What happenes if two half elves have kids? And more

[1Forge]

So I'm setting up a large 5e setting I plan to use for all my games in the foreseeable future, one continent i had planned to be made up of almost only half elves, What im wondering is if two half elves have kids are the kids half elves? Or are some elves some humans and then the others half elves? It's kind of important for my setting.

Also How much land/resources does a dragon need in it's habitat to survive renewably?

And finally how long could an army of hobbits and 1 dragon hold off an army of elves and dwarves without backup? (assume the hobbits and dwarves have minumal magic)

[Scarab112]

So I'm setting up a large 5e setting I plan to use for all my games in the foreseeable future, one continent i had planned to be made up of almost only half elves, What im wondering is if two half elves have kids are the kids half elves? Or are some elves some humans and then the others half elves? It's kind of important for my setting.

Also How much land/resources does a dragon need in it's habitat to survive renewably?

And finally how long could an army of hobbits and 1 dragon hold off an army of elves and dwarves without backup? (assume the hobbits and dwarves have minumal magic)

For the first, you can easily say that the breeding of half-elves only produces more half-elves. It's not something that gets too much detail in D&D settings. It works that way in Eberron, for example, so you should be fine to have a country of half-elves.

For a dragon, it depends a lot on the size. Due to being large carnivorous flying creatures, they'd need a lot of energy to stay active. For a young or adult dragon, they would probably need around 2 head of cattle or several deer to sustain themselves, though that assumes they're going to be hunting every day. If they spend more time sleeping in their cave, they could sustain themselves off of less by bringing back some extra food and eating it more slowly. An ancient dragon would need much more food, though they usually spend less time flying and more time resting, as well as possibly having servants to bring food to them.

A small forest could likely sustain one dragon, or possibly two young ones. The amount of land needed would be similar to 3 or 4 adult bears or mountain lions.

And the last one, the dragon's aerial superiority combined with the hobbit's ability for stealth means a series of hit-and-run attacks and raids could cause havoc in the dwarven and elvish ranks far before any pitched battle occurred. If the dragon was a spell caster as well, things tilt even more in their favor. With the hobbits taking out enemy casters and archers, the dragon can pick off the standard foot-soldiers and cavalry with impunity.

[Shining Wrath]

Do creatures in your campaign have DNA? Serious question, physics and chemistry don't work the same in D&D, there's no reason for inheritance to work the same.

If you want to use Mendelian genetics, each gene pair might be pure elven, pure human, or half-elven (probabilities 25%, 25%, 50%). Or you could use those probabilities for the chances of an elf baby, human baby, and half-elf baby.

OTOH, in Eberron, half-elves breed true. So that's really whatever works for you.

Per canon, dragons have highly efficient metabolisms, so their hunting range doesn't have to be very large for food. For loot, it'll be larger.

The war question needs more information about the relative size of the communities, the terrain, and so on - but a dragon is one nasty reconnaissance in force flying high over the border and then swooping down to use his breath weapon on small detachments of troops. It's very hard to sneak up on people with a nigh-indestructible flying scout.

[1Forge]

Unfortunately the halflings cant use gurrila warefare the elvesand dwarves are fighting over some land (some of the last available land on their continent) and the halflings filled the boarders with soldiers and told both they "shall not pass" :p, the dragons own a country of dangerous mountain land, and supported the halflings in the Nam of peace. This is the first time halflings have ever interviened in a conflict.

[GiantOctopodes]

I generally run racial intermingling like this:

human and elven parent results in a half elf.
Half elven parent and human parent results in a half elf (even though you're technically only a quarter elf)
that half elf and a human would produce another half elf (technically 1/8, but still counted as a half elf)
that half elf and a human would produce a human.

The same is true across the board. If you've got 1/8 or more in your blood, you're still a half whatever. Less than that and you're not. If you're half of two or more things (orc, elf, dragon, whatever) mechanically you're treated as whichever one is more prominent in the blood, or if they're equally prominent, you pick.

