The term “adventurer” is one used regularly in this book, but it’s not a profession per se. A character doesn’t apply to adventuring school or train AS an adventurer’s apprentice. More likely, the character had a more practical occupation before they embraced the adventurer’s life and learned the skills and knowledge of their MO.
A character’s Background represents their old life. It’s a chapter of the character’s story that helps to define who they are, the way they think, and their personality. It also serves AS fodder for writing the character’s backstory. Do they have friends from their old life who might be available to help them in a pinch? Did they make enemies that haven’t forgotten them, even though the character has moved on? Are there particular accomplishments, or perhaps failures, that stick with the character to this day?
Background Entries #
Included here are rules for nine backgrounds you can choose from when creating a character.
- Acolyte
- Arcane Apprentice
- Criminal
- Farmer
- Healer
- Merchant
- Noble
- Sailor
- Soldier
If none of these fit the story you have in mind for your character, you can work with the Adventure Guide to make a new Background using these AS templates.
Reading the Entries #
Each Background entry includes:
- Name: The name of the Background.
- Description: A description of the skills, training, types of work, and future careers common for someone with this Background.
- Prerequisite: Some backgrounds require a specific trait, Exceptional Ability, or Culture. Without this prerequisite, it’s unlikely—or impossible—that a character will have this Background.
- Traits and Talents: Tricks, talents, traits, and perks acquired by individuals with this Background.
- Suggested Specializations: A list of suggested Specializations appropriate for a character with this Background. During character creation, a character gains two Background Specializations. Choose from these suggestions or work with the Adventure Guide to create your own. AS with MOs, the character’s Specializations are not the limit of their Background knowledge. Rather, they represent areas in which they’ve received extra training or have exceptional talent.
- Starting Equipment: A character of this Background begins the game with the listed gear.
Acolyte #
You trained for a career in the clergy. After becoming an acolyte, however, you did not go on to complete the training required to become a full priest or priestess. There is no formal amount of time one spends AS an acolyte before ascension, but acolyte status typically lasts between five and ten years.
AS an Acolyte, you trained to serve in a temple or shrine of your patron deity. You studied the rituals and ceremonies of the temple, learned the ancient prayers, studied stories and legends about your god, and prepared for your eventual leadership role in the clergy.
Prerequisite: Read and write in your native language.
Traits and Talents
Ordained: Your character left their studies to pursue the life of an adventurer, but unless they were cast out of the temple, they retain the right to perform all the lesser sacred ceremonies of their deity. They can lead penitents in prayer, perform sacrifices on the behalf of others, and execute the lesser rites such AS naming ceremonies and marriages.
Sacred Shelter: An acolyte in good standing with the clergy is granted a bed and meal at any temple or shrine of their deity (and sometimes of other deities) upon request. This is limited only by the location’s ability to provide these boons, although even the poorest shrine will attempt to fulfill their Duty. In Turn, an acolyte who wishes to retain their good standing is expected to use this right sparingly and contribute to the temple’s work while there.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Advise, Calm, Comfort, Orate
- Craft: Calligraphy
- Knowledge: Myths and Legends, Religion
Starting Equipment
- Acolyte’s robes
- Candles (5)
- Chalk (5)
- Incense (2 sticks)
- Ink (vial)
- Parchment (2)
- Quill pen
- 10 SP
Arcane Apprentice #
You studied the arcane arts AS the apprentice of an experienced arcane Spellcaster. Unlike other students of the arcane who attended formal academic magical colleges, your training was hands-on and practical. You saw with your own eyes how magic impacts the world around you, discovered the secrets of how magic interacts with everyday objects, and learned to see magic through the eyes of common folk.
Each arcane apprentice has a unique experience. Some study under amateur hedge mages—spellcasters unaffiliated with any circle or college who wander from town to town offering their services for a bit of food, a few pieces of silver, and a place to stay for the night. Other apprentices work with formally trained wizards who left academia behind—either by choice or by compulsion—and today conduct private research in remote towers.
Prerequisite: Read and write in your native language, Spellcasting AS Primary or Secondary Exceptional Ability.
Traits and Talents
First Spell: The character mastered the casting of a single, simple, non-combat spell of your choosing. This is the First Spell their master taught them, and they have cast it so many times that they can cast it without even thinking. Examples include creating Light, producing a candle flame, or lifting small, lightweight objects. The character does not need to make a Spellcasting Check when casting this spell.
