Advanced Backgrounds

Backgrounds are excellent storytelling tools when it comes to identifying who your character is and where they come from. A gallant soldier may have a dark past as a mercenary sellsword or a gang enforcer. Advanced backgrounds provide an additional layer to this process. They seek to identify where a character comes from, and highlight where they may progress to, within the world setting.

Advanced Backgrounds are a variant option for the background system. It is suggested that either all characters within a party use Advanced Backgrounds, or none. To use Advanced Backgrounds, select a background and choose a profession within that background.

## Professions

Professions best represent what your character does between adventures, whether it's a job to make money, or a title or responsibility they must uphold. Each background has multiple professions, and describes that professions place in the world. For example, your character may be a Seafarer, but what do they do at sea? They may be a pauper, scavenging what they can find of value from the ocean shores. In this case, you may choose the Seagatherer. There are no wrong choices.

## Profession Abilities

Once you have selected your profession, you gain access to its Profession Ability. This is an activity that you have practiced time and time again, becoming an expert in this field. Each profession ability requires an hour spent completing the task, an a Medium DC skill check. Once you have attempted a profession ability, you cannot attempt it again until you complete a long rest.

## Profession Dice

Profession Dice are the in-game advantages provided to characters by their background profession. Characters can add their Profession Die to skill or ability checks according to any Talents they have selected.

In addition, a character always adds their Profession Die when rolling for Profession Abilities.

A character's Profession Die is determined by their rank, and shown in the table below:

## Skill Check Difficulties

When a player is required to make a skill check, the DC is determined by the GM using the following table:

When determining DC, a GM may start with the complexity of the task, then adjust it based on environmental factors. For example, a character may be trying to climb a ladder, a task which would normally not require a skill check. However, the weather is chilly, and the ladder is slick with ice, so the GM decides to set a Medium DC. This DC might be increased again for further complicating factors, such as pursuing enemies or if the ladder is broken.

Note: It is important to remember that rolling a natural 20 on a skill check does not result in an automatic success.

## Proficiencies and Equipment

When creating a character, Advanced Backgrounds add skill proficiencies and starting equipment in a similar way to backgrounds.

Once you have selected your background and profession, you may select a skill proficiency, per your background's selection list. Once you've made your choices, apply your starting equipment and proficiency from your background and profession.

## Rankings, Holdings and Progressions.

Rankings represent a character's standing within the world of their profession. Each profession has four ranks, wh=ith characters starting at the first rank. Whenever a character meets the progression milestones of a rank within their profession (as discussed with the GM), they may progress to the next rank of that profession.

A Captain and his daring crew or a Duke and his extravagant estate are both examples of a profession's holdings. Within Advanced Backgrounds, holdings are the assets, resources or advantages a character gains through their position. Holdings vary between professions, from finding free lodging to acquiring a grand fortress and legions of soldiers, or anything in between. Within each profession are examples of the sorts of holdings a character might achieve as they progress through the professional ranks. Whenever a character advances in rank, they retain their holdings from previous ranks.

Progressions are examples of what may be required for you to advance in rank within your profession. From making a medical breakthrough to being appointed by a monarch, progressions vary depending on the rank and profession they belong to. Progressions make great character goals and can be tied into existing character or party goals. For example, a scribe looking to disprove falsehoods could do so by pursuing the mystery at the heart of the campaign's overall story.

Progressions and holdings within this chapter are recommendations only. Ultimately it is up to the GM to determine how the characters within your setting progress, and what holdings are necessary to gameplay. Additionally, a GM may decide to allow a character to progress within their profession due to alternative reasons, such as circumstantial gameplay, setting requirements, or for any other reason. Players and GMs should discuss what sort of holdings a player could expect to receive at each rank and what progression paths may be available to them.

## Talents

Talents are unique dispositions, experiences, or characteristics your character has picked up due to their time working in their profession. This is represented by allowing characters to add their Profession Die in unique situations that highlight the skills gained through their profession. A a character may select a Talent from their corresponding Talent list when they select their profession, and select an additional Talent whenever they rank up within a profession.

## Changing Profession

Plans never play out as expected, and sometimes professions don't either. A character may change professions by achieving the progression requirements of the profession rank they wish to change to. When they achieve these requirements they may rank up into the new rank of that profession, choosing a Talent from their new profession list. A character that has ranked up into a new profession retains all equipment, Talents, proficiencies, and abilities from their original profession. After all, you can change your future but not your past.

