Backgrounds List

## **Acolyte**

You have spent your life in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. You act as an intermediary between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and offering sacrifices in order to conduct worshipers into the presence of the divine. You are not necessarily a cleric-performing sacred rites is not the same thing as channeling divine power.

Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your religious service. Were you a lesser functionary in a temple, raised from childhood to assist the priests in the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call to serve your god in a different way? Perhaps you were the leader of a small cult outside of any established temple structure, or even an occult group that served a fiendish master that you now deny.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Insight, Religion
* **Languages:** Two of your choice
* **Equipment:** A holy symbol (a gift to you when you entered the priesthood), a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

### **Feature: Shelter of the Faithful**

As an acolyte, you command the respect of those who share your faith, and you can perform the religious ceremonies of your deity. You and your adventuring companions can expect to receive free healing and care at a temple, shrine, or other established presence of your faith, though you must provide any material components needed for spells. Those w ho share your religion will support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle.

You might also have ties to a specific temple dedicated to your chosen deity or pantheon, and you have a residence there. This could be the temple where you used to serve, if you remain on good terms with it, or a temple where you have found a new home. While near your temple, you can call upon the priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous and you remain in good standing with your temple.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Acolytes are shaped by their experience in temples or other religious communities. Their study of the history and tenets of their faith and their relationships to temples, shrines, or hierarchies affect their mannerisms and ideals. Their flaws might be some hidden hypocrisy or heretical idea, or an ideal or bond taken to an extreme.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example.
2. I can find common ground between the fiercest enemies, empathizing with them and always working towards peace.
3. I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen.
4. Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude.
5. I quote (or misquote) sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation.
6. I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect (or condemn) the worship of other gods.
7. I've enjoyed fine food, drink, and high society among my temple’s elite. Rough living grates on me.
8. I’ve spent so long in the temple that I have little practical experience dealing with people in the outside world.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful)
2. Charity. I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good)
3. Change. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world. (Chaotic)
4. Power. I hope to one day rise to the top of my faith’s religious hierarchy. (Lawful)
5. Faith. I trust that my deity will guide my actions, I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. (Lawful)
6. Aspiration. I seek to prove myself worthy of my god’s favor by matching my actions against his or her teachings. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. I would die to recover an ancient relic of my faith that was lost long ago.
2. I will someday get revenge on the corrupt temple hierarchy who branded me a heretic.
3. I owe my life to the priest who took me in when my parents died.
4. Everything I do is for the common people.
5. I will do anything to protect the temple where I served.
6. I seek to preserve a sacred text that my enemies consider heretical and seek to destroy.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely.
2. I put too much trust in those who wield power within my temple’s hierarchy.
3. My piety sometimes leads me to blindly trust those that profess faith in my god.
4. I am inflexible in my thinking.
5. I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them.
6. Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the

## **Charlatan**

You have always had a way with people. You know what makes them tick, you can tease out their hearts' desires after a few minutes of conversation, and with a few leading questions you can read them like they were children's books. It’s a useful talent, and one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage.

You know what people want and you deliver, or rather, you promise to deliver. Common sense should steer people away from things that sound too good to be true, but common sense seems to be in short supply when you’re around. The bottle of pink-colored liquid will surely cure that unseemly rash, this ointment—nothing more than a bit of fat with a sprinkle of silver dust—can restore youth and vigor, and there’s a bridge in the city that just happens to be for sale. These marvels sound implausible, but you make them sound like the real deal.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Deception, Sleight of Hand
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Disguise kit, forgery kit
* **Equipment:** A set of fine clothes, a disguise kit, tools of the con of your choice (ten stoppered bottles filled with colored liquid, a set of weighted dice, a deck of marked cards, or a signet ring of an imaginary duke), and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

### **Favorite Schemes**

Every charlatan has an angle he or she uses in preference to other schemes. Choose a favorite scam or roll on the table below.

**d6 Scam**

1. I cheat at games of chance.
2. I shave coins or forge documents.
3. I insinuate myself into people’s lives to prey on their weakness and secure their fortunes.
4. I put on new identities like clothes.
5. I run sleight-of-hand cons on street corners.
6. I convince people that worthless junk is worth their hard-earned money.

### **Feature: False Identity**

You have created a second identity that includes documentation, established acquaintances, and disguises that allow you to assume that persona. Additionally, you can forge documents including official papers and personal letters, as long as you have seen an example of the kind of document or the handwriting you are trying to copy.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Charlatans are colorful characters who conceal their true selves behind the masks they construct. They reflect what people want to see, what they want to believe, and how they see the world. But their true selves are sometimes plagued by an uneasy conscience, an old enemy, or deep-seated trust issues.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I fall in and out of love easily, and am always pursuing someone.
2. I have a joke for every occasion, especially occasions where humor is inappropriate.
3. Flattery is my preferred trick for getting what I want.
4. I’m a born gambler who can't resist taking a risk for a potential payoff.
5. I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to.
6. Sarcasm and insults are my weapons of choice.
7. I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment.
8. I pocket anything I see that might have some value.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Independence. I am a free spirit— no one tells me what to do. (Chaotic)
2. Fairness. I never target people who can’t afford to lose a few coins. (Lawful)
3. Charity. I distribute the money I acquire to the people who really need it. (Good)
4. Creativity. I never run the same con twice. (Chaotic)
5. Friendship. Material goods come and go. Bonds of friendship last forever. (Good)
6. Aspiration. I’m determined to make something of myself. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. I fleeced the wrong person and must work to ensure that this individual never crosses paths with me or those I care about.
2. I owe everything to my mentor—a horrible person who’s probably rotting in jail somewhere.
3. Somewhere out there, I have a child who doesn’t know me. I’m making the world better for him or her.
4. I come from a noble family, and one day I’ll reclaim my lands and title from those who stole them from me.
5. A powerful person killed someone I love. Some day soon, I’ll have my revenge.
6. I swindled and ruined a person who didn’t deserve it. I seek to atone for my misdeeds but might never be able to forgive myself.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I can’t resist a pretty face.
2. I'm always in debt. I spend my ill-gotten gains on decadent luxuries faster than I bring them in..
3. I’m convinced that no one could ever fool me the way I fool others.
4. I’m too greedy for my own good. I can’t resist taking a risk if there’s money involved.
5. I can’t resist swindling people who are more powerful than me.
6. I hate to admit it and will hate myself for it, but I'll run and preserve my own hide if the going gets tough.

## **City Watch**

You have served the community where you grew up, standing as its first line of defense against crime. You aren't a soldier, directing your gaze outward at possible enemies. Instead, your service to your hometown was to help police its populace, protecting the citizenry from lawbreakers and malefactors of every stripe.

Even if you're not city-born or city-bred, this background can describe your early years as a member of law enforcement. Most settlements of any size have their own constables and police forces, and even smaller communities have sheriffs and bailiffs who stand ready to protect their community.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Insight
* **Languages:** Two of your choice
* **Equipment:** A uniform in the s tyle of your unit and indicative of your rank, a horn with which to summon help, a set of manacles, and a pouch containing 10 gp

### **Feature: Watcher's Eye**

Your experience in enforcing the law, and dealing with lawbreakers, gives you a feel for local laws and criminals. You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or a similar organization, and just as easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you're more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter.

