Nivenus
First Post
Thinking about core races and supplemental races for 5e / D&DN, I've been thinking that it might not be a bad idea to change the way hybrid races are handled in D&D. If you think about it, the way hybrid races work in D&D - particularly 4e but also the previous editions - doesn't make much sense. They're not really people with one foot in two worlds, generally speaking, even though that's generally the lore surrounding them. Rather, they're just another race, as different in some cases from their parent races as they are from any other race.
Take half-elves in 4e, for example. Rather than being a mix of elven grace and wisdom with human adaptability, half-elves are durable and charismatic, features that are typical/average of neither parent race, with only a nod to humans' versatility with their ability to take a power from another class besides their own. Half-orcs also stand out as pretty unusual, since they have none of humans' versatility and basically just come off as "orcs light."
Even in 3e, though, there was the general feeling that hybrids were a race unto themselves, rather than a blend of two different races, since each half-elf or half-orc had the same racial stats as every other half-elf or half-orc, with none of the variety you'd expect from breeding. It stands to reason that not every half-elf would have pointed ears and enhanced senses nor would they all have human-dominant characteristics. It'd be a mix, varying from person to person.
Until 4e, I kind of just assumed this was the way to go about things, but 4e's hybrid class system gave me another thought: why not make hybrid race function in a way similar to 4e's hybrid classes? From what I'm given to understand, most people find this system an extremely easy-to-use and flexible method of blending classes and so it seems like a natural way to allow hybrid races with a degree of flexibility that just making them into another race doesn't allow.
The Basics
Using the 4e hybrid class system as a model, let's come up with some basic rules:
Model in Action: Half-Elves
Let's take a look at half-elves as a case example, using 4e rules as a model (even though 5e will likely have different stats for elves and humans). For the sake of argument we'll be using the versions out of the original PHB, so nothing from Essentials or using FR's sub-races here.
In 4e, elves have:
Height: 5'4" - 6'
Weight: 130-170 lbs
+2 Dex, +2 Wis
Size: M
Speed: 7 squares
Vision: Low-light
Language: Common, Elven
Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Perception
Elven Weapon Proficiency (longbow and shortbow)
Fey Origin
Group Awareness (bonus to party's overall Perception)
Wild Step (ignoring difficult terrain when shifting)
Elven Accuracy power
And humans have:
Height: 5'6"-6'2"
Weight: 135-270 lbs
+2 to any one ability
Size: M
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, one other
Bonus at-will power from character's class
Natural Origin
Bonus Feat
Bonus Skill
Human Defense Bonus: +1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Will
Using the step by step process outlinedbove, we can create the following half-elf:
Put into a racial template, it could look something like this:
Half-elf
Height: 5'4"-6'2"
Weight: 130-270 lbs
+2 any, +2 Wis or +2 Dex
Size: M
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Elven, or any (choose two)
Skills: +2 Nature, +2 Perception, or +2 any (choose two). Or, alternatively, you gain training in any one skill.
Racial Power: Elven accuracy or bonus at-will class power
Fey or Natural Origin
Other Racial Features (choose two):
Using this template, we can construct a sample character:
Elara, female half-elf
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 140 lbs
+2 Char, +2 Dex
Size: M
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Elven
Skills: +2 Acrobatics, +2 Perception
Racial Power: Elven accuracy
Natural Origin
Elven Weapon Accuracy (shortbows and longbows)
Human Defense Bonuses (+1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Will)
Advantages of this Model
I think this model has a lot of advantages. I'll list two:
Anyhow, I'm open to suggestions, comments, or criticism: what do you folks thing?
Take half-elves in 4e, for example. Rather than being a mix of elven grace and wisdom with human adaptability, half-elves are durable and charismatic, features that are typical/average of neither parent race, with only a nod to humans' versatility with their ability to take a power from another class besides their own. Half-orcs also stand out as pretty unusual, since they have none of humans' versatility and basically just come off as "orcs light."
Even in 3e, though, there was the general feeling that hybrids were a race unto themselves, rather than a blend of two different races, since each half-elf or half-orc had the same racial stats as every other half-elf or half-orc, with none of the variety you'd expect from breeding. It stands to reason that not every half-elf would have pointed ears and enhanced senses nor would they all have human-dominant characteristics. It'd be a mix, varying from person to person.
Until 4e, I kind of just assumed this was the way to go about things, but 4e's hybrid class system gave me another thought: why not make hybrid race function in a way similar to 4e's hybrid classes? From what I'm given to understand, most people find this system an extremely easy-to-use and flexible method of blending classes and so it seems like a natural way to allow hybrid races with a degree of flexibility that just making them into another race doesn't allow.
The Basics
Using the 4e hybrid class system as a model, let's come up with some basic rules:
- Ability Scores: You have two ability score bonuses derived from your two parent races. You can choose any two of the available bonuses, but only two. You cannot stack these scores.
- Height , Weight, and Size: You can choose to be any height, weight, or size that is over the range of your two parent races.
- Speed: You are the speed of your slowest parent race.
- Vision: If both of your parent races have darkvision, you have darkvision. If one has darkvision and one has low-light vision, you have low-light vision. If any one of your parent races has normal vision, you have normal vision.
