Backgrounds

Backgrounds
Far below the warm surface of the world, past burrows and buried bones, three companions huddled around a fire in a strange chamber. They had lost track of time since they had last seen the Day-Star.

"What were you, before all this?" asked Gola, strongest and most curious of the three. She had been the one to first crack open the vault door and slip inside.

"Less hungry," said the ever-sullen Chimmuk. The vault’s strange geometries and mirrored passages had altered his mood very little; although he had started to mutter in his sleep the last few nights.

"You know that’s not what she means," said Arcback. Even his legendary patience was being tested by the impossible maze. "I was a keeper of beasts once," he said, scales rippling with blue and green. "I tended the clan’s goats, played a flute on the hill, and—"

"You play the flute?" snorted Chimmuk.

"I play quite well. What did you do?"

"Tried to stay out of the shaman’s way. I kept to myself until our Free Citadeler there tempted me with tales of glory and good harvest."

"Free Citadel," sighed Gola. "You haven’t breathed until you’ve walked among the sky-high walls, streets wide as meadows…"

"Not much chance of that anymore, is there?" sniffed Chimmuk.

Gola said, "Let’s sleep. I have a good feeling about tomorrow."

Who were you before you were an adventurer? Everyone’s story starts somewhere, and backgrounds provide building blocks for understanding your character’s place in the world. With a background, you can quickly determine where you’ve come from, who you know, and what mattered to you before the opening moments of your great prehistoric adventure.

Existing Backgrounds. Existing 5th Edition materials provide an array of backgrounds which can be excellent foundations for your character. If you’d like to use a published background, work with your DM to determine what adjustments need to be made to your proficiencies, gear, and features to bring it into the Stone Age. Even backgrounds that seem to rely on advanced technology can be adopted (see Chapter 7, p. 97, for details on converting materials and locations).

Planegean Backgrounds. The 20 new prehistoric backgrounds in this chapter are designed to quickly and easily root your character in the world of Planegea. Work with your DM to determine which is best for you.

Ape Clan
You are part of the powerful Ape Clan, dedicated to the reverence of Kho Many-Arms, the Ape God. Your people know that there is nothing more important than being nimble of mind and body. You may have been trained in the arts of acrobatics, riddles, crafting, or musical instruments. As a member of one of the three Brother Clans, you are used to commanding a certain degree of respect in the Great Valley. You have traveled along passageways through the Dream World of Nod, and spent more time with elves than most.

But above all, you have dwelt in the shadow of the moody and dangerous Kho, with the awareness that life is perched on a fragile branch, and at any moment everything you know could come crashing down. How has that outlook affected you?

Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: Mender’s tools, one type of musical instrument
Equipment: A net, a set of dark common clothes with pockets, a collapsible pole that extends up to 10 feet, and a belt pouch containing a small antler whistle, a folding toy, and chalk powder worth up to 15 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: DREAM WALKER
Because of your people’s longstanding friendship with the elves of Nod, you have traveled through the World of Dreams more than once. You have stories of your travels through those worlds, and know how to reach out to an elvish contact in Nod, who is friendly and inclined to help you if it does not cause them risk.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Members of the Ape Clan have a reputation for being clever and fearful in equal measure. Children raised in the clan are taught that flexibility and speed are of paramount importance, so Ape Clan members tend to avoid making long-term plans, preferring to keep their options open for whatever the next minute might bring.

Apprentice
You grew up at the side of a shaman, assisting them with rites and rituals, preparing materials for their work and learning the ways of their ceremonies. You know little of life beyond the clanfire’s light, but have walked in divine hallows and have seen gods work wonders at the request of your shaman. You may have been next in line to become a shaman or chosen because a god or your shaman singled you out as worthy of assisting in sacred duties. Who was the god your shaman served? Was your shaman a cruel taskmaster, a kind mentor, or an aloof presence? How were you chosen to serve them? Were you the only apprentice to the shaman, or one of many?

Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Performance
Tool Proficiencies: Ceremonial supplies, one type of musical instrument
Equipment: A set of ceremonial supplies, a set of common clothes, a ceremonial mask honoring the god you served, and a belt pouch of ritual materials worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: SHAMAN’S AIDE
You are trained in shaman’s work, and understand ceremonies, religious practices, and the duties of shamans intimately. If rituals, festivals, or ceremonies are being prepared, you know how to make yourself useful, and can ingratiate yourself within the hierarchy that serves a god, given enough time to understand the nature of that god.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
As an apprentice, you were shaped by the shaman you served under. Those who trained with a gentle, wise shaman are likely to follow in their footsteps, while the former servants of the cruel and tyrannical shy away from anger and harm. Most apprentices are assumed to be meek and mild-mannered, but there is much that brews just under the surface for those who have long been kept quiet.

Bear Clan
You are one of the strong, the bold, the unstoppable Bear Clan, glad worshipers of Unkillable Urhosh the Bear God. Your people wrestle with bears and half-giants, feast on honeycomb and fresh-caught fish, and know what it is to laugh and boast all night at a banquet table set at the mouth of the very cave of a god.

The Bear Clan teaches its people to live life to the fullest, believing the value of life is in joy and courage. As a member of one of the three Brother Clans, you command respect in the Great Valley and are used to having more than enough of everything, in the bounty of Urhosh. How has being accustomed to honor and plenty shaped you?

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Animal Handling
Tool Proficiencies: Cook’s utensils, butcher’s tools
Equipment: A club, a set of common clothes, a bone trophy from a bear-wrestling competition, and a belt pouch containing honeycomb, spices, and patches of pelt worth up to 15 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: MASTER OF THE FEAST
You know how to bring people together around a table. With sufficient supplies and time, you can prepare an impressive meal. Where food is plentiful, you know how to be an entertaining host, and can earn the favor of strangers with jokes, boasting, and good cheer around the table over the course of a meal.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
The Bear Clan is seen as a bunch of boastful, gluttonous brawlers—and the best of allies to have by your side in a fight. Known for their gregarious spirits, love of laughter and feasts, and irrepressible nature, the Bear Clan is the heart of the Great Valley. Not everyone from the Bear Clan is equally bold and boisterous, but an undercurrent of confidence is a hallmark of the children of the Unkillable.

Captive
Against your will, you have spent time in the service of others, such as the Giant Empires, raiders, or a hostile clan. Whether by force or trickery, you were captured in the past, and have dwelt among your enemies, doing menial labor while suffering want, hunger, and danger. Who were your captors and how were you captured? How long were you in their service? Were you passed from captor to captor, or have you been subject to one individual your entire length of service? What do you remember from your life before servitude? What were your hopes and dreams before your capture, and how do those differ from your desires now?

Skill Proficiencies: Stealth, Perception
Tool Proficiencies: Mender’s tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: Mender’s tools, a set of tattered clothes, a handheld keepsake of your original home, and ragged cast-offs stolen from your captors worth up to 5 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: OVERHEARD SECRET
Through your time in forced service, you overheard valuable secret knowledge that may be of great use to you or to others. This could be unknown lore, the location of an object of great value or power, dangerous plans, a weakness that can be exploited, or some other secret. Work with your DM to determine exactly what you overheard.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Being captured and held against your will can happen to anyone, and can have myriad effects on personality, outlook, and character. Former captives have been through true suffering and terror, and may be meek or aggressive, composed or wild. Some have sworn powerful oaths during their times of captivity that they must see through, others wish nothing more than to simply live as they see fit in the moment.

CaretakerYou love and understand children, and they love and listen to you. Your natural way with the young led you to a place of honor as primary guardian over one or more children, whether they were your blood kin or not. The young life or lives in your care meant everything to you, but now something has changed that is summoning you outwards into adventure.

Discuss your family with your DM, and decide whether the children in your care were your offspring, adopted by you, or put under your care by another such as an elder or shaman. What is the condition of those who were in your care? Are they thriving and old enough to take care of themselves? Did they meet an untimely end, and if so, how did that affect you? Or did they vanish, leaving you bound and determined to cross the world to bring them home safely?

Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Insight
Tool Proficiencies: Cook’s utensils, gaming set, mender’s tools
Equipment: Cook’s utensils, a child’s toy, a soft blanket, a set of common clothes, and a caretaker’s satchel containing thread, a bone needle, soothing balm, clean leaves, a ration of nuts and dried berries, and materials worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: GOOD WITH CHILDREN
Young children instinctively like and trust you. They are eager to involve you in their games and tell you secrets, show you things they are proud of, and take actions to please you and win your approval. You are able to calm and soothe an upset child quickly, and have an instinctive sense of whether young children are being well cared for or mistreated.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Caretakers are typically canny, observant, and resourceful people who have spent a lot of time in a secret world with those in their charge, unknown to other adults. This special bond affects the way they look at life, giving them an unusual and valuable perspective.








VARIANT: CARETAKER OF THE INFIRM

Instead of children, you were the guardian of the elderly and infirm, those who could no longer hunt or contribute to the council of elders. You spent days in the cool of the tents or huts of your people, listening to stories and helping alleviate discomfort both physical and mental.

Discuss who was under your care with your DM, and decide who their living relatives are, and what their relationship with your charge was. Were they kind and concerned, or distant and disdainful? Do they trust you or hold you in suspicion? Did your charge let slip any important family secrets?

Rather than proficiency with a gaming set, you might have proficiency with a musical instrument of your choice. Your skill with children becomes similar skill with the elderly. And instead of a children’s toy, you can start with a bundle of beaded and painted sticks, which you can use to reenact the many stories handed down to you by your former ward.

Chieftain's Kin
You are the close blood of a clan’s chieftain, and expect honor and respect from those around you. You understand power and authority, and are used to being consulted for negotiations and important decisions. You may be next in line for leadership of the clan when this chieftain dies. Work with your DM to determine the nature of the clan and your relationship to the chieftain.

How has being raised in proximity to power shaped you? Do you consider yourself better than others, or see your authority as a responsibility and obligation? If you are to rule the clan, do you embrace that role or chafe under it?

Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: Ceremonial supplies, butcher’s tools
Equipment: A symbol of authority (such as a headdress, staff, or pendant), a set of fine clothes, an intricately carved piece of jade-and-ivory given to you by the chieftain, and a belt pouch containing rare spices, crystals, and finely-worked arrowheads worth up to 25 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: CLAN DEFERENCE
You carry an air of authority that’s obvious for all to see. Low-status clan members seek to earn your favor and defer to you on decisions, and high-status clan members recognize you as worthy of their attention. People assume you have the right to be wherever you are, and you can gain the right to approach the chieftain of a local clan.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Those who have spent much time in the tents of the powerful understand the ways in which power flows. Each chieftain’s family is different, but they are often seen as privileged, used to comfort and deference, and skilled in a certain degree of scheming and politics.

Crafter
You are blessed with skilled hands and a sharp mind, and have a knack for creating items of great use or beauty out of common materials. Most crafters hone these abilities over years of dedicated practice, forsaking the glory of the hunt to spend their days toiling over the tiny details of knapped stone and bound leather.

Consider which tools and materials you know best. What attracted you to working with these materials? How long have you been dedicated to the work of a crafter? Did you have a mentor in your crafting, or have you simply followed your own natural talents and curiosity?

Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: Choose two of these types of crafter’s tools: stonecrafter, bonecrafter, woodcrafter, or leatherworker.
Equipment: A set of crafter’s tools, a set of common clothes, a specialized tool you invented that makes your craft easier, and a belt pouch containing leather straps, obsidian flakes, oils, adhesives, and other supplies worth up to 20 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: CRAFTWORK
Your skills are useful no matter where you go, and you can always find enough work among other mortals to earn you a night’s rest and sufficient food and drink for the day. This work may involve repairs, advising, skilled labor, or enhancing existing structures or crafted items. In addition, your work may be recognized by other practitioners of your chosen craft, and you are generally respected by common folk.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Focused, precise, and a bit obsessive, crafters are known for their tireless efforts to build, combine, and construct materials that enhance their odds of survivals and raise the standard of living for their clans. Crafters go far beyond shaping knives and tanning hides. They construct elaborate dwellings, clever traps, and specialized tools, and are generally thought to have a certain degree of ego about their skills.

Edgegatherer
Those who hail from Edgegather have lived in the City on the Edge (p. 169), a settlement built on a cliff over a deadly jungle, with Blood Mountain looming high above. In Edgegather, the music never ceases, there’s always a party or festival or celebration, and the venomwine flows freely. But for every pot raised in cheer, there’s a scavenger waiting to cut a drunkard’s throat, a storyteller looking for fools to swindle, or a monster-hunter looking for a fight.

