Dark Sun, Game Of Thrones, Barbie and the First Ones

On a completely unrelated topic, I was talking to a friend on-line about settings and he pointed out that Dark Sun was the only setting that had sterile cross-species breeding, with the Mul, a half-human/half-dwarf hybrid. These hulking creatures are a one of Dark Sun's most iconic creatures. I thought about how I could add a mul-like race to Saggakar, without upsetting the balance.

I had initially thought about creating a race of eunuchs, poor neutered creatures whose parent decide to castrate for some reason. However after giving it some more thought, I began to wonder why the First Ones would deprive themselves of a potential resource and troops. It would be much more in their own interests to do that to slaves.

On an unrelated topic, I have finally sat down and treated myself to a three week marathon of five seasons of Game of Thrones. Great, brutal, twisted and violent, visually stunning, makes for awesome TV. I will not be spoiling anything here. Poor Theon Greyjoy who enjoyed his "little brain" a little too much. That horrible scene, still makes me shudder in terror and sympathetic pains.

So how could I create my "mul", I asked myself. It would have to be something that was not man-made, like a eunuch. No, it needed to be something that happened naturally, something that would be visible at birth some type of obvious deformity.

So I went down the path of the mongrelmen, part this, that and everything else. However, having such deformed creatures as half-First Ones did not appeal to me. I needed something else.

Then I literally stepped on my solution.

Barbie.

My daughters have a collection of Barbie: clothes, accessories, and other things. There is the house, the furniture, etc.

Yes, that hot blonde with her hot pink car and her toys! Barbie and her man, Ken, were notoriously flat "down there". I had it! Finally my solution appeared. A race of people who were flat "down-there". This would allow their racial affiliation to be obvious at birth AND make them a half-First One race!

Now to determine which ability they had. I wanted to avoid having to create a crossbreed with every race. I wanted a race that was unique and that could easily be implemented.

I sat down to my computer, trying to make out ways and places I could act. I played with a few things, but in the end, I gave them a minor version of shadow jump and the ability to quality for any feat or prestige class that is racial-based. Effectively making this an all in one multi-race.

Then I started to think of a few more things: what would they look like? I decided on a hybrid of both parents with androgynous features. I like the results.

Finally, I needed a name. Unlike the hulking half-dwarves of Dark Sun, my halfbreeds could not really go by mul. A quick read of wikipedia taught me a list of castrated creatures. I decided upon havier, which is a neutered deer. However I did not like the sound of it, so I shortened it to "havers" which sounds a lot like "half-ers" which is both insulting to them and shows the First One' didain for such creatures.

The havers will appear in the upcoming Saggakar Player's Guide.

JP