The Adopted Adventurer

"That does sound like quite a dangerous endeavor," Maxine Hillcrest said, sipping at her cup of tea. The short, plump halfling woman looked up at the three humans who had stopped near her home, weighing them with her gaze. "Now Hildebrant, can you promise me you'll keep a close eye on my boy if I let him go with you?"

"You have my word, Max," the tall, broad-shouldered man said, inclining his head.

"Your word is good enough for me," she said, pushing herself off the stump she'd been using as a chair. "You all just wait here. I'll fetch him for you."

Maxine took up her cane, and walked off down a small, forested path that led from her yard into the trees. Hildebrandt took another of the small tea biscuits, and chewed slowly, savoring the rich flavor. He felt the lingering gaze of his companions, but said nothing.

"All right, why are we here?" Lyssa Coldhand finally snapped. The sorceress folded her arms, glaring at the outcast knight. "We're not breaking into a storehouse somewhere; we're going after the Dreadskull. We need fighters, and a halfling isn't going to-"

As she spoke a heavy, thudding sound came from the trees. Branches bounced and swayed, and something emerged from the path. It was huge, easily twice Hildebrandt's size, with corded shoulders thick with muscle, and a sloping, blunted forehead. A jaw full of heavy, crushing teeth seemed too full, and its thick hands held a felling ax that could split even an old growth tree in one swing. Lyssa had a spell halfway to her lips before she saw Maxine walking at the half-ogre's side.

"Now I want you to be careful out there, Felder," Maxine was saying. "I know you're grown now, but I expect you home before the snowfall starts. Especially since the town will need you in case a blizzard comes."

"Yes, ma," the colossal figure rumbled. Maxine gestured him down, and Felder got down on one knee, lowering his head even further.

"Now be a good boy," Maxine said, kissing him on the forehead. "And send word ahead if you can so I know to start cooking a day or two before you get home."

It Happens More Often Than You Think

With the sheer number of adventurers whose parents are tragically killed by rampaging monsters, natural disasters, and sweeping plagues when they're small children it seems to go without saying that a lot of PCs are going to have adoptive parents. Sometimes that might mean they were taken in by an aunt or an uncle, perhaps a grandparent, but other times they might find themselves being raised by those they share no bloodline with at all... or even those they don't even share a common species with!

This is a concept that can go both ways, however. Because while a tiny, defenseless human child might be taken in by elves, fey, or even a tribe of orcs (granting them unique linguistic skills, cultural knowledge, and even proficiency with particular weapons or forms of magic not usually practiced outside of a given species), this is not something unique to humans... especially when you consider how many groups of so-called "monstrous" creatures get massacred by your average adventuring party in pursuit of gold and glory.

Did a baby goblin, unsure where to go or what to do, get taken in by a widow on her farm when its parents were killed? Did a small mercenary company slaughter an ogre, only to realize it was so fiercely guarding a certain place to protect its children? So now the company has taken on the young ones, trying to make up for their mistake? Was a drow baby left to be exposed to the harsh weather of the world above, only to be found by a dwarven couple who couldn't conceive, so they took it in as their own?

This is one of the easiest ways to play traditionally "evil" creatures without all of the baggage their species usually comes with. It can also provide some fun twists and turns on species stereotypes when you have elves who were raised by orcs, orcs adopted by noble parents and raised in human high society, and so on, and so forth.

Because at the end of the day, your nature is only one part of what you are. The other part is the environment that nurtured you, and taught you how to be who you are.

Additional Reading

For folks who are looking for more more varied takes on cultural diversity among fantasy creatures, consider checking out the following splat books for my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting for both Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition!

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.

Looking For Even More Content?

That's all for this installment of my Unusual Character Concepts series! Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

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