[PF, 3.5] Not Just Humans Can Mix with Elves and Orcs

While playing Munchkin a couple of weeks ago, a player got a “half-breed” card which lets him combine any two races.  Then it hit me: why does D&D (and Pathfinder, etc.) only list half-elf and half-orc as possible half-breeds? Why not half-dwarf, or for that matter halfling-elf or gnome-orc?

Well, I guess the reasons are one of:

• It is a fantasy game (and particularly with earlier editions which had other arbitrary restrictions such as level limits and class restrictions) one could easily say that the DNA of many races don’t mix.
• A world builder could also say that in the game setting some races hate each other and such mixes would be one in a million.
• And in Lord of the Rings and most other popular fantasy fiction, these other half-breeds don’t exist.

But with many published settings, novels to draw from, and many other home brew settings, why aren’t other combinations more common? Why isn’t there a sourcebook listing most of the possible combinations with stats for each?  (Or is there a book I’m not aware of?)

Scanning the web, I see Dark Sun had a half dwarf. But I don’t see prominent examples of other mixes.  Are there any Pathfinder or 3.5 resources for this I’m missing?

In order to fully illustrate the point, lets look at some game rules (Pathfinder, but one should be able to easily adjust them to 3.5) of a few other possible mixes:

Dwarf-Elf

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Dwarf-elves are gain a bit of dexterity from the elven side and a bit of wisdom from their dwarven side, but their personalities are usually either gruff or aloof.
• Medium: Dwarf-elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Slow and Steady: Like Dwarves, dwarf-elves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
• Darkvision: Dwarf-elves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. (see darkvision).
• Hardy: Dwarf-elves receive a +1 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
• Elven Immunities: Dwarf-Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +1 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
• Stability: Dwarf-elves receive a +2 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
• Keen Senses: Dwarf-elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks. This also applies to stonework as a Dwarf.
• Weapon Familiarity: Dwarf-Elves may choose a Dwarf’s weapon familiarity (proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon) or an Elf’s (Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.)
• Languages: Dwarf-Elves begin play speaking Common, Dwarven and Elven. Dwarves-Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, Sylvan and Undercommon.

Human-Gnome (or half-gnome, if you insist on being human-centric)

• +2 to One Ability Score: Human-Gnome characters get a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
• Medium: Human-Gnomes are just large enough to be Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Normal Speed: Humans-Gnomes have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Human-Gnomes can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light (see low-light vision.)
• Gnome Magic: Human-Gnomes add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against illusion spells that they cast. Gnomes with a Charisma of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities:
  • 1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation, and speak with animals. The caster level for these effects is equal to the gnome’s level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the gnome’s Charisma modifier.
• Illusion Resistance: Human-Gnomes get a +1 racial saving throw bonus against illusion spells or effects.
• Weapon Familiarity: Human-Gnomes treat any weapon with the word “gnome” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Languages: Human-Gnomes begin play speaking Common and Gnome. Gnomes with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.

Halfling-Orc

• +2 to One Ability Score: Halfling-Orc combinations complement each side’s strengths and weaknesses.  Therefore characters get a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
• Medium: Again, the two sides offset and so Halfling-Orcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Normal Speed: Halfling-orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Fearless: Halfling-orcs receive a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear.
• Keen Senses: Halfling-orcs receive a +1 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
• Darkvision: Halfling-orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet (see darkvision.)
• Orc Blood: Halfling-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
• Weapon Familiarity: Halfling-orcs are proficient with slings,  greataxes and falchions and treat any weapon with the word “orc” or “halfling” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Languages: Half-orcs begin play speaking Common, Halfling and Orc. Half-orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, and Goblin.

Design/Balance Notes

When considering which racial abilities to keep for each combination, I attempted to keep the aspects which are more iconic.  For every ability I kept, I tried to drop another. In cases where a +2 or +4 bonus was given to a skill, save, etc., I usually cut it in half because I often wasn’t able to drop half of the overall racial abilities.  Then one needs to balance the result against what a normal human gets (+2 to one ability, extra feat and an extra skill point per level.)

If you like where this is going, please leave a comment, including any constructive criticism. Or if you hate it and don’t think I should spend any more time with it, that’s good to know too.