Hybrid Races

[Sysryke]

Short of building something custom with ARG and race points, are there any rules which let one hybridize the races, or mix and match more than one racial feature?

I'm not super clear on how the heritage feat/trait works. I know changelings can get some pieces through alternate racial traits.

But say I wanted to blend an Undine with Kitsune. Really any potential combo.

Tangent: Are there any rules that allow for variant ability bonuses on any ? Not above houserules, but like to see if there is something published (and theoretically balanced) first.

[VoodistMonk]

I don't know of anything published or official, but just dropping the stat adjustments altogether and picking your wanted features from each race seems like the easiest.

[Sysryke]

Fair point, but that's the house rule path. Want to see if there are any rules first. Since I'm not a professional game designer, I tend to assume (on average) that published rules will be more balanced than something I rig up to get what I want. My group is willing to go that way if necessary, but we like a framework that strives for balance to start. Exceptions exist of course, but too many changes and we might as well play a different system. Loves me some Pathfinder, but I have been jonesing for Marvel. Sadly, at least for now, my group doesn't wish to branch out.

[Sysryke]

Clarifying the tangent question. Back in I think 3.5, but maybe older, there was a variant elf race that got a Str boost instead of Dex. I know there are similar options for Aasimars and Tieflings. I'm looking for any published source, not just a house rule PDF, that gives similar options to other or all races.

Edit: If nothing like this exists. Can anyone speak to the mechanical side of how free form ability bonuses on races could affect game balance? The thematics is a different debate on other threads; just want to know if there are any ability score and class feature combos that would/could be significantly unbalanced.

[Name Violation]

Use the race builder mechanics and stat one up

[avr]

The racial heritage and planar heritage feats just let you count as another race for taking racial options like favored class bonuses and feats.

I'm sure there was a (3rd party) book on this for D&D 3.5, but I can't remember seeing a PF equivalent. Besides the ARG anyway.

[gnoams]

It would be fairly simple to do using the ARG. Like take an elf, drop elven immunities (2rp) add orc ferocity (2rp), but nothing I know of that lets you do that in the official rules..

There is the racial heritage feat, but it is human only (nobody else can crossbreed apparently?), and it just makes you count as another type of humanoid, which allows you to take options (feats, archetypes, favored class bonuses, etc) restricted to said race. You can't use it to gain traits like orc ferocity (not to be confused with the other kind of traits, like warrior of old, which it does let you qualify for).

Personally, I dropped racial ability modifiers from my home games and instead give everyone a +2 to one physical stat and +2 to one mental stat.

[FamiliarMask]

Sysryke wrote:

Short of building something custom with ARG and race points, are there any rules which let one hybridize the races, or mix and match more than one racial feature?

I'm not super clear on how the heritage feat/trait works. I know changelings can get some pieces through alternate racial traits.

But say I wanted to blend an Undine with Kitsune. Really any potential combo.

Tangent: Are there any rules that allow for variant ability bonuses on any ? Not above houserules, but like to see if there is something published (and theoretically balanced) first.

Bastards of Golarion has a "Distant Heritages" section on pages 30-31 that tells you to use the race builder rules from ARG.

"Characters with diverse racial heritages can be created
by using the race builder rules found on page 214 of the
Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide. Simply begin with 9
Race Points (RP) and purchase racial traits appropriate for
the races that make up your heritage."

The rest of the section provides suggestions for various heritage combinations, but no new mechanics. I think that's about as official as you're gonna get...

[Sysryke]

Thanks all, had a feeling it might come to that. Guess it's time for me to go to the body heap and start cobbling pieces together :p

[Tim Emrick]

The Amalgam template from Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary literally lets you combine any two creatures into a hybrid. Because you usually end up with all or most of the best traits of both creatures, it's rarely suitable for creating a new playable character race. Also, the more dissimilar the two base creatures, the harder it will be to apply the template and gauge the new CR accurately.

[Theaitetos]

Well, there's always the option to turn a racial trait into a feat, that a player can take during character creation (level 1). Half-Elves have the option to take:

Human Spirit which grants the human "Skilled" racial trait,
Elven Spirit which grants the elven "Elven Magic" racial trait, or
Drow Spirit which grants the drow "Spell-Like Abilities" racial trait.
These feats explicitly allow trading those racial traits for alternate racial traits, too, just as if you had it from your race to begin with.