In Edgegather, the tricks you play to stay ahead are the ones that keep you alive. Edgegatherers have a reputation for being liars, entertainers, gamblers, and revelers. How did you spend your time in the Drunken City? Did you enter fully into the festival atmosphere, or merely pick up a few tricks while busy about more sober matters? Are you proud of your rakish reputation as an Edgegatherer, or do you try to avoid discussing your background?

Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, Deception
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A scouting hoop, a set of common clothes, a woven bag with a concealed pocket at the bottom, and a belt pouch containing wooden jewelry, dried jungle berries, and carved bone figurines worth up to 15 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: SETTLEMENT SAVVY
You know your way around large settlements and crowds of people. You can make your way through crowded areas easily, and know how to find places in cities where people gather to drink, rest, or rule. You can quickly make an acquaintance in a new city or large settlement who will give you a broad idea of the layout and politics of the place. Additionally, you can gather and entertain a small crowd on the street with sleight of hand and party tricks for up to five minutes.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Anyone from Edgegather is assumed to be a drunkard, a swindler, a show-off, and an entertaining companion with more good stories than just about anyone. In a city given to revelry, most survive by adopting a festive mood—even if it masks darker secrets below the surface.

Free Citizen
Everyone knows the story of Free Citadel (p. 199)—how a secret conspiracy of enslaved captives in a mountain stronghold of the Stone Empire rose up in unison and slew their giant captors, overthrowing them in a single day and taking over their high-walled city. Since that day, the Stone Empire has sought to retake the city innumerable times, but its strong defenses and the proud spirit of those who live within it keep it free and in the hands of mortals.

As a citizen of Free Citadel, you have walked proud and tall in stone halls and plazas carved by giants. You may have gone on vault-cracking ventures to seek the undiscovered treasures buried below the city, or helped erect the tent districts that fill grand chambers and plazas. How has spending time in the liberated city shaped your view of the world of mortals and giants?

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Insight
Tool Proficiencies: Thieves’ tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A staff or lever, a set of common clothes, a giant’s ring worn as an armband, and a belt pouch containing woven cloth, salt, and chipped gemstones worth up to 15 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: INSPIRING REPUTATION
Mortals everywhere have heard the tale of Free Citadel and its overthrow of the giant lords who ruled it. The first time a group of mortals hears you come from the Citadel, they are likely to be friendly towards you and provide you with food, drink, and other easily-obtained provisions, if they have some to spare, in exchange for your account of the city and its liberation. Additionally, you can give a rousing speech about defeating impossible odds and stir a crowd to heroics, recruiting a handful of common mortals to fight alongside you—though they may flee quickly once real combat starts.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Those who dwell within the towering walls of the mountain citadel are considered leaders and heroes to the people of the Great Valley—living proof that the giant empires need not oppress mortals forever. The archetypal Free Citizen is bold and upright, committed to freedom and loyalty, with a little giantish wealth and knowledge to throw around and a bit of a tendency to show off.

Gatherer
You dedicated yourself to the art of finding food in the wilderness. While the hunters stalked their quarry, you circled the land, unearthing hidden provisions that fed you and your people. You know how to keep your eyes open and notice small details, hints of plenty buried almost out of sight. You know the properties of berries and mushrooms, barks and roots, beetles and fish, honey and water. What strange sights have you glimpsed while walking alone in the wilderness?

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Gatherer’s supplies, mapmaker’s tools
Equipment: A set of gatherer’s supplies, a set of common clothes, a strangely-shaped object 3 inches long that you found while gathering and have yet to identify, and a belt pouch containing lichens, barks, berries, rare stones, and mushrooms worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: SHARP-EYED FORAGER
When foraging for food in the wilderness, you gather double the normal amount, thanks to your knowledge of nature’s bounty. In addition, you excel at picking out small details in a crowded environment, such as a forest or marketplace, as long as you know what you’re looking for. If you are familiar with an object or have had it described in detail, you can notice its presence if you see it.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Gatherers play a vital, but little-respected role in clan life. They generally occupy a low-status position, and are thought of as the common folk, less heroic than hunters and less mystical than shamans. This everyday role shapes many gatherers into quiet observers, who have their own ways of moving through the world, and are used to solitude, peace and quiet, and following their instincts to discover that which interests them.