### **Variant: Investigator**

Rarer than watch or patrol members are a community's investigators, who are responsible for solving crimes after the fact. Though such folk are seldom found inrural areas, nearly every settlement of decent size has at least one or two watch members who have the skill to investigate crime scenes and track down criminals. If your prior experience is as an investigator, you have proficiency in Investigation rather than Athletics.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the soldier background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a member of the city watch.

Your bond is likely associated with your fellow watch members or the watch organization itself and almost certainly concerns your community. Your ideal probably involves the fostering of peace and safety. An investigator is likely to have an ideal connected to achieving justice by successfully solving crimes.

## **Clan Crafter**

The Stout Folk are well known for their artisanship and the worth of their handiworks, and you have been trained in that ancient tradition. For years you labored under a dwarf master of the craft, enduring long hours. and dismissive, sour-tempered treatment in order to gain the fine skills you possess today.

You are most likely a dwarf, but not necessarily- particularly in the North, the shield dwarf clans learned long ago that only proud fools who are more concerned for their egos than their craft turn away promising apprentices, even those of other races. If you aren't a dwarf, however, you have taken a solemn oath never to take on an apprentice in the craft: it is not for nondwarves to pass on the skills of Moradin's favored children. You would have no difficulty, however, finding a dwarf master who was willing to receive potential apprentices who came with your recommendation.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** History, Insight
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of artisan's tools
* **Languages:** Dwarvish or one other of your choice if you already speak Dwarvish
* **Equipment:** A set of artisan's tools with which you are proficient, a maker's mark chisel used to mark your handiwork with the symbol of the clan of crafters you learned your skill from, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 5 gp and a gem worth 10 gp

### **Feature: Respect of the Stout Folk**

As well respected as clan crafters are among outsiders, no one esteems them quite so highly as dwarves do. You always have free room and board in any place where shield dwarves or gold dwarves dwell, and the individuals in such a settlement might vie among themselves to determine who can offer you (and possibly your compatriots) the finest accommodations and assistance.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the guild artisan background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a clan crafter. (For instance, consider the words "guild" and "clan" to be interchangeable.) Your bond is almost certainly related to the master or the clan that taught you, or else to the work that you produce. Your ideal might have to do with maintaining the high quality of your work or preserving the dwarven traditions of craftsmanship.

## **Cloistered Scholar**

As a child, you were inquisitive when your playmates were possessive or raucous. In your formative years, you found your way to one of the great institutes of learning , where you were apprenticed and taught that knowledge is a more valuable treasure than gold or gems. Now you are ready to leave your home- not to abandon it, but to quest for new lore to add to its storehouse of knowledge.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** History, plus your choice of one from among Arcana, Nature, and Religion
* **Languages:** Two of your choice
* **Equipment:** The scholar's robes of your cloister, a writing kit (small pouch with a quill, ink, folded parchment, and a small penknife), a borrowed book on the subject of your current study, and a pouch containing 10 gp

### **Feature: Library Access**

Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit anyone immediate access.

You have a working knowledge of your cloister's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease.

Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across the Realms, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the sage background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a cloistered scholar.

Your bond is almost certainly associated either with the place where you grew up or with the knowledge you hope to acquire through adventuring. Your ideal is no doubt related to how you view the quest for knowledge and truth- perhaps as a worthy goal in itself, or maybe as a means to a desirable end.

## **Courtier**

In your earlier days, you were a personage of some significance in a noble court or a bureaucratic organization. You might or might not come from an upper-class family; your talents, rather than the circumstances of your birth, could have secured you this position.

Even if you are no longer a full-fledged member of the group that gave you your start in life, your relationships with your former fellows can be an advantage for you and your adventuring comrades. You might undertake missions with your new companions that further the interest of the organization that gave you your start in life. In any event, the abilities that you honed while serving as a courtier will stand you in good stead as an adventurer.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Insight, Persuasion
* **Languages:** Two of your choice
* **Equipment:** A set of fine clothes and a pouch containing 5 gp

### **Feature: Court Functionary**

Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you gain access to the records and inner workings of any noble court or government you encounter. You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in the group are.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the guild artisan background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a courtier.

The noble court or bureaucratic organization where you got your start is directly or indirectly associated with your bond (which could pertain to certain individuals in the group, such as your sponsor or mentor). Your ideal might be concerned with the prevailing philosophy of your court or organization.

## **Criminal**

You are an experienced criminal with a history of breaking the law. You have spent a lot of time among other criminals and still have contacts within the criminal underworld. You’re far closer than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Deception, Stealth
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
* **Equipment:** A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

### **Criminal Specialty**

There are many kinds of criminals, and within a thieves’ guild or similar criminal organization, individual members have particular specialties. Even criminals who operate outside of such organizations have strong preferences for certain kinds of crimes over others.

Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below.

**d8 Specialty**

1. Blackmailer
2. Burglar
3. Enforcer
4. Fence
5. Highway robber
6. Hired killer
7. Pickpocket
8. Smuggler

### **Feature: Criminal Contact**

You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an abundance of endearing, if not redeeming, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong
2. I am always calm, no matter what the situation, I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me.
3. The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations of everything valuable - or where such things could be hidden.
4. I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
5. I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide.
6. I don't pay attention to the risks in a situation. Never tell me the odds.
7. The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can't do it.
8. I blow up at the slightest insult.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Honor. I don’t steal from others in the trade. (Lawful)
2. Freedom. Chains are meant to be broken, as are those who would forge them. (Chaotic)
3. Charity. I steal from the wealthy so that I can help people in need. (Good)
4. Greed. I will do whatever it takes to become wealthy. (Evil)
5. People. I’m loyal to my friends, not to any ideals, and everyone else can take a trip down the Styx for all I care. (Neutral)
6. Redemption. There’s a spark of good in everyone. (Good)

**d6 Bond**

1. I’m trying to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor.
2. My ill-gotten gains go to support my family.
3. Something important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back.
4. I will become the greatest thief that ever lived.
5. I’m guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it.
6. Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again.

**d6 Flaw**

1. When I see something valuable, I can’t think about anything but how to steal it.
2. When faced with a choice between money and my friends, I usually choose the money.
3. If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it.
4. I have a “tell” that reveals when I'm lying.
5. I turn tail and run when things look bad.
6. An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.

### **Variant Criminal: Spy**

Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a very different context: as an espionage agent. You might have been an officially sanctioned agent of the crown, or perhaps you sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder.

