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In my mind, a suitable mechanic would allow for creation of half-elves by merging humans and elves or for creating aasimars by merging humans and celestials.  I don't see the need for creating hybrids as a separate listing if one method is created that allows for players to merge two parent races on their own.

Do people agree with me or do they prefer to have separate listing for the many hybrids (half-elves, half-orcs, half-dragons, half-ogres, half-vampires, aasimar, tieflings, shifters, changelings, genasi, mongrelfolk, half-minotaurs, etc.

If dragons, ogres, orcs, elementals, vampires, lycanthropes, celestials, demons, devils, elves, minotaurs, etc. are built in a playable way then a hybrid mechanic could produce human-(other) hybrids.  More importantly you could create hybrids with elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, etc. as one of the parent races instead of always using humans.

Jan 14, 2013 -- 11:28AM, Novacat wrote:

Some hybrid should be separate races. Others could be templates applied to a base-race (with a rule that you can only have one hybrid template).

It would be careful, fiddly work trying to make such templates balanced (as in, neither obligatory for optimization perposes nor a sacrifice in the name of roleplay), and I don't think they should be done in the manner of 3E's level adjustment (ye gods, the level adjustment).

In my mind each race would be normalized to have very similar and comparable abilities, such as:
1. Weapon training
2. Language
3. Ability Score bonus
4. 2 Skills
5. Minor ability related to a class (cantrip, armor bonus, sneaking ability, etc.)

Hybrids could then mix and match between the two parent races.

All minor abilities would need to be similarly matched in power level.

The way races are set up, hybrids would have to be their own races. Races are self contained packaged deals and the only way to do their justice to to write them from scratch or change the entire racial module.

Jan 14, 2013 -- 11:47AM, wrecan wrote:

Hybrids that can breed true are separate races.
Hybrids created by the union of two existing races are hybrids.  

Aasimar, tieflings, shadar-kai, gith, all breed true.  
Half-elves, muls, and half-orcs do not.

Half-elves breed true in Eberron, and 4e half-Orcs are implied not to even be a hybrid. Muls, however, can't breed true, so they might be serves by some sort of hybrid rules, though they are stronger than either humans or dwarves.

I am surprised by the greater number of people who want separate races for hybrids.

I thought people might be interested in building elf-dwarf hybrids, halfling-elf hybrids, halfling-dwarf hybrids, etc. 

Under a separate race category, it would take much more energy to define each hybrid.

Of course, I've never played a half-elf or half-orc so I have no interest in either.