Why are half-elves so popular? They get night vision, fey affinity, +2 to charisma, and two +1's to put where they like during character creation. They are very flexible, which makes them good for any build you might want to make.
I dunno, I think people make kobold characters because they want to explore what it's like to be a little lizard dude in a big people's world, amiright? :D
Let's be honest, it's because half-elves get the angsty "I'm trapped between two worlds and have no place in either" shtick. Half-elves were Tieflings before Tieflings were "cool."
@@HenriFaust Eh, not really. My half elf swashbuckler rogue doesn't really care about his heritage, he's just out for the adventure and to make money... Whenever he can finally kill that dragon turtle that keeps capsizing his ships.
I find really fun how elves mature, because even though they look adult-ish, they'll spend like 80 years or so in a state comparable to a human being 17-18, almost reaching adulthood but not quite. And of course, when they meet with a human those will probably expect a solemn and wise elf, but instead they'll find something like "Hey, let's go to a club, here they won't ask for my ID!"
@@Zero-qn8mk Hahahahaha I guess it would depend on the family in each case. Maybe some elven parents would be like "You're barely 50, you're but a child!" while others would be like "You're in your fifties! It's the perfect time for you to travel to other cities and meet other races! Tell us about it when you return"
If dwarf blood is incredibly potent, and so is orc blood, I’m curious as to how those genes would intermingle. Thanks for your time and all your hard work, and I’m glad you’re feeling better!
I think that, however each race's blood manifests in such an offspring, the result could be called a grumble, due to its inevitable attitude. Or at least that is how I see it.
I feel like for the dwarf-orc one you're gonna end up in an elf-orc scenario. The grudge isn't exactly as strong between the 2 main gods, but....... I'll be damned if I can't think of one that deserves 2nd more than them.
What about the half-elf soul? Since they're not full blooded elfs do they technically not have a primordial soul from back when elves intermingled with the gods?
Fun question. Half-elves don't trance which is the elvish connection with their pre/afterlife in Arvandor. My understanding is that Correllon does not accept half-elves automatically into his domain, excpetions may arise based on deeds and faith. Half-elves are sorted into the afterlife like humans, as far as I know.
IIRC - Humans have Souls, Elves technically have 'Spirits', Half-Elves have Souls. So, one would assume that in terms of 'Souls', Half-Elves take after their Human parent.
Thank you for bringing this up, I had hoped it would be addressed as well, I think it was only stated in a video a few years ago that we don't know what happens to Half-Elven souls when the die, and the gods are particularly silent about it. I think the others' explanations below makes sense, but it'd be nice if we had any kind of certainty somewhere.
I hope this makes it self to you somehow: In a land of lore and tales so grand, A hero rose with a mic in hand, MrRhexx is his name, With a passion for D&D, he gained fame. With each video, he spins a yarn, Of half-elves and creatures that alarm, His tales are whimsical, and oh so fun, He captures our hearts, one by one. From dark dungeons to enchanted woods, His voice carries us through every nook and cranny, A guide through these lands, he understands, The lore and legends that we all seek. So let us follow this bard so bold, As he leads us through these tales untold, With MrRhexx, our adventure never ends, A journey we'll cherish with our dear friends.
I love the 2 parter. I honestly prefer this format over the 40-50 minute single video. I don't know what is more beneficial for you, but I like this better
"The Halfling Point of View" is specifically written from the perspective of Greyhawk. The halfling subraces mentioned are unique to Greyhawk, even in 5e, as cited in the halfling section on Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
Elrond himself was half elf if I recall correctly. Honestly a lot of D&D lore that in world is “mysterious and unknown” can basically be traced to “D&D was heavily based on Tolkien” lol
@Pro_Flamemaster Elrond and his brother were both, technically, "half-elves," but they're treated differently there. Upon maturity or reaching adulthood, any child born of an elf and human pair must choose to live their life as either elf or human. At that point, they'll take on an elven appearance completely if that path is chosen (Elrond), or human appearance and mortality (his twin brother). I like the way Tolkien handled it.
@Just_Call_Me_Tim You are mostly correct, however tye choice doesn't change their appearance. Elrond's brother still looked very much like an elf, the difference was that he aged and Elrond didn't.
@@Just_Call_Me_Tim not exactly. Only Eärendil and Elwing (both half-elves) and their children, Elros and Elrond, were given the choice. And the timing of their choice has nothing to do with adulthood, rather it was decreed by Manwë after the War of Wrath that the half-elves had to choose between mortality and immortality. It's kinda weird and Tolkien doesnt explain how it works, but Eärendil is basically the savior of elvenkind, having sailed to Valinor and obtained forgiveness for the Elves - allowing them to return. Elros chose to be counted as Man, becoming the first king of Numenor and great-great-great-etc father of Aragorn. Elrond chose to be counted as Elf. The children of Elrond, Arwen and her brothers, were also given the same choice. However, Elros and Elrond are super-duper unique not just cause they're half-elves; they're also descended from the royal lines of all three elven clans and a Maiar (similar to Sauron and Gandalf) - kinda like if the Habsburg were descended from Jesus and King Arthur.
@@minnumseerrundnot just all 3 elven bloodlines - Elrond and Elros are also descended from the 3 houses of Men that allied with the elves during the wars in Beleriand
Honestly that's an interesting take on gnomes actually. I thought they were a lot more flamboyant and weird than Ed made them sound in that query. Cool to see them from a different perspective.
I think its kinda like a confirmation bias. Gnomes are generally reserved and sequestered away. We don't see gnomes often, but when we do, its often an eccentric gnome. That makes sense though. Of course the weird gnomes are the ones leaving their seclusion to parade around. So, of course we see those types of gnomes more often, and they tend to leave a lasting impression.
