SRD5:Background
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?
The sample background presented here provides both concrete benefits (features, proficiencies, and languages) and roleplaying suggestions.
Proficiencies
Each background gives a character proficiency in two skills (described in “Using Ability Scores”). In addition, most backgrounds give a character proficiency with one or more tools (detailed in “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.”
Equipment
Each background provides a package of starting equipment. If you use the optional rule 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 the equipment section. (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 GM to create one.
General Background Features
This section presents optional features for any background. You may replace the standard feature of your background with any one of the options presented here. [1]
Bonus Feat
DM Optional. Some backgrounds provide a bonus feat at 1st level. If the GM allows such a background all player characters have access to one of the following bonus feats (if their background does not provide a bonus feat):
- Divinely Favored [3]
- Scion of Elemental Air [4]
- Scion of Elemental Earth [4]
- Scion of Elemental Fire [4]
- Scion of Elemental Water [4]
- Skilled [3]
- Tough [3] [4]
List of Backgrounds
49 Backgrounds (official and unofficial)
| Background | Skills | Tools | Languages | Specialty | Feature | Summary | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acolyte | Insight, Religion | Two of your choice | Shelter of the Faithful | Person of the cloth | Canon | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Athlete | Acrobatics, Athletics | Vehicles (land) | One of your choice | Favored Event | Echoes of Victory | Famous Athlete | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Urban Bounty Hunter | Choose two from among Deception, Insight, Persuasion, and Stealth | Choose two from among one type of gaming set, musical instrument, and thieves' tools | Ear to the Ground | Bounty Hunter of cities and towns | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Charlatan | Deception, Sleight of Hand | Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit | Favorite Schemes | False Identity | Con man, someone who pretends to be someone else. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| City Watch | Athletics, Insight | Two of your choice | Watcher's Eye | Duly ordaned keeper of the peace | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Clan Crafter | History, Insight | One type of Artisan's Tools | Dwarvish or one of your choice if you already know it. | Respect of the Stout Folk | Apprentice of a Dwarven Master Artisan | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Cloistered Scholar | History, plus your choice of one from among Arcana, Nature, and Religion | Two of your choice | Library Access | Librarian | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Courtier | Insight, Persuasion | Two of your choice | Court Functionary | Court of Nobles Bureaucrat | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Criminal | Deception, Stealth | One type of Gaming Set, Thieves' Tools | Criminal Specialty | Criminal Contact | Thief, thug, hired killer, con-man | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Drow Scarred | Stealth, Deception | Cooking, Mining or Cleaning | Undercommon | A fitting sacrifice | former slave of the drow | , UA | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Entertainer | Acrobatics, Performance | Disguise Kit, one type of musical instrument | Entertainer Routines | By Popular Demand | Actor, dancer, musician, poet | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Faction Agent | Insight and one Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma skill of your choice, as appropriate to your faction. | Two of your choice | Factions of the Sword Coast | Save Haven | You belong to an ideological organization and sought to advance its goals | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Far Traveler | Insight, Perception | Musical Instrument | One of your choice | Why you are Here | All Eyes on You | You hail from a place far, far away | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Feylost | Deception, Survival | One type of musical instrument. | One of your choice of Elvish, Gnomish, Goblin, or Sylvan | Feywild Visitor | Feywild Connection | You have lived in the Feywild. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Folk Hero | Animal Handling, Survival | One type of Artisan's Tools, Vehicles (Land) | Defining Event | Rustic Hospitality | Local Hero | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Gate Warden | persuasion, survival | Two of your choice (Abyssal, Celestial, or Infernal recommended) | Planar Infusion | Your background includes significant time near a gate to another plane. | Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Giant Foundling | intimidation, survival | Two of your choice | Origin Stories | Strike of the Giants | You were adopted by giants. | Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Gladiator | Acrobatics, Performance | Disguise Kit, one type of musical instrument | By Popular Demand | You fight for an audience | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Guild Artisan | Insight, Persuasion | One type of Artisan's Tools | One of your Choice | Guild Business | Guild Membership | Member of an artisan guild | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Guild Merchant | Insight, Persuasion | One set of Navigator's Tools | One of your Choice | Guild Business | Guild Membership | Seller of an artisan guild's goods | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Haunted One | Choose one of Arcana, Investigation, Religion, or Survival | Choose two, one must be (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon) | Harrowing Event | Heart of Darkness | Encountered the supernatural at a young age and survived | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Hermit | Medicine, Religion | Herbalism Kit | One of your choice | Life of Seclusion | Discovery | You have separated yourself from others | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Inheritor | Survival, plus one from among Arcana, History, and Religion | Your choice of Gaming Set or a Musical Instrument | Any one of your choice | Inheritance | An item of legacy was entrusted to you | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Investigator | Insight, Investigation | Two of your choice | Watcher's Eye | Police detective | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Gothic Investigator | Choose one of Insight, Investigation, or Perception | Disguise Kit, Thieves' Tools | Path to Mystery | Official Inquiry | You relentlessly seek the truth. Perhaps you're motivated by belief in the law and a sense of universal justice, or maybe that very law has failed you and you seek to make things right. You could have witnessed something remarkable or terrible, and now you must know more about this hidden truth. Or maybe you're a detective for hire, uncovering secrets for well-paying clients. Whether the mysteries you're embroiled in are local crimes or realm-spanning conspiracies, you're driven by a personal need to hunt down even the most elusive clues and reveal what others would keep hidden in the shadows. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Knight | History, Persuasion | One type of Gaming Set | One of your Choice | Retainers | Background: Knight, lowest of nobility | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Knight of Solamnia | Athletics, Survival | Two of your choice | Squire of Solamnia | Background — Honorable knight of Solamina | Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Knight of the Order | Persuasion, plus one from among Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion, as appropriate for your order. | One type of gaming set or musical instrument. | One of your Choice | Knightly Regard | Background: Knight of the Order | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Lorehold Student | History, Religion | Two of your choice | Lorehold Initiate | Student of the Lorehold College | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Mage of High Sorcery | Athletics, Survival | Two of your choice | Initiate of High Sorcery | Background - a member of the Mages of High Sorcery | Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Mercenary Veteran | Athletics, Persuasion | One type of gaming set, vehicles (land). | Mercenary Life | Soldier of Fortune | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Noble | History, Persuasion | One type of Gaming Set | One of your Choice | Position of Privilege | Background: Member of nobility | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Waterdhavian Noble | History, Persuasion | One type of Gaming Set or Musical Instrument | One of your choice | Kept in Style | You are the offspring of a noble of Waterdeep | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Outlander | Athletics, Survival | One type of musical instrument. | One of your choice | Origin | Wanderer | You have lived outside civilization | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Pirate | Athletics, Perception | Navigator’s Tools, Vehicles (water) | Bad Reputation | You have served aboard a pirate ship | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Planar Philosopher | Arcana, Persuasion | Two of your choice | Conviction | Your philosophy of the nature and working of the planes dominated your pre-adventurer life. | Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Prismari Student | Acrobatics, Performance | One type of musical instrument or artisan's tools | One of your choice | Prismari Initiate | Student of the Prismari College | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Quandrix Student | Arcana, Nature | One type of artisan's tools | One of your choice | Quandrix Initiate | Strixhaven student of the Quandrix College | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Rakdos Cultist | Acrobatics, Performance | Choose either Abyssal or Giant | A Flair for the Dramatic | Fearsome Reputation | You are or were a member of the Cult of Rakdos. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Rune Carver | History, Perception | Giant and one other language of your choice | Rune Styles | Rune Carver Apprentice | You were a carver of runes. | Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Sage | Arcana, History | Two of your choice | Specialty | Reseacher | You have studied lore. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Sailor | Athletics, Perception | Navigator’s Tools, Vehicles (water) | Ship's Passage | You have earned a living onboard a ship | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Silverquill Student | Intimidation, Persuasion | Two of your choice | Silverquill Initiate | Strixhaven student of the Silverquill college. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Soldier | Athletics, Intimidation | One type of gaming set, vehicles (land). | Specialty | Military Rank | Enlisted Soldier | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Spy | Deception, Stealth | One type of Gaming Set, Thieves' Tools | Criminal Specialty | Criminal Contact | Infiltrator, private investigator, spy | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Urchin | Sleight of Hand, Stealth | Disguise Kit, thieves' tools | City Secrets | You grew up on the streets | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | ||
| Uthdardt Tribe Member | Athletics, Survival | One type of Musical Instrument or Artisan Tools | One of your choice | Uthgardt Heritage | You grew up in a tribe of Uthgardt | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] | |
| Witchlight Hand | Performance, Sleight of Hand | Disguise kit or one type of musical instrument | One of your choice | Carnival Companion | Carnival Fixture | You have been a part of the Witchlight Carnival | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
| Witherbloom Student | Nature, Survival | Herbalism Kit | One of your choice | Witherbloom Initiate | Strixhaven student of the Witherbloom college. | Canon, Pointer | [[Publication:{{{15}}}|{{{15}}}]] |
Sources and Notes
- Wizards RPG Team. SRD-OGL v5.1 (5e 2014) (2015.05.06). Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: OGL
- Wizards D&D Team. Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (5e 2014) (2021-05-18). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0786967254. p. 31. Licensed: © Wizards of the Coast (used under 'fair use' clause). ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
- VRGtR p.32 ↑ 2.0 2.1
- DM Optional. Ben Petrisor, et. al.. UA 2022 Heroes of Krynn Revisited (5e 2014) (2022-04-25). Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: © Wizards of the Coast. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2
- DM Optional. Makenzie De Armas, et. al.. UA 2022 Wonders of the Multiverse (5e 2014) (2022-07-18). Wizards of the Coast. Licensed: © Wizards of the Coast (used under 'fair use' clause). ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
Making Your Own Background
To make a user created background copy the text from the Background Boilerplate and paste it into a new page. Then fill in the information for your background.
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