Half whatever whatever system

[Frog Dragon]

Now I know a system for half this and that has been made already, but mine is (supposed to be) different. This one is made so that races are templated as Half-Version taking about 1/2 of their features and then splanting them together with another half template that has 1/2 of another race's features

Half-Human
4 extra skill points at first level and one extra skill point each level afterwards
Favored class: Any

Half-Elf
Low Light Vision
+1 racial bonus on Spot, listen and Search Checks
+1 racial saving throw bonus against enchantments and sleep effects

Half-Gnome
Low-Light Vision
+1 to racial bonus to Listen and Craft (Alchemy) checks
+1 to the DC of all illusion spells

Half-Dwarf
Stability
+1 racial bonus against poison
Darkvision 60ft

Half-Halfling
+1 To listen checks
+1 to Climb, Jump and Move Silently
+1 Racial bonus on all saving throws

Half-Orc
+2 to Str -2 to Int
Darkvision 60ft


Half-Goblin
Darkvision 60ft
+2 to Move silently

Half-Gnoll
+2 Str -2 Cha
Darkvision 60ft

Half-Drow
SLA: 1/Day Dancing lights, Faerie Fire
Light Sensitivity
+1 Racial Bonus to Will saves

Half-Svirfneblin
-2 Cha
SLA: 1/Day Disguise Self
+1 to Hide checks
Darkvision 60ft
Low-Light Vision

Half-Yuan-Ti Pureblood
+1 Natural Armor
Darkvision 60ft


Example
Half-Yuan-Ti Pureblood Half-Dwarf
+1 Racial bonus against poison
+1 Natural Armor
Darkvision
Stability


Yeah some of the things are pretty weird. I also don't know how to handle size except maybe some formula based on height&weight of the original creatures.
I've also tried to keep the half things LA +0

[Eloel]

You should try to keep the balance between those. Mechanically, Half-Gnoll is quite (VERY) superior to Half-Orc. It's even superior to Half-Orc Half-Human, since Int already gives the skillpoints, and other stuff.

[Frog Dragon]

Hmm.. you're right. I have to look into them a bit more. The Half-Gnoll truly is plain better than the Half-Orc.

[Eloel]

Are SLAs at-will?

[Frog Dragon]

Should be about the same times a day or abour half of it. I'll edit those in.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I'll come up with some for (hopefully) magically-made crossbreeds.
Bird
+2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Cha
Land speed 20 ft, fly 15 ft (average)
Low-light vision

Insect
+4 Dex, -2 Str, -4 Int
Small
Land speed 20 ft, climb 15 ft, fly 20 ft (poor)
Darkvision 60 ft

Spider
+2 Dex, -2 Str
Small
Bite w/ poison (stun for 1 round)

What do you think?

[SurlySeraph]

Nice. I'd definitely use these.

[Frog Dragon]

Half-Kobold
-2 Str, +2 Dex
Darkvision 60ft
Natural Armor +1
Small if not that already

Also. Nice half-things there GreatWyrm.

Half-Satyr
+1 Natural Armor
Low-Light Vision
+2 on Hide, Listen Move Silently and Spot.

[Athaniar]

I've been thinking about a similar system, but never got around to completing it. This one looks good, I think.

Isn't the Half-Kobold just a worse Half-Yuan Ti Pureblood? I suggest +2 Dex in addition.

[Frog Dragon]

Good point. It needs something more.

[hiryuu]

Nice ideas all around.

Here's the one my group's been using:

1. Look up the d20 Future SRD. You're looking for "mutations."
2. Make everyone "Human."
3. Create a feat you can take multiple times at first level that grants 3 mutation points and allow drawbacks (around 10 points of drawbacks is a good benchmark). Add in a few more "mutations" for spell-like abilities, breath weapon, whatever.
4. ???
5. Profit.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Some more (some of which should only be made by magical experimentation):

Bugbear
+2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha
+1 to Hide and Move Silently

Gelatinous Cube
+2 str, +4 Con, -4 Dex, -6 Int, -4 Cha
Large
Slam attack (1d8)
Acid (1d3 for natural/unarmed attacks)
LA: +1?

Dragon (general)
+2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Cha
Large
Bite (1d6)
+2 natural armor bonus
LA: +2?

The level adjustments for the gelatinous cube and dragon stack with each other and that of other half-breed level adjustments.

[Weimann]

Now, I don't know a lot about about DnD, but are you sure it's possible to have a race called Half-Yuan-Ti Pureblood?

[BooNL]

Now, I don't know a lot about about DnD, but are you sure it's possible to have a race called Half-Yuan-Ti Pureblood?

I was just about to say the same thing...

[Pie Guy]

Yuan-ti Pureblood is a distinct monster from Yuan-ti halfblood, and much weaker. So a half Yuan-ti halfblood would be stronger than a half Yuan-ti pureblood.

[BooNL]

Yuan-ti Pureblood is a distinct monster from Yuan-ti halfblood, and much weaker. So a half Yuan-ti halfblood would be stronger than a half Yuan-ti pureblood.

