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Froogleyboy
2009-10-03, 10:56 PM
okay, I like to have a family tree of my characters (when possible) and my current character (a half drow) will be having an off spring soon. Would I take the Half- Drow race again or what?

Sir_Elderberry
2009-10-03, 10:59 PM
Biologically, it's 1/4 drow, but I believe in D&D terms (at least for half-elves, I assume drow work the same way) the PHB explicitly mentions that a half-elf's children can also be considered half-elves.

Tengu_temp
2009-10-03, 11:01 PM
Actually, there is a way to be a 1/3 elf. The details are against the forum's rules, however.

Froogleyboy
2009-10-03, 11:10 PM
Actually, there is a way to be a 1/3 elf. The details are against the forum's rules, however.

I'm confused

Sinfire Titan
2009-10-03, 11:14 PM
Actually, there is a way to be a 1/3 elf. The details are against the forum's rules, however.

I can think up 6, two of which involve evisceration. Half of those involve cooking.

Xenogears
2009-10-03, 11:17 PM
Well enough generations will bring about any % elf you want. Start with half and mate with full then you get 75 now mate with human you get 37.5 elf so thats almost 1/3 but then mate with full to get 87.5 then with human for 42.75 then human for 21.375 then elf for 71.375 then human for 35.6875 and now your within a few percentages of being a 1/3 elf. Keep repeating and eventuall you will be so close to 1/3 elf that the difference is moot.

Arundel
2009-10-03, 11:22 PM
Well enough generations will bring about any % elf you want. Start with half and mate with full then you get 75 now mate with human you get 37.5 elf so thats almost 1/3 but then mate with full to get 87.5 then with human for 42.75 then human for 21.375 then elf for 71.375 then human for 35.6875 and now your within a few percentages of being a 1/3 elf. Keep repeating and eventuall you will be so close to 1/3 elf that the difference is moot.

Assuming that "elf' is a traditional Mendelian trait, as opposed to something more interesting.

God help you if its linked.

Knaight
2009-10-03, 11:25 PM
And of course, we have to assume that there are multiple genes without a tendency towards repressive or dominant overall.

infinitypanda
2009-10-03, 11:25 PM
This thread made me think of Gilgamesh, who's 2/3 divine, and Enkidu, who's 2/3 animal. Just throwing that out there.

Doc Roc
2009-10-03, 11:29 PM
The degree to which elven nature manifests is actually determined by tiny symbiotic creatures in the bloodstream, very similar to bacteria.
Generally these are referred to as Midotolkiens.

Xenogears
2009-10-03, 11:31 PM
Assuming that "elf' is a traditional Mendelian trait, as opposed to something more interesting.

God help you if its linked.

Well since we know for a fact that in DnD if you get one elf parent and one human you get the exact same mix of traits each time I think my analysis of how multiple generations of mixed elvishness wrok is pretty accurate. The fact that neither me nor WotC know terribly much more about genes than a high school bio course teaches you is irrelevent since the DnD elf does not work that way...

infinitypanda
2009-10-03, 11:34 PM
since the DnD elf does not work that way...

morbo.jpg
Elves do not work that way!

taltamir
2009-10-04, 01:01 AM
You can get some pretty creative mixes... 1/3 is not one of them...

For example, a 1/2 half (4/8) and a 1/4 half (2/8) can have a child, which will be the average, aka 3/8th elf.
The bottom number must always be a 2^n.

Thurbane
2009-10-04, 01:05 AM
This thread made me think of Gilgamesh, who's 2/3 divine, and Enkidu, who's 2/3 animal. Just throwing that out there.
Duke Lion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYRJnLguhfk)? He's the son of man and god and lion...

oxinabox
2009-10-04, 04:11 AM
In my setting all of the Players arte part everything (one big interbred soup)
most NPC's are mongrel folk, but the PC's and others are Though backs.
vaguely, mummy and daddy were halfelves, I'm human, my brother is an elf, and my two sisters are halfelves.
but not quiet, since mulitiple multiple genes, have ever an appoximate throw back isn't impossible

Can you do something with templates?
I'm sure someone made a full set of templates for Halfelf etc.
there was an artical complaining about how they should have been implimented that way

lesser_minion
2009-10-04, 04:41 AM
In theory, you could create an approximately 1/3rd elf by combining a particular set of crosses between humans, elves and their offspring.

The resulting phenotype would probably vary.

Vangor
2009-10-04, 06:01 AM
okay, I like to have a family tree of my characters (when possible) and my current character (a half drow) will be having an off spring soon. Would I take the Half- Drow race again or what?

Punnett Square of statistical phenotypes, as well as those related to roleplaying or potential social reaction. This is assuming, of course, certain traits are not linked or do not possess redundancies which can express themselves equivalently. Now, throw scatter dice on the Square to determine phenotype.

Yora
2009-10-04, 06:24 AM
The easy solution is, that every character with less than 25% or more than 75% elves (or humans) among his ancestors is a half-elf.
For half-elf or half-drow, I would count the number of drow and non-drow elves, and see which number is larger. That's the elf half of the character.

Ostien
2009-10-04, 09:47 AM
You can get some pretty creative mixes... 1/3 is not one of them...

For example, a 1/2 half (4/8) and a 1/4 half (2/8) can have a child, which will be the average, aka 3/8th elf.
The bottom number must always be a 2^n.

