New core races or canon half races?

[The Little Raven]

The mechanical differences between half-elf, half-orc, and human are much smaller than the differences between many other pairs of races.

Not really. There's just as much difference between a human and a half-elf than there is between a human and a gnome.

What's so bad about spending a feat on being half-whatever? You want to be a half-elf and still have two feats at level 1? Seems kinda greedy!

I never said anything of the sort.

 

[Gloombunny]

I never said anything of the sort.

Sorry, got you confused with Ranger REG.

What's your objection to the feat method, then? Or do you like it?

 

[am181d]

I'd do something like this:

Elf-Blood [racial feat]
Requirement: Must be Human
Benefit: pick 1 of the following 3 Elf Abilities (or 3 for 3 depending on how minor they are); can take any racial feat with required race Elf
Special: can only be taken at 1st level

The value of the feat is really dependent on how much 4e leverages racial feats....

 

[Ranger REG]

You must really hate 3e, then.

Last I checked, I didn't need to spend a feat to become a half-elf, so I don't know what 3e game you're playing. :\

 

[Ranger REG]

I really think it could work pretty simply and elegantly, though.

Only if you give purebreds a bonus feat similar to the mundane humans.

Anyway, the idea is that these feats would let elves and orcs interbreed with humanoid races other than humans, which just makes sense to me. Also, they don't require that the character be strictly half-and-half, which is another nice piece of flexibility. You could have a character that just "obviously has a little orc in his blood", rather than a specific family history.

As I said before, if you give purebreds a bonus feat, I may ... MAY ... consider it.

Otherwise, I'm sticking to my position that WotC should make a hybrid creation rule and stick the rule in the Monster Manual and offer half-elf and half-orc (created by said rules) as standard race options in the Player's Handbook. We already have too many purebreds for PC race option anyway.

 

[Ranger REG]

And with all due respect, I DO NOT want hybrid races as standard core races when that space could be better utilized with more original core races.

Hmph. What happen to racial diversity? :\

Can't believe this is a purebred-only club. I refuse to believe it.

 

[Ranger REG]

What's so bad about spending a feat on being half-whatever? You want to be a half-elf and still have two feats at level 1? Seems kinda greedy!

Because I don't have many alloted feat to spend at 1st level. It would be just like taking a Dodge feat, which is not worth spending a feat slot on. :\

 

[Gloombunny]

Last I checked, I didn't need to spend a feat to become a half-elf, so I don't know what 3e game you're playing. :\

By choosing half-elf instead of human, you give up a feat and a skill point/level in exchange for various benefits. If "elven blood" was a feat, you'd be giving up a feat in exchange for various benefits. Not really that big of a difference.

 

[Aldarc]

Hmph. What happen to racial diversity? :\

Can't believe this is a purebred-only club. I refuse to believe it.

So because I want more races in my core rulebook, I am not promoting racial diversity? And because I want racial heritage feats and templates as a means of expanding the number of racial mixes, I am not promoting racial diversity? What is wrong with this picture?

 

[Ranger REG]

So because I want more races in my core rulebook, I am not promoting racial diversity? And because I want racial heritage feats and templates as a means of expanding the number of racial mixes, I am not promoting racial diversity? What is wrong with this picture?

Because you're doing it half-assed. You stopped short of promoting the diversity of hybrids. As in the real world, you're shafting bi-racials in D&D, even denying them of their rightful place in the Player's Handbook.