- Languages: You can speak any two languages that your parent races can speak, but only two.
- Skills: Choose any two skills bonuses of your parent races to determine your racial skill bonus. Alternatively, you can choose to be trained in one of these skills. You cannot stack these skill bonuses.
- Powers: Choose one of the racial powers available to your parent races as your racial power.
- Origin: Your planar origin can be the same as either one of your parent races.
- Other Features: Choose two other racial features from your parent races as the remaining features for your race.
- Feats, Powers, Classes, etc.: Hybrid races would qualify for all the post-creation feats, powers, classes, etc. available normally only to members of their parent races.
Model in Action: Half-Elves
Let's take a look at half-elves as a case example, using 4e rules as a model (even though 5e will likely have different stats for elves and humans). For the sake of argument we'll be using the versions out of the original PHB, so nothing from Essentials or using FR's sub-races here.
In 4e, elves have:
Height: 5'4" - 6'
Weight: 130-170 lbs
+2 Dex, +2 Wis
Size: M
Speed: 7 squares
Vision: Low-light
Language: Common, Elven
Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Perception
Elven Weapon Proficiency (longbow and shortbow)
Fey Origin
Group Awareness (bonus to party's overall Perception)
Wild Step (ignoring difficult terrain when shifting)
Elven Accuracy power
And humans have:
Height: 5'6"-6'2"
Weight: 135-270 lbs
+2 to any one ability
Size: M
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, one other
Bonus at-will power from character's class
Natural Origin
Bonus Feat
Bonus Skill
Human Defense Bonus: +1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Will
Using the step by step process outlinedbove, we can create the following half-elf:
- Ability Scores: Elves get +2 Wis, +2 Dex and humans get +2 any. Effectively, this means the choices available to our hypothetical half-elf are +2 any and +2 Wis or +2 Dex.
- Height, Weight, and Size: Humans and elves are both medium sized, so our half-elf is too. Height could be anywhere between 5'4" and 6'2". Weight could be anywhere between 130 and 270 lbs.
- Speed: Elves move 7 squares per turn but humans can only move up to 6, so our half-elf has a speed of 6.
- Vision: Elves have low-light vision but humans have normal vision, so our half-elf has normal vision.
- Languages: Elves can speak Common and Elven and humans can speak Common, plus one other language. Our half-elf would presumably speak Common and Elven, therefore, but not necessarily. In theory, s/he could speak Common and another language or Elven and another language.
- Skills: Elves have +2 Nature and +2 Perception and humans get training in one extra skill. We'll translate this into +2 Nature, +2 Perception, and +2 any or, alternatively, bonus training in any skill.
- Powers: Elves get the elven accuracy power and humans get a bonus at-will from their class. Our half-elf could take any one of those three.
- Origin: Elves are fey and humans are natural creatures. So half-elves can be either fey or natural in origin.
- Other Features: The remaining racial features available are elven weapon proficiency, group awareness, and wild step for elves and bonus feat or human defense bonuses for humans. Our half elf could therefore choose two of these features.
- Feats, Powers, Classes, etc.: Our half-elf could qualify for any feats, powers, or classes that had elf or human as a prerequisite. So our half-elf could take the action surge feat for humans, for example.
Put into a racial template, it could look something like this:
Half-elf
Height: 5'4"-6'2"
Weight: 130-270 lbs
+2 any, +2 Wis or +2 Dex
Size: M
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Elven, or any (choose two)
Skills: +2 Nature, +2 Perception, or +2 any (choose two). Or, alternatively, you gain training in any one skill.
Racial Power: Elven accuracy or bonus at-will class power
Fey or Natural Origin
Other Racial Features (choose two):
- Bonus Feat
- Elven Weapon Proficiency (shortbows and longbows)
- Group Awareness (bonus to party's overall Perception)
- Human Defense Bonuses (+1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Will)
- Wild Step (ignore difficult terrain while shifting)
Using this template, we can construct a sample character:
Elara, female half-elf
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 140 lbs
+2 Char, +2 Dex
Size: M
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Elven
Skills: +2 Acrobatics, +2 Perception
Racial Power: Elven accuracy
Natural Origin
Elven Weapon Accuracy (shortbows and longbows)
Human Defense Bonuses (+1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Will)
Advantages of this Model
I think this model has a lot of advantages. I'll list two:
- It more accurately (but not perfectly) simulates how actual hybridization would work. Just as you wouldn't expect every child of two different people to be exactly the same, you wouldn't expect every member of a hybrid race to be the same. True, it doesn't take into account things like dominant and recessive alleles or infertility, but who really wants to bother with all that?
- It gives players who want to play a hybrid what I think most really want: to play a blend of features from each race. Hybrid races in most cases do not represent this sincerely, instead representing an abstract third race that sometimes doesn't feel like either parent race.
- EDIT: As pointed out by others, this would allow for racial combinations that aren't normally covered. Some of these, like half-dwarf / half-halfling likely aren't in high demand, but others, dwelfs, half-drow, or half-golems (half-warforged) could satisfy a lot of players.
Anyhow, I'm open to suggestions, comments, or criticism: what do you folks thing?
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