Backgrounds
Choose a background to define your character's history, skills, and starting equipment. Each background provides proficiencies, languages, and unique features.
Showing 66 of 66 backgrounds
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 o…
Skills: Insight, Religion, Calligrapher Tools
Languages: Two of your choice
Agent
Many organizations active across the world aren't bound by strictures of geography. These factions pursue their agendas without regard fo…
Skills: Nature, Survival, Poisoner's Kit
Languages: Choose one of Elvish, Giant, or Kraul
Anarch
The abandoned districts, the rubblebelts, the overgrown parks, and the crumbling ruins are your home. You are part of a savage society th…
Skills: Animal Handling, Athletics, Herbalism Kit
Languages: Choose one of Draconic, Giant, Goblin, or Sylvan
Apothecary
The world you live in remains anchored in certain practices that have yet to approach that of modern medicine. But illness does not wait …
Skills: Medicine, Nature, Herbalism Kit
Languages: One of your choice
Artisan
You are a member of an artisan's guild, skilled in a particular field and closely associated with other artisans. You are a well-establis…
Skills: Insight, Persuasion, One type of Artisan's Tools
Languages: One of your choice
Artist
Artists are sought after and respected individuals all over the world. No matter their race, age, or gender, all artists are loved for th…
Skills: Sleight of Hand, History, Artist's Tools
Languages: One language of your choice
Astral Drifter
A wanderer of the Astral Sea and its infinite wonders and dangers. You can’t remember the last time you hungered or thirsted. You have st…
Skills: Insight, Religion
Languages: Two of your choice (Celestial and Gith are encouraged)
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 conv…
Skills: Deception, Sleight of Hand, Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit
Chef
You once were a cook, the king of food. Either you were an artisan chef with a fine sense of taste, a master chef who knows dozens upon d…
Skills: Insight, Performance, Cook's Utensils
Languages: You know two languages of your choice, but your vocabulary with these languages is limited to terms related to recipes, cooking techniques, and foodstuffs.
City Watch
You have served the community where you grew up, standing as its first line of defense against crime. You aren't a soldier, directing you…
Skills: Athletics, Insight
Languages: Two of your choice
Clan Crafter
The Stout Folk are well known for their artisanship and the worth of their handiworks, and you have been trained in that ancient traditio…
Skills: History, Insight, One type of Artisan's Tools
Languages: Dwarvish or one other of your choice if you already speak Dwarvish
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 Fa…
Skills: History, and your choice of one from among Arcana, Nature, and Religion
Languages: Two of your choice
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 c…
Skills: Insight, Persuasion
Languages: Three of your choice
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 con…
Skills: Deception, Stealth, One type of gaming set, Thieves' Tools
Languages: Thieves’ Cant, Undercommon
Cryptkeeper
As a gravekeeper, you've spent your life tending to the final resting places of the deceased. While others may shy away from the eerie si…
Skills: Choose two from: Athletics, History, Perception, or Religion
Languages: Any two (You can read them from studying epitaphs and various funeral rites you memorized but haven’t the faintest idea how they would be pronounced)
Cultist
You're an entertainer at heart, a performer with a flair for the dramatic and a love of the spotlight. You've spent years honing your cra…
Skills: Acrobatics, Performance, One type of musical instrument
Languages: Choose one of either Abyssal or Giant
Dead Magic Dweller
You were on the run from a spellcaster or monster that relies on magic. With nowhere to run from, you fled to a Dead Magic Zone. Your new…
Skills: Choose Two: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Survival. Leather Worker’s Tools.
Languages: Any one language
Dragon Cultist
You are an initiate for a cult of a Chromatic Greatwyrm, Dracolich, or a dragon god. You discovered or were recruited to the cult and wer…
Skills: Choose two from: Arcana, Deception, History, Investigation or Religion. Caligrapher’s Supplies.
Languages: Draconic or any one language if you know Draconic.