The orcs of The Elder Scrolls are Tolkienish. They're elves that were corrupted by Malacath, who was their leader Trinimac, before Boethiah transformed him. Their formal name is Orsimer, sharing the "mer" suffix of all elven races, and means "Pariah People". IIRC.
you are not right, those are completely different species. Tolkien's orcs aren't a kind of elves. Their far ancestors _were_ elves like your far ancestors were fish, but you are not a fish, like orcs aren't elves, not even related. When malacath tortured and tempted captured elves, he spiritually and phisically changed them, they stopped being elves, they are just literal animals, for ever evil with no traces of "humanity" and it can't be restored. There is *nothing* to restore. Just like an elf just stops being an elf if they decide to marry a human (what happened to aragorn's wife) the orcs' ancestors just stopped being elves, but in a *waaaaaay* more drastic and severe way. Tolkien's orcs are animals, purely evil and fully their own kind. They can not be good, it is impossible. While the scrolls' orcs are just a race of species, they can be good, can be bad, can do art and can do fight, they are just a species like the other.
@@iratevagabond204 you literally said "The orcs of The Elder Scrolls are Tolkienish", those words are in the very beginning of your comment and they are completely wrong and I elaborated why. Don't you remember your own comment?
I think the star elves are perfect for homebrew... gives me a way to add more elven gods as the saviours of star elves against the nilshai. That way there could be a fresh set of divine powers in that pantheon, or maybe another elf pantheon.
The elves seem to follow the Rumspringa culture when it comes to youths and it sounds like humans are more like dwarf nurseries than actual parents. I currently have a plot where the villain in my story is human and related to a half elf PC. It's funny this video comes out exactly when I needed it for research. Thank you for the hard work.
I swear there was one Forgotten Realms designer who was obsessed with three-armed flying slugs. Obsessed. How many species are there of "ancient mysterious abominations" that are just three-armed flying slugs? The Phaerimm, the guys in the Yuirwood, and at least one more that I can't remember because they're so silly. There was one dude who loved his slug idea and kept pitching it; no one had the heart to tell him is was terrible LOL
I've been playing on and off since the late 80s and yet, this deep dive got me considering things I barely if ever have, so thanks for that. As an aside, I gotta say, the Sea of Fallen Stars area looks way more versatile and interesting for play than the Sword Coast.
Sea of Fallen Stars area is where a lot of 2nd ed Forgotten Realms adventures happened. Stuff like the Curse of the Azure Bonds, The Avatar series (though that ends in Waterdeep) and lots more. It also seems to be where the focus is for the Adventurers League stuff for 5e.
@@learyth I was mostly a 2nd ed player so that might have influenced me. Cormyr, the Dalelands, Zhentil Keep all seemed like important places then from an adventuring perspective. But, beyond that, the geography of an inner sea allows for a lot of easy movement in all directions to rather different locales.
@@originaluddite Indeed. All those lands in the south like Mulhorand, Chessenta and Unther or the eastern countries like Aglorond and Thay. So many places you could go by ship and it seems beaches or ports are far more common. The Sword Coast is fine but there is really only 4 ports in the north (Baldur's Gate, Waterdeep, Neverwinter and Luskan) and the distances are huge for travel by foot.
@@crownprince76 No, they were almost wiped out during the formation of the Dracorage Mythal. By the time of the Crown Wars, the Avariel were completely out of the picture.
That last part is interesting to know. I actually play a drow. Now he is a full blood drow but his mother, who escaped to the surface with him, is married and had children with a half elf. Those three are my character’s younger sisters. Since I also have them set up as backup characters, I intend to play them, mechanically, as half drow.
28:12 - and this was similar to the Dragonlance books, in which a Half-Elf and and Elf pairing makes a full Elf in only 1 generation, which might explain why Elves are so willing to create Half-Elves, if they can use the Half-Elves as ways to bolster their offspring count and then also can marry back into the general Elven population with no "loss of Elvish-ness" or whatever.
Thanks. I wish I'd seen this about two years ago. I'm playing a half-elf from Aglarond. I tried to find what I could about the lore but didn't find a lot so had to make some of it up :-)
I know you focus on the Forgotten Realms and 5th edition, and someone might have already addressed it, but in Dark Sun/Athas, there are half dwarves (human/dwarf) called Muls and they, like mules, are sterile, but are huge--roughly the height of a human and the build of a dwarf. There are also (though this was first introduced in a series of novels) halfling/elf hybrids, elflings, I think. I don't even want to THINK about half giants.
Personally I prefer the "Races of Ansalon" or maybe it was "Bastards and Bloodlines" version of Half-Dwarf. The human adaptability and the dwarven craftmanship results in +2 to all craft skills. Best handymen around.
I can't understand that thought process at all. We have all seen what happened to the SCP community during the Russian copyright BS. Nothing got created and multiple big name creations got sold to Hollywood instead. Same exact thing would happen here. Wanna steal my hard work and mods? Okay I'll make them, change them slightly and re sell it myself somewhere else. Literally StarCraft and 40k in a nutshell
@@jacobjensen7704 Did you actually read what they put in the revised SRD? You get one subclass per class and its even missing Drow as a playable race, despite referring to them as a playable race multiple times. as far as I am concerned its a complete mess of a document that is functionally almost useless.
FYI in the Spelljammer Novel series one of the main characters is a half-human and half-kender (which is the halfling race in dragonlance) Her father was human and her mother was a Kender. In the book it referances her that she looked more Kender like than Human.
@Tyler Reed Well, simple and easy to remember are rarely the most interesting ways to go about it. This is just a basic rule to go by when no one really wants to get into the advanced genetics of fantasy creatures, intermingled with literal magic and divine influence, which, if grounded in reality, would almost certainly be completely unable to reproduce at all. If youre wanting to go into all of that, i personally have a lot more theories specialized approaches to the topic, down to even the individuals doing the copulation. But thats not basic, simple, or easy to remember. And most who play dont consider it particularly fun or entertaining to determine the gestational period of each unique pairing.
