Why are there only half-humans?

[Frosty]

Now, I don't have *all* the DnD books, but it seems like most, if not all of the half-breeds are between humans and something else. Why is that? I mean, are Dwarven women just too ugly to have affairs with their -2 Charisma? Are Elven women too picky and haughty and stuck-up to sleep with non-humans? Do Dragons only seduce humans while polymorphed? Do orcs never rape non-humans? Halflings and Gnomes not coupling with Medium-sized races I understand, but where are the Frodo Sparkmasters and Bilbo Tinkers?

Or maybe is it that human women (and men) are too loose?

[SilverClawShift]

Yup. D&D just assumes humans are slut-puppies who'll build their cities anywhere and breed with anything nearby.

[Smiley_]

You make a point. Orcs and dwarves should be just as compatible as humans and elves, and reptiles shouldn't be able to impregnate mamals at all.

Gnomes should be able to cross-breed with dwarves (since supposedly, one is derived from the other) and halflings with goblins or something.

I blame lazy developers.

[Bag_of_Holding]

Half-dragon template can be applied to any living corporeal creature, including oozes. So beat that.

Anyways, the explanation, iirc, is that the companionship between, say, a dwarf and an elf does not breed true or something. So they may have an intimate knowledge of each other but can never have a half-elf-dwarf produced as a result of their procreation.

On the other hand, humans and changelings (who can take any humanoid shape within the size limit) can breed true with quite a lot of diffferent races. Something to do with genetics, I guess.

[Jasdoif]

The half-celestial, half-dragon and half-fiend templates can be applied to the vast majority of living, corporeal creatures; and those are just the ones in the MM/SRD.

[Collin152]

It's a racial feature of humans.
They can create viable offspring with anything they mate with.
Half-orcs, Half-Elves, Half-Dragons, Centaurs, Satyrs...
Gargoyles.

[FMArthur]

We're just too sexy.

But there is a race called Mongrelfolk in Races of Destiny that is entirely composed of cross-bred humanoids of nearly every kind. Charisma gets -4.

There are probably tons of others, though.

[MeklorIlavator]

This was posted by Randel originallyI can't find the original, But I think this joke sums it up:
Human: Hey elf, you look like a girl.
Elf: To a human, everything must look like a girl.
Human: What?
Elf: Half-orcs, half-ogres...
Human: ... shut up.
Dwarf: Half-dragons, half-kobolds.
Human: I said shut up!
Elf: ...
Dwarf: ...
Human: ...
Elf: Centaurs.

[DraPrime]

Because humans enjoy kinky interracial sex more than any other of the races.

[shadow_archmagi]

I can't find the original, But I think this joke sums it up:
Human: You look like a girl, elf.
Elf: To a human, everything must look like a girl.
Human: What?!?
Elf: Half-Dragons, half-elves
Human:Hey!
Dwarf:Half orcs, half ogres
Human:Stop it!
Elf:....
Dwarf:....
Human:....
Elf: Centaurs

Well stated.

[Danin]

In 3.0 there was a book to cover this called Bastards and Bloodlines. It detailed a number of... interesting mixtures. I think that wizards just wanted to distance themselves far enough from the half elf half centaur. And no, a wizard did not do it.

[Ponce]

Proof of the human "master mold" creation theory. We are also naturally inclined to dilute the blood of lesser races by flooding it with our own.

[Azerian Kelimon]

Yeah, you see, what happens is that humans have this strange racial feature that makes everything else look as if it had +32 APP to them...

[Various]

What about Gnomelings or Hwarflings from Everknights? Of course they're kind of a joke but still. I've read about half-dwarves before. A half-Kender once. Now THAT must have been kinky.

[Artanis]

Half-dragon template can be applied to any living corporeal creature, including oozes.

Gee thanks, you just HAD to go and give me that mental image, didn't you? *shudder*

[AslanCross]

Do Dragons only seduce humans while polymorphed?

As has been mentioned, Dragons mate with more things than humans.

