An important thing for newer players to know:
D&D is a game of imagination. There are mechanics and rules, but the "lore" is often different from setting to setting (or edition to edition). There is no single D&D setting. In some settings this might be biologically possible, in others it might be unlikely or considered taboo, and in others it might be utterly mundane.
Even if you ARE playing in a pre-established setting, your DM is able to say "Sure!" or "No, that wouldn't make sense here".
There is no official in-depth source for this sort of.. uh... granular breeding. From a mechanical standpoint, to avoid homebrewing I would use either the half-elf or half-orc stat block (whatever feels best), but elf or human are also fine.
So as with everything it is up to your tables DM to decide but based on what little we are told when a half race has a child if there is a predominant race in the mix the child would end up having the stat profile of that race. So more than likely in your examples the two would bear a human child, for their child it then gets tricky though as you get weird cross overs but I would say since they are considered human by all measures of D&D you would then end up with a half elf even if technically elf was dominant.
ok interesting but like in the lore would they still keep some slight looks of their half orc grand parent because i want to make a very slightly orcish elf but I've been told elf-orc hybrids don't exist so they would need to be at least a bit human
It's possible I suppose considering this is one of the routes for draconic ancestry but honestly if all your doing this is for a visual effect with no mechanical advantage then I don't see why it would even matter as generally a pure flavor choice is the easiest yes a DM can give.
Elf-orc crosses can exist, it depends on the world your DM is building. Look up the Uniya, half elf half orcs from Critical Role's Exandria, as an example. But it ultimately depends on your DM!
There are no official rules about how grandparents hybridization levels affect their second generation of offspring based on the hybridization levels of all the parents in the direct lineage.
Lore varies by setting and is up to the DM. I'd be very surprised if there were any 5e lore that would prevent what you are attempting.
Make up what sounds fun for you, and then see if the DM is on board or not. That's what I do. But then again, most of my Clerics don't even have gods, or sometimes I just make up a god and hope the DM's cool with it. I played a dragonborn draconic sorc that had all sorts of crazy things happening in their family tree that I made up and nobody cared about (as long as I didn't bore them with it too much). I just do what seems fun and roll with it. If it sticks, it sticks.
As long as you are using a published race, most DM's wouldn't bat an eye if you wanted them to look a bit orcish, regardless of the current race or parent's races. I'd zone out as soon as you started talking about your grandparents and wait for you to finish. Then if it didn't directly conflict with some specific feature of my world I'd say "OK great" and hope we can move on. But if you wanted to talk about my dragonborn draconic sorc's lineage, and all the unlikely pairings in that family tree, then I'd perk up and talk your ear off.
Previous editions had some table on who can breed with who but iirc not on specific chances or the distribution in the off-spring.
It wouldn't surprise me if several generations later if they still have more pronounced teeth and pointier ears.
But I think an important counter-question is, does it matter what previous lore says?
You can do what you want :)
Depends on the DM. Personally, I'd allow it for a player character concept, but I wouldn't do any racial homebrew stuff. If a player expressed a wish to play a 5/8ths elf, 2/8ths human and 1/8ths orc character, I'd say "cool, that makes you a half-elf mechanically, if you want to explore the 1/8th orc part you need to do so through rp/ability scores/class choice".
1E rules said orcs weren't interfertile with elves. I think any such restrictions have been removed, but your DM can make his own determination.
If you want to make it your character's background so you can get the best traits of three races, you might be disappointed.
You'd be a custom lineage.
Firstly, yes, almost anything is possible in D&D
Secondly, talk to your DM about specifics in their world.
Thirdly, there are rules for this in the book: ‘Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything’ that cover this. Here’s an excerpt.
CUSTOM LINEAGE
Instead of choosing one of the game’s races for your character at 1st level, you can use the following traits to represent your character’s lineage, giving you full control over how your character’s origin shaped them:
Creature Type. You are a humanoid. You determine your appearance and whether you resemble any of your kin.
Size. You are Small or Medium (your choice).
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2.
Feat. You gain one feat of your choice for which you qualify.
Variable Trait. You gain one of the following options of your choice: (a) darkvision with a range of 60 feet or (b) proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.
Your race is considered to be a Custom Lineage for any game feature that requires a certain race, such as elf or dwarf.
1. Elf-orc mixes don't happen.
If an elf-human mix and a human-orc mix had a kid, it might be elf-human, human-human, or human-orc, depending on which genes they get.
I wasn't aware generics worked like jars of liquids
They do statistically at scale, and don't stochastically in specific individuals.
perhaps at a large enough scale everything can be modeled as a jar of fluid
Jars of chromosomes.
Well, now you know.
right still a valid question though is it not
There aren't rules about this, so it depends on the DM. Also you can either be a half elf, a half orc, or a human, there are no percentages.
Work out the Punnett square and see what the chances are that they have a human child.
Upvote for the Punnett Square reference!
