Non human parent in half-orcs / elves


Advice


I had a player come up with a question. They want to play a character who is a half-elf without a human parent. So half-elf/half-(not human). I'm curious, are there any rules for this anywhere?


The other parent could be an elf. The character would still be a half elf.


My player has mentioned half dwarf and half-bugbear. The latter of the two I find more interesting, but is there anything mechanically that backs up those types of weird pairings?

Dark Archive

1 person marked this as a favorite.

The race builder from the Advanced Race Guide?

+2 str, +2 wis, -2 cha.
Darkvision 60 ft.
Counts as both dwarf and goblinoid for any effect related to race.

How's that for a start?


I recently asked about this in my "Playing an Abomination Thread." The conclusion reached by my well informed responders was that the Human blood is vital to procreation. It would apparently be possible for an Orc and half elf or an Elf and Half Orc, perhaps even an Orc and Half Giant or Half Ogre and Elf etc so long as there was that kinky human blood to make the spark of life occur. Of course house rules may ignore such conventions.


Half-Elf is based on a Humanoid(Human, Elf). Other combos would involve a custom race that is Humanoid(non-human, other non-human). You'll basically need to use Race Builder. From the Elf's perspective, it's a Half-Human. Since Humans are typically so dominant, everything is sort of written from the Human Standpoint. As an analogy, when you say a mixed-race person is "half-black", the default is that the other half is white while a mixed-race that doesn't involve a white parent is more generally called "mixed-race".

To go a step further, in the world that my wife is working on, in the Elven language they have a term that refers to Elves, but they refer to other races using a different term; -kai means an elven race and -u/-au means a non-elven race so they're literally saying, "You're not an animal, but you're not an Elf either." It's all relative and based on point of view and a certain amount of racial bias.


3 people marked this as a favorite.

In the end the character decided to go with a half-drow, half-orc. The character background was really well crafted, the idea being that low-caste drow were paid or threatened into mating with orcs and other "brutish" races in order to create a strong slave force but smart enough to be somewhat tactical. It was an interesting enough idea I just grabbed the Advanced Race Guide and worked it out. This is the end result:

Brute-Blooded Drow
Type: Humanoid-0 RP
Size: Medium-0 RP
Base Speed: Nomral-0 RP
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Cha: Sporting Orcish strength, the willpower and senses of a survivor, and the charming personality an ugly drow.-0 RP
Language Quality: Standard: Start with Undercommon and Elven, with high Intelligence can choose from Aklo, Abyssal, Common, Drow Sign, Orcish or Goblin-0 RP

Elven Immunities-Immune to sleep, +2 vs enchantment spells and effects-2 RP

Integrated: +1 on bluff, disguise and knowledge (local)-1 RP

Static Bonus Feat: Improvised Weapon Mastery: You do not suffer any penalties for using an improvised weapon. Increase the amount of damage dealt by the improvised weapon by one step, to a max of 1D8 (2D6 if it's 2 handed). The improvised weapon has a crit threat range of 19-20/x2. - 2 RP

Orc Ferocity: Once per day, when a member of this race is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points, but is not killed, it can fight on for 1 more rounds as if disabled. At the end of its next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, it immediately falls unconscious and begins to die - 2 RP

Darkvision 60 feet - 2 RP

Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds members of this race for 1 round, on subsequent rounds they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area - -2 RP

Total RP: 7 (shot a bit low to account for the feat and personal bias)


You could bring those skill bonuses up to a more meaningful +2 to increase RP. Of course we've assuming that orcs and elves can breed. Some aberrant magical experiment perhaps...


I feel the drow-orc race' ability scores are slightly mismatched, especially considering that half-orcs get a plus two to any score.


The +2 is from their human half. Drow-Orc don't have a human half.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Ciaran Barnes wrote:
Of course we've assuming that orcs and elves can breed. Some aberrant magical experiment perhaps...

It would make sense, given how Tolkien considered orcs to originate. (Kids these days.... :) )


I have read Tolkien's origin of the beastial races. Orcs from elves, trolls from treants, etc. very interesting. Was that in silmarillion?


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

You can always make "non-standard" cross-breeds as specific mongrelman variants (I know, monstrous humanoid instead of humanoid; close enough...), using the race builder to set ability score bonuses and racial traits as appropriate.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

You can be a "second generation" half-elf. That way neither parent is human.


HowFortuitous wrote:

In the end the character decided to go with a half-drow, half-orc. The character background was really well crafted, the idea being that low-caste drow were paid or threatened into mating with orcs and other "brutish" races in order to create a strong slave force but smart enough to be somewhat tactical. It was an interesting enough idea I just grabbed the Advanced Race Guide and worked it out. This is the end result:

Brute-Blooded Drow
Type: Humanoid-0 RP
Size: Medium-0 RP
Base Speed: Nomral-0 RP
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Cha: Sporting Orcish strength, the willpower and senses of a survivor, and the charming personality an ugly drow.-0 RP
Language Quality: Standard: Start with Undercommon and Elven, with high Intelligence can choose from Aklo, Abyssal, Common, Drow Sign, Orcish or Goblin-0 RP

