Are half-races an essential option in D&D?

[Ranger REG]

One of the projects I am working on involves the question of half races and D&D. Are they really an essential part of the game and a mandatory option for player characters to choose from? In my opinion, the game could do without half races and it would no effect at all on the game and how it is played.

Your thoughts?

Essential? Nope.

HOWEVER, it is an optional rule that I would want, if not for the game mechanics themselves for other genres using the d20 System.

 

[Aus_Snow]

fusangite's post is great stuff.


Of course half-races are not essential to D&D. Looking back to certain earlier versions of the same game (for example), there was no such thing. Hence, even by D&D's own standards: no.

For my own campaigns, it's something that can be worked out on a case-by-case basis. By default, 'half-elves', 'half-orcs' and so on are not PC options. However, I am always willing to go along with concepts that my players come up with, tinkering with my house rules as needed.

As my elves and dwarves are more reminiscent of (more or less) humanoid 'spirits' than human-like 'races', it's very rarely an issue anyway.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

One of the projects I am working on involves the question of half races and D&D. Are they really an essential part of the game and a mandatory option for player characters to choose from? In my opinion, the game could do without half races and it would no effect at all on the game and how it is played.

Essential? Nope.

Most of my past campaigns have allowed them.

However, I'm leaning towards eliminating them. (The campaign I'm currently designing will not have them, but not for the reasons enumerated below.)

<Insert the bulk of fusangite's post here.>

Still, I (and others) DO like the concept of miscegenation of races in the context of remote ancestry...it IS a common fantasy trope. Hercules was half god, half mortal- the original Minotaur was the offspring of a snow-white bull sent by Poseidon (for sacrifice) and Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos, accursed with an unnatural affection. That's plenty of inspiration for a PC who had storm-giant blood in his ancestry, and is consequently larger than normal for his species...but it is impossible to do such today short of a wish. And not enough wishes exist to make a half-race viable...only repeated rejuvinations of bloodlines.

The difference? In the latter case, the miscegenation happened long ago, in a time when certain powerful magics made unions of dissimilar species viable, and on a larger scale. Such secrets are now lost.

As a result, I'm planning on "replacing" half-races with Bloodline feats, such as those you'd find in DCv1 or UA. The one problem with THAT is that there are a fair number of "bloodline" feats out there, with a variety of different mechanics behind them. If I go this route, I'll have to do some weeding or reclassifying them somehow.

 

[Chimera]

I don't have any problem with half-races, per se.

Although in my current setting, which is strictly regional and a bit non-standard, they either don't exist, or are rather limited. Very 'racist' setting.

Orcs are feared and hated enemies, even if most people will never see one. Therefore, half-orcs are similarly hated and unwelcome just about everywhere. In my character gen doc, I say that you CAN play one, but that you'll be hated and mistrusted everywhere and have a lot of role-play problems that I will in no way minimize.

There are NO half-elves. Period. Elves are a bit 'off the map' and have never been seen. They see Humans as 'tainted' and are believed (accurately) to kill humans on sight.

I don't know about any other half-races that I would even consider adding. I once had a player ask to play a half-troll. No way, no how. Get lost.

If I were running a more standard campaign (such as using the current setting advanced a thousand years or more), then these half-races would be more common and there would be fewer problems with playing one.