Secondary Backgrounds
Secondary backgrounds are a way of customizing your character's background further. They are traits and experiences that are big enough that they would have an effect on how your character developed and what skills they have, but not so big that they can be a complete background on their own. Often they are prominent skills or personality traits that lead them down a certain path, or major life experiences that shaped them but didn't take up their entire past.
How to Use
Each secondary background has a list of traits associated with it. You can take as many or as few traits from the list as you want. Keep in mind that each trait has a cost—when you take it, you will have to give up something of equal value from your base background.
- If the trait gives you a skill, it will replace one of the skills you get from your base background.
- If a trait gives you a language or tool proficiency, it will replace either a language or a tool proficiency from your base background. You can replace a language with a tool proficiency and vice versa.
- If the trait gives you a background feature, it will replace the background feature you get from your base background.
Optional Rule: Two Background Features
Your DM can optionally allow everyone to take two background features, one from the base background and one from a secondary background. This rule may be suitable for epic campaigns where the player characters are larger than life and have accomplished more in their lives.
Animal Lover
You adore animals, and possibly care more about them than you do about other people. Your wealth of experience dealing with beasts combined with your enthusiasm for them lets you connect with them on a level the average person wouldn't understand.
Examples: a folk hero who grew up on the farm and became close to the livestock, a hermit who's only companion was their pet, a sage specializing in zoology.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Beast Handler. You have extensive experience with animals. Replace one skill with Animal Handling.
- Nature Admirer. You've studied the animal kingdom and other parts of nature as well. Replace one skill with Nature.
- Horse Rider. You know how to handle horses and other mounts or beasts of burden. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in Vehicles (Land).
- Petkeeping. Replace your background feature with the Petkeeping feature.
Feature: Petkeeping
You are very familiar with how to take care of commonly domesticated animals, such as dogs, cats, cows, horses, and so on. You will know what is appropriate to feed them, how and how often to clean them, and everything else you might need to know to take care of them. You may be able to do the same for more exotic animals if your backstory suggests you should, at the DM's discretion.
You will be able to teach basic tricks to common tamed animals without any issue, assuming the animal can learn tricks and is not rowdy, aggressive, frightened, or otherwise unreceptive. For example, you can teach a dog to sit, stay or heel, or teach a horse to handle a rider and perform different gaits on command.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | When I'm mad, I literally growl. |
| 2 | I talk to people like they're animals. |
| 3 | I talk to animals like they're people. |
| 4 | The idea of eating meat disgusts me. |
| 5 | I have a bad habit of assuming that wild animals are harmless and won't attack me. |
| 6 | I always travel with at least one pet by my side. If I don't leave on a trip with a pet, I'll come back with one. |
| 7 | Wildlife conservation is a big deal for me. |
| 8 | I want to adopt every cute little critter I come across. |
Beautiful
You have been blessed by your genetics with exceptionally attractive features. You have the luxury of being able to get by in life by your looks, though the amount you've taken advantage of this is up to you. You're used to turning heads and getting an odd amount of attention from strangers.
Examples: A charlatan who uses their looks to put their victims at ease, an entertainer who woos their fans with their musical talents and charming smile, an acolyte chosen to be the public face of their temple and use their beauty to draw in converts.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Charming Smile. Your beauty makes it easier to get what you want. Replace one skill with Persuasion.
- Aura of Grace. Your appearance makes people like to watch you more. Replace one skill with Performance.
- Makeup Artist. You have a lot of experience with clothing and makeup. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in disguise kits.
- Enchanting Appearance. Replace your background feature with the Enchanting Appearance feature.
Feature: Enchanting Appearance
Your appearance means that people who aren't already aggressive or hostile towards you may treat you differently. They will be more willing to interact with you or give you special treatment, especially if they are inclined to be attracted to your gender.
