How do you rule on quarter-races?

[Zzyzx]

If you have the offspring of a half-elf and a human, would you rule that they are statistically a human with some elfish looks, or would you give some thing very minor (like +1 to listen, search, spot) to show their ancestry? If I do give a bonus, I don't want it to be too "unbalancing".

Other quarter-races that I was thinking about: quarter-ogre, quarter-orc, quarter-dwarf (assuming the +1 LA half-dwarf "mul" race as in Darksun).

I would probably call these elf-blood human, etc.

Anyway, some ideas:

Elf-blood human: +1 to listen, search, spot. Elven blood.

Orc-blood human: can't think of a good bonus, since half-orcs don't get much anyway. Orc blood.

Dwarf-blood human: Tireless: +2 racial bonus to checks for performing a physical action that extends over a period of time (running, swimming, holding breath, and so on). This bonus stacks with the Endurance feat. This bonus may also be applied to savings throws against spells and magical effects that cause weakness, fatigue, exhaustion or enfeeblement (This is watered down from +4 bonus for muls at athas.org). Dwarven blood

Ogre-blood human: Powerful build, -2 Dex, -2 Cha. Giant blood. (This is more of a change than the others, making it as different as a half-orc is from a human. I wish I had something better.)

Any other suggestions?

 

[RainOfSteel]

A half race for everything-and-its-grandmother's-uncle is already bad enough.

For my own purposes, I say there are no quarter races.

 

[frankthedm]

You want to have a small bit of elf bood? Fine, have pointy ears. Had an orc grandfather? Well, then that explains why you have a good STR and a bad CHA.

Decribe your character how you want, just don't expect numeric bonuses for diluted blood.

 

[Notmousse]

I make all Elves I meet into quarter elves.

 

[airwalkrr]

The child of an elf and a half-elf has a 50% chance of being an elf and a 50% chance of being a half-elf. Nice and simple.

 

[awayfarer]

You want to have a small bit of elf bood? Fine, have pointy ears. Had an orc grandfather? Well, then that explains why you have a good STR and a bad CHA.

Decribe your character how you want, just don't expect numeric bonuses for diluted blood.

I'd be inclined to go this route as well. A good DM will let you describe a character differently within reason. I briefly had an aberration blooded character I described as having scaly purple skin.

 

[CRGreathouse]

The child of a half-elf and a human is a quarter-elf, mechanically identical to a human.

 

[ChimericDream]

A half race for everything-and-its-grandmother's-uncle is already bad enough.

For my own purposes, I say there are no quarter races.

I agree. Even though I'm horrible with trying to make half-this, half-that races, I don't think it should be taken farther than that.

 

[Spatzimaus]

No quarter-races, and no half-races involving anything other than Humans (i.e., a half-Elf half-Dwarf will have the stats of either an Elf or Dwarf). There'll be some identifiable physical markers (pointy ears, a thick beard, whatever), but statwise it'll be the same as a pureblood member of one parent's race. But it's not a simple 50/50 thing; it skews a bit towards the mother's race, but is also affected by things like which plane the birth takes place on.

Also, Humans don't follow the normal rules; for the purposes of determining future generations, a half-Human half-anything is treated as a full-blood member of the non-Human race. So crossing a Half-Elf with a Dwarf results in either an Elf or Dwarf, same as if the Half-Elf had been a full Elf. Which means, then, that the cross of a Human with a Half-Elf will ALWAYS result in a Half-Elf (since the Half-Elf parent will be treates as a full-blooded Elf). So, it's impossible to have a "quarter-Elf".

 

[Dastari]

I have to agree with most people here. If you have more than 50% of one race I rule that you are mechanically identical to that race although you can use the other percentages to give yourself some unusual physical appearence characteristics. If you're 50% of one thing and mixes of other things, I'd go for the same rule. The 50% overrides all else.

I'm not exactly sure how I'd rule if you were 25% of four different races. Such as a half-elf marrying a dwarf-gnome and having offspring. Anything involving four or more distinct races would probably drive me mad and I'd forbid a player from doing it. Of course, if they struck me at the right mood I might conceive of doing it as I am very fond of half races. (Probably watched to much Star Trek in my youth).

After all, I am the creator of the elf-orc race.