## **Entertainer**

You thrive in front of an audience. You know how to entrance them, entertain them, and even inspire them. Your poetics can stir the hearts of those who hear you, awakening grief or joy, laughter or anger. Your music raises their spirits or captures their sorrow. Your dance steps captivate, your humor cuts to the quick. Whatever techniques you use, your art is your life.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Acrobatics, Performance
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Disguise kit, one type of musical instrument
* **Equipment:** A musical instrument (one of your choice), the favor of an admirer (love letter, lock of hair, or trinket), a costume, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

### **Entertainer Routines**

A good entertainer is versatile, spicing up every performance with a variety of different routines. Choose one to three routines or roll on the table below to define your expertise as an entertainer.

**d10 Entertainer Routine**

1. Actor
2. Dancer
3. Fire-eater
4. Jester
5. Juggler
6. Instrumentalist
7. Poet
8. Singer
9. Storyteller
10. Tumbler

### **Feature: By Popular Demand**

You can always find a place to perform, usually in an inn or tavern but possibly with a circus, at a theater, or even in a noble’s court. At such a place, you receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the establishment), as long as you perform each night. In addition, your performance makes you something of a local figure. When strangers recognize you in a town where you have performed, they typically take a liking to you.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Successful entertainers have to be able to capture and hold an audience’s attention, so they tend to have flamboyant or forceful personalities. They’re inclined toward the romantic and often cling to high-minded ideals about the practice of art and the appreciation of beauty.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I know a story relevant to almost every situation.
2. Whenever I come to a new place, I collect local rumors and spread gossip.
3. I’m a hopeless romantic, always searching for that “special someone.”
4. Nobody stays angry at me or around me for long, since I can defuse any amount of tension.
5. I love a good insult, even one directed at me.
6. I get bitter if I’m not the center of attention.
7. I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection.
8. I change my mood or my mind as quickly as I change key in a song.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Beauty. When I perform, I make the world better than it was. (Good)
2. Tradition. The stories, legends, and songs of the past must never be forgotten, for they teach us who we are. (Lawful)
3. Creativity. The world is in need of new ideas and bold action. (Chaotic)
4. Greed. I’m only in it for the money and fame. (Evil)
5. People. I like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I perform. That’s all that matters. (Neutral)
6. Honesty. Art should reflect the soul; it should come from within and reveal who we really are. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of someone I love.
2. Someone stole my precious instrument, and someday I’ll get it back.
3. I want to be famous, whatever it takes.
4. I idolize a hero of the old tales and measure my deeds against that person’s.
5. I will do anything to prove myself superior to my hated rival.
6. I would do anything for the other members of my old troupe.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I’ll do anything to win fame and renown.
2. I’m a sucker for a pretty face.
3. A scandal prevents me from ever going home again. That kind of trouble seems to follow me around.
4. I once satirized a noble who still wants my head. It was a mistake that I will likely repeat.
5. I have trouble keeping my true feelings hidden. My sharp tongue lands me in trouble.
6. Despite my best efforts, I am unreliable to my friends.

### **Variant Entertainer: Gladiator**

A gladiator is as much an entertainer as any minstrel or circus performer, trained to make the arts of combat into a spectacle the crowd can enjoy. This kind of flashy combat is your entertainer routine, though you might also have some skills as a tumbler or actor.

Using your By Popular Demand feature, you can find a place to perform in any place that features combat for entertainment—perhaps a gladiatorial arena or secret pit fighting club. You can replace the musical instrument in your equipment package with an inexpensive but unusual weapon, such as a trident or net.

## **Far Traveler**

Almost all of the common people and other folk that one might encounter have one thing in common: they live out their lives without ever traveling more than a few miles from where they were born.

You aren't one of those folk. You are from a distant place, one so remote that few of the common folk realize that it exists, and chances are good that even if some people you meet have heard of your homeland, they know merely the name and perhaps a few outrageous stories. You have come to this part of Yl'daren for your own reasons, which you might or might not choose to share.

Although you will undoubtedly find some of this land's ways to be strange and discomfiting, you can also be sure that some things its people take for granted will be to you new wonders that you've never laid eyes on before. By the same token, you're a person of interest, for good or ill, to those around you almost anywhere you go.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Insight, Perception
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Any one musical instrument or gaming set of your choice, likely something native to your homeland
* **Languages:** Any one of your choice
* **Equipment:** One set of traveler's clothes, any one musical instrument or gaming set you are proficient with, poorly wrought maps from your homeland that depict where you are in Yl'daren, a small piece of jewelry worth 10 gp in the style of your homeland's craftsmanship, and a pouch containing 5 gp

### **Why Are You Here?**

A far traveler might have set out on a journey for one of a number of reasons, and the departure from his or her homeland could have been voluntary or involuntary. To determine why you are so far from home, roll on the table below or choose from the options provided.

**d6 Reason**

1. Emissary
2. Exile
3. Fugitive
4. Pilgrim
5. Sightseer
6. Wanderer

### **Feature: All Eyes On You**

Your accent, mannerisms, figures of speech, and perhaps even your appearance all mark you as foreign.

Curious glances are directed your way wherever you go, which can be a nuisance, but you also gain the friendly interest of scholars and others intrigued by far-off lands, to say nothing of everyday folk who are eager to hear stories of your homeland.

You can parley this attention into access to people and places you might not otherwise have, for you and your traveling companions. Noble lords, scholars, and merchant princes, to name a few, might be interested in hearing about your distant homeland and people.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

**d6 Personality Trait**

1. I have different assumptions from those around me concerning personal space, blithely invading others' space in innocence, or reacting to ignorant invasion of my own.
2. I have my own ideas about what is and is not food, and I find the eating habits of those around me fascinating, confusing, or revolting.
3. I have a strong code of honor or sense of propriety that others don't comprehend.
4. I express affection or contempt in ways that are unfamiliar to others.
5. I honor my deities through practices that are foreign to this land .
6. I begin or end my day with small traditional ritua ls that are unfamiliar to those around me.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Open. I have much to learn from the kindly folk I meet along my way. (Good)
2. Reserved. As someone new to these strange lands, I am cautious and respectful in my dealings. (Lawful)
3. Adventure. I'm far from home, and eve rything is strange and wonderful! (Chaotic)
4. Cunning. Though I may not know their ways, neither do they know mine, which can be to my advantage. (Evil)
5. Inquisitive. Everything is new, but I have a thirst to learn. (Neutral)
6. Suspicious. I must be careful, for I have no way of telling friend from foe here. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. So long as I have this token from my homeland, I can face any adversity in th is strange land.
2. The gods of my people are a comfort to me so far from home.
3. I hold no greater cause than my service to my people.
4. My freedom is my most precious possession. I' ll never let anyone take it from me again.
5. I'm fascinated by the beauty and wonder of this new land.
6. Though I had no choice, I lame nt having to leave my loved one(s) behind. I ho pe to see them again one day.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I am secretly (or not so secretly) convinced of the superiority of my own cu lture over that of this foreign land.
2. I pretend not to understand the local language in order to avoid interactions I would rather not have.
3. I have a weakness for the new intoxica nts and other pleasures of this land.
4. I don't take kindly to some of the actions and motivations of the people of this land, because these folk are diffe rent from me.
5. I consider the adherents of other gods to be deluded innocents at best, or ignorant foo ls at worst.
6. I have a weakness for the exotic beauty of the people of these lands.

## **Folk Hero**

You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as their champion, and your destiny calls you to stand against the tyrants and monsters that threaten the common folk everywhere.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Animal Handling, Survival
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of artisan’s tools, vehicles (land)
* **Equipment:** A set of artisan’s tools (one of your choice), a shovel, an iron pot, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

### **Defining Event**

You previously pursued a simple profession among the peasantry, perhaps as a farmer, miner, servant, shepherd, woodcutter, or gravedigger. But something happened that set you on a different path and marked you for greater things. Choose or randomly determine a defining event that marked you as a hero of the people.

**d10 Defining Event**

1. I stood up to a tyrant’s agents.
2. I saved people during a natural disaster.
3. I stood alone against a terrible monster.
4. I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor.
5. I led a militia to fight off an invading army.
6. I broke into a tyrant’s castle and stole weapons to arm the people.
7. I trained the peasantry to use farm implements as weapons against a tyrant’s soldiers.
8. A lord rescinded an unpopular decree after I led a symbolic act of protect against it.
9. A celestial, fey, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin.
10. Recruited into a lord’s army, I rose to leadership and was commended for my heroism.

### **Feature: Rustic Hospitality**

Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

A folk hero is one of the common people, for better or for worse. Most folk heroes look on their humble origins as a virtue, not a shortcoming, and their home communities remain very important to them.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I judge people by their actions, not their words.
2. If someone is in trouble, I’m always ready to lend help.
3. When I set my mind to something, I follow through no matter what gets in my way.
4. I have a strong sense of fair play and always try to find the most equitable solution to arguments.
5. I’m confident in my own abilities and do what I can to instill confidence in others.
6. Thinking is for other people. I prefer action.
7. I misuse long words in an attempt to sound smarter.
8. I get bored easily. When am I going to get on with my destiny?

**d6 Ideal**

1. Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)
2. Fairness. No one should get preferential treatment before the law, and no one is above the law. (Lawful)
3. Freedom. Tyrants must not be allowed to oppress the people. (Chaotic)
4. Might. If I become strong, I can take what I want— what I deserve. (Evil)
5. Sincerity. There’s no good in pretending to be something I’m not. (Neutral)
6. Destiny. Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. I have a family, but I have no idea where they are. One day, I hope to see them again.
2. I worked the land, I love the land, and I will protect the land.
3. A proud noble once gave me a horrible beating, and I will take my revenge on any bully I encounter.
4. My tools are symbols of my past life, and I carry them so that I will never forget my roots.
5. I protect those who cannot protect themselves.
6. I wish my childhood sweetheart had come with me to pursue my destiny.

**d6 Flaw**

1. The tyrant who rules my land will stop at nothing to see me killed.
2. I’m convinced of the significance of my destiny, and blind to my shortcomings and the risk of failure.
3. The people who knew me when I was young know my shameful secret, so I can never go home again.
4. I have a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink.
5. Secretly, I believe that things would be better if I were a tyrant lording over the land.
6. I have trouble trusting in my allies.

## **Guild Artisan**

You are a member of an artisan’s guild, skilled in a particular field and closely associated with other artisans. You are a well-established part of the mercantile world, freed by talent and wealth from the constraints of a feudal social order. You learned your skills as an apprentice to a master artisan, under the sponsorship of your guild, until you became a master in your own right.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Insight, Persuasion
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of artisan’s tools
* **Languages:** One of your choice
* **Equipment:** A set of artisan’s tools (one of your choice), a letter of introduction from your guild, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

### **Guild Business**

Guilds are generally found in cities large enough tosupport several artisans practicing the same trade. However, your guild might instead be a loose network of artisans w ho each work in a different village within a larger realm. Work with your DM to determine the nature of your guild. You can select your guild business from the Guild Business table or roll randomly.

**d20 Guild Business**

1. Alchemists and apothecaries
2. Armorers, locksmiths, and finesmiths
3. Brewers, distillers, and vintners
4. Calligraphers, scribes, and scriveners
5. Carpenters, roofers, and plasterers
6. Cartographers, surveyors, and chart-makers
7. Cobblers and shoemakers
8. Cooks and bakers
9. Glassblowers and glaziers
10. Jewelers and gemcutters
11. Leatherworkers, skinners, and tanners
12. Masons and stonecutters
13. Painters, limners, and sign-makers
14. Potters and tile-makers
15. Shipwrights and sailmakers
16. Smiths and metal-forgers
17. Tinkers, pewterers, and casters
18. Wagon-makers and wheelwrights
19. Weavers and dyers
20. Woodcarvers, coopers, and bowyers

As a member of your guild, you know the skills needed to create finished items from raw materials (reflected in your proficiency with a certain kind of artisan’s tools), as well as the principles of trade and good business practices. The question now is whether you abandon your trade for adventure, or take on the extra effort to weave adventuring and trade together.

### **Feature: Guild Membership**

As an established and respected member of a guild, you can rely on certain benefits that membership provides. Your fellow guild members will provide you with lodging and food if necessary, and pay for your funeral if needed. In some cities and towns, a guildhall offers a central place to meet other members of your profession, which can be a good place to meet potential patrons, allies, or hirelings.

Guilds often wield tremendous political power. If you are accused of a crime, your guild w ill support you if a good case can be made for your innocence or the crime is justifiable. You can also gain access to powerful political figures through the guild, if you are a member in good standing. Such connections might require the donation of money or magic items to the guild’s coffers.

You must pay dues of 5 gp per month to the guild. If you miss payments, you must make up back dues to remain in the guild’s good graces.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Guild artisans are among the most ordinary people in the world—until they set down their tools and take up an adventuring career. They understand the value of hard work and the importance of community, but they’re vulnerable to sins of greed and covetousness.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I can’t help it— I’m a perfectionist.
2. I’m a snob who looks down on those who can’t appreciate fine art.
3. I always want to know how things work and what makes people tick.
4. I’m full of witty aphorisms and have a proverb for every occasion.
5. I’m rude to people who lack my commitment to hard work and fair play.
6. I like to talk at length about my profession.
7. I don’t part with my money easily and will haggle tirelessly to get the best deal possible.
8. I’m well known for my work, and I want to make sure everyone appreciates it. I'm always taken aback when people haven’t heard of me.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. (Lawful)
2. Generosity. My talents were given to me so that I could use them to benefit the world. (Good)
3. Freedom. Everyone should be free to pursue his or her own livelihood. (Chaotic)
4. Greed. I’m only in it for the money. (Evil)
5. People. I’m committed to the people I care about, not to ideals. (Neutral)
6. Aspiration. I work hard to be the best there is at my craft.

