Half-Elves and Half-Orcs built as Hybrid Races?

Dungeonosophy · Mar 16, 2012

Given the modularity of 5e monster-building ("vampiric half-celestial animated chair"), now might be the time to finally bring the Hybrid PC Race concept into the Core Rules. Hasn't this been around in house-rules since First Edition?

I suggest that the Half-Elf and Half-Orc be Core Races, but that mechanically, they be reverse engineered as Elf/Human and Human/Orc.

There'd be a Hybrid PC Race module, wherein all PC races can be Half-Breeds in any combination: Half-Human, Half-Elf, Half-Eladrin, Half-Halfling, Half-Dwarf, Half-Gnome, Half-Tiefling, and Half-Dragonborn.

The common Half-Elf/Half-Human would be mechanically predictable given 5e Elf stats and Human stats. Though Orc won't be a core PC race, the Half-Orc would be mechanically predictable given the Orc monster stats.

Then a further rule for Quarter-Breeds...

...and then just Blooded: "Elf-Blooded", "Orc-Blooded", "Dragon-Blooded", "Human-Blooded" (e.g. Human-Blooded Dwarf), with just one minor racial ability.

What do you say?

Janaxstrus · Mar 16, 2012

I would say that keeping Eladrin's in the game as PCs would be a deal breaker for me in general. They already existed, as CG versions of the Deva/Planar/Solar, they sure as heck weren't elf replacements.

Otherwise I think half-races would be ok. I'd rather they keep it near the core stuff though, ie Half-Orc and Half-elf

am181d · Mar 16, 2012

Janaxstrus said:
I would say that keeping Eladrin's in the game as PCs would be a deal breaker for me in general. They already existed, as CG versions of the Deva/Planar/Solar, they sure as heck weren't elf replacements.

Otherwise I think half-races would be ok. I'd rather they keep it near the core stuff though, ie Half-Orc and Half-elf

Eladrin is just a fancy word for High Elf. High Elves have been in D&D for decades now. It's just the teleporting that's a little odd.

(That said, I feel pretty confident that Eladrin will get folded back into Elf for 5e.)

Janaxstrus · Mar 17, 2012

Not quite correct. Eladrin are a 2nd/3rd edition celestial of CG alignment.

They may have perverted/converted that into now being a 4th edition High Elf, but that is not what they once were.

Dungeonosophy · Mar 17, 2012

Janaxstrus said:
Not quite correct. Eladrin are a 2nd/3rd edition celestial of CG alignment.

They may have perverted/converted that into now being a 4th edition High Elf, but that is not what they once were.

Both correct.

In the Second Edition Reality and the Third Edition Reality, the eladrin are the CG celestials.

In the Fourth Edition Reality, the concept of the eladrin is merged with the concept of the high elf and grey elf. (Sun elf and moon elf in Toril.)

In the Classic Edition Reality, the same role is filled by the Sidhe.

So it depends which Reality (rules universe) we're talking about.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Mar 17, 2012

DnDPhilmont said:
What do you say?

What's the benefit to doing it this way, instead of just building the races from scratch? 3E showed us that "roll your own" systems had to account for later additions to the game -- and rarely did.

Witness how much work had to be done to Polymorph and related spells because designers had no idea what kind of monstrosities later monster books would add. And there's a whole subculture (arguably now the dominant one in online 3E players) about taking player character elements from different sources and jamming them together because WotC either couldn't or wouldn't balance every new addition to the game against every other existing element of the game.

"Insert two races and have the math generate a predictable result automagically" just screams that it'll be abused like mad in the later half of 5E's lifespan.

Minigiant · Mar 17, 2012

The skinny people with pointy ears and not black skin are elves or eladrin. The one who think they are too good to live around human lands are eladrin. Every other pointy eared skinny people are elves.

Anywho...

As much as I'd like a hybrid system, I'd miss the tough and charismatic aspects of the half elf.

Dungeonosophy · Mar 17, 2012

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
What's the benefit to doing it this way, instead of just building the races from scratch? 3E showed us that "roll your own" systems had to account for later additions to the game -- and rarely did.

Witness how much work had to be done to Polymorph and related spells because designers had no idea what kind of monstrosities later monster books would add. And there's a whole subculture (arguably now the dominant one in online 3E players) about taking player character elements from different sources and jamming them together because WotC either couldn't or wouldn't balance every new addition to the game against every other existing element of the game.

"Insert two races and have the math generate a predictable result automagically" just screams that it'll be abused like mad in the later half of 5E's lifespan.

Well, I'd just start with the core PC races at first. The Half-Breed rules wouldn't have to be a replicable template beyond those 9 races (including Orc).

Also, I'm not saying that those rules would have to be strictly automatically mechanical. For each of those Half-Breed combos, there'd be balanced sets of racial abilities--hand-balanced by the WotC design team. But they would be selected from, or inspired by, the parent races' abilities.

All I'm saying is that whatever the Half-Breed rules module looks like, make sure that the core, common Half-Elf and Half-Orc--which will be featured in the front of the PHB--match those rules.

Dungeonosophy · Mar 17, 2012

Minigiant said:
As much as I'd like a hybrid system, I'd miss the tough and charismatic aspects of the half elf.

The unique "unexpected" aspects of the Half-Elf (and other Half-Breeds) could be included in the Half-Breed rules module.

Why not all Half-Breeds (of those 9 core races) have the tough and charismatic aspects that the Half-Elf has?

variant · Mar 17, 2012

DnDPhilmont said:
The unique "unexpected" aspects of the Half-Elf (and other Half-Breeds) could be included in the Half-Breed rules module.

Why not all Half-Breeds (of those 9 core races) have the tough and charismatic aspects that the Half-Elf has?

I can't imagine a half-orc being naturally charismatic.

Half-Elves and Half-Orcs built as Hybrid Races?

Dungeonosophy

Legend

Janaxstrus

First Post

am181d

Adventurer

Janaxstrus

First Post

Dungeonosophy

Legend

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

Minigiant

Legend

Dungeonosophy

Legend

Dungeonosophy

Legend

variant

Adventurer

Similar Threads