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Humans, gnomes, and halflings are cross-fertile with dwarves. Elminster says elves and dwarves can have issue as well. Common in Ardeep, Eaerlann, and Myth Drannor of old, this is unheard-of today.

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"Half-dwarves" are not a distinct race. Save for their height (a head taller than most dwarves) all offspring of unions between dwarves and other races look and act (and are treated in the rules) as pureblood dwarves. Dwarven halfbreeds always have the stocky build and hirsute appearance of purebloods.

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Originally posted by LordofBones

The internet has taught me that half-dorfs are what happens when a swole dorf and his trusty battleaxe find each other late at night, when the moors are quiet and the stars are bright.

Obvious, you can't tell the difference. Only half-dorfs can tell each other apart; there's a surprising rivalry between hammerdorfs and axedorfs.

No other half-dorfs exist, because if you're not using a hammer or an axe, you're not a dorf, you filthy poser.

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@Artie_Pavlov

Hi @TheEdVerse. are half-dwarves your thing in the realms? or inherited/created? Also, they seem to be super rare. Is there any breeding-specific lore? I seem to always forget that in the realms dwarves actually can breed with humans.

<Image of Nuli Barbarak: https://twitter.com/Artie_Pavlov/status/1440988057596043264/photo/1>

@TheEdVerse

I can't recall if this made it into published Realmslore, or just internal design lore, but I have answered this via the Hooded One: most half-dwarves can "pass" as either (usually short, stocky) human or as a (tallish) dwarf. And do, so they SEEM rare.

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@HalfElfatHeart

What would the general opinion of half-dwarves in larger cities along the Sword Coast look like? I wasn't sure if they were so rare that it would provoke extreme attention.

@TheEdVerse

Half-dwarves that someone glancing their way will THINK are half-dwarves are rare indeed; most half-dwarves so favor either the human or the dwarven parent (usually the latter) as to pass for human or dwarf. A “pass for human” half-dwarf will usually be short, stocky, and burly of muscle. A pass-for-dwarf half-dwarf will look like an unusually tall dwarf. A visibly half-dwarf will be even taller, and will attract attention, but will only stand out when walking alone or with one or two companions of different heights; otherwise, there’s enough variation in human heights, especially when youths are in the mix, that the half-dwarf will tend to “blend in with the crowd.”

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@WillemJdeGreef

Out of curiousity, in your home campaign do you know of any half-dwarves or half-halflings (quarterlings?). We know humans and elves can tango, and humans and orcs. Why not dwarf/halfling, human dwarf, human halfling and such?

@TheEdVerse

Certainly. This has come up a lot over the years, and my answer remains the same: such individuals tend to favour/"pass" for one parent race or the other...and out of social convenience, almost invariably choose to "blend in" (e.g. a tall human/dwarf w/humans).

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