Do orcs never rape non-humans?

We used to have the Orogs and the Ogrillon, one of which was the product of an orc father and ogre mother, while the other one has it the other way around. I don't want to get into any specifics, and I'm just glad these disturbing creatures have been mostly taken out. (Orogs are now the orc equivalent of drow, being stronger and smarter from living underground.)

[Nebo_]

There's a Green Ronin book called 'Bastards and Bloodlines' that's full of unusual half breeds. Most of them are magically created, but the Dwarf/Winter wolf isn't o_O.

[FMArthur]

Maybe there are silly origins stories to be had here:
-Dwarf + Dryad = Human
-Human + Dryad = Elf
-Elf + Ogre = Orc
-Human + Gnome = Halfling
-Orc + Gnome = Goblin
-Elf + Horse = Centaur
-Kobold + Hill Giant = ...

etc.

[Azerian Kelimon]

Because of that, you can have a Half Giant Half Dragon.

Obligatory Link.

[Avor]

Well, if you are DM, this is what you do.

Stack, add level ajustment.

You realy want to be a sin to both Dwarven and Elven gods? Add the racial bonuses of both race together, and give it a +1 Level adjustment.


But if you are not god DM, remember that everything in D&D is based on real myths, legends and stories, that all humanoids are twisted variations of humans.

For example, elves are just tall, pointed eared, long lived humans with a thing for magic.

Orcs like are just green, violent and hairy humans in need of dentist.

They are all variations of humans, so natualy a human would try to do it.

[The Extinguisher]

They should just make a half-human template and be done with it.

[TheThan]

Reminds me of the half elf half orc race I homebrewed once. never got the fluff quite right though.

[EvilElitest]

Now, I don't have *all* the DnD books, but it seems like most, if not all of the half-breeds are between humans and something else. Why is that? I mean, are Dwarven women just too ugly to have affairs with their -2 Charisma? Are Elven women too picky and haughty and stuck-up to sleep with non-humans? Do Dragons only seduce humans while polymorphed? Do orcs never rape non-humans? Halflings and Gnomes not coupling with Medium-sized races I understand, but where are the Frodo Sparkmasters and Bilbo Tinkers?

Or maybe is it that human women (and men) are too loose?

We should get together, i've come up with a lot of other half breeds actually, half dwarves, half gnomes, and half orcs with other breeds.
from
EE

[GrassyGnoll]

Half-dragon template can be applied to any living corporeal creature, including oozes. So beat that.

Woot, found the new dragon for my BBEG slime lord.

[Jayngfet]

I once made all the combinations of hobgoblin, orc, and goblin.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

A Half-Elf/Half-Dwarf is just a Halfling.

But seriously, the BoEF actually has a chart of what crossings will produce children. I'd suggest looking it up.

[EvilElitest]

A Half-Elf/Half-Dwarf is just a Halfling.

But seriously, the BoEF actually has a chart of what crossings will produce children. I'd suggest looking it up.

that would require me reading the book. And i would have to kill myself
from
EE

[FMArthur]

Avor, that is a really good idea. It would be nice if all races simply were templates to begin with, though. :)

[Rutee]

Yup. D&D just assumes humans are slut-puppies who'll build their cities anywhere and breed with anything nearby.

I thought Elves were just as big a group of offenders. I mean, you never hear about a Half-Gnome, do you?

[Ascension]

I can't remember the publisher, but I've seen a third party book that had rules for crossing any of the PHB races with any other PHB race. Basically what it did was divide the racial bonuses up into two halves, and depending on who was the mother and who was the father you'd take half of one racial bonus and add it to the other half of the other racial bonus and come up with an admixture. I almost bought it, but it was kind of overpriced and I figured you could just as easily homebrew the stuff.

It always offends me somewhat that this sort of thing always ends up implying that all half-orc races are the product of rape. I've always wanted to play the resultant offspring of a Romeo and Juliet-style forbidden elf/orc romance.