What do you think of these, Paizanos?
Half-orc template
CR: Same as the base creature +0
Alignment: Any
Size/Type: Add the orc subtype to the base creature’s type. Size is unchanged.
Special Qualities: A half-orc replaces all the base creature’s bonus feats and skills and saving throw bonuses with Darkvision and Orc Ferocity.
Attacks: A half-orc retains the attacks and weapon and armor proficiencies of the base creature and becomes proficient with greataxes and falchions and treats any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon as well.
Languages: A half-orc retains any base creature languages and adds Orc.
Half-elf template
CR: Same as the base creature +0
Alignment: Any
Size/Type: Add the elf subtype to the base creature’s type. Size is unchanged.
Special Qualities: A half-elf replaces all the base creature’s bonus feats and skills and saving throw bonuses with Adaptability, Elven Immunities and Keen Senses. It also acquires a favored class in addition to any the base creature may already have.
Low-light Vision: Half-elves receive Low-Light Vision, which replaces Darkvision or any other sightedness.
Languages: A half-elf retains any base creatures languages and adds Elven.
Two examples (poor things):
Dwelf (14 RP)
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Dwelves are both tough and wise, but also a bit grumpy.
Medium: Dwelves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Dwelves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Low-light vision: Dwelves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Adaptability: Dwelves receive Skill Focus as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Dwelf Blood: Dwelves count as both elves and dwarves for any effect related to race.
Defensive Training: Dwelves get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
Elven Immunities: Dwelves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
Hatred: Dwelves receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
Keen Senses: Dwelves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Multitalented: Dwelves choose two favored classes at first level and gain +1 hit point or +1 skill point whenever they take a level in either one of those classes.
Stability: Dwelves receive a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Weapon Familiarity: Dwelves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages: Dwelves begin play speaking Common, Dwarven and Elven. Dwelves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
Dworc (13 RP)
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Dworcs are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff.
Medium: Dworcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Dworcs have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Dworcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Defensive Training: Dworcs get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
Dworc Blood: Dworcs count as both dwarves and orcs for any effect related to race.
Hatred: Dworcs receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes.
Intimidating: Dworcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate skill checks due to their fearsome nature.
Orc Ferocity: Once per day, when a half-orc is brought below 0 hit points but not killed, he can fight on for one more round as if disabled. At the end of his next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, he immediately falls unconscious and begins dying.
Stability: Dworcs receive a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Weapon Familiarity: Dworcs are proficient with battleaxes, falchions, greataxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the words “dwarven” or “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages: Dworcs begin play speaking Common, Dwarven, and Orc. Dworcs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Terran, and Undercommon.
I really, really hate "half-X" races. Your examples just reinforce that, lol.
That said, what are you attempting to accomplish with the templates? Plug & play race generation?
I think there are too many variables to account for with a template and that you'd be best served using "alternate racial traits" as with subraces to represent half breeds, which ends up more work, overall, but allows more control.
I'm trying to create templates that are backward-compatible with the existing half-orc and half-elf races in the CRB. (Never could understand why humans make babies with everything but elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and everything else under the sun don't.)
I'll have to think about alternate racial traits. That's an interesting idea. But I'd probably do it as an entire 'racial subtype,' the way it's presented in the ARG. That way it would be more plug-and-play, as you say.
That's probably the safest bet and should minimize any issues that might crop up.
We don't have half elves and so on in the traditional sense in my setting (others in our group do when they run, however). For example, Bob the half elf has a human mother and elf father. When generating his character, he gets to choose either the elf or human race as the framework for his character. Additionally, depending on what culture he was raised in, he can select those cultural traits (so, despite being human in terms of stat choice, if he was raised in an elf community, he could select cultural traits from said community).
I Played around with an idea like this using alternate racial traits. It worked out pretty well. Owen K.C. Stephens who is now a Developer for Paizo wrote Bastards and Bloodline for Green Ronin, which has some interesting takes on potential halfbreeds.
Humans are the only things that can breed with other races because they are the most versatile, there is a reason that humans are the only thing that can produce offspring with other races.
I read that in some old edition somewhere gnomes are actually the result of dwarf-human breeding, or half-dwarves (obviously not in pathfinder).
I'm also fairly certain that a human crossed with a halfling just produces a halfling.
You will notice most of the other half breed templates like half dragon and half celestial, usually come from being able to assume human form and mate with humans. Though it does add crazy new context to mounting a dragon....
Actually, with Golarion at least, half-dwarves and half-gnomes flat out don't exist (without things like Wish). There's a sidebar in Bastards of Golarion about it. They're not compatible or some such.
little red goblin games actually designed a full create a hybrid system of what is basically alt race traits in Halfbreeds and hybrids along with some unique fleshed out combinations
(Never could understand why humans make babies with everything but elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and everything else under the sun don't.)
The way I think of it, it is kinda like dogs. Sure, Great Danes and Chihuahuas are genetically compatible. But there is no way they would every mate (size issue here, cultural for the Elves and Dwarves). Humans are like the mutts or coyotes of Pathfinder and fantasy in general. They just don't care what they have sex with, and it ends up with them having some half-breed children.
(Never could understand why humans make babies with everything but elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and everything else under the sun don't.)The way I think of it, it is kinda like dogs. Sure, Great Danes and Chihuahuas are genetically compatible. But there is no way they would every mate (size issue here, cultural for the Elves and Dwarves). Humans are like the mutts or coyotes of Pathfinder and fantasy in general. They just don't care what they have sex with, and it ends up with them having some half-breed children.
I thought it was kind of like donkeys and horses. Yeah, you could get a mule, but it's a sterile match. Add in societal pressures and xenoism (?) and you could see why these things live as far away from organized groups as possible or pretend they are something other than what they are... or even more likely, both the mother and child die in childbirth without some sort of magical intervention.
The third-party supplement 'The Quintessential Half-Orc' introduced Savraree, orc/elf hybrids.
Could you apply these templates to any race? Could one put the half-elf template on a Human to create a Human with the half-elf template, rather than just using the Half-Elf core race? What about on an Elf? How about a Half-Elf with the Half-Elf template? Does it have to be a humanoid? What about an Aasimar Half-Elf? Hag Half-Elf? Angel Half-Elf? Are you going to make a Half-Human template? If so, what would be the difference between a Gnome with a Half-Human template and a Human with a Half-Gnome template? These are questions that need to be answered.
Yes, you could. Whether or not it would create a happy result is another story.