The problem with that is that the gender is determined by the father's genetics... Male female or whatever you want to build in-between passed down from dear old dad....
It was about a year ago that I first found your channel and immediately fell in love with your content, your What they don't tell you about, your more recent videos about individual dragons just *chefs kiss* I hope you can make a video on Tchazzar
There are two FR novel series that deal with the Star Elves and some of the events in Sildëyuir: The Dungeons series and the Abolethic Sovereignty series.
I wonder how Dragoons(Final Fantasy series) would fare in D&D? A Knight class that wears Armor in the image of Dragons that specialize in fighting said dragons. Wields spears as their primary weapon and are known for their agility and ludicrus jumping abilities. Depending on which lore you may draw from some Dragoons fashion their armor from the scales of the dragon they've slain or befriended. Given how many types of dragons there are I could see Dragoons having varying abilities depending on what type of dragon armor they are wearing. Red Dragon Armor(fire resistance) Gold Dragon Armor(resistance to spells) Blue Dragon Armor(lightning resistance)
I have great joy in recognizing the pictures. One was from Pathfinder, one was from the Runeterra universe... Interesting. Especially, if you know the plot.
The elf/orc hybrid thing gave me an idea of a minor god finding some place outside the of the influence of gods and breeding elf/orcs as his secret army of followers.
Because the problem is acceptance. Orcs are almost genetically hard wired to hate elves. And all I think orcs would see is weakness. Now everyone else would just see orc. Guilty Until proven different. I have a half elf orc but he lives in a small half orc community that's fighting to prove themselves. So they work as a mercenary group. Which makes a perfect place for him to prove himself...
In bg3, half elves get the same weapon proficiencies as humans. So they get both elven mastery of magic, and human’s deadly skill with the ultimate weapon: the pointy stick.
This is literally why my first ever character I created for DnD was a halfelf, even though I am very much a dwarf at heart. I just could relate to them. What you said there at the end, that could have been a description of my childhood. 24:00 min Not necessarily. The way I understand from the 5e PHB, elves mature at about the same rate as Humans, but aren't considered adults until they are 100 years old, so to me, this sounds like a cultural thing. Iirc, in ancient hebrew culture, you were considered to be a child 'til you reached your 30s. 26:42 min Now that's a brainworm (like an earworm, but for thoughts)! Now I want to have an elf-orc, that through whatever weird magic shenanigans was concieved. Say hello to Olf the Olf (or would that be an erc? An orf? An elc?).
I see Gwent artwork benefts you greatly :D The Witcher aesthetics fit DnD really well. But the doomed knight with photoshopped ears 5:38 is hilarious, as in the Witcher lore he's a human racist who hunts elves to burn them in a pyre XD
Explanation of how half-elfs grow up in human society explains why they are so popular among DnD players. They are basically shy and nerdy kids of our world.
I'm currently running a Dwelf paladin in my groups campaign. Parents met in the wild but were killed by marauders, leaving me an orphan and taken in by the local city church. Having that background made it easier to take on a paladin oath due to my mother's dwarf background and being "tougher" than a cleric. Dedicated to Helm and being a Watcher paladin to protect any who need it on any realm
Agreed. I was rankled lately when someone I was playing D&D with asked tiefling players, "What color is your character?" That's what variation is to tieflings now. 2e had a full-page chart full of fiendish features, and the 3e Monster Manual's entry included the line, "No two tieflings look alike." Also, that video could cover lesser-known planetouched like chaonds and zenythri, which are born with blood from the Planes of Chaos and Law, respectively.
Whoa whoa whoa, time out. You're telling me that there's a chance that any dwarf, human, halfling etc I meet on an adventure is actually a gnome?! Ye gods, these are almost changelings!
I'm so glad you got these videos done. I've got a npc who's a half drow. I now have a better idea how he will act. He's a simi retired adventurer bard. I have a better idea how his bard apprentice will act.
I'm glad you are getting better. You sounded absolutely aweful at the end of the first half elf video, you sound like you again. All hype for new dragon videos, and all hype for the Sands of Doom campaign!
Human bard comes up to an elvish community. The elf leader: "You stay away from my daughter, my son, my wife, me, my dog, my cat, my horse...you know what, your kind just seem to mix with EVERYTHING so just take a 10 mile detour around the whole community." In DnD humans are like Jack Harkness. We are the disappointing boyfriend the elf girl only shows off to her parents when she wants to get them upset. On the other hand, elves sow their wild oats on humans. Have fun with the rp ideas
Jesus Jack Harkness... That is so true. They would look at humanity like a virus... "Aw here they come. A group of 20 will become 500 in under 50years.and in a century or so 5000..."
What's interesting is that as far as I remember the union of orc and elf is a modern retcon because those elf/orc combinations were called black elves, sporting bulkier musculature, pronounced jaw lines and larger incisors with a penchant for anger. So it was implied black elves were most commonly populous among drow, and the nature of orks meant that they were most often male, which placed them low in the rungs of drow society, but also flipped the paradigm, in that the drow was most often the aggressor in such reproduction. I can see why they were retconned, but also think they had an interesting concept.
Glad you are feeling better, as usual am eternally grateful for your content. So what do you think about the Dnd movie? (Honor amongst thieves) Especially that dragon Themberchaud 😁
Welcome back sir always worth waiting for your videos. Sorry if annoying is Bahamut and his various aspects ever going to be a topic in the far flung future?
