Targaryen children - cultural ethnicity question

[The Duke of GTFO]

I have a question about cultural ethnicity of High Valyrian/Targaryen children from non-High Valyrian spouses.

When I say cultural ethnicity, I am referring to the portraits. E.g a High Valyrian Targaryen who is ethnically Sand Dornish, will appear as a child with black hair and dark (not black) skin. The typical High Valyrian Targaryen has white hair and fair skin, obviously.

In the history files of this game at least, with a few notable and albeit important exceptions - JS, Baelor Breakspear and possibly some of Aegon's many bastards - the majority of Targaryen children born of spouses of non-High Valyrian ethnicity, will almost always have the typically fair skin and white hair of the Targs.

My question is, what determines the ethnicity of a child born of a HV Targ and a Stormlander with brown hair - for example? Is it a simple 50/50 coin toss?

If that is the case, is there then some kind of precedent for changing the odds so that it is more likely for a Targ child to have Targ features, as opposed to the features of a non HV?


Thanks

 

[Specialist290]

Unless the devs know something I don't or have programmed in an override, I'm going to guess that it's based on the same mechanism that the game as a whole for determining the ethnicity of a child of mixed parents.

 

[vicbus]

Unless the devs know something I don't or have programmed in an override, I'm going to guess that it's based on the same mechanism that the game as a whole for determining the ethnicity of a child of mixed parents.

Just out of curiosity, what is the mechanism? Is there some kind of genetics simulation in the engine?

 

[Specialist290]

Basically, the game will either select at random the "race" of one of the parents, or -- if there's a dark-skinned and a light-skinned parent, under certain circumstances -- it will pick from a "medium-skinned" set among the existing portrait sets to represent a "blend." I'm not 100% on how it actually works internally; I'm just going by what I've observed before, and I'm not sure that "blending" is really represented in this particular mod.

 

[The Duke of GTFO]

Basically, the game will either select at random the "race" of one of the parents, or -- if there's a dark-skinned and a light-skinned parent, under certain circumstances -- it will pick from a "medium-skinned" set among the existing portrait sets to represent a "blend." I'm not 100% on how it actually works internally; I'm just going by what I've observed before, and I'm not sure that "blending" is really represented in this particular mod.

I don't think it is represented, although maybe when it comes to eye colour, it is?

Regardless, there is no medium skinned result from the Targ/ X whatever. At least from what I've seen.

I've also seen on the citadel forums, some kind of mod which deals with the features/portraits. For example, the Baratheon physical traits / portrait override almost all other features.

 

[vicbus]

Basically, the game will either select at random the "race" of one of the parents, or -- if there's a dark-skinned and a light-skinned parent, under certain circumstances -- it will pick from a "medium-skinned" set among the existing portrait sets to represent a "blend." I'm not 100% on how it actually works internally; I'm just going by what I've observed before, and I'm not sure that "blending" is really represented in this particular mod.

That's interesting. I had noticed using the charinfo command that the targs, despite never losing their High Valyrian culture, sometimes become westerosi valyrian ethnicity due to marriage with westerosi people. In that case, they lose the white haired children portrait and sometimes are born with normal hair and eye colors or a mix between valyrian and normal characteristics. Maybe that blending mechanic is only represented in the valyrian ethnicity? I haven't payed attention if a similar thing happens with the essosi valyrian ethnicity.

 

[Rick West]

It is most likely a simple 50/50 coin toss. Although there is a mod called: "Better Looking Garbs" which uses some kind of "blending" inbetween gfx_cultures, if the parents have different gfx_cultures. The child will still inherited one of the two gfx_cultures, but it will be a "blend". I don't think, that the modder creating this by himself/herself. It is most likely already in the game, but seldom used as far as I've seen (over 900 hours game time), so I agree with Specialist290.

Eye colours also vary from gfx_culture to gfx_culture.

 

[karmaepsilon]

There's a Seed Is Strong and some kind of high valyrian sub-mod that makes tweaks to this