Kind of like the title says. Mostly I was curious if I could create a deep gnome whose father was in love/married to another race. I realize that deep gnomes in general are distrustful of other races, but is it possible for an outlier?
Agreed - there are no rules either way so far as I know. The closest thing to it is from the 6e unearthed arcana where it doesn’t disallow interstices breeding but does require you to pick one or the other for the basic character abilities etc while allowing to include features etc from both in the description. Basically eliminating the power gaming nonsense of picking the better features of both species while eliminating the limiting features - which any good DM was probably already doing.
There's no rule that disallows this nor is there any good reason why the "two individuals care very deeply about each other" aspect should be limited by such lines, but the "mechanical" side of it is up to DM's discretion, particularly when we're talking more disparate physiologies like a live birthing species and an egg-laying one. There's basically no official material addressing that in 5e, and the One D&D (it's not a new edition) UA essentially just said "DM's discretion what pairings can produce offspring". The DM does also have some discretion over what the cultural dynamics and such in play in their setting are, which might have some impact depending how everything is set up. If nothing else geography could be a factor; there's no physical reason why an individual indigenous to the East Coast of the US couldn't have had a child with someone indigenous to China, but I rather doubt it occurred anytime in say the 15th Century. (Brief personal rant) Sometimes I feel like the current trend of worldbuilding leans too heavily on tossing everything into one big mixing pot, which undercuts the in-setting wonder of encountering races unlike those characters in the initial part of the setting know of.
TLDR: No, there's no hard rule about what pairings can or cannot produce offspring, but depending how everything is set up in a given world, some particular arrangements might go beyond "uncommon" and into "astronomically unlikely to have had the chance to happen at all", and the DM does have final say in what is viable under both points in their setting.
exactly! However in the new iteration there are PC half elves or Half orcs as the species bonus have disappeared and become background bonuses. You are free to describe the appearance of your PC as half way between the parents but there are/will be no longer species ASIs of any sort.
Perhaps your char's parents just were really in love and had the strenght to let every distrust and paranoia aside to have your character as a token of their relationship's evolution.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“If you define yourself by the power to take life, the desire to dominate, to possess...then you have nothing.”
There are optional rules about mixed race spawns mechanic-wise, and there's precedent for mixed race species. As mentioned above, we have Half-Elves, Half-Orcs. Etc. Humans pretty much breed with anything, so you shouldn't have to worry too much. Ultimately it comes down to DM discretion. If you're the DM, absolutely create a Deep Gnome with a father from another species. If you're a player, talk with your DM about it. If they're unsure, you could easily have a step-father be of a different species. Love is, well, Love is love. Even if the two species aren't compatible for reproductive reasons, there is no reason they can't take a love for companionship. It might be taboo for their community, but to the hells with them, right?
Kind of like the title says. Mostly I was curious if I could create a deep gnome whose father was in love/married to another race. I realize that deep gnomes in general are distrustful of other races, but is it possible for an outlier?
Of course! Species aren't a monolith, there will always be outliers, especially if your character grew up in a more social environment, that may help out a good bit.
Kind of like the title says. Mostly I was curious if I could create a deep gnome whose father was in love/married to another race. I realize that deep gnomes in general are distrustful of other races, but is it possible for an outlier?
Why not? No species is a monolith, this is no world of hats. Do whatever you want.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Agreed - there are no rules either way so far as I know. The closest thing to it is from the 6e unearthed arcana where it doesn’t disallow interstices breeding but does require you to pick one or the other for the basic character abilities etc while allowing to include features etc from both in the description. Basically eliminating the power gaming nonsense of picking the better features of both species while eliminating the limiting features - which any good DM was probably already doing.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
There's no rule that disallows this nor is there any good reason why the "two individuals care very deeply about each other" aspect should be limited by such lines, but the "mechanical" side of it is up to DM's discretion, particularly when we're talking more disparate physiologies like a live birthing species and an egg-laying one. There's basically no official material addressing that in 5e, and the One D&D (it's not a new edition) UA essentially just said "DM's discretion what pairings can produce offspring". The DM does also have some discretion over what the cultural dynamics and such in play in their setting are, which might have some impact depending how everything is set up. If nothing else geography could be a factor; there's no physical reason why an individual indigenous to the East Coast of the US couldn't have had a child with someone indigenous to China, but I rather doubt it occurred anytime in say the 15th Century. (Brief personal rant) Sometimes I feel like the current trend of worldbuilding leans too heavily on tossing everything into one big mixing pot, which undercuts the in-setting wonder of encountering races unlike those characters in the initial part of the setting know of.
TLDR: No, there's no hard rule about what pairings can or cannot produce offspring, but depending how everything is set up in a given world, some particular arrangements might go beyond "uncommon" and into "astronomically unlikely to have had the chance to happen at all", and the DM does have final say in what is viable under both points in their setting.
Half Elf, Half Orc,
It is one hundred % up to the DM. I would allow it.
Ummm…where exactly do you think half-elves and half-orcs come from?
exactly! However in the new iteration there are PC half elves or Half orcs as the species bonus have disappeared and become background bonuses. You are free to describe the appearance of your PC as half way between the parents but there are/will be no longer species ASIs of any sort.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
That is a part of our history we do not like to talk about
If there's no lore about it, homebrew it.
Perhaps your char's parents just were really in love and had the strenght to let every distrust and paranoia aside to have your character as a token of their relationship's evolution.
“If you define yourself by the power to take life, the desire to dominate, to possess...then you have nothing.”
Characters:
Jóni Dawnbrow | Mountain Dwarf Battle Master | LVL. 3
Atherhiwion "Jehan" Oakmane | Wood Elf Circle of the Moon Druid | LVL. 5
RIP Markus Wulfenhauer | Variant Human Oath Of Ancients Paladin | LVL. 11
There are optional rules about mixed race spawns mechanic-wise, and there's precedent for mixed race species. As mentioned above, we have Half-Elves, Half-Orcs. Etc.
Humans pretty much breed with anything, so you shouldn't have to worry too much. Ultimately it comes down to DM discretion. If you're the DM, absolutely create a Deep Gnome with a father from another species. If you're a player, talk with your DM about it. If they're unsure, you could easily have a step-father be of a different species.Love is, well, Love is love. Even if the two species aren't compatible for reproductive reasons, there is no reason they can't take a love for companionship. It might be taboo for their community, but to the hells with them, right?
And Remember. Is No Fun, Is No Blinsky!
This is basically a Ginny Di commercial for a DM's Guild product but I found it interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAtHpBsUpqc
Of course! Species aren't a monolith, there will always be outliers, especially if your character grew up in a more social environment, that may help out a good bit.
GiffAndTake
Yeah. How do you think Dragonborn were made. Or half elves or half Orcs
Its a yes or no question bud. 🤣
Not familiar with IRL furries, are you? NO WAIT DON'T GOOGLE IT
Not all furries are like that, though. Those are called Zoophiles.
GiffAndTake