Racial names that sound correct

[Shadowscale]

Let's say a half elf half dragon would be able to be called a half-elven dragon or a dragon elf, or even a dragon-half elf.

Now my question is what would one call a half-elf who had a child with a dragon.

It'd be 1/4 human, 1/4 elf, and 1/2 dragon it seems like.

I'm just curious on what an appropriate name would be? (Serious here, happened in game and want an actual name for it.)

[Rhynn]

Half-half-elf half-dragon. Duh!

[Marcelinari]

Names tend to be less a racial construct and more a cultural one - although since cultures frequently evolve only within a certain race, the two have things in common. As for the child, though, this means that the name would be dependent on the cultural heritage of the present and naming parent(s).

Unless you mean 'what does one call any half dragon half-elf?' That seems like your question. Oops. Uuhh... well, half-dragon is a pretty widely applied template, it might be that offspring have a more catchy name than that. Perhaps a 'Half-elf drakeling'? Ooh, I like that.

[Slipperychicken]

Now my question is what would one call a half-elf who had a child with a dragon.

A freak?

Dragon-Elf Man?

[supermonkeyjoe]

An abomination? Mongrelfolk? Jeff who is a quarter elf and dragon on his mother's side?

Would there be a proper name for it? if your Dad is Dutch and your Mum is half African and half Japanese there isn't a special name for that, why would a human-elf-dragon hybrid have a special name unless it's a common occurrence.

[Shadowscale]

Culturally half-elves are half-human if they live in elven society.

I however was going more for in gameplay terms what would you call them? To be able to get across the racial heritage without being unpleasant to say.

[Rhynn]

I was serious.

At 1/4 human, 1/4 elf, and 1/2 dragon, you're half half-elf (½ divided by 2 is 1/4) and half dragon.

Also, your parents are a half-elf and a dragon, so you're half a half-elf and half a dragon.

"Half-dragon half-elf" would be a bit vague. (Is that half dragon, half elf?) Half-half-elf half-dragon is clearer.

It's not gonna get neater than that while retaining the information. "Half-dragon quarter-human quarter-elf" sounds awful.

[Jay R]

A hundred years ago, there were English words to denote various levels of racial mix. I assume a culture that had such people as a human/elf/human/dragon cross, and that cared about it, would invent words for it. But only if the mix were common enough to have a class of people to lump together. If there's only one such person, then the word to define her is her name.

But they'd probably invent the insulting slurs before they invented descriptive words. I recommend that you not bother finding a word.

I'm 3/8 Swedish; there's not a word for that.

[Shadowscale]

I was serious.

At 1/4 human, 1/4 elf, and 1/2 dragon, you're half half-elf (½ divided by 2 is 1/4) and half dragon.

Also, your parents are a half-elf and a dragon, so you're half a half-elf and half a dragon.

"Half-dragon half-elf" would be a bit vague. (Is that half dragon, half elf?) Half-half-elf half-dragon is clearer.

It's not gonna get neater than that while retaining the information. "Half-dragon quarter-human quarter-elf" sounds awful.

I appreciate it. Sorry this actually happened so I had to find the least garbled way to express the race's name without losing out on any information. Appreciate it.

[Shyftir]

I'd go with half-dragon on a half-elf chassis, but it gives me perverse pleasure to use such non-biological/anachronistic terminology.

[Red Fel]

It gets worse if you start adding templates and bloodlines.

For example, what would you call a creature with the following:

• Half-Elf
• Half-Dragon inherited template
• Dragonborn acquired template
• Gold Dragon Bloodline, Major
• With 10 levels of Alienist (type changes to Outsider)

... I just threw that last one in there to make things more difficult.

... Suddenly, I have to build this character. (Maybe lose the Alienist.)

[Shadowscale]

It gets worse if you start adding templates and bloodlines.

