As to why I don't like elorii as much in this new arc... to be honest I'm not sure. If I knew exactly why then I would have said so to begin with.
Let me start from the beginning... use some examples and see if someone else can pick out what's bothering me about them.
Let's go back to the d20 arc where I began my love of elorii. I homeplayed that arc and have many opprotunities to make a few different characters. My first was a wind elorii rouge. Being new to D&D in general I didn't make the best build for her. I retired her after year 1. After that I created my life elorii cleric-->Lifewarden who I loved very much. She lost a heck of a lot of her hair trying to keep the party alive, but she was good at it. Along the way she got a loyal bodyguard, an earth elorii fighter. This fighter didn't specialize in any particular weapon, but that's what made her so great. Any unique bows, or malfelan (sp?) swords, or the sand apophic (sp?) spear that came along, she took the exotic proficiency with them and was basically a character that all the left over certed gear got dumped onto. And she was very good with it all. Later, we took a detour through Metra and I made a water elorii fighter/rouge going for Tal Kenath (dancer of the elements). That prestige class was always sooo cool to me and I wanted the chance to play it. Unfortunately that opprotunity would never be mine, as that character got literally exploded so that nothing remained of her. (long story, lol). And finally, with the level 10 cert that came out near the end of the campaign, I made a fire elorii wizard with the knowledge of the ages feat (I think that's what it was called). I never had the chance to play her, but she knew stuff, and she was good at that.
So as you can see I made one of each elorii type through the old arc and I loved them all. They may not have been perfect but I enjoyed what I did have with them.
So now to the new arc. I've tried recreating many of my favourite characters from the old arc... and even many of the other ideas that I had for elorii but never had the chance to play. ... I think that's the problem. My ideas from the old arc don't carry over very well to the new system.
Lets take a look at that:
My Tal Kenath that I was denied. My first character that I made in this new campaign was a Tal Kenath. I've since made a few others. I really hate the new Tal Kenath. Everything I liked about the old one is gone... or mostly gone.
Tal Kenath was a 5 level prestige class where each level gave you something that made you a dancer of the elements. First you got a sheild bonus. Ok, so that's still there as Masterful Defence. ... but then it changes drastically. I forget the exact order, but basically wind gave you ability to move around the battle feild without taking attacks of opprotunity. The other elements, water, fire and earth, were all "add this stat to this effect". Eg, add your con modifier to hit. I forget what they were exactly (I don't have the book with me at the moment). I thougth this was really awesome! You become all the elements as you start to move and hit and act like you are each of the elements.
The new path Tal Kenath just doesn't have the same effect. Sure you get Masterful defence, but it doesn't increase in any way. Sure you can throw your sword like the wind, but if I really wanted to do that I'd just have gone psionic. And then the elemental stikes? ... I want to be the elements, not add elemental damage to my sword.
I've kept trying to make a Tal Kenath, but it's just not the same and I end up repetedly disappointed with the character builds.
Next, recreating my super healing life elorii cleric. I did remake her in the new arc, and I wasn't very happy with it. That was the reason that I didn't take Chosen by Fate in the kickstarter... I no longer wanted to bring back my character.
Sure you can make her to be a super healer cleric... and Belisarda only spells and talents and life elorii bloodline have some nice healing options... but it just doesn't feel the same. I don't like the skills that I have to pick from for being a life elorii. Lore and knowledge skills? I didn't know stuff. I was wise, not smart. Also, where is my ability to talk to animals?
Also positive energy missles, channel healing, and bursting undead into flames. Those were all key aspects to my super healing life elorii, but they don't exist in this new system. Making a super healing life elorii just isn't the same to me because the things I loved about my old character aren't available in the new system.
Finally my awesome verstile fighter. You can come close to being the same. Martial archetype give you all national weapons. Then if you go Soldier of Retribution, that's a cool elorii only class, and it will give you weapon mastery (national). Cool! ... but wait... I don't care about retribution. I'm just a normal fighter who likes to hit things. ... what's with all this story now. Laesertri (sp?) is a better background, but it doesn't give me the options I want. And where are all the cool certed items that noone wants because they don't have the talents/feats to be able to use them? It's not as fun if I have to buy the unique items.
Sure I can be a great elorii fighter, but what I found so much fun about my former fighter, just isn't the same in the new campaign.
Other ideas I had. I always wanted to play a psunomar (sp?). They were so cool! Designed as light fighters who really shine against psionics. Sure you can create a caster/fighter in the new campaign, but the anti magic spells just aren't there anymore. At least not for elorii.
The Warder was also really cool. Very much like a ranger and I do like playing rangers. But the old 3.5 ranger doesn't really exist anymore in the new arc. Sure I could be a woodsman, and take the right skills and talents, but the title isn't there. and I can't be as specialized in the specific skills that I want of knowing the terrain around my home and getting bonuses to that.
Elorii skiills. This is one of the biggest things that bothers me about new elorii. When you pick your type of elorii that determines which two types of skills you have to pick. More of then not I think to myself "ugh, I don't want that type of skill... I want this skill... why do I have to pick this?! ugh fine I guess I'll pick this one." It really hinders my build because I'm taking a skill that I don't want.
I REALLY love what the humans have (pick any 2 different types) and what the Vals have (pick any, and two from this list of social skills that you'll use just about every module.) Why can't the elorii have more versitility in their skills? Pick any and one from this type of skill that's related to your type. That would be perfect.
I guess my biggest thing is that I'm living in the old system. I loved elorii there, and everything that I loved either doesn't exist or doesn't carry over well into the new system. Meanwhile Vals, have become even more awesome because now their bloodlines are talents, and not from your stat point pool. I think that's why I've jumped over to liking Vals more compared to Elorii.
... so now I realise that this is a crazy long post.
If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I know my logic might not make sense, but in my mind it does.
