New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Results 1 to 11 of 11
  1. - Top - End - #1
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Archpaladin Zousha's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Hastings, MN
    Gender
    Male

    Default Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Had a character idea I'm trying to flesh out, so I thought I'd get some other people's opinions.

    Basically, the character is a half-elf, but with a dwarf parent instead of human (This is in Pathfinder 2e's rules, where half-elf now modifies an existing ancestry instead of being a standalone one). So which pairing of parents would be cuter or funnier when the inevitable "meet my embarrassing parents" moment comes?

    An elf dad and a dwarf mom? A dwarf dad and an elf mom?
    "Reach down into your heart and you'll find many reasons to fight. Survival. Honor. Glory. But what about those who feel it's their duty to protect the innocent? There you'll find a warrior savage enough to match any dragon, and in the end, they'll retain what the others won't. Their humanity."

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2014

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Having played a character with a similar background, I had an elf dad and a dwarf mom. Either works though, and I’m my opinion the more important factor is how did they get together.
    With my character, it was culturally taboo for their marriage to happen, so my character’s parents were rejected by their societies. Being adventurers though, they just shrugged and moved to another plane. And had tons of kids

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Archpaladin Zousha's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Hastings, MN
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Yeah, I was gonna go with the "parents adventured in the same party and fell in love" story. A good way for them to learn how to be an adventurer themselves since Mom and Dad can teach them!
    "Reach down into your heart and you'll find many reasons to fight. Survival. Honor. Glory. But what about those who feel it's their duty to protect the innocent? There you'll find a warrior savage enough to match any dragon, and in the end, they'll retain what the others won't. Their humanity."

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    BardGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Australia

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Maybe go with them both as hippy types. Elf-Dad desperately wants to grow a beard. Dwarf-Mum's beard is magnificent. And they understand "young people want to have adventures, but really, can you try not to kill things?"
    I love playing in a party with a couple of power-gamers, it frees me up to be Elan!


  5. - Top - End - #5
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Archpaladin Zousha's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Hastings, MN
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Well, considering the other part of his backstory is "I've had recurring nightmares about fire and death since childhood and now I'm a Flames Oracle," it would make sense for Mom and Dad to try and help him find ways to calm his mind and control his powers so he doesn't hurt himself or his brothers, or acidentally burn stuff when he gets stressed...
    Last edited by Archpaladin Zousha; 2021-01-18 at 02:56 PM.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Archpaladin Zousha's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Hastings, MN
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Ooh! Ooh! I got it! Dwarfdad and Elfmom run a meadery together! Mead is a happy middle-ground between dwarf beer and elf wine, so Mom uses druid powers to raise happy bees and makes the honey, which Dad uses to brew the mead!

    They'd have all sorts of embarrassing pet names for each other like "queen bee" and "honey bear" and PC son goes into smithing not because it's expected of him, but out of respect for family traditions and to channel his mystical connection with fire into something positive!
    "Reach down into your heart and you'll find many reasons to fight. Survival. Honor. Glory. But what about those who feel it's their duty to protect the innocent? There you'll find a warrior savage enough to match any dragon, and in the end, they'll retain what the others won't. Their humanity."

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Ettin in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2015

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Then he goes adventuring and all they do is set opponents, allies and towns on fire.
    It is not his fault being rushed by monsters stresses him and causes him to burn things against his will.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2014

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Reminds me of this music video:

    https://youtu.be/ShPAyOoOGPw

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Xapi's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Argentina
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    To say the obvious, a male dwarf and female elf would map with traditional gender ascribed aesthetics, leading to a more traditional seeming couple, whereas the opposite would tend to feel like a subversion of norms, wich depending on your group may be fun.

    You can always think outside the box too. Some examples:

    A lesbian dwarf couple, shunned by their bigot society, who asked an elven friend for "help" to conceive.

    A couple of soldiers from an unforgiving war, who found each other's comfort in the trenches, and now raise a child together as friends, bonded by the experience of war but not truly in romantic love for one another.

    A male dwarf blacksmith, know for being coarse and driving a hard bargain, and a female elf tailor, maker of the prettiest dresses. Pretty standart until you are invited to the home, where the dwarf is the most gracious host and the sweetest parent and husband, while the elf is rather intolerant and sits on the porch to smoke in her pipe, while the dwarf looks at her with the most loving eyes you'll ever see.
    Nothing to see here, move along.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Eldan's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Switzerland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    Quote Originally Posted by Xapi View Post
    To say the obvious, a male dwarf and female elf would map with traditional gender ascribed aesthetics, leading to a more traditional seeming couple, whereas the opposite would tend to feel like a subversion of norms, wich depending on your group may be fun.
    Eh, you can put some pretty heavy gender stereotypes on male elf/female dwarf, too. Daddy Elf is tall and imposing, mommy dwarf is smaller and heavier. The father is reserved, intellectual and a bit aloof, the mother is more direct, emotional and open.
    Resident Vancian Apologist

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Vhaidara's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    GMT -5
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: Elf/Dwarf Family Brainstorming

    I've actually got a character who plays into this. Dwarf mom and elf dad, dad was part of a mercenary company that came in to hold off an infernal incursion, they hooked up in the victory celebration, and then dad left. Character (Daredin) was raised by mom in the dying dwarven settlement (closing off the infernal incursion cost them too many dwarves) and largely dislikes her elven heritage because of absentee dad who abandoned her (as she sees it). So she goes hard on being the dwarfiest dwarf to ever dwarf to make up for being freakishly tall and thin (by dwarf standards). So she's a short tempered smith who swears a lot and is damn good at her job.

    She mostly sees use as an NPC these days, where she has, with the help of the party, reopened the Soulforge of her town that was sealed away during the invasion. So now there's new blood coming in to work in this most holy forge, and she has taken a position as the head smith, one of Moradin's Soulforged. And her dad (who, after meeting mom, started questioning their path in life and has since transitioned to a second mom) has, on the recommendation of the party, started trying to establish something of a connection. It's still super awkward right now though because 50 years is a long time, even for elves and dwarves.
    I follow a general rule: better to ask and be told no than not to ask at all.

    Shadeblight by KennyPyro

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •