D&D Character Creation Compendium Vol 3 - Backgrounds

CHARACTER CREATION COMPENDIUM Volume 3: Backgrounds

Player’s Handbook

C HAPTER 4: PERSONALITY AND BACKGROUND � HARACTERS ARE DEFINED BY MUCH MORE THAN their race and class. They're individuals with their own stories, interests, connections, and capabilities beyond those that class and race define. This chapter expounds on the details that distinguish characters from one another, including the basics of name and physical description, the rules of backgrounds and languages, and the finer points of personality and alignment. CHARACTER DETAILS Your character's name and physical description might be the first things that the other players at the table learn about you. It's worth thinking about how these characteristics reflect the character you have in mind. NAME Your character's race description includes sample names for members of that race. Put some thought into your name even if you're just picking one from a list. SEX You can play a male or female character without gaining any special benefits or hindrances. Think about how your character does or does not conform to the broader culture's expectations of sex, gender, and sexual behavior. For example, a male drow cleric defies the traditional gender divisions of drow society, which could be a reason for your character to leave that society and come to the surface. TI KA AND ARTEM I S: CONTRASTING CHARACTE RS The details in th is chapter make a big difference in setti ng your character apart from every other character. Consider the followi ng two human fighters. Hailing from the Dragon lance setting, Tika Waylan was a brash teenager who had a rough childhood. The daughter of a thief, she ran away from home and practiced her father's trade on the streets of Solace. When she tried to rob the proprietor of the Inn of the Last Home, he caught her and took her under his wing, givi ng her a job as a barmaid. But when the dragonarmies laid waste to the town of Solace and destroyed the inn, necessity forced Tika i nto adventure alongside the friends she'd known from her childhood. Her skill as a fighter (a frying pan remains one of her favorite weapons) combi ned with her history on the streets gave her skills invaluable in her adventuring career. Artemis Entreri grew up on the streets of Cal i mport in the Forgotten Realms. He used his wits, strength, and agil ity to carve out his own territory in one of the city's hundreds of poor shanty towns. After several years, he attracted the notice of one of the most powerful thieves' gu ilds in the city, and he ascended the ranks of the guild quickly despite his youth. Artemis became the favored assassin of one of the city's pashas, who sent him to far-off lcewind Dale to recover some stolen gems. He's a professional killer, constantly challenging himself to improve his skills. Tika and Artemis are both human and both fighters (with some experience as rogues), possessing similarly high Strength and Dexterity scores, but there the similarity ends. You don't need to be confined to binary notions of sex and gender. The elf god Corellon Larethian is often seen as androgynous, for example, and some elves in the multiverse are made in Corellon's image. You could also play a female character who presents herself as a man, a man who feels trapped in a female body, or a bearded female dwarf who hates being mistaken for a male. Likewise, your character's sexual orientation is for you to decide. H EIGHT AND WEIGHT You can decide your character's height and weight, using the information provided in your race description or on the Random Height and Weight table. Think about what your character's ability scores might say about his or her height and weight. A weak but agile character might be thin. A strong and tough character might be tall or just heavy. If you want to, you can roll randomly for your character's height and weight using the Random Height and Weight table. The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character's extra height (in inches) beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character's extra weight (in pounds) beyond the base weight. RAN DOM HEIGHT AND WE IGHT Base Height Base Weight Race Height Modifier Weight Modifier H uman 4'8" +2dl0 110 lb. x (2d4) lb. Dwarf, hill 3'8" +2d4 115 lb. x (2d6) lb. Dwarf, mountain 4' +2d4 1 30 lb. x (2d6) lb. Elf, high 4'6" +2dl0 90 lb. x (l d4) lb. Elf, wood 4'6" +2dl0 1 00 l b. x (l d4) lb. Elf, drow 4'5" +2d6 75 lb. x (ld6) lb. Halfl ing 2'7" +2d4 35 lb. x l lb. Dragon born 5'6" +2d8 1 75 lb. x (2d6) lb. G nome 2'11" +2d4 35 lb. x l lb. H alf.elf 4'9" +2d8 110 lb. x (2d4) lb. Half-ore 4'10" +2dl0 140 lb. x (2d6) lb. Tiefling 4'9" +2d8 110 lb. x (2d4) lb. For example, as a human, Tika has a height of 4 feet 8 inches plus 2dl0 inches. Her player rolls 2d10 and gets a total of 12, so Tika stands 5 feet 8 inches tall. Then the player uses that same roll of 12 and multiplies it by 2d4 pounds. Her 2d4 roll is 3, so Tika weighs an extra 36 pounds (12 x 3) on top of her base 1 10 pounds, for a total of 146 pounds. OTH ER PHYSICAL C HARACTERISTIC S You choose your character's age and the color of his or her hair, eyes, and skin. To add a touch of distinctiveness, you might want to give your character an unusual or memorable physical characteristic, such as a scar, a limp, or a tattoo. P"R• ' P ER<;O 'AlJ ,Y A D BAfKGROl' D 12

122 TI KA AND ARTE MIS: CHARACTER DETAILS Consider how the names Tika Waylan and Artemis Entreri set these characters apart from each other and reflect their personal ities. Tika is a young woman determined to prove that she's not j ust a kid any more, and her name makes her sound young and ordinary. Artemis Entreri comes from an exotic land and carries a more mysterious name. Tika is ni neteen years old at the start of her adventuring career and has auburn hair, green eyes, fair skin with freckles, and a mole on her right hip. Artemis is a small man, compact and all wiry m uscle. He has angular featu res and high cheekbones, and he always seems in need of a shave. His raven-black hair is thick and fu ll, but his eyes are gray and lifeless-betraying the emptiness of his life and soul. ALIGNMENT A typical creature in the worlds of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS has an alignment, which broadly describes its moral and personal attitudes. Alignment is a combination of two factors: one identifies morality (good, evil, or neutral), and the other describes attitudes toward society and order (lawful, chaotic, or neutral). Thus, nine distinct alignments define the possible combinations. These brief summaries of the nine alignments describe the typical behavior of a creature with that alignment. Individuals might vary significantly from that typical behavior, and few people are perfectly and consistently faithful to the precepts of their alignment. Lawful good (LG) creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society. Gold dragons, paladins, and most dwarves are lawful good. Neutral good (NG) folk do the best they can to help others according to their needs. Many celestials, some cloud giants, and most gnomes are neutral good. Chaotic good (CG) creatures act as their conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect. Copper dragons, many elves, and unicorns are chaotic good. Lawful neutral (LN) individuals act in accordance with law, tradition, or personal codes. Many monks and some wizards are lawful neutral. Neutral (N) is the alignment of those who prefer to steer clear of moral questions and don't take sides, DWARVISH SCRI PT: SA M PLE ALPHABET l.J .... A B c D E < T ] ., � N 0 p Q R � n r I � ..... PART I Pl:.RSO, ALITY \ND iHC KGROUN D F w s 1 G 11 T 17 doing what seems best at the time. Lizardfolk, most druids, and many humans are neutral. Chaotic neutral (CN) creatures follow their whims, holding their personal freedom above all else. Many barbarians and rogues, and some bards, are chaotic neutral. Lawful evil (LE) creatures methodically take what they want, within the limits of a code of tradition, loyalty, or order. Devils, blue dragons, and hobgoblins are lawful evil. Neutral evil (NE) is the alignment of those who do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms. Many drow, some cloud giants, and yugoloths are neutral evil. Chaotic evil (CE) creatures act with arbitrary violence, spurred by their greed, hatred, or bloodlust. Demons, red dragons, and ores are chaotic evil. ALIGNMENT IN THE MULTIVERSE For many thinking creatures, alignment is a moral choice. Humans, dwarves, elves, and other humanoid races can choose whether to follow the paths of good or evil, law or chaos. According to myth, the good-aligned gods who created these races gave them free will to choose their moral paths, knowing that good without free will is slavery. The evil deities who created other races, though, made those races to serve them. Those races have strong inborn tendencies that match the nature of their gods. Most ores share the violent, savage nature of the ore god, Gruumsh, and are thus inclined toward evil. Even if an ore chooses a good alignment, it struggles against its innate tendencies for its entire life. (Even half-ores feel the lingering pull of the ore god's influence.) Alignment is an essential part of the nature of celestials and fiends. A devil does not choose to be lawful evil, and it doesn't tend toward lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil in its essence. If it somehow ceased to be lawful evil, it would cease to be a devil. Most creatures that lack the capacity for rational thought do not have alignments-they are unaligned. Such a creature is incapable of making a moral or ethical choice and acts according to its bestial nature. Sharks are savage predators, for example, but they are not evil; they have no alignment. H I J K L M + 1 � !» y p u v w x y z � � � � n � � ... I .

I ' LANGUAGES Your race indicates the languages your character can speak by default, and your background might give you access to one or more additional languages of your choice. Note these languages on your character sheet. Choose your languages from the Standard Languages table, or choose one that is common in your campaign. With your DM's permission, you can instead choose a language from the Exotic Languages table or a secret language, such as thieves' cant or the tongue of druids. Some of these languages are actually families of languages with many dialects. For example, the Primordial language includes the Auran, Aquan, Ignan, and Terran dialects, one for each of the four elemental planes. Creatures that speak different dialects of the same language can communicate with one another. STANDARD LANGUAGES Language Typical Speakers Script Common Humans Common Dwarvish Dwarves Dwarvish Elvish Elves Elvish Giant Ogres, giants Dwarvish Gnomish Gnomes Dwarvish Goblin Gobli noids Dwarvish Halfling Halflings Common Ore Ores Dwarvish EXOTIC LANG UAGES Language Typical Speakers Script Abyssal Demons I nfernal Celestial Celestials Celestial Deep Speech Mind flayers, beholders Draconic Dragons, Draconic dragon born Infernal Devils Infernal Primordial Elementals Dwarvish Sylvan Fey creatures Elvish Undercommon Underdark traders Elvish E LVISH SCRI PT: SA M P LE ALPHABET A B c D E F (] 0 a J () { N 0 p Q R s 67 j) f L J 6 G r6 TI KA AND ARTEMIS: ALIGNMENT Tika Waylan is neutral good, fu ndamentally good-hea rted and strivi ng to help others where she can. Artemis is lawfu l evi l, unconcerned with the value of sentient life but at least professional in his approach to murder. As an evil character, Artemis is not an ideal adventurer. He began his career as a villain, and only cooperates with heroes when he must-and when it's in his own best interests. In most games, evil adventurers cause problems in groups alongside others who don't share their interests and objectives. General ly, evil alignments are for villains and monsters. PERSONAL C HA RACTERISTI C S Fleshing out your character's personality-the array of traits, mannerisms, habits, beliefs, and flaws that give a person a unique identity-will help you bring him or her to life as you play the game. Four categories of characteristics are presented here: personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws. Beyond those categories, think about your character's favorite words or phrases, tics and habitual gestures, vices and pet peeves, and whatever else you can imagine. Each background presented later in this chapter includes suggested characteristics that you can use to spark your imagination. You're not bound to those options, but they're a good starting point. PERSONALITY TRAITS Give your character two personality traits. Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. Your personality traits should tell you something interesting and fun about your character. They should be selfdescriptions that are specific about what makes your character stand out. "I'm smart" is not a good trait, because it describes a lot of characters. "I've read every book in Candlekeep" tells you something specific about your character's interests and disposition. Personality traits might describe the things your character likes, his or her past accomplishments, things your character dislikes or fears, your character's selfattitude or mannerisms, or the influence of his or her ability scores. H I J K L M !J J cf tb fJ tV _I ·--- T u J -(l v w � JC ----- -·--- -- x ¥ -- y z J f9 .. --- - ------ PART I PER 'O A LITI A1"� BAC' !<..GROl D ! 123

124 I TI KA AND ARTEM I S: PERSONAL CHARACTE RI STICS Tika and Artemis have disti nct personal ity traits. Tika Waylan disl ikes boastful ness and has a fear of heights resulting from a bad fall during her career as a thief. Artemis Entreri is always prepared for the worst and moves with a quick, precise confidence. Consider their ideals. Tika Waylan is innocent, almost childlike, believi ng in the value of life and the i mportance of appreciating everyone. Neutral good in al ignment, she cleaves to ideals of life and respect. Artemis Entreri never allows his emotions to master him, and he constantly challenges himself to i mprove his skills. His lawful evil alignment gives him ideals of impartial ity and a l ust for power. Tika Waylan's bond is to the Inn of the Last Home. The inn's proprietor gave her a new chance at life, and her friendship with her adventuring companions was forged during her time working there. Its destruction by the marauding dragonarmies gives Tika a very personal reason to hate them with a fiery passion. Her bond might be phrased as "I will do whatever it takes to punish the d ragonarmies for the destruction of the Inn of the Last Home." Artemis Entreri's bond is a strange, almost paradoxical relationship with Drizzt Do'Urden, his equal in swordplay and grim determination. In his fi rst battle with Drizzt, Artemis recognized something of himself in his opponent, some indication that if his life had gone differently, he might have led a life more like the heroic drow's. From that moment, Artemis is more than a criminal assassin-he is an antihero, driven by his rivalry with Drizzt. His bond might be phrased as "I will not rest until I have proved myself better than Drizzt Do'Urden." Each of these characters also has an important flaw. Tika Waylan is naive and emotionally vulnerable, younger than her companions and annoyed that they sti ll th ink of her as the kid they knew years ago. She m ight even be tempted to act against her principles if she's convinced that a particular achievement would demonstrate her maturity. Artemis Entreri is completely walled off from any personal relationship and j ust wants to be left alone. A useful place to start thinking about personality traits is to look at your highest and lowest ability scores and define one trait related to each. Either one could be positive or negative: you might work hard to overcome a low score, for example, or be cocky about your high score. D RACO NIC SCRI PT: SA M PLE ALP HABET A B c D E F - \,, t � v 1f T N 0 p Q R s r � l 1 t 1J "' PART I PER 0 !\l&T'r DB <; t, ROU D G • 1t' T N IDEALS Describe one ideal that drives your character. Your ideals are the things that you believe in most strongly, the fundamental moral and ethical principles that compel you to act as you do. Ideals encompass everything from your life goals to your core belief system. Ideals might answer any of these questions: What are the principles that you will never betray? What would prompt you to make sacrifices? What drives you to act and guides your goals and ambitions? What is the single most important thing you strive for? You can choose any ideals you like, but your character's alignment is a good place to start defining them. Each background in this chapter includes six suggested ideals. Five of them are linked to aspects of alignment: law, chaos, good, evil, and neutrality. The last one has more to do with the particular background than with moral or ethical perspectives. BONDS Create one bond for your character. Bonds represent a character's connections to people, places, and events in the world. They tie you to things from your background. They might inspire you to heights of heroism, or lead you to act against your own best interests if they are threatened. They can work very much like ideals, driving a character's motivations and goals. Bonds might answer any of these questions: Whom do you care most about? To what place do you feel a special connection? What is your most treasured possession? Your bonds might be tied to your class, your background, your race, or some other aspect of your character's history or personality. You might also gain new bonds over the course of your adventures. FLAWS Finally, choose a flaw for your character. Your character's flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness-in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What's the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified of? What are your vices? , I H I J K L M ri "f f 1 • 7 J u v w x y z 2). tr lj ...... 'f � :J . ,,

INSPIRATION Inspiration is a rule the Dungeon Master can use to reward you for playing your character in a way that's true to his or her personality traits, ideal, bond, and fl.aw. By using inspiration, you can draw on your personality trait of compassion for the downtrodden to give you an edge in negotiating with the Beggar Prince. Or inspiration can let you call on your bond to the defense of your home village to push past the effect of a spell that has been laid on you. GAINING I NSPIRATION Your DM can choose to give you inspiration for a variety of reasons. Typically, DMs award it when you play out your personality traits, give in to the drawbacks presented by a fl.aw or bond, and otherwise portray your character in a compelling way. Your DM will tell you how you can earn inspiration in the game. You either have inspiration or you don't-you can't stockpile multiple "inspirations" for later use. USING I NSPIRATION If you have inspiration, you can expend it when you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Spending your inspiration gives you advantage on that roll. Additionally, if you have inspiration, you can reward another player for good roleplaying, clever thinking, or simply doing something exciting in the game. When another player character does something that really contributes to the story in a fun and interesting way, you can give up your inspiration to give that character inspiration. BACKGROUNDS Every story has a beginning. Your character's background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world. Your fighter might have been a courageous knight or a grizzled soldier. Your wizard could have been a sage or an artisan. Your rogue might have gotten by as a guild thief or commanded audiences as a jester. Choosing a background provides you with important story cues about your character's identity. The most important question to ask about your background is what changed? Why did you stop doing whatever your background describes and start adventuring? Where did you get the money to purchase your starting gear, or, if you come from a wealthy background, why don't you have more money? How did you learn the skills of your class? What sets you apart from ordinary people who share your background? Tt KA AND ARTE M I S: BACKGROUNDS Tika Waylan and Artemis Entreri both lived their earl iest years as street urchins. Tika's later career as a barmaid didn 't really change her, so she might choose the urchin background, gaining proficiency in the Sleight of Hand and Stealth skills, and learning the tools of the thieving trade. Artemis is more defined by his criminal background, giving him skills in Deception and Stealth, as well as proficiency with the tools of thievery and poison. The sample backgrounds in this chapter provide both concrete benefits (features, proficiencies, and languages) and roleplaying suggestions. PROFICIENCIES Each background gives a character proficiency in two skills (described in chapter 7, "Using Ability Scores"). In addition, most backgrounds give a character proficiency with one or more tools (detailed in chapter 5, "Equipment"). If a character would gain the same proficiency from two different sources, he or she can choose a different proficiency of the same kind (skill or tool) instead. LANGUAGES Some backgrounds also allow characters to learn additional languages beyond those given by race. See "Languages" earlier in this chapter. EQUIPMENT Each background provides a package of starting equipment. If you use the optional rule from chapter 5 to spend coin on gear, you do not receive the starting equipment from your background. SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS A background contains suggested personal characteristics based on your background. You can pick characteristics, roll dice to determine them randomly, or use the suggestions as inspiration for characteristics of your own creation. CUSTOMIZING A BACKGROUND You might want to tweak some of the features of a background so it better fits your character or the campaign setting. To customize a background, you can replace one feature with any other one, choose any two skills, and choose a total of two tool proficiencies or languages from the sample backgrounds. You can either use the equipment package from your background or spend coin on gear as described in chapter 5. (If you spend coin, you can't also take the equipment package suggested for your class.) Finally, choose two personality

traits, one ideal, one bond, and one flaw. If you can't find a feature that matches your desired background, work with your DM to create one. 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 from among those listed in appendix B or those specified by your DM, 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 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 who 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 I idol ize 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 misq uote) sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation. 6 I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect (or condemn) the worsh ip of other gods. 7 I 've enjoyed fine food, drink, and high society among my temple's el ite. 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 Tradition. The ancient traditions of worsh ip 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 fa ith's rel igious 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 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 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 th inking. 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. PART 1 PER!iO un D BACKGROl D 12�

128 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 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 I cheat at games of chance. 2 I shave coins or forge documents. 3 I insinuate myself i nto people's l ives to prey on their weakness and secure their fortu nes. 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 I DENTITY 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. PART I I PERSO. A LITY A D B\CKGROL �D d8 Personality Trait I fall in and out of love easi ly, 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 getti ng 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 i nsu lts 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 m ight have some value. d6 Ideal 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 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 everyth ing 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 fami ly, and one day I ' ll reclaim my lands and title from those who stole them from me. 5 A powerful person ki lled someone I love. Some day soon, I'll have my revenge. 6 I swindled and rui ned a person who didn't deserve it. I seek to atone for my misdeeds but might never be able to forgive myself. d6 Flaw I can't resist a pretty face. 2 I 'm always in debt. I spend my ill-gotten gains on decadent l uxu ries 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 i nvolved. 5 I can 't resist swi ndling 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.

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 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 d8 Specialty Blackmailer 5 Highway robber 2 Burglar 6 Hired killer 3 Enforcer 7 Pickpocket 4 Fence 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 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 th ing 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 i ncredibly 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 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. (Evi l) 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 I 'm tryi ng to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor. 2 My ill-gotten gai ns go to support my fam i ly. 3 Someth ing 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 I mistake I made. That will never happen again.

d6 Flaw 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 'II forget it. If I don't forget it, I 'II ignore it. 4 I have a "tel l" 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 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. dlO Entertainer Routine dlO Entertainer Routine Actor 6 I nstrumentalist 2 Dancer 7 Poet 3 Fire-eater 8 Singer 4 Jester 9 Storyteller 5 J uggler 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 Jong 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 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, si nce 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 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 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 idol ize 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 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. 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 pouch containing 10 gp D EFINING 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. dlO Defining Event I stood up to a tyrant's agents. 2 I saved people during a natural disaster. 3 I stood alone against a terrible mon ster. 4 I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor. 5 I led a mil itia to fight off an invading army. 6 I broke i nto 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 protest against it. 9 A celestial, fey, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin. 10 Recruited i nto 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 I j udge 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 someth ing, I follow through no matter what gets in my way. 4 I have a strong sense of fair play and always try to fi nd the most equitable sol ution to arguments. 5 I 'm confident in my own abil ities and do what I can to instill confidence in others. 6 Th inking 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 desti ny? PART I 1 PE RSONALITY AND BACKGROUN D

d6 Ideal 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 al lowed to oppress the people. (Chaotic) 4 Might. If I become strong, I can take what I wantwhat I deserve. (Evil) 5 Sincerity. There's no good in pretending to be someth ing I 'm not. (Neutral) 6 Destiny. Noth ing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any) d6 Bond 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 The tyrant who rules my land will stop at noth ing 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 you ng 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 bel ieve that thi ngs would be better if I were a tyrant lording over the land. 6 I have trouble trusting in my all ies. GUI LD ARTI SAN 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 pouch containing 15 gp GUILD BUSINESS Guilds are generally found in cities large enough to support several artisans practicing the same trade. However, your guild might instead be a loose network of artisans who 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 Alchemists and apothecaries 2 Armorers, locksmiths, and finesmiths 3 B rewers, distil lers, and vintners 4 Calligraphers, scribes, and scriveners 5 Carpenters, roofers, and plasterers 6 Cartographers, su rveyors, and chart·makers 7 Cobblers and shoemakers 8 Cooks and bakers 9 G lassblowers and glaziers l 0 Jewelers and gem cutters 11 Leatherworkers, ski nners, 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 will 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 I bel ieve that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I can't help it-I'm a perfection ist. 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 wi ll 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 Community. It is the d uty of all civil ized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. (Lawful) 2 Generosity. My talents were given to me so that I cou ld use them to benefit the world. (Good) 3 Freedom. Everyone should be free to pursue his or her own livel ihood. (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. (Any) d6 Bond The workshop where I learned my trade is the most i mportant 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 secu re 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 busi ness and ruined my livel i hood. d6 Flaw I'll do anyth ing 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 su rrounded 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. PART I PERSO. A l.IT\ AND B ACKGROUND 133

H ERMIT You lived in seclusion-either in a sheltered community such as a monastery, or entirely alone-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 I was searching for spiritual en lightenment. 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. d8 Life of Seclusion 5 I needed a qu iet place to work on my art, literature, music, or man ifesto. 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 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 everyth ing that happens to me to a grand, cosmic plan. 7 I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplation, becoming obl ivious to my surroundings. 8 I am working on a grand phi losophical theory and love sharing my ideas. d6 Ideal 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 thinki ng. (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 noth ing left to know. (Any)

d6 Bond Nothing is more i mportant than the other members of my hermitage, order, or association. 2 I entered seclu sion to hide from the ones who m ight still be hunting me. I must someday confront them. 3 I 'm still seeking the enl ightenment 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 ru in to the world. 6 My isolation gave me great insight into a great evil that only I can destroy. d6 Flaw Now that I 've returned to the world, I enjoy its del ights a l ittle too much. 2 I harbor dark, bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell. 3 I am dogmatic in my thoughts and phi losophy. 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. 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 My eloquent flattery makes everyone I talk to feel like the most wonderfu l and i mportant person in the world. 2 The common folk love me for my kindness and generosity. 3 No one cou ld 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 inju ry, I will crush you, ruin you r name, and salt your fields. PART I I PERSONALITY AND BACKGROUND 1 35

d6 Ideal 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 d uty to respect the authority of those above me, j ust as those below me must respect mine. (Lawful) 3 Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my fami ly. (Chaotic) 4 Power. If I can attain more power, no one will tell me what to do. (Evil) S 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 I will face any challenge to win the approval of my fami ly. 2 My house's alliance with another noble family must be sustained at all costs. 3 Nothing is more i mportant than the other members of my fami ly. 4 I am in love with the heir of a family that my family despises. S My loyalty to my sovereign is u nwavering. 6 The common folk must see me as a hero of the people. d6 Flaw 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 vei led insults and threats in every word addressed to me, and I 'm quick to anger. 4 I have an in satiable desire for carnal pleasures. S 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 (see the sidebar) 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 VARIANT FEATURE: RETAIN ERS If your character has a noble background, you may select this background feature instead of Position of Privi lege. You have the service of three retai ners loyal to your fam i ly. These retai ners 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 fol low you into obviously dangerous areas (such as du ngeons), and wi ll leave if they are frequently endangered or abu sed. PART I / P ERSONALITY AND BACKGROUND 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 to whom you have given your heart-in a chaste sort of devotion. (This person could be your bond.) --------------- 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 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. dlO Origin dlO Origin 1 Forester 6 Bounty hunter 2 Trapper 7 Pilgrim 3 Homesteader 8 Tribal nomad 4 Guide 9 H u nter-gatherer s Exile or outcast 10 Tribal marauder FEATURE: WAN DERER 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 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 ore horde. I 'd do it aga in 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 hu ngry owl bear. 6 I 'm always picking thi ngs up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them. 7 I feel fa r more comfortable arou nd animals than people. 8 I was, in fact, raised by wolves. d6 Ideal 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 i mportant than all the constructs of civil ization. (Neutral) 6 Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any) d6 Bond My fami ly, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are fa r 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 awfu l visions of a coming disaster and will do anyth ing to prevent it. 6 It is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe. d6 Flaw 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 chal lenge. 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 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 d8 Specialty Alchemist 5 Professor 2 Astronomer 6 Researcher 3 Discredited 7 Wizard's apprentice academic 8 Scribe 4 Librarian

