AZNtrogdor
First Post
Mark Plemmons said:
I think it would be really cool if someone could draw a picture of what you think one of these might look like
Half-orc dad, half-elf mom --> 'human' child?
- Thread starter Driddle
- Start date
I think it would be really cool if someone could draw a picture of what you think one of these might look like
Kaodi
Legend
Interbreeding...
Since this is D&D, and not the real world, my preference would be something like this: As in Middle Earth, where Orcs are descended from Elves, start with the idea that Elf and Orc are like two sides of a coin. For whatever reason, maybe a direct cross between an Elf and an Orc either isn't possible, or results in aborted fetuses. Perhaps because they are opposites, they don't mix well together.
Now, since both Elves and Orcs can mix with Humans, perhaps the Human blood allows healthy babies with both Elf and Orc mixed in, allowing the traits of both Elf and Orc. Since this type on union is probably quite rare, you could allow the result to be more a mixture of Elf and Orc than Half-Elf and Half-Orc, combining some of the best features of both... And even make it a +1 or better race.
Alignment Tendancy: Chaotic Neutral
+2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Wis - Both strong, graceful and ruggedly beautiful, but suffers from a clash of personalities that often leaves them susceptible to manipulation.
Low-light Vision
+2 Racial Bonus on Listen, Search and Spot
Automatic Languages: Common, plus one or both of Elven and Orc; Bonus Lanuages: Any (but favour Sylvan)
Favoured Classes: Ranger and Druid - More attuned to the myriad forces of nature than any branch of their ancestors.
Since this is D&D, and not the real world, my preference would be something like this: As in Middle Earth, where Orcs are descended from Elves, start with the idea that Elf and Orc are like two sides of a coin. For whatever reason, maybe a direct cross between an Elf and an Orc either isn't possible, or results in aborted fetuses. Perhaps because they are opposites, they don't mix well together.
Now, since both Elves and Orcs can mix with Humans, perhaps the Human blood allows healthy babies with both Elf and Orc mixed in, allowing the traits of both Elf and Orc. Since this type on union is probably quite rare, you could allow the result to be more a mixture of Elf and Orc than Half-Elf and Half-Orc, combining some of the best features of both... And even make it a +1 or better race.
Alignment Tendancy: Chaotic Neutral
+2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Wis - Both strong, graceful and ruggedly beautiful, but suffers from a clash of personalities that often leaves them susceptible to manipulation.
Low-light Vision
+2 Racial Bonus on Listen, Search and Spot
Automatic Languages: Common, plus one or both of Elven and Orc; Bonus Lanuages: Any (but favour Sylvan)
Favoured Classes: Ranger and Druid - More attuned to the myriad forces of nature than any branch of their ancestors.
frankthedm
First Post
The frailer elf blood is killed by the stronger orc blood. With only 1/2 the blood it should have had, the child dies in the womb.
Exactly.Umbran said:
If this is just for a one-of-a-kind offspring, I'd be tempted to emphasize the random outcome of such an offspring. For each of the affected traits, roll a d4. 25% chance the offspring gets the Elf trait, 25% chance the Orc trait, and 50% chance it gets the human version of the trait. At the end, adjust some of the numbers (preferably by moving them closer to the 1/2 orc or 1/2 elf side) to gets something roughly LA+0.
For example, Elves get +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution, whereas Orcs get +4 Strength, –2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma. Let's roll randomly, and decide to give the offspring Human Dex, Elf Con, Orc Str, Human Int and Wis, Elf Cha... that means -2 Con, +4 Str.
Now let's look at the other Elf traits. (Some more random rolling...) offspring gets Low-Light Vision and a +2 bonus on Listen, Search and Spot, plus ability to sense secret doors. Other Orc traits... (roll, roll...) offspring gets Favored class: Barbarian.
Not too bad overall, although somewhat overpowered. So let's reduce some of these closer to 1/2 orc and 1/2 elven stats... how about +2 Str / -2 Con, Low Light Vision, +1 on Listen/Search/Spot and Favored Class: Brb. Sounds like a viable PC to me...
For the same money, you could have gotten something like +2 Dex, -2 Wis, Favored Class: Wizard, and Darkvision. Or -2 Con, -2 Cha, immune to magical sleep, +2 vs. enchantments, an d Light Sensitivity. Ouch... could make for an interesting NPC though!
Again, I would only use this on a case-by-case basis. Once you get a whole race of these type of crossbreeds, it makes much more sense to write up something a bit more uniform and predictable.
Mark Plemmons
Explorer
AZNtrogdor said:I think it would be really cool if someone could draw a picture of what you think one of these might look like
You'll see the Tel-Amhothlan as the second from the left. Quality of the scan isn't that great, but I don't have the original art file at the moment.
From left to right: half-dwarf, half-elf/half-orc, half-gnome, half-goblin, human, half-gnoll.
All have 25% chance to grow to full term, 50% to survive past first month after birth, and 75% chance to live a normal lifespan (25% die at middle age).
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Steel_Wind
Legend
arscott said:
It's actually far worse than even this. Gene crossovers among the chromsomes themselves during meiosis will jumble all those genes together among the parent sperm and egg. The result?: It's just an infetismally small chance of occurring. You have a far greater chance of your computer shorting our and exploding and killing you right now as you read this.
BOOM? Dead yet? How about now?
So it's a frighteningly unrealistic statistical possibility. It is so remote a chance one can say that it is beyond any moral certianty that it will NEVER happen.
Andor
First Post
I find it interesting that when discussing a fantasy world where the basics of chemisty are so altered that gun powder won't burn, everyone still assumes deoxyribonucleic acid works just fine.
Why pretend DnD genetics have a damm thing to do with real life genetics? It's all a matter of blood don't you know. That's why elf blood is still detectable in humans tens of generations after the mixing. (In Tolkein anyway.)
Seriously, in a world with half-dragon griffons and half-celestial oozes, why are you quibbling about meiosis?
If you want the two halves to make a whole do so. If you don't, feel free to screw them sideways. Have the baby be a teifling. Or even a cambion. Maybe elves and orcs don't interbreed for very immediate and practical reasons....
Why pretend DnD genetics have a damm thing to do with real life genetics? It's all a matter of blood don't you know. That's why elf blood is still detectable in humans tens of generations after the mixing. (In Tolkein anyway.)
Seriously, in a world with half-dragon griffons and half-celestial oozes, why are you quibbling about meiosis?
If you want the two halves to make a whole do so. If you don't, feel free to screw them sideways. Have the baby be a teifling. Or even a cambion. Maybe elves and orcs don't interbreed for very immediate and practical reasons....
Storyteller01
First Post
Sejs said:
Agreed. Might operate as a human, but I dont think he'll pass for one.
Dirigible
Explorer
Behold, science!
The best way to make a character like this would probably be to go with human rules, and use those extra feats and skill points to acquire abilities that suggest quarter-orc / quarter-elf / all-MAN. Like, uh... Power Attack and Spell Focus: Poncy? Ranks in Knowledge: Quaffing and Profession: Flower Arrangement?
Storyteller01
First Post
Andor said:
Reminds me of a shortstory I've read awhile back. Comet passed by Earth, turning water to nitro and gas to something edible. Nice read...
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