**d6 Bond**

1. The workshop where I learned my trade is the most important place in the world to me.
2. I created a great work for someone, and then found them unworthy to receive it. I’m still looking for someone worthy.
3. I owe my guild a great debt for forging me into the person I am today.
4. I pursue wealth to secure someone’s love.
5. One day I will return to my guild and prove that I am the greatest artisan of them all.
6. I will get revenge on the evil forces that destroyed my place of business and ruined my livelihood.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I’ll do anything to get my hands on something rare or priceless.
2. I’m quick to assume that someone is trying to cheat me.
3. No one must ever learn that I once stole money from guild coffers.
4. I’m never satisfied with what I have— I always want more.
5. I would kill to acquire a noble title.
6. I’m horribly jealous of anyone who can outshine my handiwork. Everywhere I go, I’m surrounded by rivals.

### **Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant**

Instead of an artisans’ guild, you might belong to a guild of traders, caravan masters, or shopkeepers. You don’t craft items yourself but earn a living by buying and selling the works of others (or the raw materials artisans need to practice their craft). Your guild might be a large merchant consortium (or family) with interests across the region. Perhaps you transported goods from one place to another, by ship, wagon, or caravan, or bought them from traveling traders and sold them in your own little shop. In some ways, the traveling merchant’s life lends itself to adventure far more than the life of an artisan.

Rather than proficiency with artisan’s tools, you might be proficient with navigator’s tools or an additional language. And instead of artisan’s tools, you can start with a mule and a cart.

## **Hermit**

You lived in seclusion—either in a sheltered community such as a monastery, or entirely a lone—for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from the clamor of society, you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the answers you were looking for.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Medicine, Religion
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Herbalism kit
* **Languages:** One of your choice
* **Equipment:** A scroll case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a winter blanket, a set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, and 5 gp

### **Life of Seclusion**

What was the reason for your isolation, and what changed to allow you to end your solitude? You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your seclusion, or you can choose or roll on the table below to determine the reason behind your seclusion.

**d8 Life of Seclusion**

1. I was searching for spiritual enlightenment.
2. I was partaking of communal living in accordance with the dictates of a religious order.
3. I was exiled for a crime I didn’t commit.
4. I retreated from society after a life-altering event.
5. I needed a quiet place to work on my art, literature, music, or manifesto.
6. I needed to commune with nature, far from civilization.
7. I was the caretaker of an ancient ruin or relic.
8. I was a pilgrim in search of a person, place, or relic of spiritual significance.

### **Feature: Discovery**

The quiet seclusion of your extended hermitage gave you access to a unique and powerful discovery. The exact nature of this revelation depends on the nature of your seclusion. It might be a great truth about the cosmos, the deities, the powerful beings of the outer planes, or the forces of nature. It could be a site that no one else has ever seen. You might have uncovered a fact that has long been forgotten, or unearthed some relic of the past that could rewrite history. It might be information that would be damaging to the people who or consigned you to exile, and hence the reason for your return to society.

Work with your DM to determine the details of your discovery and its impact on the campaign.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Some hermits are well suited to a life of seclusion, whereas others chafe against it and long for company. Whether they embrace solitude or long to escape it, the solitary life shapes their attitudes and ideals. A few are driven slightly mad by their years apart from society.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I’ve been isolated for so long that I rarely speak, preferring gestures and the occasional grunt.
2. I am utterly serene, even in the face of disaster.
3. The leader of my community had something wise to say on every topic, and I am eager to share that wisdom.
4. I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer.
5. I’m oblivious to etiquette and social expectations.
6. I connect everything that happens to me to a grand, cosmic plan.
7. I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplation, becoming oblivious to my surroundings.
8. I am working on a grand philosophical theory and love sharing my ideas.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Greater Good. My gifts are meant to be shared with all, not used for my own benefit. (Good)
2. Logic. Emotions must not cloud our sense of what is right and true, or our logical thinking. (Lawful)
3. Free Thinking. Inquiry and curiosity are the pillars of progress. (Chaotic)
4. Power. Solitude and contemplation are paths toward mystical or magical power. (Evil)
5. Live and Let Live. Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble. (Neutral)
6. Self-Knowledge. If you know yourself, there’s nothing left to know. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. Nothing is more important than the other members of my hermitage, order, or association.
2. I entered seclusion to hide from the ones who might still be hunting me. I must someday confront them.
3. I’m still seeking the enlightenment I pursued in my seclusion, and it still eludes me.
4. I entered seclusion because I loved someone I could not have.
5. Should my discovery come to light, it could bring ruin to the world.
6. My isolation gave me great insight into a great evil that only I can destroy.

**d6 Flaw**

1. Now that I've returned to the world, I enjoy its delights a little too much.
2. I harbor dark, bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell.
3. I am dogmatic in my thoughts and philosophy.
4. I let my need to win arguments overshadow friendships and harmony.
5. I’d risk too much to uncover a lost bit of knowledge.
6. I like keeping secrets and won’t share them with anyone.

### **Other Hermits**

This hermit background assumes a contemplative sort of seclusion that allows room for study and prayer. If you want to play a rugged wilderness recluse who lives off the land while shunning the company of other people, look at the outlander background. On the other hand, if you want to go in a more religious direction, the acolyte might be what you’re looking for. Or you could even be a charlatan, posing as a wise and holy person and letting pious fools support you.

## **Inheritor**

You are the heir to something of great value- not mere coin or wealth, but an object that has been entrusted to you and you alone. Your inheritance might have come directly to you from a member of your family, by right of birth, or it could have been left to you by a friend, a mentor, a teacher, or someone else important in your life. The revelation of your inheritance changed your life, and might have set you on the path to adventure, but it could also come with many dangers, including those who covet your gift and want to take it from you- by force, if need be.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Survival, plus one from among Arcana, History, and Religion
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Your choice of a gaming set or a musical instrument
* **Languages:** Any one of your choice
* **Equipment:** Your inheritance, a set of traveler's clothes, any items with which you are proficient, and a pouch containing 15 gp

### **Feature: Inheritance**

Choose or randomly determine your inheritance from among the possibilities in the table below. Work with your Dungeon Master to come up with details: Why is your inheritance so important, and what is its full story? You might prefer for the DM to invent these details as part of the game, allowing you to learn more about your inheritance as your character does.

The Dungeon Master is free to use your inheritance as a story hook, sending you on quests to learn more about its history or true nature, or confronting you with foes who want to claim it for themselves or prevent you from learning what you seek. The DM also determines the properties of your inheritance and how they figure into the item's history and importance. For instance, the object might be a minor magic item, or one that begins with a modest ability and increases in potency with the passage of time. Or, the true nature of your inheritance might not be apparent at first and is revealed only when certain conditions are met.

When you begin your adventuring career, you can decide whether to tell your companions about your inheritance right away. Rather than attracting attention to yourself, you might want to keep your inheritance a secret until you learn more about what it means to you and what it can do for you.

**d8 Object or Item**

1. A document such as a map, a letter, or a journal
2. A trinket
3. A trinket
4. An article of clothing
5. A piece of jewelry
6. An arcane book or formulary
7. A written story, song, poem, or secret
8. A tattoo or other body marking

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the folk hero background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as an inheritor.