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 highlysometimes in its own right, sometimes as a means toward other ideals. d8 Personality Trait I use polysyl labic words that convey the i mpression of great erudition. 2 I've read every book in the world's greatest l ibrariesor 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 Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral) 2 Beauty. What is beautiful poi nts 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 possibi lity in herent in all existence. (Chaotic) 5 Power. Knowledge is the path to power and domi nation. (Evi l) 6 Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself. (Any) d6 Bond l 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, un iversity, 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 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 civil ization. 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 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. d8 Personality Trait My friends know they can rely on me, no matter what. 2 I work hard so that I can play hard when the work is done. I enjoy sailing into new ports and making new friends over a flagon of ale. 4 I stretch the truth for the sake of a good story. 5 To me, a tavern brawl is a nice way to get to know a new city. 6 I never pass up a friendly wager. 7 My language is as foul as an otyugh nest. 8 I like a job wel l done, especially if I can convince someone else to do it. d6 Ideal Respect. The th ing 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 anyth ing. (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 I 'm loyal to my captain first, everyth ing else second. 2 The ship is most important-crewmates and captains come and go . 3 I ' ll always remember my fi rst 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, plu ndered our ship, and left me to die. Vengeance will be mine. d6 Flaw I fol low orders, even if I think they're wrong. 2 I 'll say anyth ing to avoid having to do extra work. 3 Once someone q uestions 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 trin kets 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 (see sidebar) instead of the Ship's Passage feature. VARIANT FEATURE: BAD REPUTATION If your character has a sai lor 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 civil ized settlement, you can get away with minor cri minal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, si nce most people will not report your activity to the authorities. PART I PE:RSON\LTY \·"D BACKf, ROU,'\; D 1 39

S OLDIER 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 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 d8 Specialty Officer 6 Quartermaster 2 Scout 7 Standard bearer 3 I nfantry 8 Support staff (cook, 4 Cavalry blacksmith, or the 5 Healer li ke) 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 pol ite and respectful. 2 I 'm hau nted 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 fu ll of inspiring and cautionary tales from my mil itary experience relevant to almost every combat situation. 5 I can stare down a hell hound without fl inching. 6 I enjoy being strong and like breaking thi ngs. 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 Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others. (Good) 2 Responsibility. I do what I must and obey ju st 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 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 beh ind. 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 The monstrous enemy we faced in battle still leaves me qu ivering with fear. 2 I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior. 3 I made a terrible mistake in battle that cost many lives, and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret. 4 My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoni ng. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I'd rather eat my armor than admit when I'm wrong. 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 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 lifeand maybe get some payback on all the rich people who treated them badly. d8 Personality Trait I hide scraps of food and trin kets 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 blu ntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding. d6 Ideal 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 al ive. (Neutral) 6 Aspiration. I'm going to prove that I'm worthy of a better life. d6 Bond 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 su rvival 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 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 fu lly trust anyone other than myself. 4 I 'd rather kill someone in their sleep than 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. PART I PERSO AL TY AND BACKGROU ,'D 14.1

Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

CHAPTER 5: BACKGROUNDS H E BACKGROU NDS DESCRIBE D JN T H E Player's Handbook a re all found in Faerfi n's various societies, in some form or a nother. This chapte r offers additional backgrounds for characters in a Forgotten Realms campa ign, many of them specifi c to Faerfi n or to the Sword Coast and the North in pa rticular. As in the Player's Handbook , each of the backgrounds presented here provides proficiencies, languages, and equipment, as well as a background feature and sometimes a variant form. For personality tra its, ideals, bonds, and flaws, most of the backgrounds in this chapter use a thematically similar background in the Player's Handbook as their fou ndation. CITY WATCH You have served the community where you grew up, standing as its fi rst line of defense against crime. You a ren't a soldier, directing your gaze outwa rd 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. You might have been part of the City Watch of Waterdeep, the baton-wielding police force of the City of Splendors, protecting the common folk from thieves and rowdy nobility alike. Or you might have been one of the valiant defenders of Silverymoon, a member of the Silverwatch or even one of the magic-wielding Spellguard. Perhaps you hail from Neverwinter and have served as one of its Wintershield watchmen, the newly fo unded branch of gua rds who vow to keep safe the City of S killed Hands. 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 style 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 crimina ls. You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or a simila r 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 Ra rer than watch or patrol members are a community's investigators, who are responsible for solving crimes after the fact. Though such folk a re seldom found in rural areas, nea rly 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 in the Player's Handbook 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 certa inly 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 a re 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 a lready 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 a lways 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 in the Player's Handbook as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit CHAPTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS ~--""!!Iii'!! ..... ~ ... -------------------------

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 FaerCm's 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. The most well known of Faerfin's fonts of knowledge is Candlekeep. The great library is always in need of workers and attendants, some of whom rise through the ranks to assume roles of greater responsibility and prominence. You might be one of Candlekeep's own, dedicated to the curatorship of what is likely the most complete body of lore and history in all the world. Perhaps instead you were taken in by the scholars of the Vault of the Sages or the Map House in Silverymoon, and now you have struck out to increase your CHAPTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS knowledge and to make yourself available to help those in other places who seek your expertise. You might be one of the few who aid Herald's Holdfast, helping to catalogue and maintain records of the information that arrives daily from across Faerfin. 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 in the Player's Handbook 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. You might have been one of the many functionaries, attendants, and other hangers-on in the Court of Silverymoon, or perhaps you traveled in Waterdeep's baroque and sometimes cutthroat conglomeration of guilds, nobles, adventurers, and secret societies. You might have been one of the behind-the-scenes law-keepers or functionaries in Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter, or you might have grown up in and around the castle of Daggerford. Even if you are no longer a full-ft edged 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 in the Player's Handbook 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. FACTION AGENT Many organizations active in the North and across the face of Faerun aren't bound by strictures of geography. These factions pursue their agendas without regard for political boundaries, and their members operate anywhere the organization deems necessary. These groups employ listeners, rumormongers, smugglers, sellswords, cache-holders (people who guard caches of wealth or magic for use by the faction's operatives), haven keepers, and message drop minders, to name a few. At the core of every faction are those who don't merely fulfill a sma ll function for that organization, but who serve as its hands, head, and heart. As a prelude to your adventuring career (and in preparation for it), you served as an agent of a particular faction in Faerun. You might have operated openly or secretly, depending on the faction and its goals, as well as how those goals mesh with your own. Becoming an adventurer doesn't necessarily require you to relinquish membership in your faction (though you can choose to do so), and it might enhance your status in the faction. Skill Proficiencies: Insight and one Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma skill of your choice, as appropriate to your faction Languages: Two of your choice Equipment: Badge or emblem of your faction, a copy of a seminal faction text (or a code-book for a covert faction), a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp FACTIONS OF THE SWORD COAST The lack of large, centralized governments in the North and along the Sword Coast is likely directly responsible for the proliferation of secret societies and conspiracies in those lands. If your background is as an agent for one of the main factions of the North and Sword Coast, here are some possibilities. The Harpers. Founded more than a millennium ago, disbanded and reorganized several times, the Harpers remain a powerful, behind-the-scenes agency, which acts to thwart evil and promote fairness through knowledge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and innkeepers, rangers, and the clergy of gods that are aligned with the Harpers' ideals. The Order of the Gauntlet. One of the newest power groups in Faerun, the Order of the Gauntlet has an agenda similar to that of the Harpers. Its methods are vastly different, however: bearers of the gauntlet a re holy warriors on a righteous quest to crush evil and promote justice, and they never hide in the shadows. Order agents tend to be proficient in Religion, and frequently seek aid from law enforcement friendly to the order's ideals, and the clergy of the order's patron gods. The Emerald Enclave. Maintaining balance in the natura l order and combating the forces that threaten that balance is the twofold goal of the Emerald Enclave. Those who serve the faction are masters of survival and living off the land. They are often proficient in Nature, and can seek assistance from woodsmen, hunters, rangers, barbarian tribes, druid circles, and priests who revere the gods of nature. The Lords' Alliance. On one level, the agents of the Lords' Alliance are representatives of the cities and other governments that constitute the alliance. But, as a faction with interests and concerns that transcend local politics and geography, the Alliance has its own cadre of individuals who work on behalf of the organizations, wider agenda. Alliance agents are required to be knowledgeable in History, and can always rely on the aid of the governments that are part of the Alliance, plus other leaders and groups who uphold the Alliance's ideals. The Zhentarim. In recent years, the Zhentarim have become more visible in the world at large, as the group works to improve its reputation among the common people. The faction draws employees and associates from many walks of life, setting them to tasks that serve the goals of the Black Network but a ren't necessarily criminal in nature. Agents of the Black Network must often work in secret, and a re frequently proficient in Deception. They seek aid from the wizards, mercenaries, merchants and priesthoods allied with the Zhentarim. FEATURE: SAFE HAVEN As a faction agent, you have access to a secret network of supporters and operatives who can provide assistance on your adventures. You know a set of secret signs and passwords you can use to identify such operatives, who can provide you with access to a hidden safe house, free room and board, or assistance in finding information. These agents never risk their lives for you or risk revealing their true identities.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS Use the tables for the acolyte background in the Player's Handbook as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a faction agent. (For instance, consider the words "faith" and "faction" to be interchangeable.) Your bond might be associated with other members of your faction, or a location or an object that is important to your faction. The ideal you strive for is probably in keeping with the tenets and principles of your faction, but might be more persona l in nature. FAR TRAVELER Almost all of the common people and other folk that one might encounter along the Sword Coast or in the North 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 in the North realize that it exists, and chances are good that even if some people you meet have heard of your homeland, they know merely the CH APTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS name and perhaps a few outrageous stories. You have come to this part of Faerun 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 Faerun, a small pi ece 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. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location. WHY ARE You HERE? d6 Reason d6 Reason Emissary 4 Pilgrim 2 Exile 5 Sightseer 3 Fugitive 6 Wanderer WHERE ARE You FROM? The most important decision in creating a far traveler background is determining your homeland. The places discussed here are all sufficiently distant from the North and the Sword Coast to justify the use of this background. Evermeet. The fabled elven islands far to the west are home to elves who have never been to Faerun. They often find it a harsher place than they expected when they do make the trip. If you are an elf, Evermeet is a logical (though not mandatory) choice for your homeland. Most of those who emigrate from Evermeet are either exiles, forced out for committing some infraction of elven law, or emissaries who come to Faerun for a purpose that benefits elven culture or society. Halruaa. Located on the southern edges of the Shining South, and hemmed in by mountains all around, the magocracy of Halruaa is a bizarre land to most in Faerun who know about it. Many folk have heard of the strange skyships the Halruaans sail, and a few know of the tales that even the least of their people can work magic. Halruaans usually make their journeys into Faerun for persona l reasons, since their government has a strict

