Progeny Dominance is a trait among some species where their hybrid offspring will manifest attributes more typical of their species than the species of the other parent. It was especially common in
planetouched species.There are five main types of progeny dominance: preeminent, component, recessive, paradoxical, and hereditary.
Preeminent Progeny Dominance
Preeminent progeny dominance was where the hybrid offspring of an individual was always the same species as them. Few species had this trait; the most well known example of preeminent progeny dominance were
tieflings. However, even in this case, many tieflings could instead have recessive progeny dominance.
Component Progeny Dominance
Component progeny dominance was where the hybrid offspring of an individual would display attributes more akin to those of their species, but still retain some aspects of the species of the parent. These traits would then be dominant throughout that individual's lineage, taking longer to disappear through the bloodline longer than those of species without progeny dominance. Species with component progeny dominance included
humans,
elves, and
orcs. In the
Common tongue, their offspring would often be referred to with the prefix "half" (for example,
half-elves and
half-orcs.
Recessive Progeny Dominance
Recessive progeny dominance was where the offspring of an individual would not show any trace of their parent's species, but would eventually manifest in their descendants. Many planetouched, such as
Genasi and
Aasimar, had this trait. Fiends and celestials could also display this.
Paradoxical Progeny Dominance
Paradoxical progeny dominance occurred in the rare case where an offspring had the parentage of two species with progeny dominance, leading to traits that were a fusion of both.
Hereditary Progeny Dominance
Hereditary progeny dominance was where an individual's offspring would be a distinct, yet related, species from the parent. This version of progeny dominance did not occur within humanoid species, instead resulting from the parentage of supernatural beings; for example, the child of a fiend and a humanoid being a cambion.
