The Blood Elf Problem

How to differentiate normal Elves from Blood Elves (and should I bother)?

For starters, just on elves in general, D&D has two elvish races in elves and eladrin, and it strikes me that both fit the stereotype of Elves in Earthdawn, so my feeling there is to include both, and probably as is. While the eladrin fey-step power isn't something that has a clear place in the mechanics of Earthdawn, it is well in keeping with the lore and mythology of the nature of Eathdawn's Elves.

Non mechanical, or mechanics light options seem to range from doing nothing, to making a one or more Blood Elf backgrounds and leaving it at that.

At the other end of the spectrum is making a Blood Elves into separate race from Elves. Eladrin could possibly be twisted to do the trick, and someone on an RPG.net forum suggested using Tieflings who have some thematic commonalities with Blood Elves. My big problem with using Tieflings is that Infernal Wrath doesn't seem to fit. Re-skinning it to be something akin to Duergar Beard Quills doesn't really help - I just can't see the Blood Elf thorns being launched at the enemy. Eladrin don't run a-fowl and any real mechanical problems for me, but I'm none too thrilled with the idea of adding a third elven race option - I really prefer something that represents a smaller divergence between normal Elves and their thorny kin.

A theme (a la Dark Sun) could also be an interesting avenue to explore - my only real fear with themes is that it's easy to be concerned that they tip game balance. A character with a theme has a mechanical advantage - even if that advantage is just an "at will power level" encounter power that grants them a one off combat option their unthemeed lacks. The implication of which is that a good set of other themes would need to be rolled out as well, and I'm not sure that I'm willing to go there.

Middle of the road options along the lines of the Wood, Wild, Sun and Moon Elf feats could be good, though a feat is a high cost to pay.

Earthdawn's lack of mechanical differentiation implies that going to heavy on the difference it's right so perhaps simple options like the feats and background are the way to go.

Background:

Blood Elf

Pre-requisite: Elf, eladrin
You gain the Blood Elf Bloodline
Born in the Wyrmwood, others wonder at the thorns impaling you, and the effect they must have on you and your way of thinking. Does constant pain drive you towards madness or does it force you to rise above such petty concerns?
Associated Skills: Endurance, perception

Feats:

Blood Elf Resiliance [Blood Elf Bloodline]

Pre-requisite: Eladrin
Benefit: If you use your fey step power when you are bloodied and no allies are within 5 squares of you, you can spend a healing surge as a free action.

Blood Elf Endurance [Blood Elf Bloodline]

Pre-requisite: Elf or eladrin
Benefit: You gain the Endure Pain utility power.

Fortitude from Thorns [Blood Elf Bloodline]

Pre-requisite: Blood elf bloodline
Benefit: You gain a +2 untyped bonus to fortitude, and at the start of your turn can make a saving throw against one effect caused by an attack on your fortitude.

Willpower from Thorns [Blood Elf Bloodline]

Pre-requisite: Blood elf bloodline
Benefit: You gain a +2 untyped bonus to willpower, and at the start of your turn can make a saving throw against one effect caused by an attack on your willpower.

Tell me what you think in the comments.

Monday's Map #2

Who or what can be found in the cave? Do the provisions, boats and campsite belong to the occupants of the cave? Or to a group that has gone into the cave? Or to the player characters?

Why is the bed roll so large? Especially in comparison to the boats?

What danger lurks in the trees?

Built using two sets of Caverns of Icewind Dale, as well as a 4x4 water tile, a 4x8 water tile and the 2x4 boat from the Desert of Athas set. Until I set out to build this, I had not realized how limited the coastal tiles in Caverns of Icewind Dale were, and so I've borrowed some of the "cave" tiles, using the black edges to represent water.

Crypt of Lost Secrets

The stairs open into a raised platform in the center a large room. Below the platform are two more tiers each set five feet further lower,


On the middle tier set in faded red stone is the image of skull, and below that on bottom tier of the room lie eight crypts with six itentical statues of a man missing a hand, with an eye bandaged over.