Elven Immunities-Immune to sleep, +2 vs enchantment spells and effects-2 RP

Integrated: +1 on bluff, disguise and knowledge (local)-1 RP

Static Bonus Feat: Improvised Weapon Mastery: You do not suffer any penalties for using an improvised weapon. Increase the amount of damage dealt by the improvised weapon by one step, to a max of 1D8 (2D6 if it's 2 handed). The improvised weapon has a crit threat range of 19-20/x2. - 2 RP

Orc Ferocity: Once per day, when a member of this race is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points, but is not killed, it can fight on for 1 more rounds as if disabled. At the end of its next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, it immediately falls unconscious and begins to die - 2 RP

Darkvision 60 feet - 2 RP

Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds members of this race for 1 round, on subsequent rounds they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area - -2 RP

Total RP: 7 (shot a bit low to account for the feat and personal bias)

Very nice. The charming personality section is good, but needs an extra word, "of an ugly Drow" perhaps?


DM Under The Bridge wrote:
HowFortuitous wrote:

In the end the character decided to go with a half-drow, half-orc. The character background was really well crafted, the idea being that low-caste drow were paid or threatened into mating with orcs and other "brutish" races in order to create a strong slave force but smart enough to be somewhat tactical. It was an interesting enough idea I just grabbed the Advanced Race Guide and worked it out. This is the end result:

Brute-Blooded Drow
Type: Humanoid-0 RP
Size: Medium-0 RP
Base Speed: Nomral-0 RP
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Cha: Sporting Orcish strength, the willpower and senses of a survivor, and the charming personality an ugly drow.-0 RP
Language Quality: Standard: Start with Undercommon and Elven, with high Intelligence can choose from Aklo, Abyssal, Common, Drow Sign, Orcish or Goblin-0 RP

Elven Immunities-Immune to sleep, +2 vs enchantment spells and effects-2 RP

Integrated: +1 on bluff, disguise and knowledge (local)-1 RP

Static Bonus Feat: Improvised Weapon Mastery: You do not suffer any penalties for using an improvised weapon. Increase the amount of damage dealt by the improvised weapon by one step, to a max of 1D8 (2D6 if it's 2 handed). The improvised weapon has a crit threat range of 19-20/x2. - 2 RP

Orc Ferocity: Once per day, when a member of this race is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points, but is not killed, it can fight on for 1 more rounds as if disabled. At the end of its next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, it immediately falls unconscious and begins to die - 2 RP

Darkvision 60 feet - 2 RP

Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds members of this race for 1 round, on subsequent rounds they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area - -2 RP

Total RP: 7 (shot a bit low to account for the feat and personal bias)

Very nice. The charming personality section is good, but needs an extra word, "of an ugly Drow" perhaps?

Wording does need work, was mostly just trying to get a balanced stat block. Honestly though, I like the end result enough that I will probably keep the race around in my games.


I like the idea of a Dwarf/Orc hybrid

* +2 Con, -2 int, +2 Str...might be a little too strong
* Count as Orc and Dwarf
* Darkvision 60'
* Move 30', Not slowed by encumberance

And that's all...the +2 Str and Con makes it pretty tough so I figured it shouldn't have too many other racial bonuses


Melee master race.

Silver Crusade

I would allow any humanoid combo. And if they could come up with a good explanation I would allow them to combine some non standard. With the race guide it is easy to do. Just give them a point limit. Any cultural based additions should be based on where they grew up. If the half orc/dwarf grew up among dwarves he would have the other abilities as well. But I wouldn't see him exposed to dwarven culture unless they were durgars(spelling) or another sub dwarven race


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Orc + Halfling = ???

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Blindmage wrote:

Orc + Halfling = ??? [/QUOTE

Physically challenging, particularly if the halfling is the mother.


HowFortuitous wrote:
I had a player come up with a question. They want to play a character who is a half-elf without a human parent. So half-elf/half-(not human). I'm curious, are there any rules for this anywhere?

New races are well handled by the Advanced Races Guide paizo put out. Wether a certain racial combination is even possible story wise is usually setting or home brew specific.

While I am by no means a Golarion scholar I don't think elves are fertile with any other humandiod specie besides humans in the setting.

That said, your the GM and rule 0 and the rule of cool always applies so if your cool with it in your game, go with alternative 'halves' and use the ARG to make them up. Regular half elves are 10 points I think. Just make up something similar with 10 points keeping in mind one hald IS still elven so don't lose too many of the iconinc elf inspired half elven racial traits.

Unklbuck wrote:
I like the idea of a Dwarf/Orc hybrid

There was a 3.5 compatibale game called 'Midnight' where the prime evil god of the setting had lost the celestial war but had tricked the good gods to banish him to 'earth'. When they did he managed to make it his home plan and lock out all other gods from influencing or being able to use power on the world.

In that world setting there were Dwarf/Orc hybrids called dworgs and they were the absolutely most hated race on the planet, killed on sight by both dwarves AND orcs and their kin.

But they were tough as all hell.

Grand Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Blindmage wrote:
Orc + Halfling = ???

Well, I believe Orc + Gnome, but only because Gnome would totally be into that.

Why? They were bored.


A Gnorc?

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Advice / Non human parent in half-orcs / elves All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Advice