Still, a pureblood wouldn't have pure blood anymore if it's mixed with half human (or elf/dwarf/whatever) blood. So it would actually become a halfblood, but that doesn't work because they have vastly different powers.

So what do you end up with? A Yuan-ti semi-blood?

[Pyrusticia]

This looks like a very solid system. I'll have to play around with it for a few games, but I think it's got a lot of promise, and should add an incredible amount of flexibility to race selection.

[Frog Dragon]

Well about the Yuan-Ti purebloods...

HEY LOOK A FLYING COW!

- runs away -

But seriously one half whatever template (to be mashed with another) is more what the other parent was.

[Dienekes]

Slight problem as I see it.

a Half-Gnome/Half-Halfling is somehow medium sized.

And let's say you're having an elf and a halfling. Both of these races get a +2 to dex, yet somehow their offspring do not.

Personally I think this is a great idea, but it needs a bit more work

[Devils_Advocate]

You might have to do the unthinkable and give out odd ability score modifiers to get things to work right.

Fractional size category changes, too, with an explanation of how to turn a fractional result into a normal size category plus Powerful Build or Slight Build.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I'll do more!

Gold Dragon (aka me)
+4 str, +2 con, +4 int, +4 wis, +4 cha
Large
You can breathe underwater.
Once per day each, you may use Bless and Burning Hands as spell-like abilities.
You gain a bite attack dealing 1d6 points of damage.
You gain a +3 natural armor bonus.
LA: +3

[GreatWyrmGold]

Black dragon (ugh...evil...)
+2 str, +2 con, +2 int, +2 wis, +2 cha
Large
You can breathe underwater.
Three times per day, you may use Acid Splash as a spell-like ability.
You gain a bite attack dealing 1d6 points of damage.
You gain a +2 natural armor bonus.
LA: +2

Warforged
-2 Wis
Composite plating: +2
Light fortification

HEY LOOK A FLYING COW!

Your future-scrying's a bit off, FD. It's a HAlF-flying-cow.
+2 Str, -4 Int, -4 Cha
Fly speed 50 feet (poor)
+1 natural armor bonus
Create Milk at will
LA: +1

Snarl (?!?)
Huge
+10 all
4 claws (2d20)
Divine Strike: An extra +50 per divine rank of opponent to AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls
LA: At least +10

[Kaihaku]

It's a nice simple variant, I like it.

[GreatWyrmGold]

A.) What's the word on my half-snarl?
C.) Have I made more than FD himelf?
D.) Where's B?
B.) Ah, there it is.
E.) Okay, my juvinileness is out, so here are more.

Magic
+2 all
+10 bonus to caster level
Can cast spells as a 10th-level sorceror (CL increase does not apply)
LA: +10?

Moron (remember the half-moron policeman?...Never mind.)
-4 Int, -4 Wis
-10 penalty on all Int-based skill checks
LA: -2

F.) i guess my juvinileness ISN'T out...

[Frog Dragon]

A.)
C.) Have I made more than FD himelf?

No you haven't, actually. Were even.

[Violet Octopus]

I feel the Half-Gelatinous Cube ought to get something like the following, like the Terminator made from mercury, or that Senator guy from X-Men:

Semifluid Body: (ex) While your body has a distinct form, it can momentarily shift into a fluid state. As a standard action, you can push yourself through porous surfaces like wire mesh, grates, bars or fabric. The material must be less than a foot thick. You cannot deform your overall shape, meaning you cannot squeeze through small gaps or surface areas.

You might have to do the unthinkable and give out odd ability score modifiers to get things to work right.

Fractional size category changes, too, with an explanation of how to turn a fractional result into a normal size category plus Powerful Build or Slight Build.

What could Slight Build give?

A problem is that you'd need to define a size (probably Medium) that kinda acts as the centre when determining whether a 1/2 one size 1/2 adjacent size should be the lesser size and get Powerful Build, or the greater size and get Slight. D&D is a very Medium-centric game but I find that odd.

Unless you let the player choose the size and ability, or everyone gets smaller size and Powerful Build.

And what about half-Goliaths?

[Iferus]

Slight problem as I see it.

a Half-Gnome/Half-Halfling is somehow medium sized.

And let's say you're having an elf and a halfling. Both of these races get a +2 to dex, yet somehow their offspring do not.

Personally I think this is a great idea, but it needs a bit more work

Here's an idea:
call all those racial traits up there "dominant traits". Now the rest of any races' racial traits will be recessive traits. Whenever two identical recessive traits meet, they manifest in the offspring.

Medium size should be a dominant trait for all medium creatures for this to work.

[Milskidasith]

Some more (some of which should only be made by magical experimentation):

Bugbear
+2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha
+1 to Hide and Move Silently

Gelatinous Cube
+2 str, +4 Con, -4 Dex, -6 Int, -4 Cha
Large
Slam attack (1d8)
Acid (1d3 for natural/unarmed attacks)
LA: +1?

Dragon (general)
+2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Cha
Large
Bite (1d6)
+2 natural armor bonus
LA: +2?

The level adjustments for the gelatinous cube and dragon stack with each other and that of other half-breed level adjustments.

