Backgrounds

These are packages of skills to give everyone a broad competency in the four main adventuring areas of D&D: combat, knowledge, interaction, and exploration. Pick a background, and you've got four skills that you can use in any of these situations. You also get a small "perk" that you can use by taking one day of down time.

Adventurer

You make a living raiding treasure from dangerous places, and getting paid to put yourself in harm's way.

  • Skills: Swords (combat), Dungeoneering (knowledge), Intimidate (social), Endurance (exploration)
  • Perks: During your down time, you can learn one common piece of information of your level or lower.

Alchemist

You are a crafter of potions, a master of herbs, and a skilled user of the physical sciences.

  • Skills: Heal (combat), Nature (knowledge), Willpower (social), Survival (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can create one common potion of your level or lower.

Arcanist

You are a trained mage, capable of manipulating common magical energies.

  • Skills: Evocation (combat), Divination (knowledge), Charms (social), Transformation (exploration)
  • Perk: You have a familiar of a level equal to your own. During your down time, you can heal your familiar, if need be.

Artist

You are a creative mind, working as a painter, writer, sculptor, musician, or other performer of some type.

  • Skills: Command (combat), Streetwise (knowledge), Crowd Control (social), Perception (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can perform or sell your art, earning you a common gold award.

Beastmaster

You are a tamer and trainer of wild beasts and animals.

  • Skills: Command (combat), Nature (knowledge), Handle Animal (social), Athletics (exploration)
  • Perk: You have an animal companion of a level equal to your own. During your down time, you can heal your companion, if need be.

Cavalry

You are a mounted knight, trained in the use of mounts in combat.

  • Skills: Polearm (combat), Nature (knowledge), Handle Animal (social), Endurance (exploration)
  • Perk: You have a mount of a level equal to your own. During your down time, you can heal your mount, if need be.

Clergy

You are a member of the church, and serve in ceremonies and rites for them.

  • Skills: Healing (combat), Divination (knowledge), Crowd Control (social), Endurance (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can heal one persistent ailment of your level or lower on yourself or an ally.

Crafter

You are trained in how to manufacture items.

  • Skills: Hammers (combat), Dungeoneering (knowledge), Willpower (social), Endurance (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can create a common object of your level or lower.

Farmer

You labor in the fields, know how to read the seasons, and know how to feed the world.

  • Skills: Fortitude (combat), Nature (knowledge), Animal Handling (social), Survival (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can create food for up to one week for your entire party.

Hermit

You live a life of distance and asceticism.

  • Skills: Fortitude (combat), Divination (knowledge), Charms (social), Endurance (exploration)
  • Perk: You can go without food, air, or water for twice as long as normal.

Hunter

You spend your time in the wilderness, stalking your prey, selling meats and skins.

  • Skills: Archery (combat), Nature (knowledge), Willpower (social), Stealth (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can trade your animal goods for gold, gaining a common gold award.

Merchant

You make a living buying and selling, finding those with needs and supplying them.

  • Skills: Command (combat), Streetwise (knowledge), Diplomacy (social), Navigation (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can buy and sell items, gaining a common gold award.

Military

You make a living fighting for an army, or as a lone figure.

  • Skills: Sword (combat), Streetwise (knowledge), Intimidate (social), Athletics (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can swap your combat skill for another combat skill.

Noble

You make a living on your family's wealth, and trying to live up to your family's name.

  • Skills: Sword (combat), History (knowledge), Diplomacy (social), Perception (exploration)
  • Perk: You have a servant companion of a level equal to your own. During your down time, you can heal your companion, if need be.

Public Official

A mayor, a general, a president, a speaker, or another type of leader.

  • Skills: Command (combat), History (knowledge), Crowd Control (social), Navigation (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can make contacts with other public officials in the region.

Sailor

You navigate the oceans, serving on board ships.

  • Skills: Axe (combat), Divination (knowledge), Willpower (social), Navigation (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can procure a ship to transport your party to a specific point.

Scholar

You know facts, figures, languages, runes, and writing.

  • Skills: Abjuration (combat), History (knowledge), Willpower (social), Navigation (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can swap your knowledge skill for another knowledge skill.

Servant

You are trained in how to make others happy and perform routine tasks — for hours — without tiring.

  • Skills: Fortitude (combat), Streetwise (knowledge), Diplomacy (social), Endurance (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can make contacts with the servants of a noble house in the region.

Thief

You make a living from other peoples' pockets, on the mean streets of an urban sprawl.

  • Skills: Knives (combat), Streetwise (knowledge), Bluff (social), Stealth (exploration)
  • Perk: During your down time, you can roll for a random common treasure.

Traveler

You walk long roads between your destinations, always ready for what comes over the hill.

  • Skills: Fortitude (combat), Nature (knowledge), Animal Handling (social), Survival (exploration)
  • Perk: A party you are in travels twice as fast over land than normal.

Creating New Backgrounds

To create a new background, think of (a) how someone from that background learned to fight, (b) how someone from that background learns new things, (c) how someone from that background learned to deal with others, and (d) how someone from that background learned to get to new places. Assign a skill to each of those.

Next, think of what mundane tasks or items someone from that background should be able to provide the party on a fairly regular basis. This is the perk for the background.