stance against unauthorized involvement with other nations and organizations. You might have been exiled for breaking one of Halruaa's many byzantine laws, or you could be a pilgrim who seeks the shrines of the gods of magic. Kara-Tur. The continent of Kara-Tur, far to the east of Faen1n, is home to people whose customs are unfamiliar to the folk of the Sword Coast. If you come from Kara-Tur, the people of Faerfin likely refer to you as Shou, even if that isn't your true ethnicity, because that's the blanket term they use for everyone who shares your origin. The folk of Kara-Tur occasionally travel to Faerfin as diplomats or to forge trade relations with prosperous merchant cartels. You might have come here as part of some such delegation, then decided to stay when the mission was over. Mulhorand. From the terrain to the architecture to the god-kings who rule over these lands, nearly everything about Mulhorand is a lien to someone from the Sword Coast. You likely experienced the same sort of culture shock when you left your desert home and traveled to the unfamiliar climes of northern Faerfin. Recent events in your homeland have led to the abolition of slavery, and a corresponding increase in the traffic between Mulhorand and the distant parts of Faerfin. Those who leave behind Mulhorand's sweltering deserts and ancient pyramids for a glimpse at a different life do so for many reasons. You might be in the North simply to see the strangeness this wet land has to offer, or because you have made too many enemies among the desert communities of your home. Sossal. Few have heard of your homeland, but many have questions about it upon seeing you. Humans from Sossal seem crafted from snow, with alabaster skin and white hair, and typically dressed in white. Sossal exists far to the northeast, hard up against the endless ice to the north and bounded on its other sides by hundreds of miles of the Great Glacier and the Great Ice Sea. No one from your nation makes the effort to cross such colossal barriers without a convincing reason. You must fear something truly terrible or seek something incredibly important. Zakhara. As the saying goes among those in Faerfin who know of the place, "To get to Zakhara, go south. Then go south some more." Of course, you followed an equally long route when you came north from your place of birth. Though it isn't unusual for Zakharans to visit the southern extremes of Faerfin for trading purposes, few of them stray as far from home as you have. You might be traveling to discover what wonders are to be found outside the deserts and sword-like mountains of your homeland, or perhaps you are on a pilgrimage to understand the gods that others worship, so that you might better appreciate your own deities. The Underdark. Though your home is physically closer to the Sword Coast than the other locations discussed here, it is far more unnatural. You hail from one of the settlements in the Underdark, each of which has its own strange customs and laws. If you are a native of one of the great subterranean cities or settlements, you are probably a member of the race that occupies the placebut you might also have grown up there after being captured and brought below when you were a child. If you are a true Underdark native, you might have come to the surface as an emissary of your people, or perhaps to escape accusations of criminal behavior (whether warranted or not). If you aren't a native, your reason for leaving "home" probably has something to do with getting away from a bad situation. 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 PERSONALITY TRAIT d6 Personality Trait I have different assumptions from those around me concerning personal space, blithely invading others' space in innocence, or reacting to ignorant invas ion 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 rituals that are unfamiliar to those around me. IDEALS d6 Ideal Open. I have much to learn from the kind ly 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 everything is strange and wonderful! (Chaotic) 4 Cunning. Th ough 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) CHA PTER 5 I BACKGRO UNDS

BONDS d6 Bond 2 3 4 5 6 So long as I have this token from my homela nd, I can face any adversity in th is strange land. The gods of my people are a comfort to me so far from home. I hold no greater cause than my service to my people. My freedom is my most precious possession. I' ll never let anyone take it from me again. I'm fascinated by the beauty and wonder of this new land. Though I had no choice, I lame nt having to leave my loved one(s) behind. I ho pe to see them agai n one day. CHAPTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS FLAWS d6 Flaw 2 3 4 5 6 I am secretly (o r not so secretly) convinced of the superiority of my own cu lture over that of this foreign land. I pretend not to understand the local language in order to avoid interactions I would rather not have. I have a weakness for the new intoxica nts an d other pl easures of this land. 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. I consider the adherents of other gods to be deluded innocents at best, or ignorant foo ls at worst. I have a weakness for the exotic beauty of the people of these lands. 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 fu ll 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 in-

heritance 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. INHERITANCE d8 Object or Item A document such as a map, a letter, or a journal 2-3 A trinket (see "Trinkets" in chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook) 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 CHARACTERIS'J'ICS Use the tables for the folk hero background in the Player's Handbook 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. FaerO.n has a wide variety of knightly orders, all of which have a similar outlook concerning their actions and responsibilities. Though the term "knight" conjures ideas of mounted, heavily armored warriors of noble blood, most knightly orders in FaerO.n 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 a ll sorts of folk who are willing to battle and die for the order's cause. The "Knightly Orders of FaerO.n" sidebar details several of the orders that are active at present and is designed to help inform your decision about which group you owe allegiance to. 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 nationthat 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 KNIGHTLY ORDERS OF FAERUN Many who rightfully call themselves "kn ight" earn that title as part of an order in service to a deity, such as Kelemvor's Eternal Order or Mystra's Knights of the Mystic Fire. Other knightly orders serve a government, royal family, or are the elite military of a feudal state, such as the brutal Warlock Knights ofVaasa. Other knighthoods are secular and nongove rnmental organizations of warriors who follow a particular philosophy, or consider themselves a kind of extended family, similar to an order of monks. Although there are organizations, such as the Knights of the Shield, that use the trappings of knighthood without necessarily being warriors, most folk of Faerun who hear the word "knight" think of a mounted warrior in armor beholden to a code. Below are a few knightly organizations. Knights of the Unicorn. The Knights of the Unicorn began as a fad of romantically minded sons and daughters of patriar families in Baldur's Gate. On a lark, they took the unicorn goddess Lurue as their mascot and went on various adventures for fun. The reality of the dangers they faced eventually sank in , as did Lurue's tenets. Over time the small group grew and spread, gaining a following in places as far as Cormyr. The Knights of the Unicorn are chivalric adventurers who follow romantic ideals: life is to be relished and lived with laughter, quests should be taken on a dare, impossible dreams should be pursued for the sheer wonder of their completion, and everyone should be praised for their strengths and comforted in their weaknesses. Knights of Myth Drannor. Long ago, the Knights of Myth Drannor were a famous adventuring band, and Dove Falcon hand, one of the famous Seven Sisters, was one of them. The band took its name to honor the great but fallen city, just as the new Knights of Myth Drannor do today. With the city once again in ruins, Dove Falconhand decided to reform the group with the primary goal of building alliances and friendship between the civilized races of the world and goodly people in order to combat evil. The Knights of Myth Drannor once again ride the roads of the Dalelands, and they've begun to spread to the lands beyond. Their members, each accepted by Dove herself, are above all valiant and honest. Knights of the Silver Chalice. The Knights of the Silver Chalice was formed by edict of the demigod Siamorphe in Waterdeep a century ago. Siamorphe's ethos is the nobility's right and responsibility to rule, and the demigod is incarnated as a different noble mortal in each generation. By the decree of the Siamorphe at that time, the Knights of the Silver Chalice took it upon themselves to put a proper heir on the throne ofTethyr and reestablish order in that kin gdom. Since then they have grown to be the most popular knighthood in Tethyr, a nation that has hosted many kn ighthoods in fealty to the crown. CHAPTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS

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 in the Player's Handbook 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 refl ect 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. You might have served with a large outfit such as the Zhentarim or the soldiers of Mintarn, or a smaller band of sell-swords, maybe even more than one. (See the "Mercenaries of the North" sidebar for a collection of possibilities.) 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 CHAPTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS 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 rema inder 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 (see "Practicing a Profession" under "Downtime Activities" in chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook). SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS Use the tables for the soldier background in the Player's Handbook as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a mercenary. MERCENARIES OF THE NORTH Countless mercenary companies operate up and down the Sword Coast and throu ghout the North. Most are smallscale operation s that employ a dozen to a hundred folk who offer secu rity services, hunt monsters and brigands, or go to wa r in exchange for gold. Some organizations, such as the Zhentarim, Flaming Fist, and the nation of Mintarn have hundreds or thousands of members and can provide private armies to those with enough funds. A few organizations operating in the North are described below. The Chill. The cold and mysterious Lurkwood serves as the home of numerous groups of goblinoids that have banded together into one tribe ca lled the Chill. Unlike most of their kind, the Chill refrain s from raiding the people of the North and maintains relatively good relations so that they can hire them selves out as wa rriors. Few citystates in the North are willing to fi eld an army alongside the Chill, but several are happy to qu ietly pay the Chill to battle the Uthgardt, ores, trolls of the Evermoors, and other threats to civilization. Silent Rain. Consisting solely of elves, Silent Rain is a legendary mercenary company operating out of Evereska. Caring little for gold or fame, Silent Rain agrees only to jobs that either promote elven causes or involve destroying ores, gnolls, and the like. Prospective employers must leave written word (in Elvish) near Evereska, and the Silent Rain sends a representative if interested. The Bloodaxes. Founded in Sundabar nearly two centuries ago, the Bloodaxes we re originally a group of dwa rves outcast from their clans for crimes against the teachings of Moradin Soulforger. They began hiring out as mercenaries to whoever in the North would pay them. Since then the mercenary company has broadened its membership to other races , but every member is an exile, criminal , or misfit of some sort looking for a fresh start and a new family among the bold Bloodaxes.

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. 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. The community where you plied your trade might have been one of Faen1n's great metropolises, such as Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate, or a less populous location, perhaps Luskan or Yartar-any place that's large enough to have a steady supply of potential quarries. 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 in the Player's Handbook 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. UTHGARDT TRIBE MEMBER Though you might have only recently arrived in civilized lands, you are no stranger to the values of cooperation and group effort when striving for supremacy. You learned these principles, and much more, as a member of an Uthgardt tribe. Your people have always tried to hold to the old ways. Tradition and taboo have kept the Uthgardt strong while the kingdoms of others have collapsed into chaos and ruin. But for the last few generations, some bands among the tribes were tempted to settle, make peace, trade, and even to build towns. Perhaps this is why Uthgar chose to raise up the totems among the people as living embodiments of his power. Perhaps they needed a reminder of who they were and from whence they came. The Chosen of Uthgar led bands back to the old ways, and most of your people abandoned the soft ways of civilization.

BARBARIAN TRIBES OF FAERUN Though this section details the Uthgardt specifica lly, either it or the outlander background from the Player's Handbook can be used for a character whose origin lies with one of the other barbarian tribes in Faerun. You might be a fair-haired barbarian of the Reghed, dwelling in the shadow of the Reghed Glacier in the far North near lcewind Dale. You might also be of the nomadic Rashemi, noted for their savage berserkers and their masked witches. Perhaps you hail from one of the wood elf tribes in the Chondalwood, or the magic-hating human tribes of the sweltering jungles of Chu It. You might have grown up in one of the tribes that had decided to settle down, and now that they have abandoned that path, you find yourself adrift. Or you might come from a segment of the Uthgardt that adheres to tradition, but you seek to bring glory to your tribe by achieving great things as a formidable adventurer. See the "Uthgardt Lands" section of chapter 2 for details on each tribe's territory and its activities that will help you choose your affiliation. Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument or artisan's tools Languages: One of your choice Equipment: A hunting trap, a totemic token or set of tattoos marking your loyalty to Uthgar and your tribal totem, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp FEATURE: UTHGARDT HERITAGE You have an excellent knowledge of not only your tribe's territory, but a lso the terrain and natural resources of the rest of the North. You are familiar enough with any wilderness area that you find twice as much food and water as you normally would when you forage there. Additionally, you can call upon the hospitality of your people, and those folk allied with your tribe, often including members of druid circles, tribes of nomadic elves, the Harpers, and the priesthoods devoted to the gods of the First Circle. SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS Use the tables for the outlander background in the Player's Handbook as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a member of an Uthgardt tribe. Even if you have left your tribe behind (at least for now), you hold to the traditions of your people. You will never cut down a still-living tree, and you may not countenance such an act being done in your presence. The Uthgardt ancestral mounds- great hills where the totem spirits were defeated by Uthgar and where the heroes of the tribes are interred- are sacred to you. Your bond is undoubtedly associated with your tribe or some aspect of Uthgardt philosophy or culture (perhaps even Uthgar himself). Your ideal is a personal choice that probably hews closely to the ethos of your people and certainly doesn't contradict or compromise what being an Uthgardt stands for. C HAPTER 5 I BACKGROUNDS WATERDHAVIAN NOBLE You are a scion of one of the great noble families of Waterdeep. Human families who jealously guard their privilege and place in the City of Splendors, Waterdhavian nobles have a reputation across FaerO.n for being eccentric, spoiled, venal, and, above all else, rich. Whether you are a shining example of the reason for this reputation or one who proves the rule by being an exception, people expect things of you when they know your surname and what it means. Your reasons for taking up adventuring likely involve your family in some way: Are you the family rebel, who prefers delving in filthy dungeons to sipping zzar at a ball? Or have you taken up sword or spell on your family's behalf, ensuring that they have someone of renown to see to their legacy? Work with your DM to come up with the family you are part of - there are around seventy-five lineages in Waterdeep, each with its own financial interests, specialties, and schemes. You might be part of the main line of your family, possibly in line to become its leader one day. Or you might be one of any number of cousins, with less prestige but also less responsibility. Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set or one musical instrument Languages: One of your choice Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a signet ring or brooch, a scroll of pedigree, a skin of fine zzar or wine, and a purse containing 20 gp FEATURE: KEPT IN STYLE While you are in Waterdeep or elsewhere in the North your house sees to your everyday needs. Your name a~d signet are sufficient to cover most of your expenses; the inns, taverns, and festhalls you frequent are glad to record your debt and send an accounting to your family's estate in Waterdeep to settle what you owe. This advantage enables you to live a comfortable lifestyle without having to pay 2 gp a day for it, or reduces the cost of a wealthy or aristocratic lifestyle by that amount. You may not maintain a less affluent lifestyle and use the difference as income-the benefit is a line of credit, not an actual monetary reward. SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS Use the tables for the noble background in the Player's Handbook as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a member of a Waterdhavian family. Like other nobles, you were born and raised in a different world from the one that most folk know- one that grants you privilege but also calls you to fulfill a duty befitting your station. Your bond might be associated with your family a lone, or it could be concerned with another noble house that sides with or opposes your own. Your ideal depends to some extent on how you view your role in the family, and how you intend to conduct yourself in the world at large as a representative of your house.