This. Any time you are messing with genetics you have to have the bottom of the fraction be a 2^n.

However, this is for genetics with two parents. You can look at it very different if you say have a race of elves that emerge from nature spontaneously, or are basically the offspring of a single tree. Now you can add fluff that the tree can absorb some human genetics and make a mix there, which could be anything even 1/3rd because it is all internally determined also probably magical so it does not have to make sense.

A way to get a 1/3 is perhaps elves, the "normal" way is have elves that cannot procreate with one other person but needs to be a part of a couple. Basically they give their genetic material in a threesome. Donno just throwing ideas out there.

Riffington
2009-10-04, 09:50 AM
I think they figured out the answer to this in the 1930s...

that aside: the way to do this is not to count ancestors or stack templates. It's to allow anyone with a drop of elvish and a drop of human blood to choose* half-elf if desired, and otherwise count as an ordinary elf or human.

*chosen by the player or DM, not by the character.

ZeroNumerous
2009-10-04, 09:54 AM
A Human father, Elf mother and the Half Golem template?

1/3 Human + 1/3 Elf + 1/3 Half-Golem?

That's as close as 1/3rd elf as I can get.

LibraryOgre
2009-10-04, 09:55 AM
Who is your half-drow mating with? The old FR rule was:

Human + Elf = Half-elf
Half-elf + Human = Human
Half-elf + Elf = Elf
Half-elf + Half-elf = Half-elf.

robgrayert
2009-10-04, 10:07 AM
Dragon #328 apparently had a "Quarter Elf" flaw:
http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Quarter_Elf,all

Cieyrin
2009-10-04, 11:43 AM
A Human father, Elf mother and the Half Golem template?

1/3 Human + 1/3 Elf + 1/3 Half-Golem?

That's as close as 1/3rd elf as I can get.

nah, that'd be more like 1/4 Human + 1/4 Elf + 1/2 Golem

ericgrau
2009-10-04, 11:56 AM
Try breeding a 1/4 elf plus a half elf. That'll actually make a 3/8 elf, but it's close enough to 1/3.

Prime32
2009-10-04, 12:01 PM
A Human father, Elf mother and the Half Golem template?

1/3 Human + 1/3 Elf + 1/3 Half-Golem?

That's as close as 1/3rd elf as I can get.First I was thinking of Gilgamesh, now I'm thinking of Zelgadis from Slayers (who was transformed into a 1/3 human 1/3 golem 1/3 demon with pointed ears).

There's a flaw in an issue of Dragon called Quarter-Elf. A half-elf who takes it loses some of his racial traits. Since each flaw gives you an extra feat, it also emulates the human bonus feat. If your DM is feeling generous he might decide that it doesn't count against your normal limit of two flaws.
EDIT: Here it is (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Quarter_Elf,all)

taltamir
2009-10-04, 02:29 PM
This. Any time you are messing with genetics you have to have the bottom of the fraction be a 2^n.

However, this is for genetics with two parents. You can look at it very different if you say have a race of elves that emerge from nature spontaneously, or are basically the offspring of a single tree. Now you can add fluff that the tree can absorb some human genetics and make a mix there, which could be anything even 1/3rd because it is all internally determined also probably magical so it does not have to make sense.

A way to get a 1/3 is perhaps elves, the "normal" way is have elves that cannot procreate with one other person but needs to be a part of a couple. Basically they give their genetic material in a threesome. Donno just throwing ideas out there.

I actually DID think about the possibility... Although mine was a more straight forward "two humans had sex with an elf and she got pregnant from both, because elves are magical"...

However, I did not want to assume that in his world thats how things work, he probably just made a mistake I thought to myself, and has normal breeding rules. And probably has a 3/8th elf or something.

Nai_Calus
2009-10-04, 02:53 PM
Wait, what, people want realistic genetic behaviour in the crossbreeding of humans and a race created from the blood of a god? :smalltongue:

Nevermind 1/3 elves, someone figure out 2/3 elves. :smallbiggrin:

(There needs to be a three-quarter elf trait to go with that quarter-elf flaw.)

hamishspence
2009-10-04, 02:55 PM
I actually DID think about the possibility... Although mine was a more straight forward "two humans had sex with an elf and she got pregnant from both, because elves are magical"...

Some authors do favour the "fathered by two people simultaneously" method.

Zaq
2009-10-04, 05:49 PM
People, people, people, we're missing the obvious answer here.

Polymorph.
Any.
Object.

Done and done, and it only took arguably the most abusive spell in the game. Wasn't that fun?

Foryn Gilnith
2009-10-04, 05:51 PM
It's all well and nice to say that, but what are the stats for a .3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 elf, then?

Arundel
2009-10-04, 05:52 PM
Hmm, can you use polymorph any object to change the target into an object which doesn't exist? Is that within the bounds of the spell?

John Campbell
2009-10-04, 06:28 PM
Hmm, can you use polymorph any object to change the target into an object which doesn't exist? Is that within the bounds of the spell?

If you want to change the target into an object which doesn't exist, the spell you want is disintegrate.

Mongoose87
2009-10-04, 06:39 PM
Dragon #328 apparently had a "Quarter Elf" flaw:
http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Quarter_Elf,all

If you're using flaws, and take that, the extra feat almost makes Half-Elves viable.

LibraryOgre
2009-10-04, 10:46 PM
Some authors do favour the "fathered by two people simultaneously" method.

Or more. With poor results. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096320/)