However, your interactions are more likely to be misinterpreted as flirtatious. Those who are helping you may attempt to make romantic moves on you, and will be upset if you reject them. They may even become angry if they believe you were leading them on intentionally. Those who see your beauty as a threat, such as someone who likes or is married to a person you are "flirting" with, may treat you with hostility.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I wish people would pay attention to the real me, not just my face. |
| 2 | With the impractical outfits I wear into battle, it's a wonder I'm still alive. |
| 3 | I jump at the chance to give anyone a makeover. |
| 4 | There's no shame in using my charm to get my way. |
| 5 | I'm worried my looks intimidate people. I don't think I'm better than you, I swear! |
| 6 | I strike a pose at any opportunity, even in the midst of battle. I don't realize I do this. |
| 7 | I am stubbornly oblivious about my own attractiveness. |
| 8 | I can't stand grime, so I clean myself obsessively. |
Blessed
You have procured a minor blessing from a powerful being, such as a fey, a celestial, a powerful wizard, or even a god. They gave you no tangible power, but you are marked by them in some subtle way that lets others know that you are favored. Most people with blessings are kind and caring, which is how they earned it in the first place, but others subvert that reputation.
Examples: An acolyte who received a blessing from their god for exceptional service, a noble blessed from birth to be a great and kind ruler, an urchin who's wish for some small material comfort was granted by a sympathetic being.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Animal Friends. For some reason, your blessing makes animals like you more. Replace one skill with Animal Handling.
- Esoteric Research. Your blessing has prompted you to learn more about the being that gave it to you. Replace one skill with either Religion or Arcana, depending on the nature of your blessing.
- Blessing of Speech. You were granted the language of the being who blessed you so that they could communicate with you. Replace one tool proficiency with an exotic language of your choice.
- Minor Blessing. Replace your background feature with the Minor Blessing feature.
Feature: Minor Blessing
The being that blessed you infused you with a small bit of magic so that you can prove you have their favor. Choose one small, harmless effect that could be generated by Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy, or Druidcraft. You may use this effect at will as an action.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a gentle disposition and am not one to start fights. |
| 2 | I believe I don't deserve my blessing. |
| 3 | Too often I invoke the fact that I'm blessed as a way to win arguments. |
| 4 | I help others compulsively. |
| 5 | I am deeply disappointed in how underwhelming my blessing's "powers" are. |
| 6 | Shallow kindness is the best way to hide my more selfish intentions. |
| 7 | I don't even know that I'm blessed. |
| 8 | I hope to someday draw more power from the being who blessed me. |
Changeling
You were not raised by parents of the same species as yourself. You could be a dwarf with adopted elf parents, or a tiefling brought up by halflings, or any other strange combination. Nurture has triumphed over nature in a lot of ways, so in many facets of life you act most similar to the ones who raised you. Still, the obvious physical differences between you and your kin set you apart in your community, in good ways and bad.
Examples: An elf guild artisan trained in blacksmithing by his adopted dwarf parents, a gnome hermit who wandered away from civilization after his short-lived human parents died, a human outlander raised by a herd of goliaths.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Changeling Skills. Replace one skill with any one skill that the race who raised you has as a racial feature.
- Changeling Education. Replace one language or tool proficiency with any one tool proficiency that the race who raised you learns as a racial feature.
- Native Language. Replace one language or tool proficiency with any one language that the race who raised knows as a racial feature.
- Multicultural. Replace your background feature with the Multicultural feature.
Feature: Multicultural
Growing up among a different race, you've had to compensate for your otherness by being very good with first impressions among them. Members of the race you were raised by are more likely to accept and trust you once you demonstrate literacy in their culture. They may be willing to share information, tips, and gossip with you that they would not normally disclose to an outsider. Members of your actual race may give you the same benefits, because they assume that you are already not an outsider by virtue of you physical features.
Suggested Characteristics
The personality traits of changelings vary wildly based on which race brought them up. When deciding your character's personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws, consider the cultural values they were likely raised in given their adopted parents.
Hybrid Races
Races with naturally mixed bloodlines, such as half-elves and half-orcs, do not count as changelings if they are raised by humans or whatever race makes up the other half of their bloodline. They are only changelings if raised by a race that has no genetic relation to them at all, such as dwarves or dragonborn.
Conspiracy Theorist
You are utterly convinced of some things that would make the average person roll their eyes. That "orc raid" ten years ago was faked by the government as an excuse to raise taxes, everyone in the royal court is a chromatic dragon in disguise, lich-worshipping cultists are putting poisons in the water that turn all the frogs gay, things like that. Few people believe you, they all call you mad, but you don't care. If being mad is what it takes to uncover the truth, you don't want to be sane.
Examples: An acolyte who quit their temple when they suspected an evil cult of heretics had infiltrated their ranks, a sage who was discredited after spouting his strange theories to impressionable students, a sailor who is sure that aberrant cryptids lurk in the oceans they used to sail.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Cult Conspiracies. Your obsession with secret cults has taught you a lot about religion. Replace one skill with Religion.
