You were raised by a different species. Whether it was a kindly family picking up a poor abandoned child or you bring new meaning to 'I was raised by wolves', you have a history of being the odd one out. You are different from the species that raised you in appearance and different from your own species in both behavior and morals, not quite fitting in with either. Depending on how different your species are you may have been treated as lesser or have an eternal worry that your family might get hurt as they were born without natural armor.
This background works well for 'monster' player races such as Yuan-ti and Lizardmen; giving them a reason to still have their natural detachment and thought process but to exhibit morals that would have been instilled upon them by their family even if they don't exactly know why they're not allowed to eat people, or you could go the opposite route and have an elf raised by Orcs that slaughters all they encounter.
- Skill Proficiencies: Stealth and one other skill that makes sense for your character
- Languages: You know the language of your parents and, depending on how young you were when you were adopted, either the language of your race or one other language
- Equipment: A set of common clothes, a small animal companion (eg a mouse or small bird), a keepsake from either your biological or adoptive parents, and a pouch containing 10gp
How different are your species? Are you barely different in biology and culture eg/ halfling and gnome or are you wildly different eg/ Orc and Elf
| d6 | Species Differences |
|---|---|
| 1 | Small Humanoid child : Small Humanoid parents |
| 2 | Small Humanoid child : Medium/Large Humanoid parents |
| 3 | Medium/Large Humanoid child : Small Humanoid parents |
| 4 | Medium/Large Humanoid child : Medium/Large Humanoid parents |
| 5 | Monster child : Humanoid parents |
| 6 | Humanoid child : Monster parents |
Due to your complicated upbringing, you are able to blend in fairly well in a new environment. You adapt fast to cultural differences but sometimes old habits die hard and you revert to previous behaviors. Most people will ignore your strange mix of cultures and behaviors when aware of your past, but it may cause conflicts with those not in the know. You have a kinship with others who frequently pass through other cultures, such as traveling entertainers or scholars, and you are both more inclined to help one another.
Suggested Characteristics
Your behavior can be strange sometimes; a disconnect between culture and race. This can result in some strange combinations when one race may see the world fundamentally differently than they are raised to see it.
You are a race typically deemed monstrous to the public that has been raised by a 'nice' race.
You are a monstrous race but you were raised to abide by the morals and laws of your parent's culture. People are often initially hostile but quickly grow fond of your polite demeanor unless you do something they consider morally wrong. You might be physically scary but you really try to be as kind and polite as possible and people's opinion of you reflects that after they get to know you. People often feel guilty for their quickness to judge and will go out of their way to make it up to you.
Comments