Can my character be adopted by Goblins?

[Gingernatar]

So, it's my first time making a Pathfinder Society character. I was looking at traits, and saw the adopted trait. Would it be allowed to use that trait to get one of the Goblin traits? I saw that content in Goblin of Golarion was only usable by Goblin PCs, but I was curious if adopted was an exception.

[claudekennilol]

Gingernatar wrote:

So, it's my first time making a Pathfinder Society character. I was looking at traits, and saw the adopted trait. Would it be allowed to use that trait to get one of the Goblin traits? I saw that content in Goblin of Golarion was only usable by Goblin PCs, but I was curious if adopted was an exception.

Yes, but only if you have the boon that allows you to play as a goblin. So basically no.

[henkslaaf]

Technically, yes. Ask your GM though as it has repercussions storywise. Prepare with a good backstory.

Edit: nevermind, hadnt seen it was for PFS.

[Gingernatar]

So, I just realized I had an experience sheet from a We Be Goblins Too! game I participated in. It hasn't been used yet, and one of the boons gives me the ability to replace one of my traits for either Advantageous Distraction, Bouncy, or Goblin Bravery. Would it be doable to change the flavor of aquiring these traits from studying Goblins to being raised by them?

[Warwick Cailean]

claudekennilol wrote:

Gingernatar wrote:

So, it's my first time making a Pathfinder Society character. I was looking at traits, and saw the adopted trait. Would it be allowed to use that trait to get one of the Goblin traits? I saw that content in Goblin of Golarion was only usable by Goblin PCs, but I was curious if adopted was an exception.

Yes, but only if you have the boon that allows you to play as a goblin. So basically no.

Billions of Pathfinders would cry out in pain if someone burned their goblin boon on picking up an adopted trait for their character.

[claudekennilol]

Gingernatar wrote:

So, I just realized I had an experience sheet from a We Be Goblins Too! game I participated in. It hasn't been used yet, and one of the boons gives me the ability to replace one of my traits for either Advantageous Distraction, Bouncy, or Goblin Bravery. Would it be doable to change the flavor of aquiring these traits from studying Goblins to being raised by them?

I don't have my stuff in front of me to see what it says verbatim (also too lazy to download it right now and look at it), but if the chronicle sheet says you can have the trait, then you can have the trait. There's really no good reason it'll matter if you were raised by goblins vs you watched them (though expect some people to look at you funny in-character).

Warwick Cailean wrote:

claudekennilol wrote:

Gingernatar wrote:

So, it's my first time making a Pathfinder Society character. I was looking at traits, and saw the adopted trait. Would it be allowed to use that trait to get one of the Goblin traits? I saw that content in Goblin of Golarion was only usable by Goblin PCs, but I was curious if adopted was an exception.

Yes, but only if you have the boon that allows you to play as a goblin. So basically no.

Billions of Pathfinders would cry out in pain if someone burned their goblin boon on picking up an adopted trait for their character.

Most definitely. I'd think most pathfinders would take issue with anyone using a race-boon just to take a racial-option.

[Azothath]

Warwick Cailean wrote:

claudekennilol wrote:

Gingernatar wrote:

So, it's my first time making a Pathfinder Society character. I was looking at traits, and saw the adopted trait. Would it be allowed to use that trait to get one of the Goblin traits? I saw that content in Goblin of Golarion was only usable by Goblin PCs, but I was curious if adopted was an exception.

Yes, but only if you have the boon that allows you to play as a goblin. So basically no.

Billions of Pathfinders would cry out in pain if someone burned their goblin boon on picking up an adopted trait for their character.

LOL...

[Azothath]

there are threads about Adopted trait now and again circa 2012, circa 2012 circa 2013, ...
sure, you could take it and it comes with some strings attached.

Adopted Parentage, PRD:

Adoptive Parentage: Humans are sometimes orphaned and adopted by other races. Choose one humanoid race without the human subtype. You start play with that race's languages and gain that race's weapon familiarity racial trait (if any). If the race does not have weapon familiarity, you gain either Skill Focus or Weapon Focus as a bonus feat that is appropriate for that race instead. This racial trait replaces the bonus feat trait.

Campaign Clarifications on Gnomes of Golarion, Adopted trait:

Pages 14 and 15—The traits on these pages are available only to gnome PCs (including humans who have taken the Racial Heritage feat). They have the types listed in the text (Combat, Faith, Magic, or Social) but do not count as Race traits. You may gain any of the traits on these pages with the Adopted Trait, as specified on page 14. However, they count as traits of their listed type and not as Race Traits. For example, if you use the Adopted trait to take the Excitable trait, you have a Social trait and a Combat trait. You may use Adopted to take a Social trait from these pages as an exception to the rule against having two traits of the same type.

see also Feral Child for humans of the Druid class.

so, basically Goblins are not in scope(a valid player choice) for race and that implies you cannot be adopted by that race. That is why people suggested you use the boon opening the goblin race to gain access to the race and thus use Adopted Parentage (Goblin) to your human.
It's a bit convoluted as you are NOT a goblin but it is the more conservative decision.

alternate argument:

Core Campaign explicitly restricts race options but the Standard campaign does not (see PFS RPG Gd pg8).

Character Creation PFS RPG Gd pg 24
Select your character’s race. The choices offered in the Core Rulebook are always available, as are ifrit, kitsune, nagaji, oread, sylph, tengu, undine, and wayang, provided you own a copy of the appropriate source book. Other races are available as campaign boons; the Chronicle sheet in which such a boon is available must be the first Chronicle sheet applied to a character. No matter which race you pick, many options for each race exist beyond those in the Core Rulebook. See Additional Resources for a list of available options for your character’s race.

along with

Cooperate PFS RPG Gd pg 32
The Society places no moral obligations upon its members, so agents span all races, creeds, and motivations...

seems to imply that Adopted Parentage could target non-allowed races as Adopted Parentage is an allowed trait, the PC in question is not the disallowed race, though it has a race trait and weapon proficiency from that race and qualifies as that race for some spell targeting/magic item/usage purposes.

PFS is a simple format. Using a trait to skirt around the general rules would be frowned upon. The conservative decision is to use the chronicle/boon that opens the race.

[James Risner]

What goblin trait is so nice that anyone would want to burn a boon to get?

[Jayson MF Kip]

I won't lie, if I had a spare goblin boon just lying around, I'd use it for Xenophobia.