1/2 elf, 1/4 elf, 5/8 elf, 17/36 elf, etc.

[Angela Christine]

How much mixed blood makes you definitely a half-elf, optionally a half-elf, or definitely not a half-elf?

In the old AD&D 2nd edition rules elves were more special than humans, so you had to be 100% elf to be an elf, at least 50% elf to be a half-elf, and less than 50% elf to be human.

100% elf = elf
50-99% elf = half elf
0-49% elf = human

Elves are not that special here, what with not being immortal and whatnot.


Obviously being 1/2 elf and 1/2 human makes you definitely a half-elf.

Is 1/4 elf definitely a half-elf, possibly a half-elf, or definitely a human?

Is 3/4 elf definitely a half-elf, possibly a half-elf, or definitely an elf?

What about 1/8 or 7/8 elf?  (Your grandparents included one half elf, and the rest were all either humans or elves).

3/8 elf? (Your grandparents were a half-elf, an elf, and two humans)

5/8 elf?  (Grandparents a half-elf, a human, and two elves)

15/16 elf?

1/32 elf?

Does it make any difference if your elvish ancestors were city or wilderness elves?  Tribal or tribe-less?


Angela Christine

[Xygax]

For racism purposes, I think if you're tainted with elven blood, you're a half-elf.  That doesn't necessarily mean that your coded race should be half-elf, though.  I can see people creating coded humans that have some small fraction of elven blood in their heritage and playing them along those lines.

-- X