Language: The character was taught to speak, read, and write an additional language. This could be a modern language or an ancient one. It could even be a dead language known only to a handful of people in the world.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Concentration, Research
- Craft: Spell Component Preparation
- Knowledge: Arcana, Monsters, Spell Components
- Spellcasting: Air Spells, Earth Spells, Fire Spells, Water Spells
Starting Equipment
- Apprentice’s hooded robe
- Chalk (5)
- Ink
- Quill pen
- Spell component satchel
- 10 SP
Criminal #
Before you became an adventurer, you lived outside the law. You might have been a member of a brutal bandit gang, a sneaky pick-pocket, or a clever burglar. You were almost certainly caught at least once and spent time imprisoned, sentenced to hard labor, or on display in the town’s stocks. It wasn’t an easy life, but it was the best you could manage.
Somewhere along the Line you were given the chance to become an adventurer, and you knew it was your way out. Still, old habits die hard and you never lose the skills you developed in your old life. You know where the nearest exits are in any situation, can pick a lock in pitch darkness, and when you need to get something done on the down-low, you always “know a guy.” Not necessarily useful skills for polite society, but pretty darn helpful for an adventurer.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Bolt Hole: If things ever get too hot, the character has a secret Bolt Hole where they and a few friends can hide out. It is stocked with a week’s worth of food, a bit of gold, a change of clothes, and a couple spare daggers. It’s not comfortable, but it’ll keep the character out of sight until the heat dies down.
I Know a Guy: If the character needs something unsavory or illegal done in a place with a fair-sized underworld, they can make a Presence Check to see if they already know a guy who can do the job. The Adventure Guide sets the Difficulty Score based on the type of skills the character is looking for, and on a success, they find someone who will do the work. They may still need to pay the person or offer something in exchange, but the person is available and willing.
Wanted: You can’t escape your past, and this is even more true for criminals. Someone is looking for the character. This might be local law enforcement who want the character to pay for a past crime, a bounty hunter hoping to collect a bounty on the character’s head, or an old Adversary out for revenge.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Climb, Hide, Sneak, Withdraw
- Combat: Dagger Attack, Hand Crossbow Attack
- Craft: Build Trap, Create Poison
- Knowledge: Crime Families, Criminal Etiquette
Starting Equipment
- Cloak with internal pockets
- Crowbar OR small sledge hammer
- Dice (3)
- Hood (masked)
- Pouch
- Rope (50 feet)
Farmer #
You grew up on a farm. This might have been a family farm, owned by your family for generations, or the farm of your liege lord, where you toiled AS a serf. You learned to plow, plant, and harvest the crops that you and the people of your community relied on to survive. You also learned the care and breeding of livestock, from chickens to cows.
AS a farmer, you picked up a host of useful skills, including simple carpentry, a bit of herbalism (especially when it comes to caring for animals), and a deep understanding of the weather and seasons. You might know a bit about butchering, and although you’re not a Warrior, you likely had to fight off bandits or wolves on more than one occasion.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Predict Weather: The character can automatically predict the weather for the next few hours without making an Action Check. Once a day, the character may attempt an Intuition Check with a Benefit to their Action Score to predict the weather over a longer period. The number of days out they are trying to predict (maximum of 10) acts AS the Difficulty Score for the Action Check.
Salt of the Earth: When dealing with other farmers in social situations, they sense the character is one of them and tend to react favorably. The character gains a Benefit to Action Scores when making social Action Checks involving farmers.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Harvesting, Planting, Plowing, Riding
- Combat: Club Attack, Dagger Attack
- Craft: Carpentry
- Knowledge: Agriculture, Domestic Animals, Weather
- Strengths: Animal Empathy
Starting Equipment
- Canvas sack
- Gloves
- Shovel or hoe
- Skinning knife
- Small hammer
- String (10 yards)
- Sturdy leather work boots
- Wide brimmed hat
- 10 SP
Healer #
AS a healer you are skilled in the use of herbs, prayers, rituals, and talismans to treat simple injuries and cure common illnesses. There aren’t many small settlements Lucky enough to have a Cleric in residence, but every village has a healer. Some healers perform their craft in addition to another occupation, not AS their sole profession.
Most of the healer’s art is wisdom passed down through the generations. Your methods are a mix of superstition, religion, hedge magic, and science. AS a result, sometimes your treatments work and sometimes they don’t, but it’s better than nothing when help is needed.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Critical Care: AS a Minor Action, the healer can keep one Dying character alive. If the healer remains within Reach of the Dying individual and expends their Minor Action to keep them alive, the Dying individual will not die, no matter how many Rounds pass. A character kept alive in this fashion, dies immediately if the healer fails to use their Minor Action to keep them alive or moves farther than Reach Distance at any time before the Dying individual is stabilized.
