D&D 5E Dragonborn inter-species breeding?

[Sezarious]

Hi everyone. I have a question. I am now a player in a new game and we have a newbie at the table. This newbie is enthusiastic to play but we have had to hit him with rules a couple of times as he goes to describe what he does, often attempting to mechanically enhance his abilities. He would leap down from a great height, describing a perfect landing without expecting to roll essentially. Now this is all fine. We are keeping him in check for these sorts of things and reinforcing to him what he can and can't do as well as what he COULD do if he proposes an idea to the DM.


The thing I wanted to get across to the forums today with the above paragraph is a little bit of an insight into the type of player he is currently, because next I needed to describe his interpretation of his backgrounds personality trait (raised by dragons (wolves), variation allowed by DM) and his bond (provide children to sustain his tribe).


The player's character is a CN blue dragonborn rogue, raised by a blue dragon society (I think they're LE). Anyway, the player has interpreted his bond as essentially, capture surviving female enemies (whether kobolds, lizardfolk or whatever) and try to breed with them.


I'm not saying the above might not suit the character in regards to his alignment, but what I wanted to ask is if anyone knows if a dragonborn CAN mate with other species, especially a bipedal talking hyena. I read on one forum some fluff about their mating with other dragonborn, a process which mimics some reptiles with a "docking" appendage to assist them. I imagine if they tried this with other races, it would be painful. Further, given the campaign setting, any sexual act between this character and a dungeon captive would constitute as rape and this is actually the big thorn in my side.


The reason I'm asking this is because we need to have a conversation with the player, but finding out that his character simply could not produce any offspring from such an act in the first place will make the conversation easier. I do not believe that the bond 'it is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe' was intended to mean 'it is my duty to rape my enemies'.

 

[Matthan]

I can't give you a by the book response. I'm not well versed enough to know if the mating physiology has been spelled out for Dragonborn.

I will comment on the rape issue. Personally, I would be uncomfortable playing in that game. I don't think this is a rules or fluff issue. It's an interpersonal issue and should be dealt as such. If I was you as a player, I would talk to the other player first and just tell him that you aren't comfortable with that style of play. You can even suggest another option (like maybe he plays a skirt chaser type character). But, I believe the first step is to always speak with the person.

If he doesn't see the issue and doesn't want to alter his play, you can either excuse yourself from the game (life is to short to play a game that will upset you) or, if you feel like this something that the whole group may have an issue with, ask the DM if he shares your concern and then the two of you go and have the conversation with the player again.

At that point, if he does not want to change then someone will need to leave the group. If you're the only one with the struggle, take the high road and ask to be called for the next campaign. If he's the odd man out, let him know that the group isn't interested in that style of play and that he may enjoy himself more if he finds a group that fits his style.

I hope that helps.

 

[transtemporal]

No. Just no.

 

[GameOgre]

Hahaha!

Good times! Nothing like these kinds of issues to make you feel unsettled. Dragonborn procreation isn't a very well defined thing.
If I was the DM, this is what I would do.

"Your captive looks at you in confusion as you pull the egg from your body and begine rolling it across her back. She seems to be lacking the right body parts and sadly your egg only has a short time. Thankfully in ten years you can make another, you blooming NUT!!!!!!

 

[The Human Target]

I would recommend not giving this person your home address.

 

[Dire Bare]

Wow. Would not be comfortable with a player wanted to roleplay a rape fantasy. Ech. The answer at my table would simply be "no".

In regards to the "rules" or "fluff", can a dragonborn procreate with another species? Let's say the dragonborn player falls in love with a dwarf, for example, can the happy couple even "do the deed" in the first place, much less have any chance of having little dragonborn dwarf crossbreeds? There is no right answer. I think people trying to bring a scientific explanation into the issue are just using the wrong set of tools for a fantasy game. Mythology is full of creatures that would seem incompatible due to our modern understanding of biology, but mated and had all sorts of monstrous babies. Read up on some Greek myth for starters.