Hunter
You have stalked quarry across the wide wilderness, fought hand-to-hand to bring down beasts, faced fang and horn for the good of your people. You were known as a hunter, one of the strong and brave ones on whom others depend for their survival and protection. Your natural abilities, honed by years of practice and experience, are sharpened for one purpose—bringing down prey. Did you tend to hunt beasts for food or monsters to protect your people? Did you have a favorite prey? How did the violence of the hunt affect you? Do you crave excitement and danger? Do you channel thirst for violence into the hunt, or do you see it as a noble calling, something you do with respect, for the good of the people who depend on you?

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Butcher’s tools, gaming set
Equipment: A set of butcher’s tools, a set of common clothes, a trophy from a hunt you’ll never forget, and a belt pouch containing pelts, ivory, antlers, and claws worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: HUNTING TALES
You have thrilling stories of your times on the hunting trail
and can entertain a gathered crowd by recounting your adventures in the wilderness. You are at ease with other hunters, and can find common ground swapping tales of the hunt. Using these contacts, you can learn general information about an area—common prey and predators, notable geographical features or environmental hazards, and a general sense of weather patterns and animal movements.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
While loitering around the encampment, hunters are generally seen as lazy braggarts and gamblers. But once the call goes out for nearby quarry, they spring into action with focus and ferocity. Hunters are a culture of their own, jockeying for position and status on the hunt, seeking the killing blow, eager to win glory and provide for their people.

Keeper of Beasts
As long as you can remember, you have had a way with animals. They trust and understand you, and you find them comforting and noble. You’ve used this skill to survive by traveling among herds, tending to the needs of a dire beast, or helping your people tame and train animals to live alongside them. You know how to stare down angry beasts, how to butcher a fallen creature so its death is not a waste, and the things animals need to feel safe and secure. What kind of animals did you tend? Did you have a special connection to one beast in particular? How did you come to discover your connection with animals? Were you respected among your people for your abilities with beasts, or seen as odd?

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Intimidation
Tool Proficiencies: Butcher’s tools, vehicles (land)
Equipment: A set of butcher’s tools, a set of common clothes, a keepsake from the beasts you tend (such as a bundle of feathers, a broken tusk or horn, or a satchel of scales or quills), and a belt pouch containing food for beasts, wool, a chewed toy, and salt crystals worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: GOOD WITH ANIMALS
If you approach a beast of a type with which you are familiar in a non-aggressive fashion, its instinct is to trust you, even if it doesn’t trust others of your kind. The beast may or may not listen to that instinct, depending on its experience and other forces at work. Beasts that know you like you and seek to please and obey you to the best of their ability, but will not fight for you unless you have formed a special bond with them.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
It takes a certain kind of soul to spend their days in the company of wild beasts—for even the best-bred creatures in Planegea are only a generation or two from feral. Most keepers of beasts are empathetic, observant, and at least a little off-putting to other mortals in their manner of talk.

Lion Clan
You belong to the far-seeing Lion Clan, and revere the infinite gaze of Glelh the Unblinking. You were taught to be stoic, to never show discomfort, and to remove yourself from the physical world in order to better perceive reality. Your people emphasize taking the long view, enduring all things with a peaceful heart as you study the world and reflect its truth and beauty in art. The slopes of the Lion Clan’s summer territory are covered in paint, sculptures, bright powders, and creations of all kinds to beautify the open air.

How did spending time in the Lion Clan shape you? Do you regard suffering as trivial? Do you see everything through the lens of perspective, with an artist’s eye? Or did you struggle to find your way with the clan, preferring to be present and engage with the world, rather than passively observing?

Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Performance
Tool Proficiencies: Artist’s supplies, weaver’s tools
Equipment: A set of artist’s supplies, a set of colorful common clothes, a collection of dyes and brightly colored powders, and a belt pouch containing carved trinkets and a saurian totem worth up to 15 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: ARTIST’S EYE
You know how to appreciate and understand artwork, having spent time surrounded by artists of all kinds in your clan. You grasp the subtleties of aesthetic work, and can discuss its details with an artisan, even if you’re not skilled in the production of the work. Artists and artisans see you as a person of taste and are inclined to regard you as friendly and trustworthy. They are willing to lend you supplies and offer advice and information as you request.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Lion Clan members are seen as aloof artists, who endure all pain and suffering without any reaction but to create. They are believed by most to be a little eerie—rumors say they never sleep in tents, even in the rain or wind, lying on the hard ground instead. They are also said to be unfeeling, and a little cruel, having no sympathy for the suffering of others.

