There are lots of half-human races. Half-elfs, half-orcs, half-dwarves, half-whatever else. Humans (and dragons) are the most prolific ring species. This got me thinking that maybe humans and at least some demihumans and humanoids share common ancestry. So I got an idea from reading other ideas (and Tolkien cosmogony).

In the beginning were the true fey, beings of chaos that could assume any form they choose. So some of them became trapped in physical forms. Humans were those trapped in flesh, elves those trapped in trees, dwarves those trapped in stone, etc. Thus, they are able to produce fertile hybrid children and thus resulted in the many different varieties that now exist. The demihumans races commonly known are those which share the most human (mortal) blood and hence the most human-like psychology.

Thoughts?

In the Majestic Wilderlands the One (i.e. God) created Men and Elves and sent the Lords to teach them. Yes very Tolkienesque and deliberately so. Eventually a faction arose that advocated what they believe was a better plan for creation. They decided to say to hell with and decided to impose it on everybody else. This faction became known as the demons.

Among other things they did they took the race of man and mutated dozens of new races in a desire to create the perfect servitor race. (Dwarves, gnomes, halflngs, orcs, goblins, lizardmen, minotaurs, centaurs, etc, etc). Eventually the demons were overthrown and imprisoned in the Abyss. The Lords became gods when they decided the best way to teach was through faith and religions, and the survivors were left to find their own destiny as the different sentient races we find in D&D.

One afternoon, back in the 80s, I went through the MM, FF, and MMII and listed all the sentient culture forming races , filled up most of a letter size page. There a lot! So I eventually I came up an explanation of how it came about.

The Elves are deliberately omitted because they had a different nature than Man. Elves were an immortal unchanging part of the Wilderlands. They could be killed but at some point their body would reformed and they would resurrected. It took a while for this to happen and the more powerful the elf the longer it appears to take. Some Elven rulers that were killed at the dawn of history still haven't resurrected yet. While Elves that lived only a century often reappeared within a decade.

And yes I am well aware that this is barely modified from the Tolkien original. I am a fan of the Silmarillion and this is one of its aspect I used in my campaign.

I did something similar, as I thought that most of the humanoid races should be "human".

First came the ur-Adan, formed and ensouled by the Ancient of Days. The Ancient's command- "Create, Grow, Build, Change, Ruin. But Never Destroy."

Those that became the Adan (human) we adopted by the Patron of Spring, Midwife of the Inundation. They are the most varied and best at enduring change.

Those that became Umbarim (dwarven) were adopted by the Patron of Stone, Mother of Mountains. They are the strongest and always wear an item of stone.

Those that became Henggrin (halflings) were adopted by the Patron of Sea, Keeper of Secrets. They hide on their islands, and have since their Patron was lost in the Strife.

Those that became Glaetyri (elves) were adopted by the Patron of Summer, the Far-Sighted. Seeing the strife to come, He hid the Glaetyri so that they would be strong when the others were broken.

Lastly, the Yarcha (orcs) who were not formed or shaped by the Ancient of Days or the Seven Patrons, but rather by the hand of the Adan. Souless, rapacious, hungering to fill a void within them that they cannot understand.

*   *   *   *

Items crafted by the Adan, Umbarim, and Henggrin can be used pretty interchangeably. Glaetyri items are not understood by other races, and act chaotically if used. Yarcha items can be used by the Adan, but are uniformally violent. Only the first three are available for PCs, although there are some who have a Glaetyri bloodline.

I also don't use "half-" races, although bloodlines are a possibility. The difference for me is your character can look like however you want but these are the available lists of racial bonuses, penalties, and quirks. Pick one.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;946186Thoughts?

Humans tell one story. Elves another. Dwarves another still. Orcs and goblinoids yet another.

Who's right?

I don't fucking care.

Eh, I've got a big sticky in the Design and Development sub-forum where I lay out a fantasy world where an Ur-race created most of the known fantasy races as slaves of one sort or another, then... in the big secret of the setting (or not), the Elves and Orcs interbred (not all of them, obviously) and created the Humans while under siege from one of the few races not linked to that Ur-race (the Titans, in the setting).  It was a big deal around here an eon ago in internet time.

Dwelflings, the UR-demihumans.

Short, thin, broad shouldered, pointy ears, beards, live in rocky hills in the forest, like throwing axes...

Quote from: Ashakyre;946214Dwelflings, the UR-demihumans.

Short, thin, broad shouldered, pointy ears, beards, live in rocky hills in the forest, like throwing axes...

Are they on a hunt for a Dark Crystal perhaps?

In D&D and any setting where theres cross compatibility  I just assume that either A: the races are all variants of some original progenitor species that over time split off into variations where one or more mutations became ingrained into the branches as a whole due to nature. Or B, magic and/or gods did it.

