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Rerecros 07-31-07, 10:42 PM

After reading this by hellcow. To speak the the reasoning behind it: in Eberron, outsiders that don't reproduce are true immortals. They cannot be killed. When they die, their spiritual energy is reincarnated over time (and it can take time) to create a new outsider of the same type. Thus, the point is that their numbers remain constant. Thus the war on Shavarath will never end. They don't take time off to reproduce. They can't create new outsiders by reproducing. But they fallen will always return, in time... though only the greatest among them possess the memories of their predecessors. But what about half-fiends? After all, there are half-fiends in the Demon Wastes. The Daughters of Sora Kell are half-fiends. The point is that outsiders can't reproduce with each other - but nothing's stopping them from reproducing with other creatures. And like dragons, nothing's limiting them in what they can reproduce with. In my opinion, such reproduction doesn't follow normal biological process at all; the outsider isn't a normal biological creature, after all. Rather, the outsider essentially infects its partner with something that could be seen as either an idea or a virus depending on your outlook. The organic creature creates a host for this concept and births it, and voila - your half-fiend. As for how it works in reverse, that depends on the creature in question. Obviously Sora Kell is capable of bearing children - but exactly what was involved in this process is another question of arcana. I'd say that certain fiends are have a greater inclination and ability to do this; some may be especially "virile", while others have little ability to spawn half-fiends (given the relatively few numbers of them in Eberron - and the fact that half-fiends traditionally have wings - I'd argue that the rakshasa appear either to have little ability or else little inclination to sire half-fiends). Obviously this is my opinion, and you should certainly feel free to pursue your own path. But the concept of outsiders not reproducing in Eberron is based on the fact that those outsiders that don't reproduce are immortal. Any outsider that can be permanently killed through simple combat (or even age) - an aasimar, for example - likely reproduces through (relatively) normal means. I'd agree. The offspring would fall into that aasimar category. Not all outsiders are true immortals, and it's only the true immortals who don't reproduce. I feel That the current way outsiders are Typed is inaccurate. First, the native subtype just doesn't fit Nighthags, Rakshasa or Couatl. As they are immortal outsiders, I don't see them as needing to eat or sleep, and they most definitely lack duality. I think it's better to just call them outsiders sans the extraplanar subtype. Some extraplanar outsiders aren't immortal, because they reproduce, so I believe Aberration is the closest type that describes such unnatural creatures. I also believe that all part-outsiders sould also be aberrations, including ascended monks, for being touched by the unnatural. Aboleth- Aberration (evil) Assimar- Aberration (good) Couatl- Outsider (good) Half-Fiends- Aberration Half-Celestials- Aberration Formians- Aberration (lawful, extraplanar) Janni- Aberration Night Hag- Outsider (evil) Rakshasa- outsider (evil) Slaadi- Aberration (chaos, extraplanar) Teifling - Aberration (evil) Vargouille- Aberration (evil, extraplanar) Xill- Aberration (evil, extraplanar) I just did the ones from the MM, if anyone's up to it, they can reclassify any other monster they want according to my system.