[1Forge]

Okay so that's going to work perfectly then if half elves tend to create more half elves. The idea is on a continent to the north elves were almost wiped out but joined with human rebels to fight their all human kingdom, they succeded but I was trying to make sure I could justify a nation of almost all half elves and humans.

As for the dragons can they live underwater too?

[DracoKnight]

As for the dragons can they live underwater too?

Black Dragons and Bronze Dragons can. In fact Bronze Dragons terrify me for this reason, since they have a lightning breath weapon.

[Marcelinari]

That depends on the dragon. Black dragons and... Bronze dragons, I think, are capable of breathing underwater unimpeded. Other dragons can probably swim in the same way that, say, a pegasus can - poorly, and with much distress.

Also, if the elves and dwarves aren't united against the hobbits, they stand a much better chance. However, relative army sizes still matter, as an 'army' of 2000 hobbits will never beat 100, 000 elves, dragon or no.

[Scarab112]

Okay so that's going to work perfectly then if half elves tend to create more half elves. The idea is on a continent to the north elves were almost wiped out but joined with human rebels to fight their all human kingdom, they succeded but I was trying to make sure I could justify a nation of almost all half elves and humans.

As for the dragons can they live underwater too?

There are some species of aquatic dragon that have shown up in canon before. Black dragons are at least semi-aquatic, as they live in swamps, though I think they're more like crocodiles in that they just hold their breath.

Of course, you can easily change that and make dragons aquatic if you wish.

As for the matter of halflings beating elves and dwarves on an open field of battle, there best bet to pull it off would be if they had the high ground. That removes the height disadvantage and gives them more range with their slings and ranged weapons. Even if it is open combat though, having a few teams of saboteurs to get rid of ballistas that would threaten the dragon is a smart move.

[BoardPep]

Okay so that's going to work perfectly then if half elves tend to create more half elves. The idea is on a continent to the north elves were almost wiped out but joined with human rebels to fight their all human kingdom, they succeded but I was trying to make sure I could justify a nation of almost all half elves and humans.

As for the dragons can they live underwater too?

Depends on which kind of dragons. A few can breathe underwater. Black dragons are an example. And I'd say that any of that ones that can breathe underwater could sustain themselves quite easily on marine food. Plus you're usually pretty safe from adventurers when your lair is underwater.

EDIT - WOW, ninja'd x4. I'll add this little bit to make my post interesting.

Almost anything can hold it's breathe long enough to reach the surface from a reasonable distance. So even a dragon you might not expect to be underwater (such a Red Dragon) could live in an underwater lair. It's possible to have large caverns underwater that are not actually filled with water. In the case of a Red Dragon, perhaps he lives near a series of volcanic vents, with him main lair being in a volcanic chamber. Since the main way the players could get to his lair is by literally SWIMMING THROUGH LAVA, chances are that the Red Dragon could live in relative peace. Getting treasure in and out of it's lair might be difficult though, unless it swallows it first. Yeah, swallowing, that's good.

[1Forge]

That depends on the dragon. Black dragons and... Bronze dragons, I think, are capable of breathing underwater unimpeded. Other dragons can probably swim in the same way that, say, a pegasus can - poorly, and with much distress.

Also, if the elves and dwarves aren't united against the hobbits, they stand a much better chance. However, relative army sizes still matter, as an 'army' of 2000 hobbits will never beat 100, 000 elves, dragon or no.

Good point I don't have #'s yet but just assume they have at least half the troops as the dwarves or elves and at most are outnumbered by 1/4 (the elves and dwarves have armies of similar size) They have the paladin enclave sending more assistance and two more dragons, the elves and dwarves should also be receiving slightly more troops (about 1/16th their current force maybe an 8th) humans are so far neutral, and any other nations are to weak to pick sides.

[Marcelinari]

I guess the next question then in 'Has anyone in this war read Sun Tsu's 'The Art of War', or the local equivalent?'. A capable general can turn the tide of a battle with tactics, but even Sun Tsu says 'if the enemy outnumbers you, hold off until you get reinforcements'.

The hobbits' best chance, if guerrilla tactics are off the table, is to get the elves and dwarves to attack each other first, and then beat up the victor.