Outcast
Rejected, exiled, abandoned, banished—there are many words for one who has been shunned by those they once counted as family. Cut off from your clan or community, you now travel the world as one with no past and no way to go home again, with those who once loved you now utterly opposed to ever seeing your face again. You have been forced to learn to watch and listen, to survive on your own. You had no choice.

Discuss your banishment with your DM. What clan or community were you banished from? Was it your fault? Did you commit an unforgivable crime or sin? Were you innocent, framed by someone else, or the victim of a misunderstanding? Or was your banishment part of a ritual, ceremony, or act of devotion to a god which required the relational sacrifice of a community member in good standing? Did everyone agree with your banishment, or are there those who would welcome your return?

Skill Proficiencies: Stealth, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Gatherer’s supplies
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A ceremonially broken symbol of your old community, a set of tattered clothes, a set of gatherer’s supplies, and a hastily fashioned bundle containing a cooking knife, a small keepsake such as a carving or a necklace, ashes from the ceremonial fire, a ration of dried meat, and materials worth 5 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: SHELTER-FINDER
You can easily find shelter in even adverse conditions, quickly creating a buffer between you and the elements. You know how to build shelters that are well concealed from predators and other sentient beings. While inside the shelter you are shielded from typical weather conditions such as rain, wind, snow, etc. These shelters can easily accommodate one creature of your own size, but with help and sufficient time and materials you can expand them to accommodate more or larger creatures.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Being cast out from everything you once knew changes a person. Some are made bitter by the change, others desire nothing more than to prove their innocence, while others simply move on. Use this table to inspire your character:

Raider
You have lived by preying upon the weak, raiding the settlements of mortals to take what they have hunted or gathered. You might have served a warlord or other raid-chieftain, or even led your own band of raiders. You understand how thin the line is between hunting beasts
and hunting mortals, and have smelled the acrid smoke of burning settlements that fell to your attack.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land), one type of gaming set
Equipment: A shield, a set of common clothes, a war-mask, and a belt pouch containing gems and carved ornaments worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: KNOWN FOR TROUBLE
People you encounter are unnerved and intimidated by your raider’s swagger and the dangerous gleam in your eye. Unarmed strangers are hesitant to challenge you, even if you go where you aren’t wanted, thanks to your bad reputation and obvious taste for trouble.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Raiders are an unwanted blight—a predatory, violent sort who take what others have worked for. Rowdy and uncouth, with no more culture than a pack of wolves, most raiders live for the moment, with no loyalty or creed beyond that of their pack.









VARIANT: SHARKSAIL
You’re no common land raider—you’re a sharksail, a proud pirate of the Scattersea. You’ve roved the waves, terrorizing the canoes and family boats of the Whale Clan, plundering villages and taking what you want for yourself. You may have even been inducted into the secretive Shark Clan, learning the name of their god, which is kept secret to outsiders.

If you decide to use this variant, change your proficiencies from Athletics to Nature and from land vehicles to sea vehicles.

Savant
You always stood out as strange. Whether gifted with an uncommon mind, arcane talents, druidic interests, or an unwillingness to follow tradition, your particular gifts led to a life set apart from the rest of your people. Perhaps you spent your days scribbling spell designs on walls, or coaxing magic from your fingertips. Whatever you did, it wasn’t something you could explain to the others, and so you learned to lie about where you had been and what you had been doing. There, out of sight, you taught yourself to follow your instincts, until the day you were ready to strike out on your own.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Deception
Tool Proficiencies: Mapmaker’s tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A set of mapmaker’s tools, a set of common clothes, a half-constructed talisman, and a belt pouch containing chalk, dried berries and meat, and semi-rare stones worth up to 10 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: HIDDEN TALENT
You know how to go about your work in secret. Even in a busy environment and under close scrutiny, given a little time, you can find somewhere out of sight—such as an abandoned structure, an unattended cave, or a quiet grove—in which to carry out experiments, preparations, training, and research.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Those who have had to conceal their secret knowledge or talents trust themselves above all. They may be eager to share what they know with willing listeners, or guarded, unwilling to speak of their discoveries, even to those they trust. Savants are, first and foremost, concerned with continuing to pursue that which they alone know to be true, and tend to be dedicated, focused, and intense.

