"Half-" races

[Driddle]

I'm really hoping they finally drop the outdated convention of labeling certain characters of mixed racial heritage as "Half-" this or that, ala half-orcs and half-elves. It's bothersome for a couple of reasons, the biggest of which is that the undeclared half is assumed to be human -- the default privileged race -- and that the person's declared half (elf, orc) is diminished by the mixing. Are there no half-humans? No self-identifying terms such as "hapa?" Characters with diverse parents who didn't include a human, elf or orc?

 

[Mouseferatu]

The very first Dragonlance module makes an interesting point about this. It's when Riverwind (I think) asks Tanis "Why is it you care called 'half-elf' and not 'half-man'?" The question absolutely floors Tanis, because it's something he's never considered, and it's only later that he really considers the fact that, to elves, he is "half-man."

Not sure I have an answer to the question, though. I mean, what else would you call them? I can't think of any other terms that aren't especially cumbersome. "Half-elf half-humans?" "Elf-men?" "Elven Americans?"

What I would like to see is for the "half-X" concept (where X = any humanoid race that can breed with other humanoid races, the traditional ones being elf and orc) become a template. But I can see why the game might be better off avoiding that level of complexity in what amounts to a core race. And one could argue that something about humans makes them able to interbreed with species that cannot breed with each other. It would fit with the whole notion of humans as the "jack of all trades" race.

I dunno. I can see a number of ways to handle the topic, and none of them would satisfy everyone. The easiest would certainly be to either drop the halves entirely, or to stick with what the game's done from 1E and just keep half-elf and half-orc as the only viable "half races." But I'm not sure either of those is most satisfying.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

What I would like to see is for the "half-X" concept (where X = any humanoid race that can breed with other humanoid races, the traditional ones being elf and orc) become a template. But I can see why the game might be better off avoiding that level of complexity in what amounts to a core race. And one could argue that something about humans makes them able to interbreed with species that cannot breed with each other. It would fit with the whole notion of humans as the "jack of all trades" race.

One idea I had for a campaign that never materialized was that humans are what you get as the end result of several generations of interbreeding (that, or mongrelmen).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

In Eberron, half-elves are called Khoravar (because the first elf/human crosses occurred there), and most half-elves are the products of half-elves breeding with half-elves, rather than elves breeding with humans. (This is also true of Aglarond, a part of the Forgotten Realms setting.)

However, Eberron half-orcs are still often created the same way, despite the PR. (Humans, orcs and half-orcs live in the Shadow Marches, and were referred to as "three distinct peoples" even though they're clearly not.)

 

[JVisgaitis]

What I would like to see is for the "half-X" concept (where X = any humanoid race that can breed with other humanoid races, the traditional ones being elf and orc) become a template.

Yuck. Its odd that you are advocating simplicity in line with 4e and that you would make a suggestion like this. I'm half-drow/half-human. I'm a half ogre. I'm a half giant. Please! Half races are such a burden its ridiculous.

I wouldn't even bother statting them out. If you want to play a half-elf you pick the racial traits of either human or elf. You decide how the character looks. Write ups on half races are done in one section where it explains common types of half races. Done.

You want to go one step further and give them some mechanical difference? Fine. Come up with a feat or two for the representative common half types like half-elves. Adding templates for every half race that is out there and trying to figure out who can breed with what? No thanks.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Yuck. Its odd that you are advocating simplicity in line with 4e and that you would make a suggestion like this.

Which is why I went on to say that I could see why that wouldn't be appropriate for the core rules.

I'm more or less just spitballing ideas, really. I have no idea what the best way to handle the "half race" issue is.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I'm more or less just spitballing ideas, really. I have no idea what the best way to handle the "half race" issue is.

I look at it this way. If there is going to be a writeup on half-elf or something entirely new like a tiefling? I'll take the tiefling every time. All of the cool things that come with half races like Tanis' story come from story and roleplaying factors. Not mechanics.

 

[Klaus]

I'd take elf stats and have them be "half-elves", or "elf-kin". And then make the elves much more rare and farther towards fey creatures (stuff like -2 Str, +2 Dex, -4 Con, +4 Cha). The mixed races have interesting potential, but you have to make them actually *be* halfway between a human and the other race.

And hey, Spock is a half-Vulcan!

 

[JVisgaitis]

And hey, Spock is a half-Vulcan!

I totally forgot that...

 

[variant]

It is just time to get rid of the half-races.