Races of the Realms: Half-Elves - The Dungeoncast Ep.32 

That “1/18th Cherokee” reference just killed me.

In Tolkien mythology, even if a Half-Elf decided to be mortal, they'll still live beyond the years of a normal human, but they will eventually die and travel beyond the Halls of Mandos.

Elrond being a half-elf may explain why he looks like Agent Smith. He has eternal life but not eternal youth :)

Ah, yes, Half Elves. The race those of us born in an intercultural family most relate to. Love playing Half Elves since I know what it's like growing up in two cultures. Very easy to role-play one.

i started watching now the podcast and i have to say that it is very good in quality many eps to catch up but worth the effort

I'm surprised no one has posted in the comments here (maybe this came up in the Discord at some point), but half-elves in Tolkien's middle-Earth are even less like half-elves in DnD... The choice was actually only given to Elrond's parents, Earendil (who was the son of Tuor, a male human, and Idril, a female elf) and Elwing (who was the granddaughter of Beren, a male human, and Luthien, a female elf, plus her mother was an elf and her half-elf father had been killed), plus Elrond and his brother Elros and Elrond's three children (Arwen and twin sons who don't do anything at all in the story). Elrond's mother chose to return to the Elven Undying Lands, so Elrond's dad chose the same even though personally he wanted to become a human and accept the Gift of Death and leave the world, so he actually sails his ship through the sky as a wandering star (planet) every night and visits his wife in Undying Lands during the day (Middle-Earth is apparently not a globe). Elrond chose to be an elf like his parents, but his brother Elros chose to become a human and was the first king of the Numenorian kingdom. His kids *WEREN'T* given the choice to be elf or human like Elrond's kids were (which actually pissed off some of his descendants, so they tried to figure it immortality, which never ends well...), but they got to live longer than normal humans, which is why *Aragorn* lived to be like 500 years old, like his ancestor Elros... That's right, *Aragorn is also a half-elf!* But a different kind of half-elf than his distant cousin and wife Arwen, who did get to choose to be an elf or a human, but got to delay her choice until she married Aragorn and thus lived to be 2,900 years old... So she apparently got to delay her choice for a good 2,000 years, so kinda cheating of you ask me. 😛

Awesome vid! Just to mention, 5e has also got half-elf "flavours", as added in the Sword Coast's Adventurer Guide, so at least in that region that happens in 5e too. also, about being sterile, it'd need a degree of science in a fantasy world to be sure about it; the races origins and evolutions and their chromosomes count for example are to be considered;given physical similarities and obviously sexual compatibility are humans and elves different species or subspecies? is there a difference between having an elven mother or father? how far are the races/species from a common ancestor? questions like this makes me think that you can think w/e you want, it's fantasy xD kudos for your work, cheers!

My advise to half elves as to if they should be more human or elf a quote. “There is only one thing I have to say- better to burnout then fade away” - Krogan, Highlander

I think it would be Interesting to reskin half-elves as more of a separate culture/species. With a culture like the early modern Low Countries. Very trade based. Makes charisma buff make sense.

I would have thought two half-elves would have half their children be half-elves, one quarter be elves, and one quarter be humans :)

As someone who’s biracial and has studied the treatment of biracials in the 1900s, I appreciate you mentioning the connection in real life.

Half elves are kind of the default I think of when I think of an adventurer. They JUST FIT into any group and fantasy setting. No DM is going to throw a fit if you want to play a half elf. This race is relatable and still fantastical. Your DM and fellow players will be less thrilled when you make an off the rails ... half Lizardfolk / half Warforged, motorcyclist, vampire slayer prince. Great episode, guys! Your podcast and Discord rock!!

3e had variant elves, dwarfs, etc. that were tied to climates and terrain, rather than any campaign setting for use by DMs when creating their own settings. 3e was my first edition, I didn't have anyone to play with, but I got into D&D due to 2001's _Neverwinter Nights._ The manual for that game was 300 pages long and contained a shortened 3e _Players' Handbook._

Half-Elves just plain make dope Charisma-Based Spellcasters That’s why I chose to make my Raven-Queen Warlock a Half-Elf +2 Cha, +1 Con, +1 Dex

In Tolkien's fictional world half-elves are rare.

Crazy, but having played over a hundred-fifty games of D&D over 5 campaigns and over 50 one-shots, not once have I ever played in a party with even 1 half-elf. Cool race, though. - Innkeeper Vase Odin

you see half elfs as human+ I see them as elf-.... also not all hybrids are steril irl just so you know, yes liger are and some others but there are hybrids who develope fully functional reproductive abilities and can indeed breed such as Annabella my mule whom just had a hinney last year, it was complicated but they both survived. But combined with the dissimilarities in the horse-donkey chromosomes, the end result is usually - but not always - sterile offspring. While there are no recorded cases of fertile mule stallions, there have been a few dozen cases of mule mares giving birth after mating with a horse or donkey.

