Hybridization

Overview
When two races interbreed, they will create a hybrid, a mixed race creature. These hybrids fall into two different categories: blended hybrids, and spontaneous hybrids.

Blended Hybrids
Blended hybrids are created when the child of parents from two races has traits from both races. They are usually referred to as “Half” races, such as half-elves or half-orcs. As half-Human hybrids are the most common variant, usually if no second race is specified, Human is assumed. Blends between other races are possible, and are often described with both races, such as a “Halfling-Half-Elf”.

When blended hybrids themselves reproduce, the resulting children can be another hybrid, or one of the parent races, all depending on the combined bloodlines. Typically, if at least 75% of a child‘s ancestry is of one race (such as three grandparents, or six great-grandparents in any combination) then the child will be a pure-blooded member of that race. If no race has three-quarters majority, then the child will be a hybrid. This means that given time and preferential breeding with other hybrids, a hybrid race can eventually become a race in its own right. Or, in some rare cases, two hybrids can create a pure-blooded child.

Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, Orcs and Draconum can all create blended hybrids.

Game Rules
A half-human hybrid uses the standard game rules for Half-Elves and Half-Orcs. If an Elf or an Orc breeds with another race, they use the Half-Orc or Half-Elf sub-race, which can be added to any other race instead of their usual sub-races to create a hybrid.

Spontaneous Hybrids
A spontaneous hybrid comes from a distant ancestor, whose traits manifest suddenly in the children of other races. There are no “half” races for a spontaneous hybrid, either the bloodline manifests or it doesn’t. Typically the ancestor race is a powerfully magical race, like a genie, celestial or fiend. Spontaneous hybrids display only very limited traits of their parent race.

When spontaneous hybrids reproduce, the children may be hybrids of the same race, or members of the ancestor races. Typically, if a spontaneous hybrid reproduces with a pure blood (or blended hybrid), then the child will be from that other race, while a spontaneous hybrid reproducing with another of its kind is (almost) guaranteed to create the same type of hybrid. In either case, further descendants down the bloodline will carry the potential to create more of that type of hybrid.

Tieflings, Aasimar and Genasi are all spontaneous hybrid races.

Subraces and Hybridization
When two different sub races interbreed, the resulting child can have either of the parental sub-races, or any sub-race carried in the bloodline. There is no particular pattern to this inheritance, as there is with blended hybrid races.

Some sub-races are defined more culturally than genetically. For example, a pure blooded High Elf adopted and raised by Wood Elves may develop the traits of a Wood Elf instead of a High Elf. This is not always the case, however; Genasi and Draconum sub-races are entirely determined by ancestral bloodline.