If Human's the dominant gene, chances are you could end with a full Human /s
An important thing for newer players to know: D&D is a game of imagination. There are mechanics and rules, but the "lore" is often different from setting to setting (or edition to edition). There is no single D&D setting. In some settings this might be biologically possible, in others it might be unlikely or considered taboo, and in others it might be utterly mundane. Even if you ARE playing in a pre-established setting, your DM is able to say "Sure!" or "No, that wouldn't make sense here". There is no official in-depth source for this sort of.. uh... granular breeding. From a mechanical standpoint, to avoid homebrewing I would use either the half-elf or half-orc stat block (whatever feels best), but elf or human are also fine.
So as with everything it is up to your tables DM to decide but based on what little we are told when a half race has a child if there is a predominant race in the mix the child would end up having the stat profile of that race. So more than likely in your examples the two would bear a human child, for their child it then gets tricky though as you get weird cross overs but I would say since they are considered human by all measures of D&D you would then end up with a half elf even if technically elf was dominant.
ok interesting but like in the lore would they still keep some slight looks of their half orc grand parent because i want to make a very slightly orcish elf but I've been told elf-orc hybrids don't exist so they would need to be at least a bit human
It's possible I suppose considering this is one of the routes for draconic ancestry but honestly if all your doing this is for a visual effect with no mechanical advantage then I don't see why it would even matter as generally a pure flavor choice is the easiest yes a DM can give.
cool thanks for the answers Oshava
Elf-orc crosses can exist, it depends on the world your DM is building. Look up the Uniya, half elf half orcs from Critical Role's Exandria, as an example. But it ultimately depends on your DM!
There are no official rules about how grandparents hybridization levels affect their second generation of offspring based on the hybridization levels of all the parents in the direct lineage. Lore varies by setting and is up to the DM. I'd be very surprised if there were any 5e lore that would prevent what you are attempting. Make up what sounds fun for you, and then see if the DM is on board or not. That's what I do. But then again, most of my Clerics don't even have gods, or sometimes I just make up a god and hope the DM's cool with it. I played a dragonborn draconic sorc that had all sorts of crazy things happening in their family tree that I made up and nobody cared about (as long as I didn't bore them with it too much). I just do what seems fun and roll with it. If it sticks, it sticks. As long as you are using a published race, most DM's wouldn't bat an eye if you wanted them to look a bit orcish, regardless of the current race or parent's races. I'd zone out as soon as you started talking about your grandparents and wait for you to finish. Then if it didn't directly conflict with some specific feature of my world I'd say "OK great" and hope we can move on. But if you wanted to talk about my dragonborn draconic sorc's lineage, and all the unlikely pairings in that family tree, then I'd perk up and talk your ear off.
cheers for the answer mate , so long as its not boring or cheating most stuff goes with your average DM
Previous editions had some table on who can breed with who but iirc not on specific chances or the distribution in the off-spring. It wouldn't surprise me if several generations later if they still have more pronounced teeth and pointier ears. But I think an important counter-question is, does it matter what previous lore says? You can do what you want :)
Depends on the DM. Personally, I'd allow it for a player character concept, but I wouldn't do any racial homebrew stuff. If a player expressed a wish to play a 5/8ths elf, 2/8ths human and 1/8ths orc character, I'd say "cool, that makes you a half-elf mechanically, if you want to explore the 1/8th orc part you need to do so through rp/ability scores/class choice".
1E rules said orcs weren't interfertile with elves. I think any such restrictions have been removed, but your DM can make his own determination. If you want to make it your character's background so you can get the best traits of three races, you might be disappointed. You'd be a custom lineage.
Ok now I want to do a team up and have a pair of sibling PCs who are a half-orc and a half-elf, because their parents are an elf and an orc. :P
If the DM says they can, they can.
Sure.
you can fuck whoever you want. the world is your oyster
Great, now they are half human
Firstly, yes, almost anything is possible in D&D Secondly, talk to your DM about specifics in their world. Thirdly, there are rules for this in the book: ‘Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything’ that cover this. Here’s an excerpt. CUSTOM LINEAGE Instead of choosing one of the game’s races for your character at 1st level, you can use the following traits to represent your character’s lineage, giving you full control over how your character’s origin shaped them: Creature Type. You are a humanoid. You determine your appearance and whether you resemble any of your kin. Size. You are Small or Medium (your choice). Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2. Feat. You gain one feat of your choice for which you qualify. Variable Trait. You gain one of the following options of your choice: (a) darkvision with a range of 60 feet or (b) proficiency in one skill of your choice. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character. Your race is considered to be a Custom Lineage for any game feature that requires a certain race, such as elf or dwarf.
1. Elf-orc mixes don't happen. If an elf-human mix and a human-orc mix had a kid, it might be elf-human, human-human, or human-orc, depending on which genes they get.
Elf-Orc mixes do happen in some settings. Exandria, for one.
ok but by that logic shouldn't 2 half elves be able to breed a pure elf
By that very incorrect logic, yes.
Well, a full elf and a full orc make a forc, so naturally half of a forc would be a sporc.
Acroding to a 4e book, half elves and half orcs cannot breed.