Your bond might be directly related to your inheritance, or to the person from whom you received it. Your ideal might be influenced by what you know about your inheritance, or by what you intend to do with your gift once you realize what it is capable of.

## **Knight of the Order**

You belong to an order of knights who have sworn oaths to achieve a certain goal. The nature of this goal depends on the order you serve, but in your eyes it is without question a vital and honorable endeavor.

Though the term "knight" conjures ideas of mounted, heavily armored warriors of noble blood, most knightly orders in Yl'daren don't restrict their membership to such individuals. The goals and philosophies of the order are more important than the gear and fighting style of its members, and so most of these orders aren't limited to fighting types, but are open to all sorts of folk who are willing to battle and die for the order's cause.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Persuasion, plus one from among Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion, as appropriate for your order
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of gaming set or musical instrument
* **Languages:** One of your choice
* **Equipment:** One set of traveler's clothes, a signet, banner or seal representing your place or rank in the order, and a pouch containing 10 gp

### **Feature: Knightly Regard**

You receive shelter and succor from members of your knightly order and those who are sympathetic to its aims. If your order is a religious one, you can gain aid from temples and other religious communities of your deity. Knights of civic orders can get help from the community- whether a lone settlement or a great nation that they serve, and knights of philosophical orders can find help from those they have aided in pursuit of their ideals, and those who share those ideals.

This help comes in the form of shelter and meals, and healing when appropriate, as well as occasionally risky assistance, such as a band of local citizens rallying to aid a sorely pressed knight in a fight, or those who support the order helping to smuggle a knight out of town when he or she is being hunted unjustly.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the soldier background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a knight of your order.

Your bond almost always involves the order to which you belong (or at least key members of it), and it is highly unusual for a knight's ideal not to reflect the agenda, sentiment, or philosophy of one's order.

## **Mercenary Veteran**

As a sell-sword who fought battles for coin, you're well acquainted with risking life and limb for a chance at a share of treasure. Now, you look forward to fighting foes and reaping even greater rewards as an adventurer. Your experience makes you familiar with the ins and outs of mercenary life, and you likely have harrowing stories of events on the battlefield.

Now you're looking for something else, perhaps greater reward for the risks you take, or the freedom to choose your own activities. For whatever reason, you're leaving behind the life of a soldier for hire, but your skills are undeniably suited for battle, so now you fight on in a different way.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Persuasion
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)
* **Equipment:** A uniform of your company (traveler's clothes in quality), an insignia of your rank, a gaming set of your choice, and a pouch containing the remainder of your last wages (10 gp)

### **Feature: Mercenary Life**

You know the mercenary life as only someone who has experienced it can. You are able to identify mercenary companies by their emblems, and you know a little about any such company, including the names and reputations of its commanders and leaders, and who has hired them recently. You can find the taverns and festhalls where mercenaries abide in any area, as long as you speak the language. You can find mercenary work between adventures sufficient to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.

### **Suggester Characteristics**

Use the tables for the soldier background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a mercenary.

Your bond could be associated with the company you traveled with previously, or with some of the comrades you served with. The ideal you embrace largely depends on your worldview and your motivation for fighting.

## **Noble**

You understand wealth, power, and privilege. You carry a noble title, and your family owns land, collects taxes, and wields significant political influence. You might be a pampered aristocrat unfamiliar with work or discomfort, a former merchant just elevated to the nobility, or a disinherited scoundrel with a disproportionate sense of entitlement. Or you could be an honest, hard-working landowner who cares deeply about the people who live and work on your land, keenly aware of your responsibility to them.

Work with your DM to come up with an appropriate title and determine how much authority that title carries. A noble title doesn’t stand on its own—it’s connected to an entire family, and whatever title you hold, you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do you need to determine your noble title, but you should also work with the DM to describe your family and their influence on you.

Is your family old and established, or was your title only recently bestowed? How much influence do they wield, and over what area? What kind of reputation does your family have among the other aristocrats of the region? How do the common people regard them?

What’s your position in the family? Are you the heir to the head of the family? Have you already inherited the title? How do you feel about that responsibility? Or are you so far down the line of inheritance that no one cares what you do, as long as you don’t embarrass the family? How does the head of your family feel about your adventuring career? Are you in your family’s good graces, or shunned by the rest of your family?

Does your family have a coat of arms? An insignia you might wear on a signet ring? Particular colors you wear all the time? An animal you regard as a symbol of your line or even a spiritual member of the family?

These details help establish your family and your title as features of the world of the campaign.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** History, Persuasion
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of gaming set
* **Languages:** One of your choice
* **Equipment:** A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a scroll of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp

### **Feature: Position of Privilege**

Thanks to your noble birth, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Nobles are born and raised to a very different lifestyle than most people ever experience, and their personalities reflect that upbringing. A noble title comes with a plethora of bonds—responsibilities to family, to other nobles (including the sovereign), to the people entrusted to the family’s care, or even to the title itself. But this responsibility is often a good way to undermine a noble.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. My eloquent flattery makes everyone I talk to feel like the most wonderful and important person in the world.
2. The common folk love me for my kindness and generosity.
3. No one could doubt by looking at my regal bearing that I am a cut above the unwashed masses.
4. I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashions.
5. I don’t like to get my hands dirty, and I won’t be caught dead in unsuitable accommodations.
6. Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk. We all have the same blood.
7. My favor, once lost, is lost forever.
8. If you do me an injury, I will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Respect. Respect is due to me because of my position, but all people regardless of station deserve to be treated with dignity. (Good)
2. Responsibility. It is my duty to respect the authority of those above me, just as those below me must respect mine. (Lawful)
3. Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family. (Chaotic)
4. Power. If I can attain more power, no one will tell me what to do. (Evil)
5. Family. Blood runs thicker than water. (Any)
6. Noble Obligation. It is my duty to protect and care for the people beneath me. (Good)

**d6 Bond**

1. I will face any challenge to win the approval of my family.
2. My house’s alliance with another noble family must be sustained at all costs.
3. Nothing is more important than the other members of my family.
4. I am in love with the heir of a family that my family despises.
5. My loyalty to my sovereign is unwavering.
6. The common folk must see me as a hero of the people.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I secretly believe that everyone is beneath me.
2. I hide a truly scandalous secret that could ruin my family forever.
3. I too often hear veiled insults and threats in every word addressed to me, and I’m quick to anger.
4. I have an insatiable desire for carnal pleasures.
5. In fact, the world does revolve around me.
6. By my words and actions, I often bring shame to my family.

### **Variant Noble: Knight**

A knighthood is among the lowest noble titles in most societies, but it can be a path to higher status. If you wish to be a knight, choose the Retainers feature instead of the Position of Privilege feature. One of your commoner retainers is replaced by a noble who serves as your squire, aiding you in exchange for training on his or her own path to knighthood. Your two remaining retainers might include a groom to care for your horse and a servant who polishes your armor (and even helps you put it on).

As an emblem of chivalry and the ideals of courtly love, you might include among your equipment a banner or other token from a noble lord or lady tow hom you have given your heart—in a chaste sort of devotion. (This person could be your bond.)