For example, Aylea is a Militarist Field Marshal. A recent brush with a dark sorcerer has confirmed her faith in her deity, and now she wishes to become an Inquisitor. Aylea's player discusses with their GM what sort of holdings and progression milestones Ayea must achieve to rank into Inquisitor. Due to her seasoned military experience, the GM decides that once contact has been made with a Chapter Master, Aylea will become an Inquisitor at the rank of Initiate, a rank from which Aylea is likely to advance quickly.

## Backgrounds

The following backgrounds are provided in alphabetical order:

Academic

* Antiquarian
* Archivist
* Physician

Aristocrats

* Courtier
* Envoy
* Noble

Clan Member

* Raider
* Shaman
* Tribesperson

Clergy

* Inquisitor
* Preacher
* Priest

Common Folk

* Villager
* Entertainer
* Merchant

Criminal

* Charlatan
* Cutthroat
* Burglar

Militarist

* Free Sword
* Guard
* Soldier

Outlander

* Beast Hunter
* Pioneer
* Explorer

Pauper

* Beggar
* Vagabond
* Pit Fighter

Seafarer

* Sailor
* Dock Worker
* Sea Gatherer

## Talents

A list of the talents available to each profession, 1 per rank, are below:

Academic

* Biologist
* Botanist
* Copycat
* Diligent Researcher
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Forecaster
* Gambler
* Local Historian
* Mystical Scholar
* Passionate Orator
* Pathologist
* Pitiable
* Problem Solver
* Runekeeper
* Sawbones
* Translator

Aristocrat

* Born in the Saddle
* Copycat
* Court Schemer
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Elusive
* Figure of Authority
* Gambler
* Impressionist
* Local Historian
* Problem Solver
* Quick Fingers
* Translator

Clan Member

* Applied Leverage
* Beast Whisperer
* Biologist
* Botanist
* Calloused Hands
* Camper
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Gambler
* Hard-Working
* Local Historian
* Looter
* Menacing Presence
* Solidarity
* Temperature Tolerance
* Tree Springer
* Wayfarer

Clergy

* Astute Intuition
* Cabal Lorekeeper
* Confessor
* Copycat
* Diligent Researcher
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Figure of Authority
* Idolist
* Interrogator
* Local Historian
* Menacing Presence
* Mystical Scholar
* Passionate Orator
* Pathologist
* Sawbones
* Shrewd Deduction
* Solidarity

Common Folk

* Applied Leverage
* Beast Whisperer
* Biologist
* Botanist
* Calloused Hands
* Camper
* Charity Case
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Elusive
* Flamboyant Presentation
* Forecaster
* Gambler
* Gut Feeling
* Hard-Working
* Navigator
* Pitiable
* Solidarity
* Vacant Expression
* Wayfarer

Criminal

* Applied Leverage
* Bounty Hunter
* Charity Case
* Contortionist
* Copycat
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Elusive
* Gambler
* Grifter
* Heister
* Impressionist
* Interrogator
* Looter
* Menacing Presence
* Nimble Fingers
* Quick Fingers
* Renowned
* Ropesman
* Sentry
* Sticky Fingers
* Urban Sprinter
* Vacant Expression

Militarist

* Applied Leverage
* Astute Intuition
* Beast Whisperer
* Born in the Saddle
* Bounty Hunter
* Calloused Hands
* Copycat
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Figure of Authority
* Forecaster
* Gambler
* Hard-Working
* Interrogator
* Looter
* Menacing Presence
* Navigator
* Passionate Orator
* Recruiter
* Renowned
* Sentry
* Shrewd Deduction
* Urban Sprinter
* Wayfarer

Outlander

* Beast Whisperer
* Biologist
* Born in the Saddle
* Botanist
* Calloused Hands
* Camper
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Forecaster
* Gambler
* Gut Feeling
* Hard-Working
* Local Historian
* Navigator
* Renowned
* Temperature Tolerance
* Translator
* Tree Springer

Pauper

* Calloused Hands
* Camper
* Charity Case
* Drunkard
* Elusive
* Flamboyant Presentation
* Forecaster
* Gambler
* Gut Feeling
* Hard-Working
* Menacing Presence
* Pitiable
* Solidarity
* Sticky Fingers
* Urban Sprinter
* Vacant Expression

Seafarer

* Applied Leverage
* Calloused Hands
* Charity Case
* Copycat
* Disciplinarian
* Drunkard
* Forecaster
* Gambler
* Gut Feeling
* Hard-Working
* Menacing Presence
* Navigator
* Recruiter
* Renowned
* Ropesman
* Sea Dog
* Sentry
* Temperature Tolerance
* Wayfarer