I have a character I created based on your previous Lore video for dwarves and this reminded me of him. Basically he is the last survivng member of his dwarven clan. He became a bard and has made it his goal to preserve the dwarven race in bard fashion. But unlike your standard horny bard he sees it as an unpleasant duty he has to fulfill. He desperately wishes there were another way but he sees none. And so he travels from town to town, always tired, always seeking human women, and just wishing for once he could rest from the self-inflicted burden he has placed upon himself. 😅
You should do Mercenary companies in Faerun. They are super interesting as well. The big ones being Bregan d'Aerthe , a drow mercenary company that secretly runs the city of Luskan. Or the Brotherhood of the Griffin. An ex-Thayan (Red Wizards) army company that sell there services after losing the Red Wizard civil war. Even the Zhentarium operate as mercanaries.
human mates with a dwarf = offspring is a slightly taller dwarf dwarf mates with a halfling = offspring is a slightly tougher halfling halfling mates with a human = offspring is a human with hairier feet it's like rock paper scissors
Where did the lore on the elves heading out to adventure as youths (under 100 years of age) come from? Previous editions list a starting age for characters of various races and the elves were always listed as 100+ years before they would be ready to adventure. The 3rd ed Player's Guide to Faerun for example, lists a starting age for elves of 110 + either 4d6, 6d6 or 10d6 depending on how complex a character class was. I like the idea that elves do their adventuring young as it removes the weirdness of 100 + year old elves with the same skill set as 20 year old humans. What was the elf doing for all that time? I just want to know where the lore supporting this idea comes from.
Elves reach physical maturity at the same age as humans 16-18 years old. They don’t reach spiritual maturity until age 100. They have been able to sexually reproduce for decades at this point. This is stupid and brakes the world’s logic for me and their seem to be no reason for doing this. If you make elven pregnancy take longer and newborn elves reach physical maturity at 100 you fix the problem.
Ok, I LOVED this video! It answered so many questions!! 💕💕💕 But now I have one left… what if… a githyanki 👀… loved a human/elf/etc… very very much…? (Blame bg3 for this 😂. Got me questioning this while I was playing as githyanki Tav lol)
UPDATE: I found out that Giths reproduce asexually. The females can do it alone. So… that answers my question 😅 (But open up some more… because, jesus, the genetic diversity 🧬 must be close to non-existent, it’s incredible that they are still thriving as a species! Their genetics might be top notch!)
Why are half-elves so popular? They get night vision, fey affinity, +2 to charisma, and two +1's to put where they like during character creation. They are very flexible, which makes them good for any build you might want to make.
I dunno, I think people make kobold characters because they want to explore what it's like to be a little lizard dude in a big people's world, amiright? :D
Let's be honest, it's because half-elves get the angsty "I'm trapped between two worlds and have no place in either" shtick. Half-elves were Tieflings before Tieflings were "cool."
@@HenriFaustWouldn't that be more Half-Orcs?
@@HenriFaust Eh, not really. My half elf swashbuckler rogue doesn't really care about his heritage, he's just out for the adventure and to make money... Whenever he can finally kill that dragon turtle that keeps capsizing his ships.
@@hmnhntr Half-Orcs fall more into the savage man or beast-man archetype, like werewolves.
I find really fun how elves mature, because even though they look adult-ish, they'll spend like 80 years or so in a state comparable to a human being 17-18, almost reaching adulthood but not quite. And of course, when they meet with a human those will probably expect a solemn and wise elf, but instead they'll find something like "Hey, let's go to a club, here they won't ask for my ID!"
Damn does that mean as like an elf parent you gotta look after your kid till they hit 80 bruhhh
@@Zero-qn8mk Hahahahaha
I guess it would depend on the family in each case. Maybe some elven parents would be like "You're barely 50, you're but a child!" while others would be like "You're in your fifties! It's the perfect time for you to travel to other cities and meet other races! Tell us about it when you return"
@@Micaerys lmao 😅 wish I was an elf then imagine getting that much time to figure your shit out.
@@Zero-qn8mk I think we all would want that. If half-elves at the very least
Ah, outbreeding the competition. A very effective strategy.
Wow, lore straight from Greenwood himself! Legendary 😃
If dwarf blood is incredibly potent, and so is orc blood, I’m curious as to how those genes would intermingle. Thanks for your time and all your hard work, and I’m glad you’re feeling better!
I think that, however each race's blood manifests in such an offspring, the result could be called a grumble, due to its inevitable attitude.
Or at least that is how I see it.
@@derekstein6193 oh my gosh I LOVE THAT! I’m definitely adding it to my next campaign.
Tiefling blood is also incredibly potent where people will come out as tieflings. Dwarf tiefling, tabaxi tiefling xD
@@ragnazero1971 omg xD so what I’m hearing is there’s a lot more tusks, horns, and beards than any of us originally anticipated xD
I feel like for the dwarf-orc one you're gonna end up in an elf-orc scenario. The grudge isn't exactly as strong between the 2 main gods, but....... I'll be damned if I can't think of one that deserves 2nd more than them.
What about the half-elf soul? Since they're not full blooded elfs do they technically not have a primordial soul from back when elves intermingled with the gods?
Fun question. Half-elves don't trance which is the elvish connection with their pre/afterlife in Arvandor. My understanding is that Correllon does not accept half-elves automatically into his domain, excpetions may arise based on deeds and faith. Half-elves are sorted into the afterlife like humans, as far as I know.
IIRC - Humans have Souls, Elves technically have 'Spirits', Half-Elves have Souls. So, one would assume that in terms of 'Souls', Half-Elves take after their Human parent.
@@JaxWylds think Correllon occasionally except a full non elf.
Thank you for bringing this up, I had hoped it would be addressed as well, I think it was only stated in a video a few years ago that we don't know what happens to Half-Elven souls when the die, and the gods are particularly silent about it. I think the others' explanations below makes sense, but it'd be nice if we had any kind of certainty somewhere.
+
I hope this makes it self to you somehow:
In a land of lore and tales so grand,
A hero rose with a mic in hand,
MrRhexx is his name,
With a passion for D&D, he gained fame.
With each video, he spins a yarn,
Of half-elves and creatures that alarm,
His tales are whimsical, and oh so fun,
He captures our hearts, one by one.
From dark dungeons to enchanted woods,
His voice carries us through every nook and cranny,
A guide through these lands, he understands,
The lore and legends that we all seek.
So let us follow this bard so bold,
As he leads us through these tales untold,
With MrRhexx, our adventure never ends,
A journey we'll cherish with our dear friends.
Am I the only one who read it like JoCrap rap?
Stop simping!
That was quite nice!
Glad you're feeling better! My wife & I always look forward to your lore videos! We've seen them all! Keep it up! :)
Thanks for your hard work MrRhexx!! Been waiting very patiently for the Lore King to make his inevitable comeback!!
I love the 2 parter. I honestly prefer this format over the 40-50 minute single video. I don't know what is more beneficial for you, but I like this better
"The Halfling Point of View" is specifically written from the perspective of Greyhawk. The halfling subraces mentioned are unique to Greyhawk, even in 5e, as cited in the halfling section on Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
Ofcourse the meta reason why there is focus on Half-elves specifically is because Tolkien had half-elves (although they worked quite differently)
Elrond himself was half elf if I recall correctly. Honestly a lot of D&D lore that in world is “mysterious and unknown” can basically be traced to “D&D was heavily based on Tolkien” lol
@Pro_Flamemaster Elrond and his brother were both, technically, "half-elves," but they're treated differently there. Upon maturity or reaching adulthood, any child born of an elf and human pair must choose to live their life as either elf or human. At that point, they'll take on an elven appearance completely if that path is chosen (Elrond), or human appearance and mortality (his twin brother).
I like the way Tolkien handled it.
@Just_Call_Me_Tim You are mostly correct, however tye choice doesn't change their appearance. Elrond's brother still looked very much like an elf, the difference was that he aged and Elrond didn't.
@@Just_Call_Me_Tim not exactly. Only Eärendil and Elwing (both half-elves) and their children, Elros and Elrond, were given the choice. And the timing of their choice has nothing to do with adulthood, rather it was decreed by Manwë after the War of Wrath that the half-elves had to choose between mortality and immortality. It's kinda weird and Tolkien doesnt explain how it works, but Eärendil is basically the savior of elvenkind, having sailed to Valinor and obtained forgiveness for the Elves - allowing them to return.
Elros chose to be counted as Man, becoming the first king of Numenor and great-great-great-etc father of Aragorn. Elrond chose to be counted as Elf. The children of Elrond, Arwen and her brothers, were also given the same choice. However, Elros and Elrond are super-duper unique not just cause they're half-elves; they're also descended from the royal lines of all three elven clans and a Maiar (similar to Sauron and Gandalf) - kinda like if the Habsburg were descended from Jesus and King Arthur.
@@minnumseerrundnot just all 3 elven bloodlines - Elrond and Elros are also descended from the 3 houses of Men that allied with the elves during the wars in Beleriand
Honestly that's an interesting take on gnomes actually. I thought they were a lot more flamboyant and weird than Ed made them sound in that query. Cool to see them from a different perspective.
Well they've got to stand out somehow.
I think its kinda like a confirmation bias. Gnomes are generally reserved and sequestered away. We don't see gnomes often, but when we do, its often an eccentric gnome. That makes sense though. Of course the weird gnomes are the ones leaving their seclusion to parade around. So, of course we see those types of gnomes more often, and they tend to leave a lasting impression.
@@GomulDart funny and suprisingly logical take xD
The orcs of The Elder Scrolls are Tolkienish. They're elves that were corrupted by Malacath, who was their leader Trinimac, before Boethiah transformed him. Their formal name is Orsimer, sharing the "mer" suffix of all elven races, and means "Pariah People".
IIRC.
you are, but I believe he means D&D Orcs are Tolkien esque due to there agreesive and violent temperment and violent drive to kill and pillage
you are not right, those are completely different species. Tolkien's orcs aren't a kind of elves. Their far ancestors _were_ elves like your far ancestors were fish, but you are not a fish, like orcs aren't elves, not even related. When malacath tortured and tempted captured elves, he spiritually and phisically changed them, they stopped being elves, they are just literal animals, for ever evil with no traces of "humanity" and it can't be restored. There is *nothing* to restore.
Just like an elf just stops being an elf if they decide to marry a human (what happened to aragorn's wife) the orcs' ancestors just stopped being elves, but in a *waaaaaay* more drastic and severe way.
Tolkien's orcs are animals, purely evil and fully their own kind. They can not be good, it is impossible. While the scrolls' orcs are just a race of species, they can be good, can be bad, can do art and can do fight, they are just a species like the other.
@@asbest2092 That is a long ass paragraph arguing against a claim I never made. On a year old post to boot. Well done! 🤣
@@iratevagabond204 you literally said "The orcs of The Elder Scrolls are Tolkienish", those words are in the very beginning of your comment and they are completely wrong and I elaborated why. Don't you remember your own comment?
@@asbest2092 Yes, which is why your response doesn't make sense.
I think the star elves are perfect for homebrew... gives me a way to add more elven gods as the saviours of star elves against the nilshai. That way there could be a fresh set of divine powers in that pantheon, or maybe another elf pantheon.
They're good but I prefer Archfey. To me they are both the balance and antithesis of all elves...
@@crownprince76 Eh, not much of a fan of the elven pantheon really. But the archfey are decent. I wish they were more present in the world but still.
The elves seem to follow the Rumspringa culture when it comes to youths and it sounds like humans are more like dwarf nurseries than actual parents. I currently have a plot where the villain in my story is human and related to a half elf PC. It's funny this video comes out exactly when I needed it for research. Thank you for the hard work.