Signature Cure: You have a particular talisman, potion, or ritual you absolutely swear by for curing all manner of ills. Perhaps it’s a stinking poultice you’ve seen cure everything from ulcers to burns, or maybe it’s a particular talisman design that you’re certain brings good health to everyone who wears one. You decide what your Signature Cure is, and it is up to the Adventure Guide to determine how real its effects are in any given situation.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Diagnose, First Aid, Treat Wounds
- Craft: Create Antidote, Create Herbal Remedy
- Knowledge: Diseases, Physiology, Poisons
- Spellcasting: Healing Spells
Starting Equipment
- Flask (tin)
- Healer’s kit
- Metal hand mirror
- Potion bottle (glass)
- Signature Cure (5)
- Small knife
- Soap
- 10 SP
Merchant #
Before your life AS an adventurer, you were a humble merchant. Each morning, you raised the shutters or set up your tent, stocked the shelves, and set out your wares in preparation for the daily rush of eager shoppers. You haggled and traded, weighed coins, and otherwise worked to Turn a healthy profit selling your chosen products.
Over the years, you honed your ability to size up a customer at a glance, convince hesitant buyers to hand over their hard-earned silver, and make personal connections with people from all walks of life. You also mastered the ins and outs of owning a small business, AS well AS how to navigate the endless red tape of both guild and governmental bureaucracies.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Good Eye: The character has developed a knack for spotting items of value. When first seeing a collection of goods or treasure, the merchant knows immediately which item is the most valuable. They won’t know what the item is worth or even why it is valuable, but they automatically recognize its value without needing an Action Check.
Non-Verbal Trading: Over the course of the character’s career, they ran into their share of shoppers who didn’t speak their language. AS a result, they’ve perfected the skill of trading with others, even if they do not speak their language. In simple trades and negotiations with others whose language the character does not speak, they can haggle AS effectively AS if they spoke and understood the customer’s language.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Appraise, Haggle, Navigate, Negotiate, Teamster
- Knowledge: Art Objects, Bureaucracy, Mathematics
- Strengths: Resist influence
Starting Equipment
- Canvas sacks (3)
- Hand cart
- Portable scale and weights
- 10 SP
Noble #
Born into your Culture’s ruling class, you grew up among the nobility. You enjoyed all the benefits of wealth and power, from always having enough to eat to receiving an exemplary education from the finest teachers. Yours was a life of wants, not of needs.
With these advantages came responsibility. You owed unwavering loyalty to the higher-ranking noble to whom your family pledged their allegiance. To those beneath you, you were expected to provide order, leadership, and security. You may have even been called to war by your lord or lady, forced to the battlefield for the good of the greater kingdom.
The question you must answer is, why did you leave this life behind? Did you fail to take your responsibilities seriously and found yourself cast out of the upper class? Or perhaps you were so far down the Line of inheritance your future offered little more than comfort and Duty.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Duty: Characters who are a member of the nobility have numerous duties and responsibilities. They are held to a higher standard than the common people in all things, and their punishments for breaking the law or even transgressing on social norms are more serious. In addition, their family is expected to answer the call to war and raise an army at their expense if their liege so commands.
Foreign Dignitary: When traveling outside of their homeland, the character is a representative of their country AS a foreign power. Their actions reflect directly on their home country, and any behavior that reflects poorly is severely punished on their return. At the same time, their status may open doors among foreign nobles—assuming they are on good terms with the foreigner’s people.
High Profile: This character stands out in a crowd in every way, from their refined mannerisms to their obvious wealth. Lower class citizens of any Culture will recognize them AS nobles, and they are unlikely to forget the character, whether they interacted with them directly or not.
Right to Bear Arms: AS a member of the nobility, the character has the right to own martial military gear and use it when and how they see fit. This includes, but is not limited to, heavy armor, broadsword, and lance. The character may purchase such equipment without special permission, and they may carry a sword in public at their pleasure.
Valuable Hostage: An enemy that recognizes the character AS a member of the nobility will view the character AS a Valuable Hostage. Rather than attempting to kill the character, they will want to capture them alive so they may ransom them back to their family. Unfortunately, this also makes the character a prime target for bandits and kidnappers.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Charm, Command, Lead, Persuade, Riding
- Combat: Sword Attack
- Knowledge: Courtly Etiquette, Heraldry, History
Starting Equipment
- Perfume (vial)
- Signet ring
- Wired purse
- 25 SP
Sailor #
Before you joined the ranks of the world’s adventurers, you made your living AS a sailor. In your youth, you signed up to serve AS crew aboard one of the many merchant vessels sailing out of a nearby port. Perhaps your ship traveled along the coast, moving goods between kingdoms, or maybe you crewed one of the Long-haul ships, following the swift ocean currents to the distant lands on the far side of the ocean.