Seerfallite
You were raised among the mystical secrets and sacred rites of Seerfall, the shamanic sanctuary in the heart of the Slumbering Forest. You wandered the bright booths of the totem-markets, the haunted halls that weave between the Seven Waterfalls, hearing and seeing every kind of worship in every language. For you, shamans and spirits, gods and visitants are all too commonplace.

How did you come to be raised at Seerfall? Were your parents shamans? Are you the offspring of a god? Or were you born of the craftspeople and servants that keep the sanctuary alive? How did growing up in such a sacred place affect your view of the divine? Do you take gods for granted, seeing them as one more kind of person? Or are you deeply reverent, understanding that there are numberless ways to worship and that each holds its own power?

Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: Ceremonial supplies
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A set of ceremonial supplies, a set of ceremonial clothes, a tiny fiend or celestial sealed in amber, and a belt pouch containing feathers, beads, twine, incense, and crystals worth up to 20 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: WELL-CONNECTED
Growing up in Seerfall offered you the opportunity to interact with the powerful—both those who dwell there and those who made pilgrimages to the sanctuary to seek blessing or guidance. You know a powerful figure such as a chieftain, a high shaman, or a god. Work with your DM to determine who your connection is, but this person knows you, trusts you, and wishes to do you good, within the limits of their role and responsibilities.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
They say that those who hail from Seerfall are either mystics or mockers. Growing up around so much divine magic either heightens your spirituality and sensitivity to wonder or utterly deadens it. Either way, Seerfall folk are said to be versed in lore and cunning, if a little entitled, thanks to the constant streams of offerings that make their way to the lonely sanctuary.

Storyteller
You are a natural entertainer, with a gifted tongue and a knack for gathering an audience and having them hang on your every word. You are versed in countless stories, and have made your living by spellbinding crowds with your ability to make even well-known tales come alive
as if for the first time. You have perfected your art over time, knowing when to hold people in suspense for your next heartbreaking word, and when to pour out a tumble of delicious wordplay that will delight and inspire all who hear you. How did you learn to tell stories? Was it always a natural talent, or were you mentored by a relative or another older storyteller?

Skill Proficiencies: History, Performance
Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A musical instrument of your choice, a set of common clothes, a pouch of sands that can cause a fire to flare various colors, and a belt pouch containing costume jewelry and small whistles and chimes worth up to 15 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: WELCOME AT THE FIRE
You make your way by telling stories, and those who hear you speak recognize your gift with words. You can entertain an audience for an evening, and be rewarded with food, water, and a comfortable place to sleep. Additionally, people are eager to share their stories with you, and you find it easy to pick up rumors and tall tales, given a few hours in a new place.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
Storytellers are typically a flamboyant folk who are most at ease when the eyes of all are upon them. The typical storyteller is gregarious, spontaneous, and enjoys the attention and the flattery of others—although whether that’s their true self or merely the face they show the world is known only to the storyteller and those to whom they choose to tell the truth.

Trader
You have survived this long not by hunting or gathering, nor by kneeling to gods or chieftains, but by hard work, acumen, and a knack for knowing what people want and how to get it for them. You are a master of bartering, and have traveled far and wide collecting items of value and interest from one area, swapping them at another, and keeping a bit more for yourself. You speak many languages and are at ease with strangers, knowing that trade is the most universal language of all.

How did you come into a life of trade? Did it begin with the discovery of a single valuable item, or were you brought into a life of barter from a young age? How far have your travels taken you? Do you tend to exchange the same types of items, specializing in a certain set of wares, or are you always on the lookout for something new and strange?

Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A set of counting sticks, a set of common clothes, a trinket from your first major trade, and a belt pouch containing gems, salt, and baubles worth up to 25 ps in the Great Valley.

FEATURE: SET UP SHOP
It’s the most natural thing in the world for you to begin
trading when you come to a new place. You can offer goods and services for barter in a shared space such as the edge of a clanfire, the fields outside an encampment, or a public market. Those in authority will assume you are legitimate, and you can usually trade whatever you have for items of slightly greater value, given sufficient time to negotiate.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS
In a world constantly on the move, traders are seen as the greatest of travelers, and are assumed to be wise in the ways of the world and knowledgeable about its rumors and news. Traders tend to be likable, easygoing folk, and know how to read others and make them feel important while walking away with the better end of a deal.