Xanathar’s Lost Notes to Everything Else

41 New Backgrounds The Player's Handbook offers a variety of backgrounds that can universally be found in many heroic fantasy tales and almost any D&D campaign. But strange folk pass through Skullport every day. The Xanathar knows of many adventurers with unusual origins, and has taken careful notes on their unique traits and mannerisms. This chapter offers additional backgrounds which can also be applied to any character and adapted to either an existing setting or a setting of your own. The backgrounds presented here provide additional proficiencies, languages, and features particular to each entry, as well as suggested personality traits. These can be easily adapted to the character creation options provided in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Dead You died and came back. This experience changed you and defines who you are today. The specifics of your death are up to you, but the following questions and suggestions will help you determine your odd personal history. How did you die? It probably wasn't of old age. Spells like raise dead can bring back those who die before old age takes them, but after dying of old age there is almost no magic which can bring a person back to life. Was it combat? An accident? A disease? How long were you dead? Spells like true resurrection allow a character to return from death after as many as 200 years. How has the world changed politically, technologically, and culturally since your death? What remains of your family, friends, and personal life? What was your life after death like? Did you spend time in the glory of eternal battle is Ysgard? Did you enjoy the paradise of Elysium? Were you tortured in the Nine Hells or Abyss? Do you remember nothing from that time? Maybe you didn't completely pass on, but lived life as an undead, such as a ghost or vampire. Why did you become such a being? What acts did you commit that you now regret? Who still thinks of you as a monster? Finally someone brought you back. Who was it, and why? Maybe it was to face an old enemy. Maybe it was a loved one who searched for a long time and sacrificed much to revive you. Maybe you were brought back for a secret only you knew. How did this person bring you back? Was it straightforward magic? What about a spell like reincarnate, which could bring your spirit back in the body of a different humanoid race? Or maybe it was some other magic that has a more sinister secret. Skill Proficiencies: History, Intimidation Languages: Two of your choice Equipment: 50 feet of rope, a bit of dirt from your grave in a sacred vial, a set of common clothes, two rare coins with which you were buried, and a belt pouch with 5 gp Feature: Spirit Talk You can connect with the souls of the dead thanks to the long time you spent dead. You may spend a day of downtime communicating with the souls to learn a piece of information by asking a question. The quality and specifics of the information you get are up to the DM. Suggested Characteristics You have experienced something few living people have yet to go through. You might be the type who embraces the second chance and loves life, relishing every opportunity and letting nothing stand in your way. Or you might be quiet and brooding, thinking of the revenge you seek for your death or missing the planar heaven you left behind. People who have died often live in one of these extremes, experiencing life to the fullest or becoming fixated on a single goal that gives their new life meaning.

42 d8 Personality Traits 1 When faced with a new experience the word "no" isn't in my vocabulary. 2 I always have the loudest laugh in the room. 3 When I want something, I'm direct and simple in my request. 4 The story of my demise, like all my stories, is greatly exaggerated. 5 Those who ask me about my death quickly learn to never ask again. 6 I treat most people like they're idiots. They don't know what I know. 7 If I don't want to do something, I simply don't do it. 8 I don't excite easily. d6 Ideals 1 Freedom. Life is short so live how you want. (Chaotic) 2 Despair. Nothing in life is worth celebrating and death is the destination we all deserve. (Evil) 3 Vengeance. I will find and punish what killed me. (Neutral) 4 Charity. I want to prevent others from dying before their time. (Good) 5 Mercy. I was given a second chance and others should get the same opportunity. (Good) 6 Labor. Life is short, and so I must keep working to make my mark. (Lawful) d6 Bonds 1 I have a great fear of that which killed me. 2 The scars of my death wound are still on my body. 3 My vengeance is more important than any other task. 4 I never wish to return to my gravesite. 5 I wish to bring back another who died by my side. 6 Any mention of my hometown reminds me of my first life. d6 Flaws 1 Death isn't a big deal to me. I've died and come back. People should stop whining. 2 I don't listen to protests before I do something reckless. 3 I'd rather be mad than solve a problem making me angry. 4 I would rather cheat, lie, and steal than be honest because none of this matters. 5 Everything was better when I was dead. 6 I'm believe that I am better than everyone who hasn't died and come back from the dead. Heretic You believe in a doctrine outlawed by your faith, taught to you in secret by other heretics. Perhaps your superiors excommunicated you from your temple, or forbidden dogma provided answers to questions you never sought. Whatever your origin, you’re now shunned by the faithful, or worse, hunted. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Religion Languages: Two of your choice Equipment: A holy symbol (subtly modified to represent your own heretical belief), a prayer book or prayer wheel, vestments, a bottle of invisible ink, a quill, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp. Heretical Belief Hundreds of outlawed sects exist throughout the Forgotten Realms and other settings. Choose a belief that defines you as a heretic, or roll on the table below. I don't need to die to talk to spirits, or even the dead for that matter. Unless it's whatever I ate earlier. I never could understand all that gurgling.

43 d8 Belief 1 Dark Moon. A doctrine that ascribes Selûne and Shar as two aspects of the same deity. 2 Fatemakers. Tymorans who believe mortals can influence and control luck. 3 Threefold God. A belief that Tyr, Helm, and Torm are all the same god. 4 Forsaken One. A conspiracy that Savras and Leira conceived and abandoned a god child. 5 Three-Faced Sun. The sun is a tripartite deity, with divine aspects of dawn, noon, and dusk. 6 Shared Suffering. Flagellant Ilmatari who say all mortals must share their god’s suffering. 7 Entropy. Belief that dying gods sent a divine sphere of annihilation to Toril to kill wizards. 8 Harlot’s Coin. Belief that Waukeen sold her divinity to Graz’zt and he receives her prayers. Feature: Heretical Contacts You know where to find heretics in settlements where your faith is represented. If no heretics are present, you can indoctrinate weak-willed souls if you spend a day preaching. Where heretics are present, you can always find a place to hide, rest, and recuperate. If needed, they can help you escape the settlement on a cart or through a secret tunnel. Suggested Characteristics Heretics survive by living on the run, or by blending into the ranks of greater faiths. They tend to be suspicious folk with zealous ideals and unshakable convictions. This sometimes manifests as a sense of superiority over the “unenlightened”. d8 Personality Traits 1 I think I’m right even when I’m wrong. 2 I pity those who deny the heresy. 3 I always scope out the closest exits and position myself near them. 4 Those who refute my beliefs are damned and aren't worth saving. 5 I’m sure my god has chosen me for a greater destiny. 6 I’m a natural orator, but once I start talking it’s difficult for me to stop. 7 I’m always looking over my shoulder and the slightest things startle me. 8 I believe the end of the world is nigh. d6 Ideals 1 Guidance. I must teach others my forbidden doctrine. (Neutral) 2 Caution. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. (Any) 3 Knowledge. If this conspiracy is true, what else are we being lied to about? (Neutral) 4 Insurrection. My old faith is corrupt and must be brought down by the new order. (Chaotic) 5 Honesty. I’ve been lied to enough, so now I’m sworn to always tell the truth. (Lawful) 6 Self-Knowledge. Those who seek the truth become wise beyond their years. (Good) d6 Bonds 1 The heretics who educated me were burned at the stake. I won’t let that happen to me. 2 Belief in my old faith still nags at me. Have I chosen the right path? 3 I used to be friends with the cleric who’s now hunting me. 4 I carry a heretical treatise on my person. It mustn’t be found! 5 I protect the faithless so they can know enlightenment. 6 One of my underworld contacts reports my movements to the superiors of my old temple. d6 Flaws 1 I’m suspicious of strangers, as they may be bounty hunters sent to arrest me. 2 I sneer at those whom I deem unworthy of my time. 3 I’m deeply superstitious, and have many rituals to avoid bad luck. 4 I tend to misjudge the devotion of others. 5 I’m obsessed with my studies, often to the detriment of other concerns. 6 I’m deeply mistrustful of temple hierarchies. Legendary Lineage You have heroes in your family background and the story of your ancestors is known far and wide. Perhaps your parents were a famous adventuring duo, or a grandparent hunted and killed great evils. Maybe your heroic bloodline has many heroes within it going back as far as any can remember. Whatever the case, the deeds of those who came before you are great and the public's expectation of your accomplishments is even greater. The weight of your family name affects all you do. Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, History Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land) Languages: One of your choice Equipment: A set of traveler's clothes, a wood figure made in the likeness of an ancestor, a signet ring, a gaming set in which you are proficient, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp X an's heretics are on my tail again for sure. There's Another close one. You need to be more cautious, young pupil. — El Yeah, that was... wait. Alright , who is this?