For example, what would you call a creature with the following:

• Half-Elf
• Half-Dragon inherited template
• Dragonborn acquired template
• Gold Dragon Bloodline, Major
• With 10 levels of Alienist (type changes to Outsider)

... I just threw that last one in there to make things more difficult.

... Suddenly, I have to build this character. (Maybe lose the Alienist.)

Let me know what it ends up looking like.

[Gildedragon]

It gets worse if you start adding templates and bloodlines.

For example, what would you call a creature with the following:

• Half-Elf
• Half-Dragon inherited template
• Dragonborn acquired template
• Gold Dragon Bloodline, Major
• With 10 levels of Alienist (type changes to Outsider)

... I just threw that last one in there to make things more difficult.

... Suddenly, I have to build this character. (Maybe lose the Alienist.)

It gets sillier the more templates you pile up because there is no limit to the halves you can have (half nymph, half minotaur half dragon half ogre half satyr half elf...)
I would say that in a progressive/open/un-preoccupied-by-race society you call them whatever they want to be called
In a more racially concerned society there are a couple options: call them by their highest or lowest status type: if being a dragon-blood is the sauce no matter what: they are referred to as 'dragon' ditto for elf, human, etc...
Ditto for the opposite. The one used is the group that recognizes the kid AND the speaker's intent. If they want to do them dishonor then their low ancestry is called in as a dis, to do honor the high ancestry is invoked.
The highest is probably the common use
The other option is to go colonial Spanish and do all sorts of fanciful names.
Cloud stepper: half dragon Raptoran
Scalesnatcher: half dragon halfling
Shine-eared: half dragon (metallic) elf
Silvertongue: half dragon half elf

[Lorsa]

Generally I think you use whatever is the strongest template as reference. So everything that is half dragon will be half-dragon no matter what the other parentage is.

If you want to get more technical though I think in the example above it would be a quarter-elf-half-dragon. There's also half-demon-dragon and half-quarter-orc-drow (for a half human, quarter orc & drow) and quarter-elf-tiefling-half-aasimar for a half-elf-tiefling, half-aasimar parentage. I think the human is implied in all this, so whatever "missing" from the name has to be human.

I'm 3/8 Swedish; there's not a word for that.

The word is "almost half-awesome".

[Jay R]

I'm 3/8 Swedish; there's not a word for that.

The word is "almost half-awesome".

"Almost"?

"Half"?

Humph.

[veti]

My DM once posed the question "Who were the demented race of 'Ling', who mated with hobbits to create Halflings?"

Sometimes, naming things isn't worth the hassle.

[The Oni]

I have a friend who always confuses half-elves with halflings, often to the DM's amusement.

[Lorsa]

"Almost"?

"Half"?

Humph.

Because being Swedish is awesome, and if it had been 4/8 you'd been half-awesome but now it's just almost.

[Frozen_Feet]

"Bastard" and "Red-scaled step-child" seem most likely answers. "Monster" and "abomination" would probably also get votes.

In my setting, most half and mixed breeds have names of their own, but they don't translate well to other settings. (F. ex., hybrid offspring between praeria humans and forest humans are called giants.) Anything with more than three parts in it is a chimaira.

[Jay R]

"Bastard" and "Red-scaled step-child" seem most likely answers. "Monster" and "abomination" would probably also get votes.

There won't be a name for the class of human/elf/human/dragons until there are enough of them to form a class. If there's only one of them, then the name for it is "Dave" (or whatever his name is).

[Lorsa]

There won't be a name for the class of human/elf/human/dragons until there are enough of them to form a class. If there's only one of them, then the name for it is "Dave" (or whatever his name is).

I can see that being a motivation for Dave. Find another quarter-elf-half-dragon to mate with and eventually make enough to be recognized by a singular name. Could be an interesting campaign idea?

[Grim Portent]

I can see that being a motivation for Dave. Find another quarter-elf-half-dragon to mate with and eventually make enough to be recognized by a singular name. Could be an interesting campaign idea?

