
Base Half-Elf Features
Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity, two other scores of your choice each get +1: I like this better than the Mountain Dwarf getting two +2’s because it works better with the many classes that want multiple high ability scores like Paladin, Ranger, and Monk. It isn’t that huge of a boost, but it could be really nice to have depending on how your base stats turned out.
Darkvision: Always nice to have.
Fey Ancestry: This is a decent defensive feature that protects us from charm effects. Charm effects are fairly common, and many monster abilities require their target to be charmed, and then the big effect kicks in. Very happy to have this.
Half-Elf Versatility: This is where you get to choose your Elven heritage and pull an ability from one of the many Elf subraces. You only get to choose one of these, so they compete with each other.
Skill Versatility: This is the default option and it grants two skill proficiencies of your choice. Not bad if you are going for a skill monkey build, but there are better races for that build.
Elf Weapon Training (Wood or High Elf): Only good for Monks and some very niche builds, and even then it is outclassed by our other options.
Cantrip (High Elf): One Wizard cantrip could be necessary for your build, but if that is true, there are better races that can also accomplish this.
Fleet of Foot (Wood Elf): An extra 5ft of movement is very nice to have, but if you need it, there are better races that provide many more abilities on top of the increased movement speed.
Mask of the Wild (Wood Elf): This is the Wood Elf’s ribbon feature. Don’t take this over all the other, much better options.
Drow Magic (Drow Elf): This honestly feels like playing a Drow without Sunlight Sensitivity, and that’s pretty amazing. If these spells sound appealing to you and you really want to play a Half-Elf or the concept of Sunlight Sensitivity ruins your build, I’d say this is a fantastic option.
Swim Speed (Sea Elf): Gaining a swim speed is actually pretty hard to do in this game, as while Water Breathing is a ritual spell that most parties will have access to by level 5, there aren’t really any good spells that grant a swimming speed besides polymorphing into an aquatic creature. Still, this is campaign dependent, and you’ll probably know at character creation if you’ll need this or not.
All in all, the Half-Elf can do a ton of different things, but it isn’t really the best at any of them. I’d say Drow Magic is the best option for your heritage, and the Sea Elf heritage definitely has its niche. This leaves us with a slightly above average race that you’ll never be sad you took, but there are better options for just about everything a Half-Elf can do.
Final Rating: 3/5
Mark of Detection
Ability Score Increase: +2 Wisdom, +1 Any: Note that this replaces the usual +2, +1, +1 that a normal Half Elf gets, though that isn’t such a nerf that I’d worry too much about it.
Deductive Intuition: Both of these skills can come up quite often, so you’ll see a ton of use out of this.
Magical Detection: We get Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease, and See Invisibility. Well, one of these spells is good, it’s just a shame that the one good one is also a ritual that you probably already have access to. This is a dud feature all around.
Spells of the Mark: Detect Thoughts is about the only thing that excites me on this list, and that’s just because I’ve always loved that spell personally. Other than that, this list is full of stinkers.
This Dragonmark race starts strong with Deductive Intuition, but outside of that none of these features excite me. I do believe this is actually worse than a base Half-Elf.
Final Rating: 2/5
Mark of the Storm
Ability Score Increase: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity: Everything I said about the previous subrace applies here.
Windright’s Intuition: Acrobatics can potentially come up often, but the tool definitely will not. If you play into it, this could be a decent feature.
Storm’s Boon: Resistance to Lightning damage is not the best resistance out there, but it’s also pretty hard to come by. Any resistance is a good resistance though so I’m very happy to have this.
Headwinds: Gust is a pitiful cantrip, and Gust of Wind is a very situational spell. Not impressed with this.
Spells of the Mark: This is a fantastic selection of spells. We’ve got heavy hitters like Sleet Storm, Fog Cloud, Levitate, Conjure Minor Elementals, and Conjure Elemental, alongside more situational spells like Control Water and Feather Fall. I’d be pretty happy to take just about any of these spells for my character.
It’s really the spell selection that makes this subrace stand out. Many of these spells would be amazing on Clerics who don’t normally get most of them, and I could definitely see a Tempest Cleric loving this.
Final Rating: 4/5
Half-Elves can work on a huge variety of builds, and their versatility is definitely their biggest selling point. Still, I’d recommend shopping around a bit more, as many of the things a Half-Elf can do, other races can do better.
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