I am currently sitting at the intersection of Mental Block Ave and Brainfart Lane.
I have a Half-Elf Ranger, and am needing a compelling reason as to how/why he was raised by Grey Orcs, or maybe a disillusioned Orog and Half-Orc couple. Basically, a Mowgli being raised by wolves scenario.
A friend of mine said that as an infant his village could have been attacked and slaughtered by a band of Orcs, during which he was severely slashed across the face. Once found, the Orcs admired his fighting will and survivor’s spirit, and took him in. My DM, however, didn’t find that explanation sufficient enough. He also wouldn’t give me any feedback or suggestions…of course.
Since you liked your friend's idea enough to pitch it to your DM, I am going to stick with that general framework--your town was attacked and slaughtered by a band of orcs when your character was but an infant. It is a bit cliché, but things become clichés because they are popular and generally work. The big problem you are going to run into--there really is no reason for the orcs to take an infant with them. The "fighting spirit" does not make sense given your character's age and the other common reason raiders might capture someone alive--slavery--is not really applicable to a baby. After all, there is no point capturing a slave that will be a financial drain for years before they become valuable at the auction block.
Fortunately, the orc archetype is very big on honor and family, either or both of which can provide you a more realistic justification your DM would find more believable. Shooting from the hip, here are three quick suggestions utilizing those traits:
1. As an infant, you were useless to the orcs. You would not be a good investment to their slaving for years to come and, as an honor-based raiding society, there was no honor in killing an infant. The orcs decide to leave you behind, effectively condemning you to death by exposure. A kindly orc matron--perhaps one who just lost her own child and is looking to replace the child who died--hears the crying child and comes and decides to raise him as her own--after all, not all orcs are evil, and this one took pity on your character. You had to work twice as hard as the other children your age--they all look down on you for not being an orc, so you had to excel to prove your worth to your peers.
2. Your town was raided and one of the younger orcs decided to have a little fun, trying to kill an infant. The chief caught the young orc's arm as the younger orc tried to kill you, stopping his blade so it only left a cut on your face instead of cutting you in twain. The chief killed the younger orc, but now owed you a debt--after all, one of his raiders tried to kill something that could not defend himself. As such, he took you in, saving your life to bring honor back to his clan.
3. The orc raiders were there for you all along. Someone, let's say a sorcerer (if you want to be extra cliché, the sorcerer could be the human father that put the "half" in "half-elf") wanted you for some nefarious purpose and sent the clan after you. But it took over a year to get back from your village--the march back to the sorcerer was long, and you were forced to winter because the passes through the mountains were closed with snow. In this time period, the orc tribe came to like the small child, and began seeing you as family. The clan betrayed the sorcerer and decided they would not hand you over, instead keeping you as one of their own.
You could have been the "prize" in a game of chance, after an Orc raid on your village. Maybe once back in their village, the Orc medicine man foresaw some great fortune that would come to you, so the "winner" decided to keep you alive, instead of making some nice stew. As you got older, maybe the majority of the players in your initial intro to the Orcs died in battles of their own, so your story may have sort of faded from the minds of most in the village now. You've just kind of always been there, with some sort of vague prophesy of your greatness...
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I am currently sitting at the intersection of Mental Block Ave and Brainfart Lane.
I have a Half-Elf Ranger, and am needing a compelling reason as to how/why he was raised by Grey Orcs, or maybe a disillusioned Orog and Half-Orc couple. Basically, a Mowgli being raised by wolves scenario.
A friend of mine said that as an infant his village could have been attacked and slaughtered by a band of Orcs, during which he was severely slashed across the face. Once found, the Orcs admired his fighting will and survivor’s spirit, and took him in. My DM, however, didn’t find that explanation sufficient enough. He also wouldn’t give me any feedback or suggestions…of course.
Could anyone spare an idea or two?
Thanks!
Since you liked your friend's idea enough to pitch it to your DM, I am going to stick with that general framework--your town was attacked and slaughtered by a band of orcs when your character was but an infant. It is a bit cliché, but things become clichés because they are popular and generally work. The big problem you are going to run into--there really is no reason for the orcs to take an infant with them. The "fighting spirit" does not make sense given your character's age and the other common reason raiders might capture someone alive--slavery--is not really applicable to a baby. After all, there is no point capturing a slave that will be a financial drain for years before they become valuable at the auction block.
Fortunately, the orc archetype is very big on honor and family, either or both of which can provide you a more realistic justification your DM would find more believable. Shooting from the hip, here are three quick suggestions utilizing those traits:
1. As an infant, you were useless to the orcs. You would not be a good investment to their slaving for years to come and, as an honor-based raiding society, there was no honor in killing an infant. The orcs decide to leave you behind, effectively condemning you to death by exposure. A kindly orc matron--perhaps one who just lost her own child and is looking to replace the child who died--hears the crying child and comes and decides to raise him as her own--after all, not all orcs are evil, and this one took pity on your character. You had to work twice as hard as the other children your age--they all look down on you for not being an orc, so you had to excel to prove your worth to your peers.
2. Your town was raided and one of the younger orcs decided to have a little fun, trying to kill an infant. The chief caught the young orc's arm as the younger orc tried to kill you, stopping his blade so it only left a cut on your face instead of cutting you in twain. The chief killed the younger orc, but now owed you a debt--after all, one of his raiders tried to kill something that could not defend himself. As such, he took you in, saving your life to bring honor back to his clan.
3. The orc raiders were there for you all along. Someone, let's say a sorcerer (if you want to be extra cliché, the sorcerer could be the human father that put the "half" in "half-elf") wanted you for some nefarious purpose and sent the clan after you. But it took over a year to get back from your village--the march back to the sorcerer was long, and you were forced to winter because the passes through the mountains were closed with snow. In this time period, the orc tribe came to like the small child, and began seeing you as family. The clan betrayed the sorcerer and decided they would not hand you over, instead keeping you as one of their own.
Hope some of those ideas help!
That's awesome! Thank you kindly :D
You could have been the "prize" in a game of chance, after an Orc raid on your village. Maybe once back in their village, the Orc medicine man foresaw some great fortune that would come to you, so the "winner" decided to keep you alive, instead of making some nice stew.
As you got older, maybe the majority of the players in your initial intro to the Orcs died in battles of their own, so your story may have sort of faded from the minds of most in the village now. You've just kind of always been there, with some sort of vague prophesy of your greatness...