I swear there was one Forgotten Realms designer who was obsessed with three-armed flying slugs. Obsessed. How many species are there of "ancient mysterious abominations" that are just three-armed flying slugs? The Phaerimm, the guys in the Yuirwood, and at least one more that I can't remember because they're so silly. There was one dude who loved his slug idea and kept pitching it; no one had the heart to tell him is was terrible LOL
I've been playing on and off since the late 80s and yet, this deep dive got me considering things I barely if ever have, so thanks for that.
As an aside, I gotta say, the Sea of Fallen Stars area looks way more versatile and interesting for play than the Sword Coast.
Sea of Fallen Stars area is where a lot of 2nd ed Forgotten Realms adventures happened. Stuff like the Curse of the Azure Bonds, The Avatar series (though that ends in Waterdeep) and lots more. It also seems to be where the focus is for the Adventurers League stuff for 5e.
@@learyth I was mostly a 2nd ed player so that might have influenced me. Cormyr, the Dalelands, Zhentil Keep all seemed like important places then from an adventuring perspective. But, beyond that, the geography of an inner sea allows for a lot of easy movement in all directions to rather different locales.
@@originaluddite Indeed. All those lands in the south like Mulhorand, Chessenta and Unther or the eastern countries like Aglorond and Thay. So many places you could go by ship and it seems beaches or ports are far more common. The Sword Coast is fine but there is really only 4 ports in the north (Baldur's Gate, Waterdeep, Neverwinter and Luskan) and the distances are huge for travel by foot.
So for dwarfs just to have replacement levels each fertile dwarf woman has to have at least 7 dwarf kids. Which would explain Snow whites experience
I'd love to see deep dive into the Rashemen. It's one of the most interesting realms in FR and my Eastern European heart beats for it
You didn't talk about how the elf gods see half-elves. That was the main thing i wanted to learn.
he did. He said they don't consider them as elves because half elves are prohibited to participate in religious rituals
I still want to know about the winged half-elves. Odd they weren't covered when Sea Elves and Drow were.
Because those elves were almost wiped out on the war between the Drow Lolith and Corellien(sp?)
Look up the crown wars
@@crownprince76 No, they were almost wiped out during the formation of the Dracorage Mythal. By the time of the Crown Wars, the Avariel were completely out of the picture.
Me: "Well, Half elves must be a bit more down to earth than regular elves."
Meanwhile, *Half-elves going full feyaboo*
That last part is interesting to know. I actually play a drow. Now he is a full blood drow but his mother, who escaped to the surface with him, is married and had children with a half elf. Those three are my character’s younger sisters. Since I also have them set up as backup characters, I intend to play them, mechanically, as half drow.
I have a Drow character I have played since 83. So I understand the the joy.. lol
i get why half elves are so common. elves are hot as hell and humans are horny as hell.
That pretty much sums it up
28:12 - and this was similar to the Dragonlance books, in which a Half-Elf and and Elf pairing makes a full Elf in only 1 generation, which might explain why Elves are so willing to create Half-Elves, if they can use the Half-Elves as ways to bolster their offspring count and then also can marry back into the general Elven population with no "loss of Elvish-ness" or whatever.
Thanks for posting MrRhexx!
Thanks. I wish I'd seen this about two years ago. I'm playing a half-elf from Aglarond. I tried to find what I could about the lore but didn't find a lot so had to make some of it up :-)
Well done, Mr. Rhexx! Glad you're feeling better.
"...then the human's thing is that they are really good at reproducing."
/sound of kobolds laughing/
how many kobolds have you seen in your life?
I know you focus on the Forgotten Realms and 5th edition, and someone might have already addressed it, but in Dark Sun/Athas, there are half dwarves (human/dwarf) called Muls and they, like mules, are sterile, but are huge--roughly the height of a human and the build of a dwarf. There are also (though this was first introduced in a series of novels) halfling/elf hybrids, elflings, I think. I don't even want to THINK about half giants.
Glad to see you’re feeling better. Awesome video!
Personally I prefer the "Races of Ansalon" or maybe it was "Bastards and Bloodlines" version of Half-Dwarf. The human adaptability and the dwarven craftmanship results in +2 to all craft skills. Best handymen around.
Thank you for all that you do, my guy!
Man that armor redesign is exactly the sort of thing WOTC would try to steal with the new OGL they failed to implement.
I can't understand that thought process at all. We have all seen what happened to the SCP community during the Russian copyright BS.
Nothing got created and multiple big name creations got sold to Hollywood instead.
Same exact thing would happen here.
Wanna steal my hard work and mods? Okay I'll make them, change them slightly and re sell it myself somewhere else.
Literally StarCraft and 40k in a nutshell
It’s a good thing the SRD is Creative Commons. Hats off to the folks at wotc who made that decision.
Are you kidding? WOKE of the Coast want to kill this whole video. Differently parented persons of diversity matter!
@@jacobjensen7704 Did you actually read what they put in the revised SRD? You get one subclass per class and its even missing Drow as a playable race, despite referring to them as a playable race multiple times. as far as I am concerned its a complete mess of a document that is functionally almost useless.
Cry me river get over it.
FYI in the Spelljammer Novel series one of the main characters is a half-human and half-kender (which is the halfling race in dragonlance) Her father was human and her mother was a Kender. In the book it referances her that she looked more Kender like than Human.
I keep it simple at my table: When in doubt, you get your momma's race 'cause she's gotta push you out into the world.
Yup! Momma makes the stock, papa adds the spice.
Sorry to say, but this is among the least interesting approaches to me.
@Tyler Reed Well, simple and easy to remember are rarely the most interesting ways to go about it. This is just a basic rule to go by when no one really wants to get into the advanced genetics of fantasy creatures, intermingled with literal magic and divine influence, which, if grounded in reality, would almost certainly be completely unable to reproduce at all. If youre wanting to go into all of that, i personally have a lot more theories specialized approaches to the topic, down to even the individuals doing the copulation. But thats not basic, simple, or easy to remember. And most who play dont consider it particularly fun or entertaining to determine the gestational period of each unique pairing.