[ZenBear]

In my custom setting half breeds breed true. Half-Elves make Half-Elves, but if they mate with a true Human or Elf the children are considered "full-blooded" of the dominant race.

[1Forge]

Is there a way to attach the picture of my setting map here? I have the file but Im not sure how to send it.

[VoxRationis]

So I'm setting up a large 5e setting I plan to use for all my games in the foreseeable future, one continent i had planned to be made up of almost only half elves, What im wondering is if two half elves have kids are the kids half elves? Or are some elves some humans and then the others half elves? It's kind of important for my setting.

Also How much land/resources does a dragon need in it's habitat to survive renewably?

And finally how long could an army of hobbits and 1 dragon hold off an army of elves and dwarves without backup? (assume the hobbits and dwarves have minumal magic)

Mendelian traits probably don't apply. Half-elves are shown to have a sort of blend of traits in most respects, so it can be assumed that polygenic inheritance is the rule for most of the distinguishing traits. 2nd edition made it clear that elf/half-elf/human identity is a strict function of the total amount of human and elven ancestry (at least 1/2 elf is needed to be a half-elf, even the slightest bit more than that makes someone functionally a human, and any human blood prevents full elfhood), which would allow half-elves to breed more half-elves. 3rd and 5th I think say that half-elves also breed true, possibly for several generations, but they don't mention specifics on anything other than that.

[Darksidebro]

It mentions in the Human section of the Player Handguide that many humans have traces of Elven and Orcish blood from long ago crossbreeding. I've always assumed that this is what happens to Half Elf offspring's offspring. Or any halfbreeds, really. (With humans)

[1Forge]

Well the back story with the elf half elf deal is on one continent the main empire tried to exterminate elves most elvish men went to battle and died the remaining elves fled to the south eastern nation that rebelled and openly accepts enemys of The original empire. The idea was that the remaining elvish families had a founder effect with the human rebels (that would later become a kingdom) because of the full racial integration, most elvish blood was diluted with humans and vice versa. Very few pure elves remain, and the elvish bloot is slowly being out numbered by human (but so slowly that it will take hundreds of years) Dwarves, halflings, tieflings, and dragons are extinct or almost non existent on that continent.

[Kane0]

What if they can't? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGFXcTsLJlg)

Dragon territory is usually measured in miles, much like Rocs and such. Eating cattle sized food on a daily basis can be demanding on the local area.

That one dragon better be good at what it does, or it'll get whittled down and the hobbits will be in dire straits. Elves in any respectable numbers will rout their opposition due to having magic alone.

[1Forge]

What if they can't? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGFXcTsLJlg)

Dragon territory is usually measured in miles, much like Rocs and such. Eating cattle sized food on a daily basis can be demanding on the local area.

That one dragon better be good at what it does, or it'll get whittled down and the hobbits will be in dire straits. Elves in any respectable numbers will rout their opposition due to having magic alone.

So the video was good and those are the reasons there dont tend to be half eladrins or half dwarves, but I reason that elves are diluted fey enough that they can produce viable offspring with humans even if they have a higher mortality rate. But that's just my setting. The dragon is an adult gold dragon I think (I don't own the MM so I'm guessing on some stuff)

[Nicrosil]

With my settings, I usually go with half-elfs and half-orcs being cockapoos, essentially. Originally a hybrid, they are now in such large numbers that they breed true, and can be considered their own species.

On the other hand, I usually run dragons as incarnations of nature, chromatic dragons especially. They don't need to eat or drink, or even follow the laws of physics. They are the destroying storm, the ever growing inferno, the soul numbing blizzard, the eventual decay and rot of all things. That's also why I love the idea of lairs in 5e, where the challenge isn't just a giant lizard. The very ground beneath you, the air you breath, your meat and drink, they're all twisted and perverted by the dragon. In that light, dragons are fed by the terror they strike in the hearts of mortals, and the greed and avarice still emanating from their hoard's original owners. Very much like the gods themselves.

It doesn't quite fit with what you've said, but I think the halflings can win if they get the dragon to go after the elf and dwarf army, and pray it doesn't turn on them. Even though they can speak, dragons like this cannot be commanded or forced; the most you can do is nudge them in a direction. Is the dragon awake and active, or is it dormant? If it's dormant, that provides an interesting twist. Waking up the dragon and pointing it at the army at it's domain's footstep is the easy part. The hard part is finding a way to wait out the Dragon Apocalypse, and escape when the dragon's eyes are everywhere. That's assuming this land is just where they were cornered; if they want to keep it, well, that's a whole other can of wyrms.

[Malifice]

Is evolution a thing in your universe? It wasn't in tolkiens (the main inspiration for half elves).

It's not like humans and elves can scientifically breed unless they shared a very recent common ancestor, or because 'magic'.

[ZenBear]

well, that's a whole other can of wyrms.

I see what you did there. 😂

[Safety Sword]

Gnomes.

The answer is always gnomes.

[1Forge]

With my settings, I usually go with half-elfs and half-orcs being cockapoos, essentially. Originally a hybrid, they are now in such large numbers that they breed true, and can be considered their own species.

On the other hand, I usually run dragons as incarnations of nature, chromatic dragons especially. They don't need to eat or drink, or even follow the laws of physics. They are the destroying storm, the ever growing inferno, the soul numbing blizzard, the eventual decay and rot of all things. That's also why I love the idea of lairs in 5e, where the challenge isn't just a giant lizard. The very ground beneath you, the air you breath, your meat and drink, they're all twisted and perverted by the dragon. In that light, dragons are fed by the terror they strike in the hearts of mortals, and the greed and avarice still emanating from their hoard's original owners. Very much like the gods themselves.

It doesn't quite fit with what you've said, but I think the halflings can win if they get the dragon to go after the elf and dwarf army, and pray it doesn't turn on them. Even though they can speak, dragons like this cannot be commanded or forced; the most you can do is nudge them in a direction. Is the dragon awake and active, or is it dormant? If it's dormant, that provides an interesting twist. Waking up the dragon and pointing it at the army at it's domain's footstep is the easy part. The hard part is finding a way to wait out the Dragon Apocalypse, and escape when the dragon's eyes are everywhere. That's assuming this land is just where they were cornered; if they want to keep it, well, that's a whole other can of wyrms.

On another nation some dragons are feral like that but on the continent with the halflings they are mostly good,and they only come out of their territory when they need to keep the peace. The dragons were kind of told by two dieties of peace that it was their Job to end large conflicts. Halflings were created with an increased capacity for forgiveness and kindness they took it upon themselves to end conflict before it began.

[Zevox]

Is evolution a thing in your universe? It wasn't in tolkiens (the main inspiration for half elves).
Indeed. If you were to base it on Tolkien, Half-Elves having kids would result in those children being Half-Elves. In fact, the one character from LotR that most readers would recognize as being referred to as "Half-Elven," Elrond, is not actually the child of a Human and Elf. His father was a Half-Elf, and his mother was presumably 3/4 Elf. (Her father was a Half-Elf, her mother is never mentioned, but since there were no other Half-Elves around at that point in history and her father lived among Elves, her mother can be safely presumed to be an Elf). And both Elrond and his brother were considered Half-Elves.

[Inevitability]

Another half-elf, I'd say. There's some precedent for it, with fertile mules and all...

[Raxxius]

not that it's that relevant, but 2nd ed did half elves as 50% or more parental background was half elf (obviously 100% is elf), less than 50% was human.

Whatever you want really, you da dm.

[hamishspence]

I generally run racial intermingling like this:

human and elven parent results in a half elf.
Half elven parent and human parent results in a half elf (even though you're technically only a quarter elf)
that half elf and a human would produce another half elf (technically 1/8, but still counted as a half elf)
that half elf and a human would produce a human.

The same is true across the board. If you've got 1/8 or more in your blood, you're still a half whatever. Less than that and you're not.

In Shining South, the figure was 1/32 drow for half-drow - less than that and you no longer qualify as "Crinti" (which meant descendants of certain drow and certain half-elves).

I'm not sure what the figure for changing from the half-dragon template to the "draconic" template from Draconomicon.

I also think that tieflings/aasimar might have as much as 1/4 outsider blood in some cases.

[Whyrocknodie]

I'd have the children of two half-elf parents be half-elves.

The dragon doesn't need anything to survive. He just gets hungrier and meaner the longer he goes without laying waste to some wildlife.

The army thing - however long you want them to...

[Shining Wrath]

Gold dragons can also function underwater.

There is no fighting Wood Elves in the woods. There is no fighting High Elves if they can bring their magic to bear. There is no fighting Elves if they can use their longbows (seriously, an entire race armed with the weapon that let 6,000 English beat 60,000 French at Agincourt?). Do not mess with the Elves.

You need to force the Elves into some sort of badlands where it's all difficult terrain, the fighting takes place at point blank range, and the hobbits can use their skill at underground living and construction to build fortifications. Hobbits burst from tunnels, fall upon the elves from above, and then retreat, collapsing the tunnels as they go. The dragon can attack small groups when it can get surprise; dragons are tough but no one wants to be on the receiving end of an elven barrage.

The above tactics fail against dwarves. Do not attempt to out-dig dwarves. Do not engage dwarves in melee; their heavy armor will carry the day. For dwarves, you need water. They don't like marshes. They are not natural swimmers. If you can flood the terrain they are advancing across and then play whack-a-dwarf from boats as they flounder in the mire, that might work.

[Marcelinari]

Gold dragons can also function underwater.

There is no fighting Wood Elves in the woods. There is no fighting High Elves if they can bring their magic to bear. There is no fighting Elves if they can use their longbows (seriously, an entire race armed with the weapon that let 6,000 English beat 60,000 French at Agincourt?). Do not mess with the Elves.

You need to force the Elves into some sort of badlands where it's all difficult terrain, the fighting takes place at point blank range, and the hobbits can use their skill at underground living and construction to build fortifications. Hobbits burst from tunnels, fall upon the elves from above, and then retreat, collapsing the tunnels as they go. The dragon can attack small groups when it can get surprise; dragons are tough but no one wants to be on the receiving end of an elven barrage.

It's worth noting that the English had ridiculously advantageous terrain at Agincourt. Plus, the French had an extra big helping of idiot that morning.

More on point, though, not every elf will be armed with a longbow - they will have dedicated archer platoons, sure, but they will also have cavalry and infantry, if they have any military acumen at all. Fighting Wood Elves in the woods is only really a problem if they don't have to hold some sort of formation. If they're stuck in ranks, then their home-field advantage is negated.

Also, fighting High Elves does not necessarily mean fighting 10, 000 wizards, although in this case there should be enough spellcasters among them to scare any reasonable opponent. Remember, though, that nothing prevents dwarves from bringing wizards except for cultural proclivities, and for hobbits nothing at all. The elves will bring more magic, probably, but they won't bring all of it.

Assuming each race plays to its strengths, elves will excel in magical and long-ranged assaults, dwarves will have a very defensible position and will wait until close-quarters combat is a possibility, and hobbits will rely on subterfuge and assassination to cripple an opposing army's supply lines and leadership before it comes to battle.

[ZenBear]

It's worth noting that the English had ridiculously advantageous terrain at Agincourt. Plus, the French had an extra big helping of idiot that morning.

Also, they were French.

[hamishspence]

Elrond, is not actually the child of a Human and Elf. His father was a Half-Elf, and his mother was presumably 3/4 Elf.

She's Elwing. In the Silmarillion book, she's part human, part elven, part celestial.

Her paternal grandfather was Beren - a human.
Her paternal grandmother was Luthien - half elf, half celestial
Her father was Dior - part human, part elf, part celestial



(Her father was a Half-Elf, her mother is never mentioned, but since there were no other Half-Elves around at that point in history and her father lived among Elves, her mother can be safely presumed to be an Elf).
Her mother was indeed an elf- Nimloth.http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Nimloth_(elf)

[VoxRationis]

More on point, though, not every elf will be armed with a longbow - they will have dedicated archer platoons, sure, but they will also have cavalry and infantry, if they have any military acumen at all.
Why wouldn't they give every elf a bow? They're all proficient, so it's not a matter of training. It'd be more expensive per soldier, but elves are generally thought of as going for quality over quantity anyway, and it'd vastly improve the versatility of their forces.



hobbits will rely on subterfuge and assassination to cripple an opposing army's supply lines and leadership before it comes to battle.
You mean 3e ninja-gypsy halflings will. 2e and 5e hobbits will, on a population level, bake scones for the invaders and hope that convinces them to leave.

[ZenBear]

You mean 3e ninja-gypsy halflings will. 2e and 5e hobbits will, on a population level, bake scones for the invaders and hope that convinces them to leave.

Served on doilies of ULTIMATE COSMIC POWER!!! Inscribed with explosive runes.

[Marcelinari]

Why wouldn't they give every elf a bow? They're all proficient, so it's not a matter of training. It'd be more expensive per soldier, but elves are generally thought of as going for quality over quantity anyway, and it'd vastly improve the versatility of their forces.


You mean 3e ninja-gypsy halflings will. 2e and 5e hobbits will, on a population level, bake scones for the invaders and hope that convinces them to leave.

You don't give every elf a bow, because elves live for a very long time, so if you give them a way to stay out of danger and still feel like they're not deserting, there's a decent chance they'll take it. That means no cavalry or infantry for you. They've got a lot to live for, after all.

Of course, all of this is predicated on vaguely-medieval pitched battle fighting. If the force is organized in small-unit tactics, combined arms, then everything I've said goes out the window.

Also, I've seen a halfling thief backstab before, and let me tell you that x4 damage is (very effective) murder. A rogue is a thief is a rogue, and halflings (and hobbits, probably) have always been good at it.

[-Jynx-]

You don't give every elf a bow, because elves live for a very long time, so if you give them a way to stay out of danger and still feel like they're not deserting, there's a decent chance they'll take it. That means no cavalry or infantry for you. They've got a lot to live for, after all.

Of course, all of this is predicated on vaguely-medieval pitched battle fighting. If the force is organized in small-unit tactics, combined arms, then everything I've said goes out the window.

Also, I've seen a halfling thief backstab before, and let me tell you that x4 damage is (very effective) murder. A rogue is a thief is a rogue, and halflings (and hobbits, probably) have always been good at it.

I don't see a reason why all elves wouldn't have a bow. It would be standard issue in an elven army in the same way a gladius was to a roman soldier. Elves are notorious for their racial pride so the likelihood of them deserting their own is slim. Lastly there's nothing to say they don't have Calvary or a front line who are just archers who drop their bow in favor of a melee weapon when they get close.

[GiantOctopodes]

You don't give every elf a bow, because elves live for a very long time, so if you give them a way to stay out of danger and still feel like they're not deserting, there's a decent chance they'll take it. That means no cavalry or infantry for you. They've got a lot to live for, after all.

Of course, all of this is predicated on vaguely-medieval pitched battle fighting. If the force is organized in small-unit tactics, combined arms, then everything I've said goes out the window.

Also, I've seen a halfling thief backstab before, and let me tell you that x4 damage is (very effective) murder. A rogue is a thief is a rogue, and halflings (and hobbits, probably) have always been good at it.

I imagine Elven "cavalry" has saddles designed for the rider to face the rear of the mount. Running away while plinking at the enemy with bowshots seems like pretty standard elven military practice, and explains why the forests continue to be chipped away at (human or orc forces charge in, the elves engage in their most common military maneuver, the fighting retreat, and a few trees are chopped and burned before the elves mount their counterattack.

It makes all the sense in the world when you have low population count figures and great accuracy with the bow that guerrilla warfare tactics would be the order of the day. I can't imagine an elven force ever willingly fielding a formation of infantry or cavalry and holding their ground unless there is absolutely no other choice.

[1Forge]

Gold dragons can also function underwater.

There is no fighting Wood Elves in the woods. There is no fighting High Elves if they can bring their magic to bear. There is no fighting Elves if they can use their longbows (seriously, an entire race armed with the weapon that let 6,000 English beat 60,000 French at Agincourt?). Do not mess with the Elves.

You need to force the Elves into some sort of badlands where it's all difficult terrain, the fighting takes place at point blank range, and the hobbits can use their skill at underground living and construction to build fortifications. Hobbits burst from tunnels, fall upon the elves from above, and then retreat, collapsing the tunnels as they go. The dragon can attack small groups when it can get surprise; dragons are tough but no one wants to be on the receiving end of an elven barrage.

The above tactics fail against dwarves. Do not attempt to out-dig dwarves. Do not engage dwarves in melee; their heavy armor will carry the day. For dwarves, you need water. They don't like marshes. They are not natural swimmers. If you can flood the terrain they are advancing across and then play whack-a-dwarf from boats as they flounder in the mire, that might work.

unfortunately the hobbits chose a bad spot then it's just hilly grasslands as far as the eye can see. For the elves all the halfling infantry have tower shields, But the marsh ideas is phenomanal! I'm going to see if i can implement that, because marshes play a large part in this conflict in the first place.

But how many days do you think the halflings (originally a neutral party and ally to all) could hold a standstill and prevent war? I know i can make the call whenever i want, but i just want some opinions on how long they have till they need reinforcements. (I;m assuming the elves can wait a while so i'm assuming the dwarves will be the aggressors)

As for the dragons breathing under water, that is fantastic It means I can have more dragons by housing some in the ocean, and the rest in the mountains.

Also opinion-wise The humans no longer sufficiantly boarder the disputed lands to have a conflict on their own, but I'm guessing they wont remain neutral for long. Who do you guys think they should help? They used to be strong allies with the dwarves, recently they also became friends with the elves, and everyone liked the halflings, Dragons facinate humans and some even worship them. So who do you think they would help? Humans boarder elves and elves have the most land, but many of humans fortresses were build in help with the dwarves (and dwarves introduced the armour press) Halflings introduced horses. In your opinion who do you think they would side with?

[1Forge]

I imagine Elven "cavalry" has saddles designed for the rider to face the rear of the mount. Running away while plinking at the enemy with bowshots seems like pretty standard elven military practice, and explains why the forests continue to be chipped away at (human or orc forces charge in, the elves engage in their most common military maneuver, the fighting retreat, and a few trees are chopped and burned before the elves mount their counterattack.

It makes all the sense in the world when you have low population count figures and great accuracy with the bow that guerrilla warfare tactics would be the order of the day. I can't imagine an elven force ever willingly fielding a formation of infantry or cavalry and holding their ground unless there is absolutely no other choice.

You are right elves in this have advanced cavalry, archery, and magic. Dwarves the best infantry, clerics, and equipment. Halflings have never really been tested greatly in battle before (besides monsters and bandits) they work in pairs gathered into units of 9 pairs (18 hobbits per formation) each unit stays in a group of 6. Almost every soldier has at least 2 slings a breastplate and a shortsword/shortbow and each pair has 1 tower shield bearer the other just has a regular shield; its not a bad setup but they really arnt as skilled as the elves or as tough as the dwarves.

Your also right that while dwarves consider retreat a cowardly tactic and would hold their ground againsed a taurresk, elves have a much more fluid attack method with more disengaging and re-engaging.

[Zevox]

She's Elwing. In the Silmarillion book, she's part human, part elven, part celestial.
True, I forgot to mention her being part Ainu by way of Melian. But it is only 1/8 of her heritage at that point, and it's not especially relevant to the topic here. The important part was that Elrond's parents were a Half-Elf and a somewhat-more-than-half-Elf, but he and his brother were still considered Half-Elves.


Her mother was indeed an elf- Nimloth.http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Nimloth_(elf)
Huh, I didn't think she'd ever actually been mentioned, much less given a name. Guess I just forgot.