I do like the mental image of a traditional group of adventurer's going on a quest to get their friend laid. Could make for a good slapstick campaign, or a serious one, though I doubt many players could keep it serious for long.

[OldTrees1]

Half Elves in Human Societies are not called Half Elf Half Human. Similarly I would expect that cultures would focus in on aspects of lineage and drop off other information.

Part Dragon (half dragon, quarter dragon, ... draconic) would be called Dragontouched unless their other half deviated significantly from the society.

Examples:
Half Dragon Elf in human society: Dragontouched Elf
Half Dragon Half Elf in human society: Dragontouched
Half Dragon 1/4 Human 1/4 Demon in human society: Demonblooded
Half Dragon 1/4 Human 1/8 Demon 1/8 [Abberation] in human society: Ah!!! Monster! Abberation! Ahh!

[Jay R]

I can see that being a motivation for Dave. Find another quarter-elf-half-dragon to mate with and eventually make enough to be recognized by a singular name. Could be an interesting campaign idea?

Genetics can be fickle. You might wind up with two kids - an elf-dragon and a pure human.

[Lorsa]

Genetics can be fickle. You might wind up with two kids - an elf-dragon and a pure human.

Which would only inspire further mating experiments to discover which are the dominant genes...

[Jay R]

Which would only inspire further mating experiments to discover which are the dominant genes...

We're approaching awesome again.

[Slipperychicken]

Which would only inspire further mating experiments to discover which are the dominant genes...

I could totally see a dnd version of Gregor Mendel hybridizing various monsters and humanoids for science. Granted, this is the sort of thing Wizards are supposed to be doing by default, but I also like the idea of cleric-scientists.

[Lord Raziere]

Let's say a half elf half dragon would be able to be called a half-elven dragon or a dragon elf, or even a dragon-half elf.

Now my question is what would one call a half-elf who had a child with a dragon.

It'd be 1/4 human, 1/4 elf, and 1/2 dragon it seems like.

I'm just curious on what an appropriate name would be? (Serious here, happened in game and want an actual name for it.)

Homo Dracosylvanis

It gets worse if you start adding templates and bloodlines.

For example, what would you call a creature with the following:

• Half-Elf
• Half-Dragon inherited template
• Dragonborn acquired template
• Gold Dragon Bloodline, Major
• With 10 levels of Alienist (type changes to Outsider)

... I just threw that last one in there to make things more difficult.

... Suddenly, I have to build this character. (Maybe lose the Alienist.)

Xeno Dracosylvanis

Half Elves in Human Societies are not called Half Elf Half Human. Similarly I would expect that cultures would focus in on aspects of lineage and drop off other information.

Part Dragon (half dragon, quarter dragon, ... draconic) would be called Dragontouched unless their other half deviated significantly from the society.

Examples:
Half Dragon Elf in human society: Dragontouched Elf
Half Dragon Half Elf in human society: Dragontouched
Half Dragon 1/4 Human 1/4 Demon in human society: Demonblooded
Half Dragon 1/4 Human 1/8 Demon 1/8 [Abberation] in human society: Ah!!! Monster! Abberation! Ahh!

Draco Sylvanis
Homo Dracosylvanis
Infernis Homodraconis
Homo Infernidraconis Aberrantus

however at a certain point, simplicity and ease of use makes demands, and thus anything with more than two races for parentage, can be referred to as an "Amalgamus" for short while keeping it non-offensive to them.

[nedz]

Generally I think you use whatever is the strongest template as reference. So everything that is half dragon will be half-dragon no matter what the other parentage is.

Half Dragon can be applied to Dragon. In fact this is a good way to break Dragons: Colour coded for your convenience.

[Lorsa]

We're approaching awesome again.

I wonder if I could pitch this idea to my DM...

Half Dragon can be applied to Dragon. In fact this is a good way to break Dragons: Colour coded for your convenience.

Hey! Don't ruin my color-coding! How else will I know what elemental protections to use and what spells to attack with? I'd have to like... think and stuff.