@@tylerreed2409it’s called “Simple” for a reason, Rule of Thumb is barely interesting, it’s tried & true
The problem with that is that the gender is determined by the father's genetics...
Male female or whatever you want to build in-between passed down from dear old dad....
I'd love to see a video interview of Ed Greenwood by Mr. Rhexx. That could be an interesting video.
It was about a year ago that I first found your channel and immediately fell in love with your content, your What they don't tell you about, your more recent videos about individual dragons just *chefs kiss*
I hope you can make a video on Tchazzar
There are two FR novel series that deal with the Star Elves and some of the events in Sildëyuir: The Dungeons series and the Abolethic Sovereignty series.
I wonder how Dragoons(Final Fantasy series) would fare in D&D?
A Knight class that wears Armor in the image of Dragons that specialize in fighting said dragons. Wields spears as their primary weapon and are known for their agility and ludicrus jumping abilities.
Depending on which lore you may draw from some Dragoons fashion their armor from the scales of the dragon they've slain or befriended.
Given how many types of dragons there are I could see Dragoons having varying abilities depending on what type of dragon armor they are wearing.
Red Dragon Armor(fire resistance)
Gold Dragon Armor(resistance to spells)
Blue Dragon Armor(lightning resistance)
4:57 15 mile great wall like in China
Great Wall of China: *15000 miles long*
18:35 I presume that's a different "Roger Moore" and not, you know, the one who played James Bond.
I have great joy in recognizing the pictures. One was from Pathfinder, one was from the Runeterra universe... Interesting. Especially, if you know the plot.
Welcome back feel better soon mate love your vids
The elf/orc hybrid thing gave me an idea of a minor god finding some place outside the of the influence of gods and breeding elf/orcs as his secret army of followers.
Now both gods just hiring you to clear that up and still don’t know what to do next
Because the problem is acceptance.
Orcs are almost genetically hard wired to hate elves. And all I think orcs would see is weakness.
Now everyone else would just see orc. Guilty Until proven different.
I have a half elf orc but he lives in a small half orc community that's fighting to prove themselves. So they work as a mercenary group. Which makes a perfect place for him to prove himself...
Thanks for the lore! ^^
In bg3, half elves get the same weapon proficiencies as humans. So they get both elven mastery of magic, and human’s deadly skill with the ultimate weapon: the pointy stick.
This is literally why my first ever character I created for DnD was a halfelf, even though I am very much a dwarf at heart. I just could relate to them. What you said there at the end, that could have been a description of my childhood.
24:00 min
Not necessarily. The way I understand from the 5e PHB, elves mature at about the same rate as Humans, but aren't considered adults until they are 100 years old, so to me, this sounds like a cultural thing.
Iirc, in ancient hebrew culture, you were considered to be a child 'til you reached your 30s.
26:42 min
Now that's a brainworm (like an earworm, but for thoughts)!
Now I want to have an elf-orc, that through whatever weird magic shenanigans was concieved.
Say hello to Olf the Olf (or would that be an erc? An orf? An elc?).
There is no need for magical shenanigans. Loop hole, one parent is a half elf the other half orc, and there you go.
I see Gwent artwork benefts you greatly :D The Witcher aesthetics fit DnD really well. But the doomed knight with photoshopped ears 5:38 is hilarious, as in the Witcher lore he's a human racist who hunts elves to burn them in a pyre XD
What an excellent and informative video. Subbed! I'm new to DnD and can't wait to start it. Currently playing BG3 ❤
Explanation of how half-elfs grow up in human society explains why they are so popular among DnD players. They are basically shy and nerdy kids of our world.
Thanks for this.
I hope you feel better soon.
I'm currently running a Dwelf paladin in my groups campaign. Parents met in the wild but were killed by marauders, leaving me an orphan and taken in by the local city church. Having that background made it easier to take on a paladin oath due to my mother's dwarf background and being "tougher" than a cleric. Dedicated to Helm and being a Watcher paladin to protect any who need it on any realm
19:49 Now I wanna see what somebody with Hafling-Orc heritage would inherit. Stouter-halflings? Tuskers?
This channel is awesome you do such a great job.
16:20
Those are both dwarves. That's Dagran Thaurissan and Moira Bronzebeard from World of Warcraft and the subsequent son they produced.
Great vid man! Would love to hear more about Star Elves.
no worries about you getting sick. All fine and great video again
Loved the video. You should do one on "Plane Touched" (Genasi, Aasimar, Tieflings).
Agreed. I was rankled lately when someone I was playing D&D with asked tiefling players, "What color is your character?"
That's what variation is to tieflings now. 2e had a full-page chart full of fiendish features, and the 3e Monster Manual's entry included the line, "No two tieflings look alike."
Also, that video could cover lesser-known planetouched like chaonds and zenythri, which are born with blood from the Planes of Chaos and Law, respectively.
Whoa whoa whoa, time out. You're telling me that there's a chance that any dwarf, human, halfling etc I meet on an adventure is actually a gnome?!
Ye gods, these are almost changelings!
I'm so glad you got these videos done. I've got a npc who's a half drow. I now have a better idea how he will act. He's a simi retired adventurer bard. I have a better idea how his bard apprentice will act.
0:33 Boy, I do love the depictions of elves recently, but do they have half-sized brains or what? Never mind that poor gnome.
Like it's funny the most intelligent races in this image have the least cranium while the half-orc has the largest.
No one cares about your health, just keep pumping out the lore. You are a machine and nothing else!
I'm glad you are getting better. You sounded absolutely aweful at the end of the first half elf video, you sound like you again.
All hype for new dragon videos, and all hype for the Sands of Doom campaign!