Engineer
Armed with an inventive intellect, a love of magical technology, and an unquenchable energy, you are an enthusiastic participant in the r…
Skills: Arcana, Investigation, One type of Artisan's Tools
Languages: Choose one of Draconic, Goblin, or Vedalken
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 heart…
Skills: Acrobatics, Performance, Disguise kit, one type of musical instrument
Explorer
You’ve made a lifelong study of lost and fallen cultures, visiting their ruins, deciphering their records, and examining their surviving …
Skills: History and Survival
Languages: One additional language of your choice
Far Traveler
Almost all of the common people and other folk that one might encounter have one thing in common: they live out their lives without ever …
Skills: Insight, Perception, Any one musical instrument or gaming set of your choice, likely something native to your homeland
Languages: Any one of your choice
Farmer
You grew up close to the land. Years tending animals and cultivating the earth rewarded you with patience and good health. You have a kee…
Skills: Animal Handling, Nature, Carpenter’s Tools
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 ch…
Skills: Animal Handling, Survival, One type of Artisan's Tools, vehicles (Land)
Forester
Your home is, or was, a forest. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing all the forest's inhabitants in harmony. Maybe you've always …
Skills: Choose Two: Nature, Survival, and Animal Handling. Herbalism Kit, Woodcarver Tools
Freebooter
You forsook your nation and given name to live a life free from authority and responsibility. You may have been in service to a lord or m…
Skills: Choose Two: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth. Weaver’s Tools.
Functionary
The brutes are at the gate, chaos is looming, and the only thing standing in the way of disaster is the foundation of law and order. You'…
Skills: Insight, Intimidation
Languages: Two of your choice
Gate Warden
You spent a significant amount of time somewhere influenced by intense planar forces or a portal to another plane of existence, such as o…
Skills: Persuasion, Survival
Languages: Two of your choice (Abyssal, Celestial, or Infernal recommended)
Genie Touched
You were raised in land full of genie magic. Perhaps you summoned a genie by accident from a magic lamp. Maybe you disturbed an area prot…
Skills: Persuasion, Nature, Glassblower’s Tools
Giant Foundling
Though you aren’t a Giant, you grew up among giants. Maybe you were an orphan taken in by a sympathetic family of stone giants who raised…
Skills: Intimidation, Survival
Languages: Giant and one other language of your choice
Gladiator
You live to push your physical limits and for the roar of the crowd. Competition lights a fire in you and drives you to greater and great…
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Land Vehicles
Languages: One of your choice
Guide
You came of age in the outdoors, far from settled lands. Your home? Anywhere you choose to unfurl your bedroll. There are wonders on the …
Skills: Stealth, Survival, Cartographer's Tools
Languages: Giant or Sylvan
Harper
You accepted the invitation to join the Harpers. You have pledged to uphold Harper code and act in service to the common good. You unders…
Skills: Performance, Sleight of Hand, Disguise Kit
Languages: Harper Code
Haunted One
You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and flee from it, to no avail. This thing…
Skills: Choose two from among Arcana, Investigation, Religion and Survival
Languages: Two languages of your choice, one of which is exotic (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon.
Healer
Born of compassion and a wanderlust spirit, you've dedicated your life to the noble art of healing. As a Healer, you've journeyed far and…
Skills: Medicine, Survival, Herbalism kit
Languages: One of your choice
Hermit
You lived in seclusion – either in a sheltered community such as a monastery, or entirely alone – for a formative part of your life. In y…
Skills: Medicine, Religion, Herbalism kit
Languages: One of your choice
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 …
Skills: Survival, Choose one skill from Arcana, History, or Religion. Your choice of a gaming set or a musical instrument.
Languages: Any one of your choice
Initiate
You are a member of a blessed community, built on the ideals of harmony. Here, nature and civilization coexist peacefully, living and gro…
Skills: Persuasion, One type of Artisan's Tools or one musical instrument
Languages: Choose one of Elvish, Loxodon, or Sylvan
Innkeeper
Throughout your entire life, you've heard of the grand adventures by grander adventurers, and from the amount of heroes that pass through…
Skills: Persuasion, Insight. Brewer's Supplies or Cook's Utensils
Languages: One standard language of your choice
Legionnaire
As a member of the Legion, your life is devoted to the service of angels and consecrated to the work of establishing justice and peace on…
Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, One type of gaming set
Languages: Choose one of Celestial, Draconic, Goblin, or Minotaur
Lords’ Vassal
You are pledged to the service of a lord. You represent your lord in an official capacity and are deeply trusted by them. You work hard t…
Skills: Insight, Perception, Calligrapher’s Supplies
Languages: Any one language
Mentally Ill
You are afflicted by maladies of the mind that have plagued you since birth or have recently arisen. Even while society doesn’t understan…
Skills: Intimidation, Perception
Languages: Choose one of Abyssal, Celestial, or Infernal though you do not know what it is called or if it is a real language at this time unless told by a native speaker.