### **Variant Feature: Retainers**

If your character has a noble background, you may select this background feature instead of Position of Privilege.

You have the service of three retainers loyal to your family. These retainers can be attendants or messengers, and one might be a majordomo. Your retainers are commoners who can perform mundane tasks for you, but they do not fight for you, will not follow you into obviously dangerous areas (such as dungeons), and will leave if they are frequently endangered or abused.

## **Outlander**

You grew up in the wilds, far from civilization and the comforts of town and technology. You’ve witnessed the migration of herds larger than forests, survived weather more extreme than any city-dweller could comprehend, and enjoyed the solitude of being the only thinking creature for miles in any direction. The wilds are in your blood, whether you were a nomad, an explorer, a recluse, a hunter-gatherer, or even a marauder. Even in places where you don’t know the specific features of the terrain, you know the ways of the wild.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Survival
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of musical instrument
* **Languages:** One of your choice
* **Equipment:** A staff, a hunting trap, a trophy from an animal you killed, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

### **Origin**

You've been to strange places and seen things that others cannot begin to fathom. Consider some of the distant lands you have visited, and how they impacted you. You can roll on the following table to determine your occupation during your time in the wild, or choose one that best fits your character.

**d10 Origin**

1. Forester
2. Trapper
3. Homesteader
4. Guide
5. Exile or outcast
6. Bounty hunter
7. Pilgrim
8. Tribal nomad
9. Hunter-gatherer
10. Tribal marauder

### **Feature: Wanderer**

You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Often considered rude and uncouth among civilized folk, outlanders have little respect for the niceties of life in the cities. The ties of tribe, clan, family, and the natural world of which they are a part are the most important bonds to most outlanders.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home.
2. I watch over my friends as if they were a litter of newborn pups.
3. I once ran twenty-five miles without stopping to warn to my clan of an approaching orc horde. I’d do it again if I had to.
4. I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature.
5. I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear.
6. I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.
7. I feel far more comfortable around animals than people.
8. I was, in fact, raised by wolves.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic)
2. Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe. (Good)
3. Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan. (Lawful)
4. Might. The strongest are meant to rule. (Evil)
5. Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
6. Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me.
2. An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.
3. I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland.
4. I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend.
5. I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it.
6. It is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I am too enamored of ale, wine, and other intoxicants.
2. There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.
3. I remember every insult I’ve received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who’s ever wronged me.
4. I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies.
5. Violence is my answer to almost any challenge.
6. Don’t expect me to save those who can’t save themselves. It is nature’s way that the strong thrive and the weak perish.

## **Sage**

You spent years learning the lore of the multiverse. You scoured manuscripts, studied scrolls, and listened to the greatest experts on the subjects that interest you. Your efforts have made you a master in your fields of study.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Arcana, History
* **Languages:** Two of your choice
* **Equipment:** A bottle of black ink, a quill, a small knife, a letter from a dead colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

### **Specialty**

To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below.

**d8 Specialty**

1. Alchemist
2. Astronomer
3. Discredited Academic
4. Librarian
5. Professor
6. Researcher
7. Wizard’s apprentice
8. Scribe

### **Feature: Researcher**

When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know that information, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a library, scriptorium, university, or a sage or other learned person or creature. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Sages are defined by their extensive studies, and their characteristics reflect this life of study. Devoted to scholarly pursuits, a sage values knowledge highly— sometimes in its own right, sometimes as a means toward other ideals.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition.
2. I've read every book in the world’s greatest libraries— or I like to boast that I have.
3. I'm used to helping out those who aren’t as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others.
4. There’s nothing I like more than a good mystery.
5. I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment.
6. I . . . speak . . . slowly . . . when talking . . . to idiots, . . . which . . . almost . . . everyone . . . is . . . compared . . . to me.
7. I am horribly, horribly awkward in social situations.
8. I’m convinced that people are always trying to steal my secrets.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral)
2. Beauty. What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true. (Good)
3. Logic. Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful)
4. No Limits. Nothing should fetter the infinite possibility inherent in all existence. (Chaotic)
5. Power. Knowledge is the path to power and domination. (Evil)
6. Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. It is my duty to protect my students.
2. I have an ancient text that holds terrible secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands.
3. I work to preserve a library, university, scriptorium, or monastery.
4. My life’s work is a series of tomes related to a specific field of lore.
5. I've been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question.
6. I sold my soul for knowledge. I hope to do great deeds and win it back.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I am easily distracted by the promise of information.
2. Most people scream and run when they see a demon. I stop and take notes on its anatomy.
3. Unlocking an ancient mystery is worth the price of a civilization.
4. I overlook obvious solutions in favor of complicated ones.
5. I speak without really thinking through my words, invariably insulting others.
6. I can’t keep a secret to save my life, or anyone else’s.

## **Sailor**

You sailed on a seagoing vessel for years. In that time, you faced down mighty storms, monsters of the deep, and those who wanted to sink your craft to the bottomless depths. Your first love is the distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new.

Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval vessel, a ship of discovery, or a pirate ship? How famous (or infamous) is it? Is it widely traveled? Is it still sailing, or is it missing and presumed lost with all hands?

What were your duties on board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run?

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Perception
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water)
* **Equipment:** A belaying pin (club), 50 feet of silk rope, a lucky charm such as a rabbit foot or a small stone with a hole in the center (or you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5), a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

### **Feature: Ship’s Passage**

When you need to, you can secure free passage on a sailing ship for yourself and your adventuring companions. You might sail on the ship you served on, or another ship you have good relations with (perhaps one captained by a former crewmate). Because you’re calling in a favor, you can’t be certain of a schedule or route that will meet your every need. Your Dungeon Master will determine how long it takes to get where you need to go. In return for your free passage, you and your companions are expected to assist the crew during the voyage.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Sailors can be a rough lot, but the responsibilities of life on a ship make them generally reliable as well. Life aboard a ship shapes their outlook and forms their most important attachments.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Respect. The thing that keeps a ship together is mutual respect between captain and crew. (Good)
2. Fairness. We all do the work, so we all share in the rewards. (Lawful)
3. Freedom. The sea is freedom—the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. (Chaotic)
4. Mastery. I’m a predator, and the other ships on the sea are my prey. (Evil)
5. People. I’m committed to my crewmates, not to ideals. (Neutral)
6. Aspiration. Someday I’ll own my own ship and chart my own destiny. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. I’m loyal to my captain first, everything else second.
2. The ship is most important—crewmates and captains come and go.
3. I’ll always remember my first ship.
4. In a harbor town, I have a paramour whose eyes nearly stole me from the sea.
5. I was cheated out of my fair share of the profits, and I want to get my due.
6. Ruthless pirates murdered my captain and crewmates, plundered our ship, and left me to die. Vengeance will be mine.

