So should a half-mermaid (father human, mother mermaid) have

>>51176791
I imagine they're capable of changing their form between human and merfolk with ease.

Or at the least, they would have an affinity with the water and swimming.

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>>51176791
>limited to whichever traits come with species they are born as?
>meaning different species
>interbreeding

>>51176791
Expect webbed fingers/toes and possibly gills.

Basically the Innsmouth look.

>>51176791
>>51176791

I don't know, does your mother being bitter about how you wrecked her egg-hole on the way out count as a special trait?

>>51177089
Depends on the setting.

>>51177089
Depends on the setting.

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>>51177000
Magic, Explained, etc.

They're usually 1/2 human physiology anyway.

Kinda depends on what kind of half-merfolk you want OP.
>Merfrolk and humans meet and comingle at the coast.

>Children of mixes hit a middle-ground with a little wiggle-room.
In this case it's up to the players how they want it to manifest on their own character, or you could make it a dice-table to determine boons/penalties.

>Most are amphibious with degrees of functional gill systems that require water immersion after a certain period to remain healthy.
Mixed couples on land suffer from a bit of a stigma because their children will inevitably be closer to their aquatic parent than their terrestrial one. Mixes are rare in part because of this as well as the obvious barriers of exclusive environments other than the coastlines.

>Mermixed children gain greater swimming and some water-breathing or can hold their breath in extended periods but are still air-dependent like dolphins or whales.
Insert blow-hole joke here. In this case mixed mer-kids are more valued by the terrestrial side of things for their talents in aquatic environs while still being mostly land-dwellers. Might get a little resentment but what's some webbed fingers between friends when Sahuagin or gnolls exist. Could have some scales, fins, or spines of their parent that would have uses/advantages in either situation.

>Mermix kids manifest as both parental traits, taking on human form in fresh air but aquatic ones in water.
Suspicion abounds as to who's what and why in this case; never can tell if the coastal docker you're working with is secretly one of the Fish People. This is the easiest one to generate conflict with and might give your player something to hide.

>Mermixes are cursed by the patron spirits/ancestors of both sides due to an old feud, and are monstrous to both their parent races' traditions.
STREET SHARKS.
Take a look at some classical mythology of cursed kids born monsters & add fins.

Wouldn't a half merfolk half human just be a 3/4 human 1/4 fish?

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>>51177263
Plus you may also want to consider, if you're going to involve merfolk as a notable or significant part of the population of your campaign setting; how much variety is there among them?

Strictly Human-top-fish-bottom?
Some human-bottom-fish-tops?
Other aquatic half-bodies like squid/octopus legs and vents? Whale merfolk being air-dependent physical power-houses with clownfish merfolk that never leave the reefs where their poison immunity keeps them safe among the deadly coral and anemones that guard the merfolk banks? Shark-merfolk skullduggery, using teeth and intimidation on land and sea to get what they want, even if more seasoned adventurers know their pain tolerance is low and a swift bop in the nose sends them skittering?

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>>51177344
>>51177263
Oh, and you might also get at least two different kinds of results simply based on which creature type the mother or father has been; paternally half-merfolk more able to survive on land with their human mother, or maternally half-merfolk needing to remain in the water most of the time as their mother's natural process of procreation required it to work at all, let alone ensure the young hybrid's survival.

>>51176791
Following LotR Elf and Saiyan logic, being a half-breed should invest you with a hybrid vigor enormous enough to crush either parent's latent ability.

So a half-mermaid should by some logic, even with human legs, swim faster and better than EITHER could.

Is it possible to half a half orc/Half elf race without it just being a standard half orc?

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>>51177696
You could make it a human.

Or a halfling.

>>51177571
>breed two half-breed merfolk/humans together

>child can swim faster than anything else alive just by kicking her legs

>her brother can run faster than anything alive by flopping his fins super fast

>>51177539
>>51177344
>>51177263
MermaidStuck? I mean, I'll be the first to admit that TZ with a long tail gets me going, but... why?