- Disaster Preparedness. You're positive that the world will end soon, as you've trained yourself to handle it. Replace one skill with Survival.
- Tongue of Secrets. To seek evidence for your theories, you've learned a language that's often used in old documents you're interested in. Replace one tool proficiency with an exotic language of your choice.
- Kernel of Truth. Replace your background feature with the Kernel of Truth feature.
Feature: Kernel of Truth
The conspiracies you rant about may sound like nonsense, but you're not completely wrong. A part of one of your pet theories is actually true, and may be the key to uncovering a great mystery or completing a segment of an epic quest. The downside is that this truth is surrounded by so much confusion that you will rarely be able to convince anyone of it.
Discuss with your DM the details of your conspiracy theory and its impact on the campaign. Your DM may choose not to disclose to you which part of the conspiracy theory is correct.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I wear special headwear to keep occult entities from reading my mind. |
| 2 | Some of my theories are a thinly veiled excuse for my preexisting biases. |
| 3 | I rebel against the establishment at every opportunity. |
| 4 | Marks of the cult that secretly runs the world are everywhere if you know how to look for them. |
| 5 | I always jump to the wildest, most out-there conclusions possible. |
| 6 | I trust no one but myself. |
| 7 | My friends might not believe me, but that won't stop me from keeping them safe. |
| 8 | Any evidence is enough evidence for me. |
Convict
You were convicted of a crime in the past and spent a significant amount of time imprisoned. Whether you were truly guilty or you were locked up by mistake, you've done your time and are free once again. Maybe your sentence taught you a lesson, but there's always a chance that you'll go back to your old ways.
Examples: A charlatan who got caught in a scheme, a criminal who's luck ran out, a hermit who used their time in solitary confinement to seek enlightenment.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Bad Reputation. Scaring off other prisoners kept you out of fights. Replace one skill with Intimidation.
- Contraband. You often had to keep small items smuggled into the prison a secret from the guards. Replace one skill with Sleight of Hand.
- Passing Time. You and other inmates played a lot of simple games to keep from going insane with boredom. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in dice sets.
- Prison Connections. Replace your background feature with the Prison Connections feature.
Feature: Prison Connections
While in prison, you made an alliance with a prison gang or other criminal organization. You have been given instructions on how to contact them on the outside in case you need their services. They will be able to get you information, help you avoid the authorities, supply you with contraband, and provide other illegal services of that nature.
Your actions in prison have earned you one free reasonable favor. After that is spent, taking advantage of your contact will either cost money or require you to do a favor for them in return.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | No one insults me and gets away with it. |
| 2 | I am trying my best to be a better, more law-abiding citizen. |
| 3 | After the slop they fed me in prison, I think everyone's cooking is amazing. |
| 4 | I won't stop insisting that I'm innocent until everyone believes me. |
| 5 | I have zero trust in law enforcement or the justice system. |
| 6 | I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. |
| 7 | I habitually whittle any carvable object I have on hand into a shiv or other simple tool. |
| 8 | The only lesson incarceration taught me was to be sneakier when I break the law. |
Drunk
You've had a lot to drink if your life, and you know how to handle your liquor. For you, alcohol goes beyond a thing you do to unwind with friends, and has become a real passion and obsession—or, if not that, an overused mechanism for drowning your problems. You spend a worrying amount of your time inebriated, but you wouldn't have it any other way.
Examples: A brewer guild artisan who likes to sample their own creations, a foul-mouthed drunken sailor, a soldier who drinks to forget the horrors of war.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Discerning Tongue. Your senses are finely tuned to pick out the quality and attributes of drinks. Replace one skill with Perception.
- Drunken Rage. Drinking so much has given you no reservations about letting your anger show through. Replace one skill with Intimidation.
- Passion for Brewing. You've dabbled in brewing alcohol yourself. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in brewer's supplies.
- Alcohol Resistance. Replace your background feature with the Alcohol Resistance feature.
Feature: Alcohol Resistance
You can stomach a lot of alcohol before feeling its effects. It takes twice as much alcohol to get you drunk as it would normally take for someone of your size and race. Even when you do get drunk you rarely black out. You will remember most of what you did and witnessed while you were drunk.
