Backgrounds
Specialized lore abilities for your character
Body Thief
You have secretly overtaken the body of another, impersonating them. Though you are a different person, many times you are given the benefit of the doubt, as a person being overtaken is a rare occurence. Your journey with this body will not be without its perils of their past.
Skill Proficiencies
- Deception & Persuasion
-
Languages
- Two of your choice
-
Equipment
- A notebook
- An important item of the body’s
- A pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Overtaken Body
Work with your Dungeon Master to come up with what you know of the person you’ve overtaken. Do they have status? Latent powers that you connect to? There are many opportunities to build out the character. Or, did you simply choose someone you have no clue about, leaving the story to be discovered?
| 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 toward 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 detriment of everything else in my life. |
Coven Disciple
Those who have spent their lives learning as a member of a coven hold great knowledge on the more ghastly side of the weave. This learning could be through simple witches and mages whom delve into the dark crafts of spirits and dark magic, or possibly even of true covens of hags. The journey of learning in a coven is a long and devoted one, but these disciples have spent that time and reap the fortune of knowledge.
Skill Proficiencies
- Arcana & Deception
-
Tool Proficiencies
- Two of your choice
-
Equipment
- A small cauldron
- A bundle of sage
- A potion bottle filled with a colorful nonmagical liquid
- Coven Robes
- A pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Inconspicuous Outsider
As a member of a coven, you may be unattuned to natural society. Though you do not stand out immediately, some mannerisms and acts may be noticeable. However, you know how to conduct yourself when in darker circles and niche groups. You are easily able to pose as a member of cults, secret groups, and the likes without being noticed as an outsider. Understanding how these groups work allows you to analyze both the spoken and unspoken rules of these seedier circles and adapt to it allowing the gaining of information, or possibly more nefarious things.
| d4 | Peronality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Some of my best friends are small animals. |
| 2 | I always remember someone who’s wronged me. |
| 3 | I attempt to research as much magic as possible. |
| 4 | I am good at keeping secrets. |
| d4 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | No one is too good to be experimented on. |
| 2 | Those who hurt my friends have hurt me too. |
| 3 | Magic should not be kept to one type of practitioner. |
| 4 | Deals should never be broken. |
| d4 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My family is everything to me. |
| 2 | I am unnaturally drawn to swap life. |
| 3 | I am indebted to someone I made an unknowing deal with. |
| 4 | I wish to one day impress a hag I met long ago. |
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | My natural anger gets the best of me often. |
| 2 | I am not one that trusts easy. |
| 3 | I struggle to fit in with normal people. |
| 4 | I won’t drink anything unless it is from a potion bottle. |
Culinarian
You are a skilled chef in and out of the kitchen. Cooking is a way of life for you, and your skills are a paragon of your life, allowing you to take it into the world beyond. The principles and life lessons from the culinary world are not lost on you.
Skill Proficiencies
- Nature & Survival
-
Tool Proficiencies
- Cook’s Utensils
-
Languages
- One standard language of your choice
-
Equipment
- Cook’s utensils
- A set of culinary clothes
- 10 ingredients of your choice
- A pouch containing 20 gp
Feature: Eye for Ingredients
As a culinarian, you understand ingredients even most minute. You are extremely adept at understanding the recipes of food and drink that you consume. You are also able to understand fundamentally what many ingredients can work into when you are cooking.
| d4 | Personality Traits |
|---|---|
| 1 | I enjoy extremely spicy food. |
| 2 | I always try to meet the cook of my meals. |
| 3 | I’m very passionate about my craft to the very pinch of salt. |
| 4 | I’m very picky when it comes to food. |
| d4 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I find wasting food to be very disrespectful |
| 2 | Food is meant to be shared by everyone |
| 3 | My recipes are sacred and special to me because they are my own. |
| 4 | Making food for my loved ones is the best way to show them how much I care. |
| d4 | Bonds |
|---|---|
| 1 | The cook that inspired me to start my cooking will never be forgotten. I hope to one day show them my recipes. |
| 2 | My family will never understand this love. |
| 3 | I will become a beacon of success for my sibling(s). |
| 4 | I will become a better cook than my adversary, no matter what. |
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | My recipes will never be good enough to show others. |
| 2 | I will not eat food made my anyone other than me. |
| 3 | I have no sense of smell. |
| 4 | I find more connection with food than people. |
Tribewalker
You have grown within a travelling tribe. You have since broken away from such a group, for your own reasons. However, your history of witnessing the growth of nature and life around you throughout your travels stays with you.
Skill Proficiencies
- Athletics & Survival
-
Tool Proficiencies
- One type of musical instrument
-
Languages
- One of your choice
-
Equipment
- A hunting trap
- A trophy from an animal you’ve slain
- A set of traveler’s clothes
- An ancient holy symbol
- A pouch containing 10 gp
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.
| d4 | Personality Traits |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature. |
| 2 | I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear. |
| 3 | I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them. |
| 4 | I feel uncomfortable holding coin. |
| d4 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Might. The strongest are meant to rule. |
| 2 | Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my tribe. |
| 3 | Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe. |
| 4 | Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan. |
| d4 | Bonds |
|---|---|
| 1 | I see a divine being in my dreams. I wish I knew what they were telling me. |
| 2 | My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me. |
| 3 | I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my tribe’s history. |
| 4 | I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend. |
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest. |
| 2 | I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies. |
| 3 | Violence is my answer to almost any challenge. |
| 4 | 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. |