Similar to how in the real world there are towns where everyone has six(or more) fingers and toes instead of 5 since it is an autosomal dominant mutation. Or where my dads family hailed from in Europe where apparently everyone was under 5ft(1.5m) tall.

But you can make of it whatever you want. Like maybee there are no half-elves or half-orcs. Or maybee theres half-dwarves and half-half-lings and half-kobolds and... you get the idea.

Thunder Rift had the idea of a dwarf-elf hybrid. Another one from Polyhedron had half-Kobolds.

Quote from: Spike;946209Eh, I've got a big sticky in the Design and Development sub-forum where I lay out a fantasy world where an Ur-race created most of the known fantasy races as slaves of one sort or another, then... in the big secret of the setting (or not), the Elves and Orcs interbred (not all of them, obviously) and created the Humans while under siege from one of the few races not linked to that Ur-race (the Titans, in the setting).  It was a big deal around here an eon ago in internet time.

Meh, pretty nonsensical, I'm with Black Vulmea on this. Sorry but stupid is stupid.

Quote from: Omega;946240In D&D and any setting where theres cross compatibility  I just assume that either A: the races are all variants of some original progenitor species that over time split off into variations where one or more mutations became ingrained into the branches as a whole due to nature. Or B, magic and/or gods did it.

Similar to how in the real world there are towns where everyone has six(or more) fingers and toes instead of 5 since it is an autosomal dominant mutation. Or where my dads family hailed from in Europe where apparently everyone was under 5ft(1.5m) tall.

But you can make of it whatever you want. Like maybee there are no half-elves or half-orcs. Or maybee theres half-dwarves and half-half-lings and half-kobolds and... you get the idea.

Thunder Rift had the idea of a dwarf-elf hybrid. Another one from Polyhedron had half-Kobolds.

So your version of elves is Shadowrun with hatred of actual elves? Cool. Elves are supposed to be taller, prettier, faster, longer lived, more intelligent then us. Yet dying as a race because God doesn't like a race that actually could question why he's an asshat. Cool, it matches my view of the asshole perfectly and I worship him IRL full on no pass go.

It's why I play Elf Cat Shamans in  Shadowrun. If you're going to be an asshole at least have a believable reason. Yours isn't.

Quote from: Marleycat;946245So your version of elves is Shadowrun with hatred of actual elves? Cool. Elves are supposed to be taller, prettier, faster, longer lived, more intelligent then us. Yet dying as a race because God doesn't like a race that actually could question why he's an asshat. Cool, it matches my view of the asshole perfectly and I worship him IRL full on no pass go.

It's why I play Elf Cat Shamans in  Shadowrun. If you're going to be an asshole at least have a believable reason. Yours isn't.

While running the 5e campaign I was playing up a faction of elves who think themselves better than other races and would like to kick the humans and other "lesser" races off the continent. Half-elves are looked on as little different from half-orcs (and are viewed as human). While not as big as the elf kingdom over the mountains. They are steadily driving out of the forests the goblin and human settlements. "Retaking what was theirs" Or so they claim. Meanwhile the gnomes are trying to drive out the halflings from the hills and expand their territory further south and also encroach into the human lands.

On the other hand the campaign Im in with Jan and Kefra has no hybrids. Half-orcs are just called orcs as they breed true with humans. And Half-elves are treated as a variant human race for the same reason. One of the players from one of the tandem groups is one of those and from his account theres some contention over the fact elves dont breed true with humans but orcs do.

Whereas in BX when I GMed there werent any hybrids.

Quote from: Spike;946221Are they on a hunt for a Dark Crystal perhaps?

I liked that movie...

I once created a setting in which Orks are male-only human-Demon halfbreeds, Elves were in fact half Fae creatures, and Dwarves were humans, ancient clans that were magically twisted into mining creatures.  Like most settings I created, it didn't go anywhere this one.

Quote from: Marleycat;946243Meh, pretty nonsensical, I'm with Black Vulmea on this. Sorry but stupid is stupid.

Would you care to elaborate or are you dismissing with a mere word?

Quote from: Marleycat;946243Meh, pretty nonsensical, I'm with Black Vulmea on this. Sorry but stupid is stupid.

I agree, except for Dark Sun's hilarious cannibal haflings who are secretly the world's Master Race. Class A gonzo shit.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;946272I liked that movie...

I once created a setting in which Orks are male-only human-Demon halfbreeds, Elves were in fact half Fae creatures, and Dwarves were humans, ancient clans that were magically twisted into mining creatures.  Like most settings I created, it didn't go anywhere this one.

I would have LOVED a Dark Crystal RPG as a kid. There was a pretty good ultra-primitive computer game. Stafford would have done a great job with the setting.