**d6 Flaw**

1. I follow orders, even if I think they’re wrong.
2. I’ll say anything to avoid having to do extra work.
3. Once someone questions my courage, I never back down no matter how dangerous the situation.
4. Once I start drinking, it’s hard for me to stop.
5. I can’t help but pocket loose coins and other trinkets I come across.
6. My pride will probably lead to my destruction.

### **Variant Sailor: Pirate**

You spent your youth under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.

If you decide that your sailing career involved piracy, you can choose the Bad Reputation feature instead o f the Ship’s Passage feature.

### **Variant Feature: Bad Reputation**

If your character has a sailor background, you may select this background feature instead of Ship’s Passage.

No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the authorities.

## **Soldier**

War has been your life for as long as you care to remember. You trained as a youth, studied the use of weapons and armor, learned basic survival techniques, including how to stay alive on the battlefield. You might have been part of a standing national army or a mercenary company, or perhaps a member of a local militia who rose to prominence during a recent war.

When you choose this background, work with your DM to determine which military organization you were a part of, how far through its ranks you progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career. Was it a standing army, a town guard, or a village militia? Or it might have been a noble’s or merchant’s private army, or a mercenary company.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Intimidation
* **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)
* **Equipment:** An insignia of rank, a trophy taken from a fallen enemy (a dagger, broken blade, or piece of a banner), a set of bone dice or deck of cards, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

### **Specialty**

During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. Roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below to determine your role:

**d8 Specialty**

1. Officer
2. Scout
3. Infantry
4. Cavalry
5. Healer
6. Quartermaster
7. Standard bearer
8. Support staff (cook, blacksmith, or the like)

### **Feature: Military Rank**

You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and influence, and they defer to you if they are of a lower rank. You can invoke your rank to exert influence over other soldiers and requisition simple equipment or horses for temporary use. You can also usually gain access to friendly military encampments and fortresses where your rank is recognized.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

The horrors of war combined with the rigid discipline of military service leave their mark on all soldiers, shaping their ideals, creating strong bonds, and often leaving them scarred and vulnerable to fear, shame, and hatred.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I'm always polite and respectful.
2. I’m haunted by memories of war. I can’t get the images of violence out of my mind.
3. I’ve lost too many friends, and I’m slow to make new ones.
4. I’m full of inspiring and cautionary tales from my military experience relevant to almost every combat situation.
5. I can stare down a hell hound without flinching.
6. I enjoy being strong and like breaking things.
7. I have a crude sense of humor.
8. I face problems head-on. A simple, direct solution is the best path to success.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others. (Good)
2. Responsibility. I do what I must and obey just authority. (Lawful)
3. Independence. When people follow orders blindly, they embrace a kind of tyranny. (Chaotic)
4. Might. In life as in war, the stronger force wins. (Evil)
5. Live and Let Live. Ideals aren’t worth killing over or going to war for. (Neutral)
6. Nation. My city, nation, or people are all that matter. (Any)

**d6 Bond**

1. I would still lay down my life for the people I served with.
2. Someone saved my life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind.
3. My honor is my life.
4. I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.
5. Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
6. I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

**d6 Flaw**

1. The monstrous enemy we faced in battle still leaves me quivering with fear.
2. I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior.
3. I made a terrible mistake in battle cost many lives— and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret.
4. My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5. I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6. I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

## **Urban Bounty Hunter**

Before you became an adventurer, your life was already full of conflict and excitement, because you made a living tracking down people for pay. Unlike some people who collect bounties, though, you aren't a savage who follows quarry into or through the wilderness. You're involved in a lucrative trade, in the place where you live, that routinely tests your skills and survival instincts. What's more, you aren't alone, as a bounty hunter in the wild would be: you routinely interact with both the criminal subculture and other bounty hunters, maintaining contacts in both areas to help you succeed.

You might be a cunning thief-catcher, prowling the rooftops to catch one of the myriad burglars of the city. Perhaps you are someone who has your ear to the street, aware of the doings of thieves' guilds and street gangs. You might be a "velvet mask" bounty hunter, one who blends in with high society and noble circles in order to catch the criminals that prey on the rich, whether pickpockets or con artists.

As a member of an adventuring party, you might find it more difficult to pursue a personal agenda that doesn't fit with the group's objectives- but on the other hand, you can take down much more formidable targets with the help of your companions.

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Choose two from among Deception, Insight, Persuasion, and Stealth
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Choose two from among one type of gaming set, one musical instrument, and thieves' tools
* **Equipment:** A set of clothes appropriate to your duties and a pouch containing 20 gp

### **Feature: Ear to the Ground**

You are in frequent contact with people in the segment of society that your chosen quarries move through. These people might be associated with the criminal underworld, the rough-and-tumble folk of the streets, or members of high society. This connection comes in the form of a contact in any city you visit, a person who provides information about the people and places of the local area.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Use the tables for the criminal background as the basis for your bounty hunter's traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a bounty hunter.

For instance, your bond might involve other bounty hunters or the organizations or individuals that employ you. Your ideal could be associated with your determination always to catch your quarry or your desire to maintain your reputation for being dependable.

## **Urchin**

You grew up on the streets alone, orphaned, and poor. You had no one to watch over you or to provide for you, so you learned to provide for yourself. You fought fiercely over food and kept a constant watch out for other desperate souls who might steal from you. You slept on rooftops and in alleyways, exposed to the elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each.

You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life?

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Sleight of Hand, Stealth
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Disguise kit, thieves’ tools
* **Equipment:** A small knife, a map of the city you grew up in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

### **Feature: City Secrets**

You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.

### **Suggested Characteristics**

Urchins are shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life— and maybe get some payback on all the rich people who treated them badly.

**d8 Personality Trait**

1. I hide scraps of food and trinkets away in my pockets.
2. I ask a lot of questions.
3. I like to squeeze into small places where no one else can get to me.
4. I sleep with my back to a wall or tree, with everything I own wrapped in a bundle in my arms.
5. I eat like a pig and have bad manners.
6. I think anyone who’s nice to me is hiding evil intent.
7. I don’t like to bathe.
8. I bluntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding.

**d6 Ideal**

1. Respect. All people, rich or poor, deserve respect. (Good)
2. Community. We have to take care of each other, because no one else is going to do it. (Lawful)
3. Change. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things. (Chaotic)
4. Retribution. The rich need to be shown what life and death are like in the gutters. (Evil)
5. People. I help the people who help me—that’s what keeps us alive. (Neutral)
6. Aspiration. I'm going to prove that I'm worthy of a better life.

**d6 Bond**

1. My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it.
2. I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure.
3. I owe my survival to another urchin who taught me to live on the streets.
4. I owe a debt I can never repay to the person who took pity on me.
5. I escaped my life of poverty by robbing an important person, and I’m wanted for it.
6. No one else should have to endure the hardships I’ve been through.

**d6 Flaw**

1. If I'm outnumbered, I will run away from a fight.
2. Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it.
3. I will never fully trust anyone other than myself.
4. I’d rather kill someone in their sleep then fight fair.
5. It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else.
6. People who can't take care of themselves get what they deserve.