44 Feature: Good Reputation Since your family name is known, you can reap many benefits by flying the flag of your heritage. People in positions of power and privilege are willing to take a meeting with you and grant you favors. The DM decides the extent and effect of these favors, but they shouldn't involve lavish gifts or great personal risk to the granter. Suggested Characteristics You've lived a different life than those less famous than you, and probably don't know yourself as well as you should. Since birth you've been told you are special and destined for greatness, which is an idea you may be eager to prove or disprove. You're used to being under pressure and to folks talking about you both to your face and behind your back. As you start your adventuring career you have a choice to make. Most people of a heroic lineage who adventure either embrace the family name or try to get out there and make their own way. The result, however, is the same–a determined hero trying to show the world they're something more just a lucky kid with the right parents. d8 Personality Traits 1 I am polite and humble to all who fawn over me. 2 I'm sure you've heard of the great heroes of my family, but let me tell you anyway. 3 I am quiet in public and don't enjoy being noticed. 4 I boast about how I will put my ancestors’ deeds to shame. 5 I am attracted to people who don't fawn over me right away. 6 I often find reasons to excuse myself from large groups of people who love me for my name. 7 I am able to fake smile for anyone, even if I hate that person. 8 I always ask for people to give me free stuff because I can. d6 Ideals 1 Family. I intend to uphold my family name. (Lawful) 2 Superiority. I was born better than everyone and so I deserve better than everyone. (Evil) 3 Individuality. I am not my family's name and will make my own legend. (Chaotic) 4 Leadership. I feel a call beyond my heritage to protect the people who look to me. (Good) 5 Aspiration. I want to make the people who believe in me proud. (Neutral) 6 Generosity. I was lucky to be born into this family and I will give back to those less fortunate. (Good) d6 Bonds 1 I wield the same weapon my ancestor used. 2 No one knows the real me like my childhood best friend. 3 A parent won't respect me until I make good on the family name. 4 I would do anything to protect the town where I grew up. 5 I have my eye on a quiet cottage to which I plan to retire. 6 I feel like the only person who really gets me is my dog. d6 Flaws 1 I can only handle so much fawning before I explode in anger. 2 If not praised constantly, I doubt myself. 3 If you speak ill of my ancestors, I will punch you in the face. 4 I prefer to have someone else fix my personal problems. 5 I put down others to boost my own confidence. 6 If something is fashionable, I avoid it at all costs. Polymorphed You were transformed into an animal or monster and lived that way for years. You most likely entered this form unwillingly but how you came down with this affliction is up to you. A caster with an axe to grind may have cast true polymorph for some petty offense committed by you or a loved one. Maybe you unwittingly donned a cursed magic item. Perhaps you activated some arcane trap when you accidentally stumbled into an ancient ruin. You could have made the choice willingly to infiltrate some group of monsters or hide as a beast from someone hunting you. You also should decide who or what changed you back to your true form. You were in your alternate form for years. How was living in that form different from the way you lived your life before? In what ways were you more powerful? Less powerful? Do you miss the strength of your old form or are you glad to be back in your own flesh? Skill Proficiencies: Survival and choose one additional from either Animal Handling or Deception. Languages: Two of your choice Equipment: A bag of caltrops, a realistic ink drawing of your polymorphed form, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch with 5 gp Feature: Kindred Spirit Nonhostile creatures of the same type as your polymorphed form are inclined to like you. These creatures might help guide you to a place if they know its location, provide you with shelter, or shield you from danger, provided they aren't put directly into harm’s way.

45 Suggested Characteristics You have spent so much time in the skin of another form that you’re not comfortable with your true body. This discomfort may manifest in a physical form like fidgeting, wearing baggy or eccentric clothing, or the need to change your appearance through tattoos or piercings. You may have more of a subconscious mental tick like targeting the appearance of others to make yourself feel better or nightmares of once again living in your polymorphed form. Your old form was a prison that hid your true self, but it was also a way to keep yourself shielded from harm. d8 Personality Traits 1 I am always fidgeting because I am uncomfortable. 2 I retained a rude physical behavior of my polymorphed form. 3 I obsess over my appearance and wear eccentric outfits. 4 I always judge the way others look. 5 I am unsure of what to say when people ask about me. 6 I often speak in my head by accident instead of aloud. 7 I find it’s easier to lie than give real personal details. 8 I must keep touching my body to reassure myself I’m in it. d6 Ideals 1 Freedom. People should be free to express who they are. (Chaotic) 2 Power. If it gets me what I want, I’ll manipulate anyone. (Evil) 3 Security. All people deserve a place where they feel at peace. (Good) 4 Beauty. All people should appreciate who they are. (Neutral) 5 Authority. If you respect authority, you will be protected. (Lawful) 6 Dog Eat Dog. To survive you must be the smartest or strongest. (Neutral) d6 Bonds 1 I have altered my appearance to look like my polymorphed form. 2 Some friends I made in my polymorphed form don’t know I’ve been turned back. 3 I carry a piece of my old body. 4 The place where I spent most of my time while polymorphed is home to me. 5 I still haven’t seen my family since before I was polymorphed. 6 I still enjoy eating what I ate in my polymorphed form. d6 Flaws 1 I want to be back in my polymorphed form. 2 I sometimes believe I still possess abilities of my polymorphed form that I no longer have. 3 All transmutation magic is terrible and must be stopped. 4 I physically hurt myself for assurance I am in my true form. 5 It’s easier to back down from an argument than try to convince someone I'm right. 6 The opinions of my friends are more important than my own. Variant Feature: Body Horror This feature is meant for games using the variant madness rules in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Before choosing this feature you must ask your DM. You have spent so much time in the form of another creature that you aren't easily shocked by bodily manipulation and mutilation. Whenever such a sight would cause you to save against a madness effect you automatically succeed. Retired Adventurer You lived a life of adventure already and retired to something quieter. You thought you were done and to that end may have given away all your old gear and spent all your treasure. Little did you know something would pull you back into your old life. If you choose this background, you have some exciting questions to answer. You determine what your past looked like. What adventures have you already had? How much time did you spend adventuring before retirement? Who was your most-hated enemy? Who did you adventure with? Why did you hang it up? Something happened that made you lose your edge and finely honed adventuring skills. Has age or luxurious retirement made you soft? Did a physical or magical accident take some abilities from you? Did a supernatural force steal your mojo? You have decided to walk the road of adventure once again. Why? Was it because you ran out of gold and want to earn some more the only way you know how? Did you become restless in retirement and are now seeking the thrill of battle? Are you out to prove you can still live up to your legend? Are you out for vengeance? A noble quest? To tie up one final lose end you didn't realize until now was undone? Whatever the reason, you're back on the road and ready to dive into another dungeon. Skill Proficiencies: History, Insight Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set Languages: One of your choice Equipment: An old map to a secret dungeon you never got around to visiting, a set of common clothes, a set of bone dice or a deck of cards, and a purse containing 25 gp

46 Feature: C-List Celebrity Whenever you are in a civilized area that knows of your past adventures, you can live an aristocratic lifestyle for free as people wish to honor your past deeds. You can also use your influence to gain audiences with important political figures and get random gifts from admiring fans. However if you choose to use your influence in this way, it also alerts anyone in the area looking for you of your location and draws attention to your party. Suggested Characteristics As a voice of experience in your party, you know the danger of the road you walk. You understand when to be cautious and when it is time to take a risk. You have the right advice, warnings, and stories for all situations. Even if you don't know what you're doing, your past makes others look to you for leadership. d8 Personality Traits 1 I have no idea how to tell a short story. 2 I'm sure of my first instincts and always act on them. 3 Anyone younger than I am needs my advice. 4 I don't enjoy physical contact with others unless it is my fist in their faces. 5 I show my numerous scars to help drive points home. 6 When I laugh, the volume of my voice fills up the entire room. 7 Nothing pleases me more than a good meal, good company, and job well done. 8 I often correct others when their lack of manners offends me. d6 Ideals 1 Generosity. Everything I have I share with those around me and in need. (Good) 2 Good Times. I take advantage of every opportunity to have fun. (Chaotic) 3 Power. Those who don't tremble at my name will have reason enough to do so soon. (Evil) 4 Logic. Emotions shouldn't make decisions for us. (Lawful) 5 Greater Good. I would gladly give my life to defend those who can't defend themselves. (Good) 6 Live and Let Live. Just because we disagree doesn't mean we have to kill each other. (Neutral) d6 Bonds 1 I never found that magic item I wanted in my early career. 2 There's more than a few broken hearts in my past. 3 There is an inn I frequent where no one knows about my past life and I'd like to keep it that way. 4 I can't go back to the town I accidentally partially leveled. 5 My old adventuring companions get together now and then to relive the good old days. 6 A famous song is actually about one of my greatest battles. d6 Flaws 1 I don't take the advice of others because I know best always. 2 Violence solves most problems. 3 Ale is my very, very best friend. 4 I really don't know when to shut up. 5 I tend to fall asleep at times when I should be alert. 6 I am sarcastic at all times, especially when least appropriate. I've retired a few adventurers in my time. Do they count? I highly doubt any of them will be back.

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything