The elves of my stories have superior strength, superior speed, superior intelligence, superior skill and superior vitality. Is there any kind of plausible weakness or drawback I can give them because I want them to be more even with my other races. I have been thinking of smaller population and trying to figure that out demographically. Can anyone help?

Just so I'm clear, are you trying to figure out a weakness for them?

Right, I don't want them to be so much better than the other races.

How about a short life span? I've always wanted to make a story where the elves only lived for say 20 years before they died.
Just a thought.

That sounds good. That could work.

*nods * I think Joe's suggestion is really good. I mean, if they are going to be so superior in everything, then having them live such short lives would be a good way to keep the other races from growing dependant on them, in a way. And it isn’t a cheesy weakness, which is what I like most about it. It’s realistic. I could see that being a drawback.

I like that a lot. I think I am going to use that. Maybe not as extreme as twenty. Maybe something like forty or thirty. That brings up a lot of questions like aging and adolescence.

Yeah, if their age is cut down, you'll have to do a lot of development in the race and how they function. I mean, you cut 20 down (using an 80 year lifespan as your guide) and you are looking at marriable age being 5.

Maybe they have an intense period of schooling until say, age 7, and then are immediately set to learn a craft and start a family. I'm assuming they'd develop faster, as by the time they'd be a full-grown adult they'd be ready to die if you stuck to the human system

eru

Right, they'd need accelerated growth development.

These elves are naturally smarter anyway. At the end of their life do you think their bodies could be more like the body of a late middle aged man rather than an eighty year old?

Yes, I think you could have them die while in their prime. However, you will still need to accelerate their maturing process, I think.

That is what I was thinking.

*nods * Actually, if you think about it, if they die in their prime, it sort of gives them that ageless quality, you know? They don't really age, in the sense that they don't get old.

Right, I wanted to maintain that classical elfin aspect.

Prezactically.

This is starting to sound really good!

Agreed.

What I think could also be interesting was if you got rid of their ability to deal well with time. So like, what if they just didn't really understand the passage of time well? An 20 year old elf, might marry one on death's door because they just didn't realize how little time the other one had, etc...

Just an idea.

That is a good idea, though with the role of their creation I think it will take a different path. Thanks!

For the maturing process, why don't you say (If they have intense schooling until age 7, etc.) that by the age of 7, they have a grown mind and a full grown body of a young adult. By the age of 10, they could look, compared to a human, 25-30 years old, etc, etc.

If they are such incredible warriors, perhaps (as you mentioned about reduced population) they have little time for families, which means not as many children and a very small population. It is here that the "no sense of time" could come in. Besides being warriors and spending their time doing that, many may want to start families, but believe they have all the time in the world. By the end of their life, they do not realize they have run out of time until they are on their death bed, and even then, they may not realize they are at the end of their life in the physical world.

Just some thoughts,
-Donn Q.

Thanks Miss Donn! Those are some great ideas, thanks!

I like those suggestions.