Your ability to stomach so much alcohol can earn you respect in the right circles. While at a tavern, regulars who see you drink excessive amounts of alcohol and not pass out will gain respect for you, and might try to befriend you.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm a nocturnal creature, drinking all night and sleeping it off all day. |
| 2 | I have a disgusting hangover cure I swear on, and I'll feed it to anyone who needs it. |
| 3 | When a friend is having a hard time, my first instinct is to offer them a drink. |
| 4 | I'll take any excuse for a bar fight. |
| 5 | Life is a drinking game. Whenever something ridiculous happens, I take a swig. |
| 6 | I have a bad habit of being drunk at inappropriate and inconvenient times. |
| 7 | I fear I am becoming an alcoholic. |
| 8 | I collect the bottles and glasses of the best drinks I've ever had. |
Feral
You were abandoned by society when you were a baby, and spent a significant portion of your early life being raised by unintelligent beasts. You ran with them, hunted with them, learned how to survive in the wild from them. You separated from them once you grew old enough to understand how different you were. Most of your life from adolescence onward has been spent reconnecting with beings on your own level of intelligence and finding your place in this new world. Still, you have not forgotten your animal instincts.
Examples: An outlander who remained among nature after being raised by a bear, a noble left to the wolves as a child who is now back to reclaim their title, a feral urchin who tried to join civilized society but ended up alone on the streets.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- One With the Pack. Animals are your kin, and you know how to relate to them. Replace one skill with Animal Handing.
- Raised by Nature. Your upbringing lets you survive in the wild like a wild beast. Replace one skill with Survival.
- Natural Remedies. Without doctors, you kept yourself alive with medicinal plants. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in herbalism kits.
- Beast Reading. Replace your background feature with the Beast Reading feature.
Feature: Beast Reading
The body language of the type of animal that raised you is as easy for you to read as a person's body language. If you are interacting with an animal that is either the same species as the ones who raised you or a closely related species (such as any feline if you were raised by lions), you will be able to immediately understand their mood based on physical and auditory cues. You will also be able to communicate your own mood to them using body language and animalistic noises, as effectively as your body will allow.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I know raw meat is bad for me, but I miss the taste. |
| 2 | The great outdoors feels more like home than any manmade house. |
| 3 | My understanding of territory and property are... off. |
| 4 | Licking myself clean is all the hygiene I need. |
| 5 | My specialty in the pack was making clever tools to overcome obstacles. I try and fill the same role in my new team. |
| 6 | In a fight, I let my animal instincts take over. |
| 7 | I communicate using noises more than words. |
| 8 | My pack and my chosen family are all that I care about, and I will fight tooth and claw to protect them. |
Foreigner
You originate from a land very far from where you are currently living and adventuring. Perhaps you've been around for long enough to get by in the local culture, but you are by no means completely assimilated. Your outsider's viewpoint combined with your different cultural upbringing allow you to bring a unique perspective to your adventuring party.
Examples: A foreign merchant trading exotic goods that recently joined the local merchant's guild, a sailor who got lost at sea and ended up in a strange place, a soldier who defected from a foreign army and fled to another country.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Assimilation Efforts. You've studied this new land quite a bit to blend in better. Replace one skill with History.
- Unfamiliar Territory. Moving to a strange land with unfamiliar customs kept you on your toes. Replace one skill with Perception.
- Multilingual. Replace one tool proficiency with a language of your choice.
- Foreign Tongue. Replace your background feature with the Foreign Tongue feature.
Feature: Foreign Tongue
You speak a rare language that is a linguistic relative to another more familiar language you know, such as Common, Elvish or Dwarvish. Only people from your faraway homeland speak it. It is very unlikely that anyone outside of your home region will understand it or even recognize it, unless they have ties to that region, such as being a merchant that trades there or a diplomat who does business with them.
Because this language is little known, you are able to keep private notes to yourself in it, as well as speak it in public without a high chance that someone will overhear and understand you.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am terribly homesick and wish I could go back more than anything. |
| 2 | I love spreading around contradicting "facts" about my homeland, just to mess with everyone. |
| 3 | I do my best to hide my accent, but it doesn't work. |
| 4 | My code of honor or ethics is a bit alien to my teammates, but I stick to it nonetheless. |
| 5 | The strange figures of speech I use often confuse others. |
| 6 | I love introducing my friends to parts of my culture, such as its music and holidays. |
| 7 | Sometimes I feel like I fit in with the culture of my new home better than the one I grew up in. |
| 8 | I love insulting people in public in my native tongue, so they don't know what I'm saying about them. |
Jokester
You're an expert at making people laugh. You are life's comic relief, bringing levity wherever you to with clever quips, bad puns, funny faces, and a slew of other tools in your comedic arsenal. You could be a professional comedian, a witty person with a love for joking around, or even someone who carries themselves in a funny way without meaning to.