Human bard comes up to an elvish community. The elf leader:
"You stay away from my daughter, my son, my wife, me, my dog, my cat, my horse...you know what, your kind just seem to mix with EVERYTHING so just take a 10 mile detour around the whole community."
In DnD humans are like Jack Harkness. We are the disappointing boyfriend the elf girl only shows off to her parents when she wants to get them upset.
On the other hand, elves sow their wild oats on humans.
Have fun with the rp ideas
Jesus Jack Harkness...
That is so true.
They would look at humanity like a virus...
"Aw here they come. A group of 20 will become 500 in under 50years.and in a century or so 5000..."
wasn't expecting it but i loved seeing a gridania picture in here lmfao
Since you showed a picture of kinders at about 6:20 and teased me with my favorite d&d race ever, will you do a video on them?
I was here for half-elves, halfway thru the vid it turned into half-dwarves and I'm here for it.
Can't wait for this power to just be "say you're a half elf" and nothing more in 5.5 :)
Youd be very alone.
@@KatsuhiroHebi that’s the joke, everything post 3.5 was an abomination
My favorite race! Thank you very much!
Hi Fermin!
I love these videos!
Since the first one on half-elves I was looking forward to this
31:08 She's human in Runeterra, where elves doesn't exist. So she surely aren't Half-Elf.
Awesome Video!
I hope you do videos on the other Forgotten Realms continents and Kara-Tur!
Ok, throwing this idea out now but now I want you to make vid on half-dragons
14:20 tis why dragons would consider humans pests. the only thing that beats out humans in breeding is orcs.
What's interesting is that as far as I remember the union of orc and elf is a modern retcon because those elf/orc combinations were called black elves, sporting bulkier musculature, pronounced jaw lines and larger incisors with a penchant for anger. So it was implied black elves were most commonly populous among drow, and the nature of orks meant that they were most often male, which placed them low in the rungs of drow society, but also flipped the paradigm, in that the drow was most often the aggressor in such reproduction. I can see why they were retconned, but also think they had an interesting concept.
I believe black elves were playable in neverwinter nights.
If you and Ed just chatted about the Realms and Realmslore on a vid I would probably have that on loop while I painted :)
Glad you are feeling better, as usual am eternally grateful for your content. So what do you think about the Dnd movie? (Honor amongst thieves) Especially that dragon Themberchaud 😁
I just wanna point out how well art of Gridania in FFXIV fits as B Roll pictures so well for this video lol
Crazy good vid as always.
There is no dilution of dwarven blood.
That's the most Chad thing ever.
Didn't expect so much Gwent (Witcher) art in a DnD video...
I always love your takes and info you dig up i always try to integrate the info
“Then we’ll go back to *doing dragons*”
Oh my~
Welcome back sir always worth waiting for your videos. Sorry if annoying is Bahamut and his various aspects ever going to be a topic in the far flung future?
I have a character I created based on your previous Lore video for dwarves and this reminded me of him. Basically he is the last survivng member of his dwarven clan. He became a bard and has made it his goal to preserve the dwarven race in bard fashion. But unlike your standard horny bard he sees it as an unpleasant duty he has to fulfill. He desperately wishes there were another way but he sees none. And so he travels from town to town, always tired, always seeking human women, and just wishing for once he could rest from the self-inflicted burden he has placed upon himself. 😅
Get well soon rhexx!
You should do Mercenary companies in Faerun. They are super interesting as well. The big ones being Bregan d'Aerthe , a drow mercenary company that secretly runs the city of Luskan. Or the Brotherhood of the Griffin. An ex-Thayan (Red Wizards) army company that sell there services after losing the Red Wizard civil war. Even the Zhentarium operate as mercanaries.
What does a halfling baby look like?
Half the size of a human baby, with hair on their feet instead of their head? Adorable and hilarious
Mr. Rhexx. Warm green tea and clove honey.
"Humans can reproduce quickly" orcs: am I a joke to you?
human mates with a dwarf = offspring is a slightly taller dwarf
dwarf mates with a halfling = offspring is a slightly tougher halfling
halfling mates with a human = offspring is a human with hairier feet
it's like rock paper scissors
As a man who's 5 ft. 1 in. and has hairy feet, something is making a whole lot more sense.
rock paper scissor breeding dlc
Lololol
Where did the lore on the elves heading out to adventure as youths (under 100 years of age) come from? Previous editions list a starting age for characters of various races and the elves were always listed as 100+ years before they would be ready to adventure. The 3rd ed Player's Guide to Faerun for example, lists a starting age for elves of 110 + either 4d6, 6d6 or 10d6 depending on how complex a character class was.
I like the idea that elves do their adventuring young as it removes the weirdness of 100 + year old elves with the same skill set as 20 year old humans. What was the elf doing for all that time? I just want to know where the lore supporting this idea comes from.
Elves reach physical maturity at the same age as humans 16-18 years old. They don’t reach spiritual maturity until age 100. They have been able to sexually reproduce for decades at this point. This is stupid and brakes the world’s logic for me and their seem to be no reason for doing this. If you make elven pregnancy take longer and newborn elves reach physical maturity at 100 you fix the problem.
I’ve got a question. What happens if you get a half elf + half orc. Or + tiefling (half demon).
These could have results I need explored.
Get better love these kinds of videos
Coming up Half-orcs! More exotic Half races. Half-dwarves?
9:40, nice Final Fantasy XIV art, there.
Ok, I LOVED this video! It answered so many questions!! 💕💕💕
But now I have one left… what if… a githyanki 👀… loved a human/elf/etc… very very much…?
(Blame bg3 for this 😂. Got me questioning this while I was playing as githyanki Tav lol)
UPDATE: I found out that Giths reproduce asexually. The females can do it alone. So… that answers my question 😅
(But open up some more… because, jesus, the genetic diversity 🧬 must be close to non-existent, it’s incredible that they are still thriving as a species! Their genetics might be top notch!)