Racial Cross-Breeds

[Jaguira]

First of all, I hope this is in the right forum. I'm afraid I'm still quite new here and not quite used to the fine details yet. ANYWAYS!

Elves and Humans can cross-breed to produce viable, fertile offspring, as can Orcs and Humans. Biologically speaking, this means that they are technically not able to be classafied as separate speices (or races), but that's not my point.
What I'm wondering is, since many of the basic rules of biology don't apply to many d20 worlds, why do you never see Elf/Orc crosses? Or all sorts of other strange crosses, such as Human/Dwarf, Orc/Halfling, ect?
What do you think the stats on the varies crosses would be?
Do you think they happen but aren't just mentioned much/at all?
Do you think these crosses are where Mongrelfolk come from?

...Am I really just putting too much thought into this?

[J_Muller]

No, the answer is simple. Elf chicks are just easy.

[Maxymiuk]

It's because:

a) Tolkien had Aragorn fall for Arwen. They had a kid. Ergo, half-elves are possible. Tolkien's orcs are corrupted elves. Ergo, half-orcs are possible.

or

b) Humans are horny as hell and will mate with anything that moves. However every other race, aside from elves and orcs, has high enough standards to say "no."

or

c) Elves and orcs refuse to use condoms during sex.

[J_Muller]

Well, I think it's implied that a lot of half-orcs are the product of rape.

[heretic]

That still doesn't explain the lack of half-dwarves and half-orc/half-elves...

What would the stats be...

[J_Muller]

You mean sort of like this?

[Jaguira]

You mean sort of like this?

Exactly like that

[brian c]

Since Tolkien was mentioned, in the LOTR universe orcs and elves hated each other, so there was pretty much no chance of that mix ever happening. I know d&d is not the same as LOTR, but I think a similar dynamic applies to orcs and elves in that they inherently don't like each other, therefore they don't breed. I've never heard of a half-dwarf of any kind though; maybe dwarves can't cross-breed with other races, or maybe no one wants to bump uglies with a bearded dwarf chick

[Rama_Lei]

Well elves and orcs hate each other, to the point of physical convultions. They'd rather kill themselves than be involved romantically with each other.

[Fax Celestis]

"Romeorc, Romeorc, wherefore art thou, Romeorc?"

"I am here, fair Julielf!"


...the forbidden love.

[heretic]

No matter how gross or societally unacceptable something is, it will eventually happen, and when it does, some gamer will want to make a character of the result.

I think I'd call the elf/orc a mongrelfolk from FF and RoD. A half-dwarf wouldn't be hard to make either. I think it might have been done already in some Faerun supplement. At least, I remember seeing a picture of one while paging through one of those books.

[Jaguira]

No matter how gross or societally unacceptable something is, it will eventually happen, and when it does, some gamer will want to make a character of the result.

I think I'd call the elf/orc a mongrelfolk from FF and RoD. A half-dwarf wouldn't be hard to make either. I think it might have been done already in some Faerun supplement. At least, I remember seeing a picture of one while paging through one of those books.

Mongrelfolk! THAT'S what they are! Thank you!

[lordmarcoos]

Half-dwarves are called Muls, in the dark sun campaign setting that never made it to 3.5, but they've been redone on athas.org. http://www.athas.org/releases/ds3/ds3_r6.pdf
it's somewhere in the doc... check the table of contents

Edit: page 16

[Thomas]

"Romeorc, Romeorc, wherefore art thou, Romeorc?"

"I am here, fair Julielf!"

"... art thou Romeorc?"

The question is "why are you Romeo?" ("Wherefore" means "why.") That's why it's followed by "Deny thy father and thy name" and so on.

Everyone seems to get the nature of the question wrong; it's not "where are you?"

*grumble*


I did find "Romeorc" and "Julielf" hilarious, though.

[Fax Celestis]

"... art thou Romeorc?"

The question is "why are you Romeo?" ("Wherefore" means "why.") That's why it's followed by "Deny thy father and thy name" and so on.

Everyone seems to get the nature of the question wrong; it's not "where are you?"

*grumble*


I did find "Romeorc" and "Julielf" hilarious, though.

That was intention. Poor Romeorc (probably due to that -2 Int!) doesn't know his Shakespearean grammar.

Also, Romeorc and Julielf are going to have to be NPCs in my next campaign.

