Scout

There are those whose job it is to walk into the unknown. They find where the enemy is before a battle. They make the world smaller by exploring the hitherto undiscovered regions of the world. They are the ones who explore by going there and seeing it for themselves. Being able to bring back the information is what sets apart the skilled scouts and the bad scouts.

Skill Proficiencies

Stealth, Survival

Languages

One of your choice

Equipment

A set of traveler's clothes, 50' silk rope, a trinket, and a belt pouch containing 10gp

Feature

One with Nature

You are adept at living off and blending into the land. You become one with the area you find yourself. You have an innate sense of direction. You are always able to retrace your steps in any environment. This allows you to eventually get back to a point you are familiar with.

Suggested Characteristics

You are an explorer into the unknown. You are often the first into an area no one has been to before. You have to be able to deal with anything. Hidden terrain can impede your progress or cause injury while you are alone. Native populations of either sentient beings or savage monsters can inhabit the land you have been tasked to map and explore.

You must be self-reliant, but having some competent friends along can help.

Personality Trait

1. I always eat whatever the local food is, that way I do not smell foreign.

2. I like to have a contingency plan for every mission.

3. I like to make paintings of places I’ve seen.

4. I always dress to blend into whatever surroundings there are, whether in the wild or urban.

5. I prefer to wait and watch before acting.

6. I rarely talk louder than a whisper.

7. Getting dirty is part of a good camouflage. I just forget to clean up most of the time.

8. Ever since one bad mission, I make sure to bring extra food.

Ideal

1. Mission Oriented. I am good at completing my assigned tasks. What happens with the information I gather is outside my area of responsibility. (Neutral)

2. Concerned. Whenever I meet a new race or peoples, I make sure any potential contact will not harm them. (Good)

3. Wild. The world is an untamed place and I fit right in. (Chaotic)

4. Expansionism. Expanding the boundaries means we can bring all society has to offer to new people and lands. (Lawful)

5. Greed. People are always willing to pay well for information, even those who didn’t do the hiring in the first place. (Evil)

6. Pioneer. The best part is being the first person to somewhere new. (Any)

Bond

1. On one mission I discovered a lost tribe of people. I decided to not reveal their presence for fear of what would happen to them if I did.

2. My single most important piece of equipment? This rope has saved my life multiple times, I wouldn’t go anywhere without it.

3. I’ve kept a copy of every map I’ve ever done for someone. It is fairly extensive.

4. While scouting a new area I was captured by a cannibalistic tribe. I managed to escape with a small trinket which I now keep as a memento. However, I suspect they want it back.

5. My mother was a famous druidess. While I cannot access her divine magics, I still seek emulate her love for nature.

6. I am too close to the animals; I can’t stand to eat meat anymore.

Flaw

1. I used to be a scout in the military until one of my reports was wrong and hundreds of soldiers lost their lives. I still say my report was solid, but that didn’t stop them from kicking me out of the military and blaming me.

2. I am perpetually disappointed in the abilities of other people.

3. I am opposed to beings that seek to exploit the world or people weaker than them simply because they think they can.

4. I’m good at following orders no matter what they are.

5. On one mission I discovered a lost tribe of people. Using my report, the military moved in and that tribe no longer exists. I left the military soon thereafter but not before making some enemies in the hierarchy.

6. There is no one better than me in the wilderness. When it comes to the wilderness, I won’t take advice, not even if it’s good advice.

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/5ebackgrounds/showentry.php?e=35&catid=1#ixzz3eyiCvHJr