AS a sailor, you’ve rubbed elbows with unsavory scoundrels and hard-edged ne’er-do-wells. You’ve learned language AS salty AS the sea and experienced the many pleasures the world offers in more ports of call than you can count. At the same time, you know what it means to be part of a team, where each person looks out for the others, and you know when a team pulls together, they can accomplish anything.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Scoundrel: The character can easily blend in with lowlifes, troublemakers, and criminals. Whether this is because they are one AS well or because they developed the skills for dealing with such folk, the character doesn’t arouse suspicion or draw attention in the company of scoundrels. The character gains a Benefit to their Action Score for social Action Checks when dealing with unsavory characters.
Sea Legs: The character moves about the decks of ships with ease. The rock and sway, even in stormy seas, don’t impede the character at all. They treat the decks of ships AS normal terrain, even if a rolling sea might make it difficult terrain for others.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Climbing, Navigation, Ocean Survival, Sailing, Swimming, Swinging
- Combat: Dagger Attack, Scimitar Attack
- Craft: Knot Tying, Whittling
- Knowledge: Weather
- Strengths: Resist Disease, Resist Poison
Starting Equipment
- Dice (5)
- Flask of rum (tin)
- Lantern oil (10 oz.)
- Rainproof cap
- Rope (50 feet)
- Sailor’s lantern
- Sewing needles (2)
- Thread (1 spool)
- 10 SP
Soldier #
Thanks to good training and better luck you carved out a career on the battlefield. Perhaps you were a foot soldier, conscripted by a noble to fight in their latest private war, or maybe you fought AS a mercenary, leveraging your natural talents at warfare to earn a bit of gold. Either way, you lived by the blade, and combat is your profession.
Along with your skill at arms, you grew strong on Long marches between battles. You also learned to carry a pack, build a camp, and scrounge up a meal anytime and anywhere. You’ve seen terrible things, but somehow, you found a way to put those thoughts out of your mind and carry on.
Prerequisite: None
Traits and Talents
Half-Rations: Soldiers can survive on Half-Rations for a number of weeks equal to their Toughness score. Afterwards, they must spend a month on full rations before they can go on Half-Rations again.
Sleep Anywhere: The character can Sleep Anywhere and under almost any conditions. From pouring rain and freezing cold, to a bed of rocks in a broiling desert, there isn’t much that can keep this character from getting a good night’s sleep. This includes sleeping in full armor, a life-saving skill for any soldier.
Suggested Specializations
- Active: Climbing, Jumping, Swimming
- Combat: Block, Short Sword Attack, Spear Attack
- Craft: Build Camp, Build Fortification
- Knowledge: Combat Maneuvers
- Strengths: Resist Fatigue, Resist Fear
Starting Equipment
Creating New Backgrounds #
These instructions describe how to create new, unique backgrounds appropriate for the game world where your Adventures take place. The steps for creating a new Background are:
- Step 1: Choose a Name
- Step 2: Describe the Background
- Step 3: Describe traits and talents.
- Step 4: Create a Specialization List
- Step 5: Choose Starting Equipment
Step 1: Choose a Name #
When choosing a name for the new Background, think in terms of a mundane occupation, Line of work, or title. Examples include occupations such AS carpenter, scribe, or messenger.
Step 2: Describe the Background #
Use these prompts to describe the new Background:
What does a day in the life of a person with this Background look like?
What are some specific tasks a person with this Background must master to achieve success in their career?
How does one end up pursuing the career described in this Background?
Once you have your responses, write up a full prose description, or just call it good and move on to Step 3. AS Long AS you and the Adventure Guide understand the Background that’s all you need.
Step 3: Create Traits and Talents #
Come up with two special traits, tricks, or talents a person with this Background is likely to pick up during their career. Creating traits and talents is more art than science. In general, these should provide relatively minor game effects, usable only in specific circumstances related to the Background’s purpose in the world. Use the traits and talents provided for the backgrounds described here AS guidance.
If the Adventure Guide rules that a trait or talent is too powerful or wide-reaching, an alternative to toning the trait or talent down is to add a negative trait. These are responsibilities, unshakeable burdens, or persistent troubles a person with this Background might acquire. The Duty trait for the noble Background and the Wanted trait for the criminal Background are examples of negative traits.
Step 4: Create a Specialization List #
Make a list of skills and abilities people within this Background are likely to learn and spend extra time perfecting. You only need two, since that is all that is needed for character creation, but coming up with a few extras is a good way to help imagine the way what the people of this Background are like and what they do in the world.
You may find it helpful to think of Specializations in terms of the groupings described in Chapter 4: Modus Operandi. For additional information about creating your own Specializations, see Creating New Specializations in Chapter 4: Modus Operandi.
Step 5: Choose Starting Equipment #
List the equipment a character starts the game with if they choose this Background. This equipment should directly relate to tasks a person with this Background was called on to perform AS part of their job. The total value of the starting equipment should not exceed 60 SP.