Surrounding the lower tier, level with the middle tier, the walls off the room are set with nooks large enough for a person to stand in.

Behind you, on your platform the floor tiles are enscribed with elvish characters, except a gap where one tile is missing. To either side, five feet higher up the floor is enscribed with similar lettering.

Encounter		2400 XP
Level 10
Opponents		7
Shadow of Vecna		x6

The Shadows of Vecna lie dormant within the statues until a crypt is opened (Hard DC Athletics to open).

When a Shadow regenerates, it should be described as energy flowing from the center floor cypher, to the Shadow.

The three four by four sectons of script on the south side of the chamber are a puzzle.

The script is in the secret cypher of Vecna, though the characters are elvish. The word missing from the middle four by four block is Vecna, and the other two side each compose a different prayer to the dark god but each uses the same words, which are then repeated in the middle block.

The middle block can be rearranged. Standing on a tile that is in the same row or column as empty tile, causes that tile and all between it and the empty tile to slide one square towards the empty tile.

Rearranging the center block into the prayer on the eastern block causes the Shadows that came from the eastern three statues to cease regenerating, and gain vulnerable 5 to all damage. Rearranging the center block into the prayer on the western block causes the same to Shadows from the western crypts.

The puzzle can be solved either by handing over a real world version (online one can seen here http://migo.sixbit.org/puzzles/fifteen/ amongst other places).

With the real world puzzle, a player whose character can see the board can spend a minor action to study the puzzle without moving the pieces for 30s, and a player whose character is on one of the puzzle spaces, can spend a move action to move the pieces for 20s or a standard, move and minor action to move the pieces for 60s. After completing one configuration, scramble the pieces, for the next configuration.

Alternately the puzzle can be solved via a skill challenge. Religion, Dungeoneering and Arcana as primary skills DC18 (standard action, or move action if also attempting with a standard action), DC26 (move action), and the character must be standing on a square on the the grid. Insight and Perception DC26 (minor action) from a character who can see the puzzle to grant a +5 bonus to the next primary check. The puzzle is completed when a net 4 successes have been obtained.

At the end of any action in which a player moves pieces, the DM rolls 2d4 to determine where on the grid the empty spot winds up, and the player rolls 2d4 to determine where on the 4x4 grid they wind up. If they roll the missing number, they can pick a ending position.

Setup: The characters are exploring a dungeon, temple or the like, and have descended the stairs.

Illumination: None.

Stairs: The stair squares block line of sight, count as difficult terrain for anyone going up them, and can only be entered from the upper right corner.

Notes: The combination of being insubstantial and having regeneration 20 (slightly more than a healing surge for these creatures) should make them very difficult to drop. Defeating the shadows without solving the puzzle should be possible but difficult. If the party is coasting the encounter, you could alter it on fly by allowing an unsolved half of the puzzle to regenerate, or by restarting the encounter each time they open a crypt, if the puzzles have not been solved.

Treasure: There should be something in the crypts - what depends too much on your party for me to dictate, but it should somehow relate to the god of secrets. I had planned a book written in the same script and cypher as the floor tiles, containing yet to be determined secrets. To a collector the book would have great monetary value. To the servants of Vecna, the book would be priceless, definitely worth killing for, and most certainly a hook into future adventures.

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This encounter was inspired while listening to the most recent episode of the tome show, I wrote it up and was all prepared to send my players through it, but as I was gathering materials for the game, real life got in the way. Despite my daughter having at least two or three of these puzzles somewhere in her room, I couldn't find them. Since I really wanted the prop, I've shelved the puzzle. For now...

Monday's Map #1

An abandoned building in the Shadowfell where the characters stopped for the night (or what passes for night in a land of eternal gloom).

The characters are attacked by a band of scavengers of some description, and during the fight the the broken statue in the well room is knocked over revealing stairs spiraling downwards. But where do they lead? 

To whom do the graves belong? Do they rest there still?