SAMPLE BACKGROUNDS
Here is a collection of sample Backgrounds that you can choose from when making a character. These Backgrounds were built using the rules in the “Build Your Background” section, and each of them contains story-oriented details that are meant inspire you as you think of your character’s backstory.
ACOLYTE
Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Religion
Tool Proficiency: Calligrapher’s Supplies
Language: Celestial
Feat: Magic Initiate (Divine)
You devoted yourself to service in a temple, either nestled in a town or secluded in a sacred grove. There you performed hallowed rites in honor of a god or pantheon. You served under a priest and studied religion. Thanks to your priest’s instruction and your own devotion, you also learned how to channel a modicum of divine power in service to your place of worship and the people who prayed there.
Equipment
Book (Prayers)
Calligrapher’s Supplies
Holy Symbol
Parchment (10 sheets)
Robe
3 GP
ARTISAN
Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +1 Charisma
Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Persuasion
Tool Proficiency: Artisan’s Tools* (one of your choice)
Language: Gnomish
Feat: Crafter
You began mopping floors and scrubbing counters in an artisan’s workshop for a few coppers per day as soon as you were strong enough to carry a bucket. When you were finally old enough to apprentice, you learned to create basic crafts of your own, as well as how to sweet-talk the occasional demanding customer. As part of your studies, you picked up Gnomish, the tongue from which so many of the artisan’s terms of art are derived.
Equipment
Abacus
Artisan’s Tools (same as above)
Merchant’s Scale
Pouch (2)
Traveler’s Clothes
25 GP
CHARLATAN
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Sleight of Hand
Tool Proficiency: Forgery Kit
Language: Infernal
Feat: Skilled
Soon after you were old enough to order an ale, you already had a favorite stool in every tavern within ten miles of where you were born. As you traveled the circuit from public house to watering hole, you learned to prey on the unfortunates who were in the market for a comforting lie or two—perhaps a sham potion or a forged “treasure map.” You are fluent in Infernal, the ancient Language of deception.
Equipment
Costume
Fine Clothes
Forgery Kit
15 GP
CRIMINAL
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence
Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Tool Proficiency: Thieves’ Tools
Language: Thieves’ Cant
Feat: Alert
You learned to earn your coin in dark alleyways, cutting purses or burgling shops. Perhaps you were part of a small gang of like-minded wrongdoers, who looked out for each other. Or maybe you were a lone wolf, fending for yourself against the local thieves’ guild and older, more fearsome lawbreakers.
Equipment
Crowbar
Dagger (2)
Pouch (2)
Thieves’ Tools
Traveler’s Clothes
16 GP
CULTIST
Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +1 Charisma
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Religion
Tool Proficiency: Disguise Kit
Language: Abyssal
Feat: Magic Initiate (Arcane)
You scarcely recall what drove you into the service of the otherworldly being. Those memories were blotted out long ago by recurrent dreams of midnight gatherings round the obsidian pillar in the glade. By the light of each waning moon, the hierophants instructed you in the being’s creed and the rudiments of the arcane arts. When you came of age, you were ordered to blend in among the nonbelievers and await whatever mission the Great One has in store for you.
Equipment
Bell
Common Clothes
Dagger
Disguise Kit
Lamp
Robe
19 GP
ENTERTAINER
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Performance
Tool Proficiency: Musical Instrument* (one of your choice)
Language: Elvish
Feat: Musician
You spent much of your youth following roving fairs and carnivals, performing odd jobs for musicians and acrobats in exchange for lessons. You may have learned how to walk a tightrope, how to double pick a lute, or how to recite Elvish poetry with the impeccable trills of an elf poet. To this day, you thrive on applause and long for the stage.
Equipment
Costume (2)
Musical Instrument (same as above)
Perfume
Steel Mirror
Traveler’s Clothes
8 GP
FARMER
Ability Scores: +2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Nature
Tool Proficiency: Carpenter’s Tools
Language: Halfling
Feat: Tough
You grew up close to the land. Years tending animals and cultivating the earth rewarded you with patience and good health. You have a keen appreciation for nature’s bounty alongside a healthy respect for nature’s wrath. Like many farmers, you made frequent use of the agricultural almanacs produced by the greatest halfling farmers.
Equipment
Carpenter’s Tools
Healer’s Kit
Iron Pot
Shovel
Sickle
Traveler’s Clothes
23 GP
GLADIATOR
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +1 Charisma
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Performance
Tool Proficiency: Smith’s Tools
Language: Orc
Feat: Savage Attacker
Your first few appearances in the gladiatorial pits led you to appreciate every one of the scars you carry from your instructors and sparring partners. Each scar was a lesson that taught you how to best your opponents and curry favor with the crowds your brawls entertained. Your time in the pits left you with a strong hand and a strong heart. You’ll forever share a remarkable bond with the other pit fighters in your stable—humans, dragonborn, dwarves, and orcs—hardened warriors all.
Equipment
Chain
Costume
Healer’s Kit
Javelin (6)
Smith’s Tools
Traveler’s Clothes
15 GP
GUARD
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception
Tool Proficiency: Gaming Set* (one of your choice)
Language: Dwarvish
Feat: Alert
Your feet begin to ache when you remember the countless hours you spent at your post in the tower. You were trained to keep one eye outside the wall, watching for marauders sweeping from the nearby forest, and your other eye inside the wall, searching for cutpurses and troublemakers. At the end of each shift, you bunked in the mayor’s barracks alongside your fellow sentries and the dwarven smiths who kept your armor snug and your weapons sharp.
Equipment
Crossbow Bolt (20)
Gaming Set (same as above)
Hooded Lantern
Light Crossbow
Manacles
Quiver
Spear
Traveler’s Clothes
12 GP
GUIDE
Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Stealth, Survival
Tool Proficiency: Cartographer’s Tools
Language: Giant
Feat: Magic Initiate (Primal)
You came of age in the outdoors, far from settled lands. Your home? Anywhere you chose to unfurl your bedroll. There are wonders on the frontier—strange monsters, pristine forests and streams, overgrown ruins of great halls once trod by giants—and you learned to fend for yourself as you explored them. From time to time, you traveled with a pair of friendly druids who were kind enough to instruct you in the fundamentals of channeling the magic of the wild.
Equipment
Arrow (20)
Bedroll
Cartographer’s Tools
Fishing Tackle
Quiver
Shortbow
Tent
Traveler’s Clothes
2 GP
HERMIT
Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Religion
Tool Proficiency: Herbalism Kit
Language: Sylvan
Feat: Magic Initiate (Primal)
You spent your early years secluded in a hut or monastery located well beyond the outskirts of the nearest settlement. In those days, your only companions were the creatures of the forest, who would occasionally visit to bring news of the outside world and supplies. The quiet and solitude you found in your time outside society allowed you to spend many hours pondering the mysteries of creation, attuning your mind to the magical energy flowing through the natural world.
Equipment
Bedroll
Book (Philosophy)
Fishing Tackle
Herbalism Kit
Lamp
Oil (3 flasks)
Quarterstaff
Traveler’s Clothes
15 GP
LABORER
Ability Scores: +2 Constitution, +1 Strength
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival
Tool Proficiency: Mason’s Tools
Language: Dwarvish
Feat: Tough
Your apprenticeship consumed the better part of your youth. First, you learned to cut and polish a stone. After several years of polishing stones, you learned how to cement those stones into a wall. After several years building walls, you learned to join your walls to form a structure. The structures you built were exceptionally durable. The masons who taught you were taught by even older masons who were taught by dwarf artisans of old.
Equipment
Bullseye Lantern
Common Clothes
Handaxe
Light Hammer
Mason’s Tools
Mess Kit
Oil (1 flask)
Shovel
Waterskin
15 GP
NOBLE
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence
Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion
Tool Proficiency: Gaming Set* (one of your choice)
Language: Draconic
Feat: Skilled
You were raised in a castle as a creature of wealth, power, and privilege—none of it earned. Your family are minor aristocrats who saw to it that you received a first-class education, some of which you appreciated and some of which you resented. (Was it truly necessary to read all those ancient histories in their original Draconic?) Your time in the castle, especially the many hours you spent observing your family at court, also taught you a great deal about leadership.
Equipment
Fine Clothes
Gaming Set
Perfume
Signet Ring
24 GP
PILGRIM
Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Survival
Tool Proficiency: Musical Instrument* (one of your choice)
Language: Halfling
Feat: Healer
You and a group of like-minded believers— mostly humans and halflings—once endeavored to walk a thousand miles of road to reach a faraway shrine. Priests counseled at the outset that, long after your journey was complete, you’d come to realize that you found the key to your salvation not at your destination, but somewhere along the road that led there.
Equipment
Bedroll
Healer’s Kit
Holy Symbol
Musical Instrument
Rations (2 days)
Traveler’s Clothes
16 GP
SAGE
Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, History
Tool Proficiency: Calligrapher’s Supplies
Language: Elvish
Feat: Magic Initiate (Arcane)
You spent your formative years traveling between manors and monasteries, performing various odd jobs and services in exchange for access to their libraries. You wiled away many a long evening with your nose buried in books and scrolls, learning the lore of the multiverse— even the rudiments of magic—and your mind only yearns for more.
Equipment
Book (History)
Calligrapher’s Supplies
Parchment (8 sheets)
Quarterstaff
Robe
8 GP
SAILOR
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Perception
Tool Proficiency: Navigator’s Tools
Language: Primordial
Feat: Tavern Brawler
Thus far, you’ve spent most of your days living
the life of a seafarer, wind at your back and
decks swaying beneath your feet, as you sailed
toward your next adventure. You’ve perched on
barstools in more ports of call than you can
remember, faced down mighty storms, and
swapped stories with the folk who live beneath
the waves
.
Equipment
Dagger
Fishing Tackle
Navigator’s Tools
Silk Rope
Traveler’s Clothes
10 GP
#SOLDIER
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiency: Gaming Set* (one of your choice)
Language: Goblin
Feat: Savage Attacker
You began training for war at such an early age that you carry only a precious few memories of what life was like before you took up arms. Battle is in your blood. Sometimes you catch yourself reflexively performing the basic fighting exercises you learned as a youth. Eventually, you put that training to use on the battlefield, protecting the realm by waging war and studying the strategies of goblinoid generals.
Equipment
Arrow (20)
Gaming Set (same as above)
Healer’s Kit
Quiver
Shortbow
Spear
Traveler’s Clothes
14 GP
URCHIN
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Stealth
Tool Proficiency: Thieves’ Tools
Language: Common Sign Language
Feat: Lucky
You grew up on the streets, surrounded by similarly ill-fated castoffs, a few of them friends and a few of them rivals. You slept where you could and did odd jobs for food. At times, when the hunger became unbearable, you resorted to theft. Still, you never lost your pride and never abandoned hope. Fate is not yet finished with you.
Equipment
Bedroll
Common Clothes
Dagger (2)
Gaming Set
Pouch
Thieves’ Tools
18 GP