[J_Muller]

Well, you'll of course have to include Mercutigoblin.

[Fax Celestis]

As well as Ravidcrans and Guildenwyrm!

[Thomas]

Gnomlet?

Alas, poor Koboldrick... I gained a racial bonus to attacks against him.

[Khantalas]

a) Tolkien had Aragorn fall for Arwen. They had a kid. Ergo, half-elves are possible. Tolkien's orcs are corrupted elves. Ergo, half-orcs are possible.

Of course, fact is, Arwen is a half-elf. So is Elrond. Elrond's surname (or whatever) is Half-Elven.

Yes, it is. I'm certain of it. Even if it isn't, it's just Tolkien's fault.

EDIT: Oh yeah, obligatory Shakespeare - D&D cross names...

Opheliogre, Rosencrankheg, Cladigester.

[JaronK]

Elves and Humans can cross-breed to produce viable, fertile offspring, as can Orcs and Humans. Biologically speaking, this means that they are technically not able to be classafied as separate speices (or races), but that's not my point.

Not quite true. For example, Great Danes and Chihuahuas are the same species (Dogs) but they can't interbreed. It's called a ring species... there are dogs that can breed with a Chihuahua that can breed with other dogs that can breed with Great Danes. They're all one species, but some can't interbreed with others.

There are other such examples (mules are sterile, but I believe hinnies sometimes aren't).

Plus, D&D is a created world... evolution may not function quite as it does in the real world. You can have gods simply decide that they'd like certain races to interbreed, and thus it happens.

JaronK

[Subotei]

Would a Half-Halfling be a Quarterling?

[Thomas]

Would a Half-Halfling be a Quarterling?

Wouldn't it be a three-quartersling? 0.5 + 1 / 2 = 0.75

[hewhosaysfish]

There's a d20-based fantasy game called Midnight (it has enough different stuff to not just be a campaign setting) with some odd half-breeds in it:

Dworgs - half orc, half dwarf
Dwarrow - half gnome half dwarf
Elflings - duh, half elf, half halfling

It also had three sub-races of human.

[Maxymiuk]

Elflings - duh, half elf, half halfling

I think you've just explained a fair portion of anime. Androgynous, too-pretty-to-be-true, apparently underage characters.

[Jayabalard]

Wouldn't it be a three-quartersling? 0.5 + 1 / 2 = 0.75

No, it's 0.5 * 1/2 = 0.25

[ufo]

Seriously, though, I have been wondering for some time, what if a half-elf and half-orc breed? Does the boilogical laws of D&D deny that this will produce any offspring, or will it eventually be possible to have a 50% human 25% elf 25% orc.

ANd yes, as mentioned, it is a serious question..

[KingRexII]

Can half-elves and half-orcs reproduce? Mules are sterile. Are these two cross-breeds?

More D&D Shakespeare names:

Ogreon, King of Large Fairies
Titania, Queen of Huge Fairies (heh, didn't have to change that one...)

[silvermesh]

Can half-elves and half-orcs reproduce? Mules are sterile.

Mules aren't always sterile, though when they're not, their offspring tends to die of massive cancer before it reaches maturity ;)

just like the big cat crossbreeds.

in my world, orcs, elves, humans are all the same species. you can make an orc/elf, but a half human 1/4 elf 1/4 orc is just a human.

[hewhosaysfish]

Mules aren't always sterile, though when they're not, their offspring tends to die of massive cancer before it reaches maturity ;)

just like the big cat crossbreeds.

in my world, orcs, elves, humans are all the same species. you can make an orc/elf, but a half human 1/4 elf 1/4 orc is just a human.

It would be fun to try and write/play in a campaign setting where "humans"
weren't a species in their own right but just some odd mongrels. 1/4 orc, 3/8 dwarf, 3/8 elf or something messed up like that. Half-elves and half-orcs are humans who tends more towards on side of their ancestry. And halflings are a elf/goblin cross, gnomes are a dwarf-goblin, a kobold is a halfling/lizardfolk.... trolls are ogre/orc. Ogres are giant/dwarf (don't ask me how that one works)... Troglodytes are dwarf/lizardfolk
It would be great.

[barawn]

No, it's 0.5 * 1/2 = 0.25

Except it's 0.5*1+0.5*0.5=0.75, since humans are "full-lings". A half-halfling would be three quarters the size of a human.