Tel-Amhothlan

When you think about it, Drow-Orcs are probably the most common kind.

Because who says Elf-Orc breeding can't make something better?

It's long been a subject of curiosity amongst the Dungeons & Dragons crowd on /tg/: if Elves and Orcs can both successfully interbreed with Humans and produce fully viable halfbreed spawn, then what happens if you mate Elf and Orc? After all, in Tolkien, orcs were just corrupted elves.

Description

Well, in most D&D official media, the official answer is "nothing happens, it doesn't work, it just doesn't, trust us, okay?".
But Kingdoms of Kalamar isn't your typical D&D setting. Alongside other unconventional hybrids like the Half-Gnoll, Half-Dwarf and Half-Gnome, we have the Tel-Amhothlan, a hybrid of Elf and Orc also known as the "Guruk-vra" amongst their Orcish kindred.

The tel-amhothlan first appeared in Dangerous Denizens: Monsters of Tellene and were fleshed out in Friend & Foe: The Elves & Bugbears of Tellene. The latter source goes more into the specifics but follows and re-emphasizes the basic ideas put forth in Dangerous Denizens.

As per the typical Half-Orc, a Tel-Amhothlan is usually born of rape, though in a rarity, male Elves are also known to be raped by female Orcs to produce more of these hybrids. At least, this is what Dangerous Denizens says; Friend & Foe instead says that their origins are a mystery and claims even most orcs and elves aren't sure where they come from, or are even oblivious to their existence. Magical experiments, divine intervention and even complete genetic flukes have all been suggested by those who do know of their existence.

For the most part, Tel-Amhothlans look just like ordinary Half-Orcs; only their leaner build, Elf-like ears and larger eyes give them away, which is why the race's existence hasn't been noticed by most every other race in the world. Friend & Foe gives a more specific appearance, describing them as pretty ugly even by half-orc standards:

An average tel-amhothlan stands 6 feet tall and weighs between 140 and 160 pounds. Females are slightly smaller and leaner, but not to any great degree. Their hair is usually dark, though fair-haired children are not unknown. Few possess thick heads of hair; thin, straggly ribbons are more typical. Skin color ranges from olive green to brown and brownish gray, depending on the elven parent’s heritage. As the creature ages, so the skin toughens and becomes drier. Hair tends to fall out rather than turn gray, though again there are exceptions. To the casual viewer they resemble thinner, leaner half-orcs. Their ears may be slightly longer and their eyes have an unusual sheen, but nothing that instantly labels them as a separate race.

Personality-wise, Tel-Amhothlans are described as inheriting the strongest mental traits of both progenitor races, which makes them more dangerous than either, as this marries Elven creativity and curiosity with Orcish greed and violence along with intensely emotional natures. The result is a tendency towards "perversity" and mind-state that can be at best highly unpredictable, and at worst completely unstable. A tel-amhothlan may spend days or weeks getting to know a family, being completely sincere in his interest in their lives, only to burn down their house when they are asleep just to see how they react.

Ironically, despite the Elven hatred of Orcs, the respect for their own bloodline means Elves aren't violently opposed to the existence of Tel-Amhothlans. Of course, this doesn't mean that they like them, just that their kinship is acknowledged; a Tel-Amhothlan born in Elven communities isn't normally killed at birth, and when they meet, Elves treat them like distant relatives - politely and with courtesy, but with no real sense of friendship.

...At least, that's what Dangerous Denizens says. Their entry in Friend & Foe retcons this by saying that elf-born tel-amothlans are usually just left in the woods to die, unless the mother has an attack of conscience, and even then only she will ever acknowledge it as a thing which exists.

This is a really unique race, and sadly it's a concept that's never appeared in any other setting. Which is really a shame, since there's a lot of inherently interesting ideas you could do with elf-orcs. Beyond that, they also make a lot of sense; Drow keep many Orcs as slaves, and as everyone knows, the female Drow are hardly the nicest to their bedmates. Admittedly, there's never been anything explicit about them eating their menfolk, but it is canon that they'll dispose of them as soon as they get bored. It's not exactly a stretch of the imagination to envision male Drow taking female Orcs as concubines in response; whatever flaws they may have, at least they're not female Drow.

Statblock

+2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma

Medium

Base Speed 30 feet

Low-Light Vision

Orc Blood: Treat as an Orc for all racial effects keying off of race

+1 racial bonus on saves against Enchantment school spells and spell-like abilities

+1 racial bonus on Listen, Spot and Search checks

Favored Class: Fighter

Obviously, this isn't much mechanically. How does it compare to the Half-Orc? Well, you've traded a Strength bonus for an equivalent Dexterity bonus, and you've downgraded from Darkvision to Low-light vision, but you've also gained +1 to saves vs. Enchantments and +1 to perception skill checks, which is more skill bonuses than the Half-Orc got.
So... mediocre, but not quite as terrible as the 3.0 Half-Orc.

See Also

Voldur, a homebrew Elf-Orc for 3.5e.