D&D 5E Dragonborn inter-species breeding?

[Riley37]

Dragons mate. Dragonborn are mules or Hinnys.

Varies by setting. Some settings don't include dragonborn at all. (For example, there are none in the Homeric mythos.) The version of dragonborn which the 5E PHB describes, pages 32-34, are a species and generally live in clans. I imagine that dragonborn PCs are often exceptions, such as exiles or clan members on "detached duty" (just as Legolas and Gimli were sent to act on behalf of their peoples) or studying some skill which can be best mastered by spending time outside of the territory of one's clan.

 

[TwistedFaith]

If I may add my own 2 cents here. Yea Rape happens all around the world today; more so in some parts of the world than others but less then it did in the past oh 50 years. Rape happens more often in D&D then what people think but it happens in the background (unseen & unsaid); It how most half-breeds are made ie dragons having to polymorph them selves to breed with other races (which could be looked at as Rape), or Half-orcs how do you think those are made? Is some human going to look and say to a Orc oh you look so Handsome/Beautiful that I want to have children with you. No probably not.

Now with that said yea the player should be told that rape in something that doesn't belong in that particular campaign for what ever reason you want to tell him. His character on the other hand might be being played correctly as he is after all evil and most likely the product of rape itself (weather known or unknowingly). Most likely raised by the parent that was raped and doesn't like the fact they were raped being known (just like most raped people today).

I'd also like to point out that I myself do not condone Rape or any type of sexual assault. If I knew someone that was raped or sexually assaulted and I also knew who did said act that person would be 15ft deep and I'd be locked up.

 

[Midknightsun]

Yeah, that wouldn't fly in my group. Its just not a topic I feel comfortable covering "in character". Saying that it happens "offscreen" because life sucks in your particular D&D world (at least for the common citizen) and bad things happen to people, sure, but to actually focus on it is just . . . . awkward and uncomfortable in a lot of ways. No thanks, come up with another character concept please.

On the subject of interspecies breeding, I personally don't even like the idea of half-elves or half-orcs. If you follow this to its inevitable conclusion, and apply it to all races, it makes me wonder how any "race" has any discernible racial differences left, especially when we are talking about the kind of extensive histories (dozens of millennia or more) most fantasy settings have and all the interbreeding that would have taken place over that time even in more isolated cultures. But that's just me, YMMV.

 

[Umbran]

On the subject of interspecies breeding, I personally don't even like the idea of half-elves or half-orcs. If you follow this to its inevitable conclusion, and apply it to all races, it makes me wonder how any "race" has any discernible racial differences left, especially when we are talking about the kind of extensive histories (dozens of millennia or more) most fantasy settings have and all the interbreeding that would have taken place over that time even in more isolated cultures. But that's just me, YMMV.

Well, in the original source material (Tolkien), half-elves were extremely rare, because they implied that an elf had given up their immortality to be with a human. In the most common D&D reference (Dragonlance) there's also only one notable half-elf walking around, and it is notable enough that it pretty much becomes his surname (Tanis Half-Elven).

And, again, the original inspiration for half-orcs (Tolkien again) have them as the result of a breeding program, which may have required magic to make happen.

 

[Midknightsun]

Oh, I am aware of the history of it, the way it is played out at many tables is often a different story. I don't mind the implications that its limited because "magic" or "must give up immortality". Those reasons cause natural limits on how many of these interspecies cross breeds that will happen, which helps my sense of verisimilitude grasp why every human doesn't have a little reptile or elf in their blood. I was speaking to the idea that different races can produce offspring just "as is".

 

[Charles Wright]

There are ways to get half-elves and half-orcs without rape.

For instance, all half-orcs in a campaign could come from a magical origin (A wizard enhanced his army by infusing them, via potions and spells, with the strengths of Orcs).

Another idea I've had is that the reason half-elves occur at all is that Elves are, themselves, a magical creation of the Fae where they infused a tribe of humans with fae essence. The attraction that Elves have to Humans in this setting is natural.

I think it would be a cool idea to have them as societies all their own and have an "first generation half-race" of either kind an extreme rarity.

All that said - the dragonborn thing is still just wrong.

 

[Sunseeker]

On the subject of interspecies breeding, I personally don't even like the idea of half-elves or half-orcs. If you follow this to its inevitable conclusion, and apply it to all races, it makes me wonder how any "race" has any discernible racial differences left, especially when we are talking about the kind of extensive histories (dozens of millennia or more) most fantasy settings have and all the interbreeding that would have taken place over that time even in more isolated cultures. But that's just me, YMMV.

In other editions and games and various lore it is often noted that half-breed pregnancies are difficult on the mother and thus rarely take even to begin with. Two humans may have a 77% chance of having a baby any given time, while an human and an orc may only have a 10% chance.

Second, most societies in D&D are far from multicultural. Even ones wherein more than one race exist there is usually some significant passive racism, if not overt institutionalized racism against whatever species isn't the founding/majority species. So keeping the race pure is not an uncommon concept, which is often why half-breeds are wandering adventurers to begin with.

 

[Charles Wright]

I was speaking to the idea that different races can produce offspring just "as is".

I pretty much stick with elf-human-orc continuum, myself. With the unspoken idea that they're all related from way-back-when. Elves being seelie fae-corrupted humans, and Orcs being unseelie-fae corrupted humans.

But that's just my setting.

 

[Midknightsun]

In other editions and games and various lore it is often noted that half-breed pregnancies are difficult on the mother and thus rarely take even to begin with. Two humans may have a 77% chance of having a baby any given time, while an human and an orc may only have a 10% chance.

Second, most societies in D&D are far from multicultural. Even ones wherein more than one race exist there is usually some significant passive racism, if not overt institutionalized racism against whatever species isn't the founding/majority species. So keeping the race pure is not an uncommon concept, which is often why half-breeds are wandering adventurers to begin with.

Sure, whatever stop-gap works for you. Rare birth may be one, just not one I particularly would choose in my campaigns, YMMV. Though I would point out that even overt racism doesn't stop a ethnic mixing in the real world, though I do agree that it slows it down (not to say that is a bad thing, I certainly could care less about who loves who in this world- good for them to have found somebody-anybody to care for, but I digress). Note most of our recorded world history could fit into one era of many campaign settings. Much more time there. But again, not saying you're a bad person if you choose to allow any creature to procreate with any other in your campaign, I just personally find it silly. Btw, still allow half elves and half orcs in my campaign, I just don't think about it too hard.

I pretty much stick with elf-human-orc continuum, myself. With the unspoken idea that they're all related from way-back-when. Elves being seelie fae-corrupted humans, and Orcs being unseelie-fae corrupted humans.

Sounds like a good rationale.

 

[Dausuul]

The player's character is a CN blue dragonborn rogue, raised by a blue dragon society (I think they're LE). Anyway, the player has interpreted his bond as essentially, capture surviving female enemies (whether kobolds, lizardfolk or whatever) and try to breed with them.

*record scratch noise*

This is where I would say, "The rest of the table is not okay with you playing a character who commits rape. This is not an in-character thing, this is a player thing. Just no."

Trying to justify it with in-game reasons only weakens your position. Target the actual problem.