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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mannahnin" data-source="post: 9466602" data-attributes="member: 7026594">I think there's no perfect answer due to the influence of real world racial politics.  The reflection of concepts like the one-drop rule, or blood quantum. D&D's hybrid races/species unfortunately may be inextricable from discredited and distasteful racial theories of the 19th and 20th centuries, which in turn influenced pulp writers like Howard, who inspired Gygax.I think it's kind of ironic that the pseudoscientific approach D&D takes, despite borrowing all the core races primarily from Tolkien, is actually inconsistent with Tolkien.  Whereas in LotR elves and humans can (in rare, mythic circumstances) have kids, but they <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/lotr/comments/a8fup0/do_half_elves_live_forever/" target="_blank">choose whether to be mortal or immortal</a>.  Whether to live as elf or human.OTOH there are folks of real-world mixed heritage/ethnic background who find resonance and meaning in these characters of mixed heritage, including Tanis' traumatic background shaped by bigotry.  We can definitely play with these themes in-game using cultures, but using "races" in such stories/plots/character backgrounds may always reflect real world racial politics. :/I think AN answer might be to take a similar approach to how Aasimar and Tieflings work.  And give them a name, like you suggested.</blockquote>