In earlier versions of D&D, dragons could breed with just about anything, so why not dragonborn? Granted, the dragons were often described as polymorphing themselves into the appropriate species first, but the resulting offspring were "half-dragons" of one sort or another. Which was ultimately the basis for the dragonborn race itself.

In short, do whatever you want. Unless that is allowing rape fantasies played out at the table, don't do that.

 

[Redthistle]

Erin M. Evans' D&D novels about the tiefling warlock, Farideh, and her twin sister, the fighter Havilar, might provide some guidance here. The twins were abandoned as babies, but adopted and raised by a dragonborn fighter named Mehen.

As to the sexual perspectives of dragonborn discussed here-and-there in the tales, although both same- and opposite-sex relationships are referred to, it pretty clearly indicates that dragonborn are not sexually attracted to other species, reptilian or not. Although not specifically stated, the implication seems to be that hybrid reptilian offspring do not occur. These does leave open questions such as how dragons produced dragonborn, and see the UA Eberron material which states that shifters are descendants of mating between humans and lycanthropes if you feel that some accommodation to the player's vision of his PC is acceptable.

Since these books tell part of the ongoing story of the changes in the Forgotten Realms during the [meta-gaming] transition from earlier editions of the game to 5e, I would say this would be close to the official perspective for the game, while bearing in mind that it's still up to whatever the DM is willing to allow.

I would make clear to the player your discomfort with the notion of allowing forced sex to be part of your gaming group's acceptable behavior for player characters, restricting mention of rape to something that villains in some of your adventures may have been guilty of.

One suggestion, if the player is willing to accept it, is that the notion of procreating with other reptilian species was a naive notion his very-younger self had before he learned the true limitations of dragonborn procreation. Musings as to what such improbable offspring would look like could be the basis of fanciful conversations when the PCs are gathered around the hearth or campfire.

 

[Charles Wright]

That just simply wouldn't happen at my table. It's not needed or fun and would most likely make the other players uncomfortable about this player's rape fetish. I would dismiss him from the game if he couldn't curb his "enthusiasm" for interspecies rape.

 

[Sunseeker]

Dragonborn do not "breed true", there is draconic blood in them, but much like a cat, the resulting colors are unpredictable. Two silver dragonborn could give birth to a black dragonborn.

Dragonborn cannot breed with other species, unlike dragons, they breed physically and need compatible DNA.

I would literally hit a player with my book if he said his goal in the game was to capture females and rape them. I might preface with a verbal warning that such behaviour was completely unacceptable at the table and if he ever brought up the suggestion again he would never see another session at one of my games ever.

 

[MechaPilot]

I agree with others who have expressed distaste for such treatment of captives. I have sat at a table where the DM imposed such on thing on my character when the party was captured, in graphic description, expecting me to RP the scene. I almost quit the hobby for good after that. I am glad that I did not quit the hobby (though I got as far from that table as possible), but I do now have very thorough discussion with DMs and players about the content allowed in the game (I just wish that group had told me of the content they were willing to allow before I sat down to play with them).

Also, much applause for those others who would not tolerate rape at your tables. I run and actively enjoy playing in campaigns with evil characters, and in campaigns with adult themes (including romance and sex), so I'm not squeamish about evil deeds or the PCs being people who pursue and have sex, but rape is absolutely the line for me, and it is not welcome.

I would also add that if there is a group out there where people have consented that sexual assault is acceptable as a thing that can happen in the fictional world that plays out at their table, for the love of god keep it off-screen. Being pressed to RP one of those scenes is one of the most traumatic experiences I have ever been through. Even people who think they can handle all manner of evil stuff happening in game very likely do not realize what they are getting themselves into with such a scene.

With that out of the way, D&D isn't really big on breeding rules. In general, if there is a "half-something" race you can assume that the required races can produce such a child. For example, you can assume that a human and an orc can produce a half orc because the half-orc race exists (unless the DM overrides that by declaring that cannot happen). In the absence of a "half-something" race, the DM is the only authority on how such things work in her world.