The half-races (will there be an inclusion?)

[Sensuki]

Now obviously the final number of races has already been decided.

 

However this leaves me wondering whether the half-breeds of races will be featuring at all in the game.

 

Half-elves are probably the main one I'd be wondering about, I wonder whether they will be included as a sub-race of Elf in the game.

 

From the lore it seems at least in Aedyr communites half elves would be common.

 

Among the Aedyr, there is no significant cultural divide between humans and elves. Because of their close contact and integration in spite of physiological differences (such as longer elven lifespans), their culture and legal system have developed a variety of unique concepts such as the haemneg, or ceremonial marriage

 

In Dark Sun at least, there was a half-dwarf race - the Mul (Uncommon due to human mothers dying during the pregnancy process or something)

 

I wonder how cross-gender breeding works in Project Eternity

 

Are humans, elves, dwarves (and orlans?) compatible breeders?

 

Will the cross-races be included at all in the game?

 

_{^{absolutely 100% not a romance thread}}

Edited October 20, 2012 by Sensuki

[Rosveen]

I'd like to know too. Half-elves are my race of choice in every game that features them.

 

Was anything announced about sub-races? I know there's at least two groups of dwarves, but I don't think they ever said that we can choose to play as one or the other - I don't even remember if there are purely cultural differences or if their physique differs too.

 

It seems that at least some of the races can interbreed, so even if we can't play as half-breeds it would be nice to see some NPCs.

[UncleBourbon]

I am curious as well. I imagine half-elves would be a must, with the Aedyr being a dual-race empire, but it is completely possible that races in the world just cannot produce viable hybrids. I would be interested, too, in an exploration of sterile hybridisation; maybe half-elves are around, but by their nature cannot have children. Most mixed-races never appeal to me, with the exceptions of half-elves and godlike/planetouched, but I tend toward partying with such NPCs.

[simon_templar]

I don't think we need half races. I would like rather to keep proportions (humans to be only some percent of inhabitants in the world, no domination by them), and distinctness of the races, they should even think in different way, for example for dwarfs humans seem to be to tall and weak, for elves humans are like Drosophila melanogaster due to very short life (in their scale).

Edited October 20, 2012 by simon_templar

[.Leif.]

Here's one that hasn't been mentioned quite yet: can Elves be Godtouched? Or Orlan? I sure hope so. If the child of Bhaal can be an Elf-Godspawn, then so can I.

[Sensuki]

My post wasn't about as a playable race per se. I was more interested to know how they were being handled in the world.

 

Half-Elf is a simple one, it could simply be a background trait / sub-race. Aedyr Half-Elf (or whatever fancy name they give you). Blah blah blah, these bonuses.

 

And that's a good question leif.

Edited October 20, 2012 by Sensuki

[Gyor]

I'm going put an idea out. Godlike might be born to any race at the choice of the Gods, but,thier form has little to do with thier parents race, unless one is a Godlike. Just a guess.

[Ausir]

I actually asked Josh Sawyer about this a while back. Interbreeding between races in Project Eternity is impossible (which actually makes them separate species in modern terms).

[DocDoomII]

I actually asked Josh Sawyer about this a while back. Interbreeding between races in Project Eternity is impossible (which actually makes them separate species in modern terms).

Ah, finally an universe where different species have incompatible DNA.

[Veeno]

Ah, finally an universe where different species have incompatible DNA.

 

Well theoretically, I don't see why there couldn't realistically be an elf-like human race (i.e. homo sapiens by all genetics, but elfish in appearance). Being members of the same species would make "interbreeding" perfectly viable. But I guess in PE universe they really are separate species, not just races.

[Ausir]

And Homo sapiens sapiens did interbreed with the Neanderthals, who were as different from us as dwarves or elves are.

[rjshae]

I'd actually prefer they use a term like 'fey touched' or 'fey kin' rather than 'half elf'. The latter just seems so mundane and mechanical.

[Ausir]

The term "half-elf" goes back to Tolkien's Elrond (and others).

[Veeno]

And Homo sapiens sapiens did interbreed with the Neanderthals, who were as different from us as dwarves or elves are.

 

That's just speculation. It's up to the writers of the game universe to determine how much the different races/species in the game differ genetically.

 

You can't tell much about genetic similarity from appearance alone.

[Ausir]

I wasn't talking about similarity of genotype but of phenotype. And the neanderthals fit the stereotype of dwarves in most aspects, with them being shorter but stronger than Homo sapiens.

Edited October 22, 2012 by Ausir

[DocDoomII]

Ah, finally an universe where different species have incompatible DNA.

 

Well theoretically, I don't see why there couldn't realistically be an elf-like human race (i.e. homo sapiens by all genetics, but elfish in appearance). Being members of the same species would make "interbreeding" perfectly viable. But I guess in PE universe they really are separate species, not just races.

No, it's just that in every universe I know there are Half-orcs and Half-elves. So I'm just happy to see a change, for once.

[Veeno]

I wasn't talking about similarity of genotype but of phenotype.

 

Indeed. And that is exactly my point - you can't judge similarity of genotype from the similarity of phenotype. Well, you can, but not very well.

 

African and Indian elephants, for example, look incredibly similar (which is why they're both called "elephants"). Yet any attempts of cross-breeding have resulted in offspring which couldn't even survive after being born, let alone reproduce further. So they're actually two separate species.

 

Various dog breeds, on the other hand, look incredibly different from one another and from their ancestor, grey wolf. Yet they all produce offspring that can reproduce when they mate, so they're all one species.

[Ausir]

No, it's just that in every universe I know there are Half-orcs and Half-elves. So I'm just happy to see a change, for once.

 

There are no half-elves nor half-orcs in Warhammer either.

 

Interestingly, there are few fantasy universes with half-dwarves. And while they do exist in D&D, AFAIK they are common only in the Dark Sun setting, and are infertile, which means that while D&D elves and humans are races of the same species, dwarves are a related but separate species.

Edited October 22, 2012 by Ausir

[rjshae]

The term "half-elf" goes back to Tolkien's Elrond (and others).

This isn't middle earth. It's a different land, so name changes can provide a little color.

[Ausir]

Yes, but this is irrelevant to Eternity anyway, since it doesn't have half-elves.

[ddillon]

I tend towards preferring that interbreeding be possible but not common. I don't want half-breeds to be a separate race (which would be a waste); at most, half-breeds should be a subrace option or a background trait.

 

If Josh Sawyer did confirm that interbreeding is impossible in PE, then I'd suppose that romances between the races would be exceedingly rare... So no companion romances!

 

But then... No worries about your elven mistress getting pregnant.

Edited October 22, 2012 by ddillon

[Ausir]

No interbreeding doesn't mean no romances. After all, The Witcher's Geralt had quite a few of those, despite his sterility (or even thanks to it!). Interracial relations might, however, be considered taboo in various cultures.

Edited October 22, 2012 by Ausir

[ddillon]

@Ausir: I know (see the joke about the elven mistress). I was teasing the pro-romance crowd.

[adamsorkin]

The term "half-elf" goes back to Tolkien's Elrond (and others).

 

I don't think Tolkein (despite the half-elf epithet) had hybrids - didn't offspring of multiple races choose which race to become? Elrond chose elven/immortality, while Elros chose humanity and was mortal (albeit very long lived).

[rjshae]

Magic makes all things possible, and elves are a magical race.