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, …
Skills: Athletics, Persuasion, One type of gaming set, Vehicles (Land)
Miner
Mining is dirty and dangerous, but it’s a job that must be done. You are one of these workers. Where was your first mine? What did you mi…
Skills: Athletics, Investigation, Vehicles (Land) or Mason's Tools
Languages: Dwarvish
Monastic Aspirant
At a young age you were brought to the monastery. You have little to no memory of your old life. You have trained with your brothers and …
Skills: Athletics, Perception, One type of Artisan's Tools (Choose one appropriate for your monastery)
Languages: One of your choice
Mortician
Morticians are common friends of death. They work closely with the dead and see its effects on an everyday basis. Worst of all, it is the…
Skills: Choose two: Investigation, Medicine, Persuasion, or Religion. Disguise kit, Sewing Kit
Noble
You understand wealth, power, and privilege. You carry a noble title, and your family owns land, collects taxes, and wields significant p…
Skills: History, Persuasion, One type of gaming set
Languages: One of your choice
Operative
You're a spy. Secrets and misinformation are your stock in trade. You skulk in the shadows, infiltrate other guilds, and steal the most p…
Skills: Deception, Stealth, Disguise Kit
Languages: One of your choice
Planar Philosopher
You subscribe to a philosophy that seeks to understand the nature of the planes or some hidden truth of the multiverse. You draw strength…
Skills: Arcana, the skill associated with your faction (See the Sigil Faction Affinities) or one skill of your choice. Faction: Skill: Athar Religion Bleak Cabal Insight Doomguard Nature Fated Intimidation Fraternity of Order History Hands of Havoc Stealth Harmonium Perception Heralds of Dust Medicine Mercykillers Survival Mind's Eye Persuasion Society of Sensation Performance Transcendent Order Athletics
Languages: Two of your choice
Politician
You are a person looking to change the society around you by playing in the arena of politics. You have a very sociable personality and w…
Skills: Deception, Persuasion, Forgery kit, Calligrapher's Supplies
Languages: One of your choice
Prostitute
You serve patrons in exchange for money. You have experienced different types of humanoids of various alignments and perhaps lived in var…
Skills: Performance, Persuasion, Disguise kit or one type of musical instrument or gaming set
Languages: One of your choice
Representative
The prospect of immense wealth is the promise of membership in the Syndicate. All of the guild's endeavors channel wealth from society in…
Skills: Intimidation, Religion
Languages: Two of your choice
Rune Carver
You’ve dedicated your life to studying runecraft. Whether you were taught by a master rune carver or learned by poring over ancient engra…
Skills: History, Perception, One set of Artisan's Tools
Languages: Giant
Sage
You spent years learning the lore of the multiverse. You scoured manuscripts, studied scrolls, and listened to the greatest experts on th…
Skills: Arcana, History
Languages: Two of your choice
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…
Skills: Athletics, Perception, Navigator's tools, Vehicles (Water)
Scavenger
Similar to an outlander, scavengers often find their lives in the lands displaced from that of typical civilization. They are called many…
Skills: Investigation, Perception, One type of artisan's tools
Languages: One of your choice
Scientist
Imagine a perfect world: one in which nature and civilization exist in harmony, adapted to each other; one in which life is shaped to mat…
Skills: Arcana, Medicine
Languages: Two of your choice
Scribe
You spent formative years in a scriptorium, a monastery dedicated to the preservation of knowledge, or a government agency, where you lea…
Skills: Investigation, Perception, Calligrapher’s Supplies
Shepherd
A shepherd is someone who moves, feeds, and cares for sheep. There are many other kinds of herders as well. These animals can be of many …
Skills: Animal Handling, Nature, Cobblers' Tools and Leatherworkers' Tools
Slave
For some significant portion of your life, you have been someone else's property. This part of your life happened either by abduction, as…
Skills: Performance, or Survival. Any one tool set with a value no greater than 15 GPs.
Smuggler
On a rickety barge, you carried a hundred longswords in fish barrels right past the dock master's oblivious lackeys. You have paddled a r…
Skills: Athletics, Deception, Vehicles (Water)
Soldier
War has been your life for as long as you care to remember. You trained as a youth, studied the use of weapons and armor, learned basic s…
Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, one type of gaming set, Vehicles (Land)
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 fo…
Skills: Choose two from among Deception, Insight, Persuasion, and Stealth. Choose two from among one type of gaming set, one musical instrument, and Thieves' Tools
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 f…
Skills: Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Disguise kit, thieves' tools
Wayfarer
You grew up on the streets surrounded by similarly ill-fated castoffs, a few of them friends and a few of the rivals. You slept where you…
Skills: Insight, Stealth, Thieves’ Tools
Wildspacer
One of the few raised in the niche settlements throughout wildspace. You are familiar with Spell-jammer and the many odd jobs that make u…
Skills: Athletics, Survival, Navigator’s Tools and Space Vehicles