So what would a quarter drow, quarter dwarf, quarter dragon, quarter gelatinous cube look like? And what would it's stat modifiers be?

I imagine a dark skinned dwarf with a beard made of... cube, dragon wings made of... cube, and limbs that went from being scaled to being... cube (what is gelatinous cube like? Jell-O?)

[GreatWyrmGold]

D&D is a very Medium-centric game but I find that odd.

Nonhumans might. Your name suggests you think Small should be the center (you know, since octopi/octopuses are small), but I accept that the humans that created the game thought that humans should be "average".

So what would a quarter drow, quarter dwarf, quarter dragon, quarter gelatinous cube look like? And what would it's stat modifiers be?

I imagine a dark skinned dwarf with a beard made of... cube, dragon wings made of... cube, and limbs that went from being scaled to being... cube (what is gelatinous cube like? Jell-O?)

That...requires one INSANE mage.

No you haven't, actually. Were even.

I'll fix that!

Ettin
+4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Cha
Vestigal Head: A half-ettin has a +1 racial bonus to Spot, Listen, and Search checks due to having a partial extra head. In addition, they gain Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat.
La: +1

Deity
+20 all
Choose three domains. You may use all spells in those domains as spell-like abilities at will, and gain acess to those domain's granted powers.
LA: +15?

[Violet Octopus]

Nonhumans might. Your name suggests you think Small should be the center (you know, since octopi/octopuses are small), but I accept that the humans that created the game thought that humans should be "average".

It's not that the game assumes by default adventurers are mostly medium humanoids, what I find odd are mechanics that behave differently according to absolute size, not just relative size. Mostly things balance out (size bonus to hit = same size bonus to AC), but when they don't it's hard to think of fluff explanations other than "the gods are more interested in humanoids".

Anyway, here are some more. I thought the psionic races needed some love. Half-giants were particularly taxing to figure out :P. Feel free to ignore the ancestor size rules, see spoiler at the bottom for alterations if people don't want to use odd ability score modifiers.

Ancestry: A creature's size is determined by the two halves of its ancestry. If both ancestries are the same, the descendent will share that size category. If they differ by one size category, the descendent is the smaller size, but gain Powerful Build, reproduced below from the SRD. If they differ by two size categories, the descendent is the one in between. If the prospective parents differ by three or more size categories, they cannot reproduce except through magic. In such cases, the GM determines the offspring's size.

Spoiler

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Powerful Build: Your physical stature lets you function in many ways as if you were one size category larger.
Whenever you are subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), you are treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to you.
You are also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect you. You can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, your space and reach remain those of a creature of your actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change your size category.

Half-Dromite
+1 Cha, -1 Str, -1 Wis
Monstrous Humanoid type: Half-dromites are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person.
Ancestry (Small)
Insectoid Nature: Dromites can normally only breed with thi-kreen, formians, abeil and similar monstrous humanoids. Magical experiments may make it possible to cross with others though.
Chitin: +1 natural armor bonus, cold, electricity, fire or sonic resistance 5
Scent
Naturally Psionic: Half-dromites gain 1 bonus power point at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
+1 to spot checks

Half-Duergar
+1 Con, -2 Cha
Ancestry (Medium)
Slower Speed: A half-duergar is 5 ft. slower than what would be normal for his or her size (minimum speed 5 ft.)
+1 racial bonus on saves against spells and spell-like effects.
Darkvision 60 ft.
Stability: Half-duergar are exceptionally stable on their feet. They receive a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
Naturally Psionic: Half-duergar gain 3 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
+2 racial bonus to Move Silently checks, +1 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks

Half-Giant
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, –2 Dexterity
Giant type: Half-giants are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person.
Ancestry (Large)
Low-Light Vision: A half-giant can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Fire Acclimated: Half-giants have a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against all fire spells and effects. Half-giants are accustomed to enduring high temperatures.
Naturally Psionic: Half-giants gain 2 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
Psi-Like Ability: 1/day—stomp. Manifester level is equal to 1/2 Hit Dice (minimum 1st). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Level Adjustment: +1.

Half-Maenad
Ancestry (Medium)
Naturally Psionic: Half-maenads gain 2 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
Outburst (Ex): Once per day, for up to 4 rounds, a hlf-maenad can subjugate her mentality to gain a boost of raw physical power. When she does so, she takes a –2 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom but gains a +2 bonus to Strength.

Half-Xeph
+1 Dexterity, –1 Strength
Ancestry (Medium)
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Naturally Psionic: Xephs gain 1 bonus power point at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
Burst (Su): Twice per day, a half-xeph can put on a burst of speed to increase his or her speed by 10 feet, plus 10 feet per four character levels beyond 1st, to a maximum increase of 30 feet at 9th character level and higher. These bursts of speed are considered a competence bonus to the his or her base speed. A burst of speed lasts 3 rounds.

Alterations for even ability score modifiers:

Spoiler

Show

Half-dromite: -2 Str
Half-duergar: +0 Con, +3 racial bonus to saves vs. paralysis, phantasms and poison (does not stack with +1 racial bonus vs spells/SLAs)
Half-xeph: +2 Dex, Burst 1/day