So when living with elves that's typically exactly what happens with half elves. The elves offer so much to learn and experience within their culture but they approach life at a snails pace. Half Elves get bored with the Elven way of life and need to move on or they get depressed and die.

FMC....all 3 is fun to use.

12:54 lmao 15:40 hahaha this episode made me laugh so hard

7:46 I actually made up a concept of giants that involved something like the Liger, where basically ogre's and orcs could interbreed, but much like the Liger they would literally never stop growing and eventually become so big and heavy they wouldn't be able to lift themselves up, they would be infertile so it wouldn't be a race, just a bit of an oddity :p

A pretty good read for elves is the 3e Races of the Wild. For Half-elves you have Races of Divinity. Both are 3e books.

I've been making my own table top rpg and my Half Elves are called DemiElves and the Elvin blood is so strong that it takes two generations for you to be Half Elvin. So if your grandmother or grandfather is an Elf, both parents would need to be Human, but if anyone in your family line breeds with an Elf, then it resets and the offspring is a pure Elf.

you think 3e was difficult to learn? My first game session was ad&d (2e), ever hear of THACO? armor classes that start at 10 and go backward. Different classes had different xp to level up. You have no idea how much they have made things easier for you.

About Elven life cycles. There’s such thing as Elven Wanderlust, when they’re in their first hundred years of life and they leave their place and become explorers and adventurers. Most elves go trough this so it’s a natural thing when a Half Elf raised with them leaves.

Ironically the culture a half elf is raised in is the one he takes after least because of the lifespan difference you stated very well the problems she halfelf has in elven society which causes him to become frustrated and driven but in human society he would seem overly passive and comtemplative and though they do make great ambassador's ironically again not when dealing with a human elven conflict as both side think he favours the other

For 3e It's just a perversion for pathfinder. It's not as stat heavy as 4e, 4e was all about power/hero characters. The half elf sub races do stem from the Elven sub races. Half elves also actually grow facial hair. They can pass as either race with little effort.

Awesome video, been watching these for a while and I love them all. However I would like to point out that if Elves live to be 1000 years that Half-elves would be able to reach at least 400 years. I believe this because on the cast the base analysis was only talen from the human aspect, so it was concluded "oh yeah they should live up to 200" I think that train of thought leans too heavily on the human side, just saying. 👀

use these differences in natures in the plot and world building of your campaign. Maybe these alien minded Elves have purposefully bred half elves into human communities to bridge the gap, so to speak, and make these wiley humans settle down.

There is a breed of people in Tolkiens work that the people are kind of considered half-elf. It's a princedom in Gondor, and the Prince took over when the Steward died. THe prince is nick named the Swan Prince, but I don't remember the names, because there are so many names in the books. The only difference is that they are better looking. Legolos consider them attractive people.

the reason the avarage age in the darkages are so low is because a lot of babies dies, if you reach the age of 18 you are likely to reach the age of 70

Ligers are not actually sterile. Sterility can be common among them, but they are more often fertile. Mules are sterile because horses and donkeys are too different genetically; a horse has 64 chromosomes, whereas a donkey has only 62. A different chromosome count is always indicative of an infertile hybrid. Tigers and lions have the same chromosome count and are very similar genetically, which means that they (most of the time) can breed, though males are almost always sterile because they are not quite that similar. Polar bears and grizzlies are so genetically similar that their offspring have nearly the same fertility rates that their pure-species counterparts. Wolves and dogs, despite being different species, are quite compatible and can produce hybrids without issue. It really depends on how genetically similar two species are. Humans in D&D serve as a genetic bridge, where they can interbreed with just about any human-esque race, so long as they have the same basic features, whereas other races cannot breed with one another, like elves and orcs.

Yay I can't wait to play a crafty kraken!!

Shout out for BSands!!! Read his books, they're fucking amazing

Careful with the Gibson logo. They are threatening to sue people over it... :D lol

Thats exactly how I started with 3.5e 10 years ago. Lol.

In 2e mulls and some variations of half orcs were sterile

man i made a half drow half high elf called Dacia that i used his background by using the idea of half elves not being liked by either side

So I am half elf with class Monk and background is sage. What should I role play and just me advice? I am new on this too

I play a half elf noble. Raised by her father she has a younger brother half elf. Her father is protective and she ran away to prove herself. Dm made them sterile

6:56 Was that a reference to CWC?

If two half elves had a child wouldn't that make them fully human and fully elf at the same time,plus could that mean their life spans are double because of their full blooded dualities?

LMAO green arm

Halfelves are op

I was wondering if elves could have children with Oni

Half-neanderthals could breed...

My Half-Elf character that I made basically became Steven Universe hahaha.

ligers can breed

i always thought breeding true was, if a half elf fucks a human it is always half elf or half orc. half orc breeds with an other orc = always orc

Half-Elves breed true in 3rd ed.

Imagine being half black in Springfield XD