Cross-Breeding! Sweet Moogly-googly!

So, I was wandering about the Wizards of the Coast's website. And I found This!:

Q: Can you cross breed between different species? Say, could a Human and a Twi'lek produce offspring? If so, which species can mix?

A: Technically, it's not possible for species to cross breed. That's actually part of the definition of "species": that they are not capable of breeding with other species. In fact, that's part of a subplot (a love affair between Gavin Darklighter and a Bothan pilot) in the X-Wing novels by Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston.

That said, there has been at least one cross-breed in Star Wars: Rystáll, the red-haired dancer in Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi. She's described as the half-breed product of a union between a Human father and an alien mother. So it's possible for some species to interbreed, but it seems unlikely that there are half-Human/half-Twi'lek characters, or we'd have seen some evidence of them in the Star Wars universe by now. Unlikely, but not impossible -- it is, after all, your campaign


So, does this mean that cross-breeds are cannon? And even more intrestingly, what would a twi'lek/human cross look like? 0.o

 

[image=http://www.animecowboy.com/gallery/Dragon_Ball/Majin_Buu/boo8.jpg]
Ew.

 

You know, as scary as that is... and damn that's scary... Ugh, going to bleach my eyes now.


I just lost all rational train of thought, thank you.

But seriously, It might have hair. Or human colored skin. And what if it's a female? Weirdy~!

 

Well, I would imagine that crossbreeding is restricted to very similar species--species that are actually subspecies of the same general type. Unlike in Star Trek, where virtually every sentient humanoid species in the galaxy is a genetic offspring of a "creator race" from hundreds of thousands of years previous, and so can crossbreed almost freely (Humans and Klingons, Humans and Vulcans, Humans and Romulans, Klingons and Romulans...), in Star Wars most if not all species seem to have evolved on their own, though it's possible that near-Human species like Dantari would be primitive devolutions of Humans who were lost on the planet generatiosn before.

So cross-breeding would likely be limited to species who evolved from each other or to species who by freak chance have extremely similar genetics. For example, Humans and Chev (or is it Chevin? One of them is an extreme-near-Human species and the other is a pachydermoid).

This doesn't explain Rystall, who had a human father and could appear to be a human in makeup...except for those big ol' rhino feet (what was her mother like, I wonder?).

In theory, genetic recombination could "blend" two species, but whether such a creature would be a viable species or just a sterile hybrid I don't know enough about genes to say.

 

Presumably, cross-breeding between near-human species is possible and half-breeds MUST be possible (as there are "near-human" species to begin with).

 

There's a half-human in Dark Empire, Shug Ninx I believe; Bey from the Marvel series was a half-Nagai, and apparently one of the Grand Admirals has "alien ancestors".

 

it seems unlikely that there are half-Human/half-Twi'lek characters, or we'd have seen some evidence of them in the Star Wars universe by now. Unlikely, but not impossible -- it is, after all, your campaign

Yeah, in my campaign there's a planet with Unusual Radiation Effects that changed the genes of all its multispecies colonists, enabling them to cross-breed. Thus, centuries later, you had Twi'lek/Sullustans, Duros/Lannik, and Wookiee/Hutts. Eeeeeeew.

 

Of course, we also had the house rule that if you used a FP during boinking, you'd produce offspring regardless of species-crossovers or birth control methods...

 

Good heavens! I certainly hope you wouldn't get the FP back. Not exactly heroism, though the moment might certainly seem Dramatically Appropriate at the time.

 

Wow. I showed this to my DM and he blanched. Maybe he'll incorporate such an amusing rule in our games? (We have a slut!Jedi >.< and it's a guy)

I just wonder which parents genes are stronger.

 

In our campaign we had two characters. One was a Cathar and the other was a Farghul. They ended up having a kid. And it was a half-n-half. Both the Cathar and the Furghul are a Felinoid Species, so we all figured it would be plausable.

And in order to simplify stats for a half-breeded character have them choose a dominate species and then take their stats. But for purposes of Genetic scans they would show up as both. Also, if a person is a half-breed human they would forfeit their fist level bonus feat. Like a half-elf in DnD.

 

Good heavens! I certainly hope you wouldn't get the FP back. Not exactly heroism, though the moment might certainly seem Dramatically Appropriate at the time.

It was most often used by Zeltrons...

 

Well, they might produce offspring, but would those offspring be fertile?

Horses & Donkeys can interbreed to produce mules, but mules are ~95% infertile. You can't normally breed mules with mules--they're sterile.

Just thought I'd throw that little complication at you.

 

Here's an interesting fact: when you crossbreed a male Lion and a female Tiger you get a Liger which are born sterile, but if you breed a male Tiger and a female Lion you get a Tigon who have had documented cases of fertility.

 

I think we are over-analyzing a little bit. If you wan't a halfbreed then make a halfbreed. This entire genre isn't exactly based upon science fact. *levitates using the Force*

 

I think that wondering about the fertility/sterility of the half-breed creature lends a little bit of realism, I mean, how would parents of said child react to that? (Aside from the 'wtf?!' of the very existance of the child) ^-^

Personally, I would implement it, and see what happens. In most of our games, the characters that survive have family lines (thus A scoundrel from a previous game is the father of my current scoundrel). It would be up to those particular players as to weather or not the child remains NPC, PC or randomly dies.

 

there's also a half-breed in KOTOR II. A Sith Lord named Marka Ragnos, not sure of what though.

 

You know what, I played KOTOR II and I didn't even realize that. I was too busy staring at Atton's bottom.

Mm, textures.

 

I think Marka Ragnos was a cross between a Sith (the race) and a human.

I might be wrong, I was too busy staring at Handmaiden's bottom

 

Because I'm a girl, I didn't get Handmaiden. Got Disciple though. ^-^ More bottoms for me. Mandalore is none-to-shabby. ^-^

 

haha

well, if they're similar enough then they can breed, look at dogs, different species of dogs dont seem to have much trouble breeding with eachother,

if a male donkey and a mare breed, and the mare gets preggers, then she'll have a hinny, which is infertile, and if a stallion shacks up with a female donkey, then the donkey will have a mule, also infertile

its either like that or the other way round, can't remember for sure