Examples: A court jester entertainer, a village idiot folk hero who unexpectedly stumbled onto the path to greatness, a soldier who joked around with his fellow warriors to keep spirits high during wartime.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Comedic Routine. When put in the spotlight, you can put on quite a funny show. Replace one skill with Performance.
- Slapstick. You're as good with physical comedy as you are with the verbal kind. Replace one skill with Acrobatics.
- Cross-Language Wordplay. You've upped your pun game by learning another language. Replace one tool proficiency with a language of your choice.
- Hilarious Failure. Replace your background feature with the Hilarious Failure feature.
Feature: Hilarious Failure
When you mess up, you have a way of looking so ridiculous that onlookers often can't help but laugh. If while out of combat you fail to perform some physical activity, such as picking up an object or jumping over something, you can choose to fail in a hilarious slapstick manner. Anyone around you who is not focused on something else will be temporarily distracted by this amusing display. If slapstick fits with someone's sense of humor, they will be distracted for even longer, and will grow more fond of you and your antics.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm a bit too quick to roast someone. |
| 2 | I walk with a strange and silly gait. |
| 3 | In battle, I always have a witty one-liner ready. |
| 4 | I couldn't care less about embarrassing myself in public. Shame is for the weak! |
| 5 | I use humor as a mask to hide my crippling depression. |
| 6 | I don't know how to take anything seriously. |
| 7 | If someone is feeling down, I won't rest until I put a smile on their face. |
| 8 | I'm too punny for my own good. |
Martyr
You faced an insurmountable enemy in the name of your religion, political beliefs, or other ideology, then sacrificed something valuable to make a statement. You lost wealth, status, friends, family—maybe you even lost you life, and are only alive now thanks to a merciful cleric. The consequences of your sacrifice are lasting, and it is up to you whether you accept them with pride or scramble to regain what you lost.
Examples: A soldier stripped of his rank when he refused an order to do something horrific, an acolyte sentenced to death for questioning the temple's policies, a noble cast out of their family after trying to start a political revolution.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Stand Your Ground. Your stubborn confidence is good for convincing people you're right. Replace one skill with Persuasion.
- Self Care. Rejected by society, you can't rely on doctors to patch you up, so you have to do it yourself. Replace one skill with Medicine.
- Manifesto. You have written finely crafted declarations of what you stand for. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in calligrapher's supplies.
- Champion of the Cause. Replace your background feature with the Champion of the Cause feature.
Feature: Champion of the Cause
There is a small group of believers in your cause who consider you to be a symbol of hope and look up to you as a hero for your sacrifices. They often do not have extensive resources, but they will support you at a modest lifestyle and will supply you with whatever help they reasonably can. They may even be receptive to doing things that will put themselves in mild danger, such as hiding you from the authorities and assisting you with illegal tasks.
This group will only help you if they continue to see you as a champion to their cause. If you do or say something that convinces them otherwise, you will lose their support.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I go on long, angry tirades at the slightest offense. |
| 2 | We live in an us vs. them world. I will tolerate no ambiguity when it comes to loyalties. |
| 3 | I sacrifice so much that I barely take care of myself. |
| 4 | I pretend to not miss my old, more comfortable life, but I secretly yearn for it. |
| 5 | I martyred myself completely by accident, and now I'm in too deep to turn back. |
| 6 | When faced with danger, my instinct is to give a dramatic and inspiring speech. |
| 7 | I don't even believe in what I advocate for, I just like being the hero. |
| 8 | What I did was right, but I don't believe it makes me a hero. It's what anyone would have done. |
Mutant
Whether by experiments by a mad wizard, a dark occult ritual, or unusual genetic luck, you have acquired some physical feature that is not at all normal for your race. The trait you have is not particularly useful, but it is plainly visible. Some mutants take advantage of their mutation for entertainment and profit, but for others it's nothing but a curse.
Roll a d6 or select from the table below to determine what that trait is. You may also come up with a different mutation that is approximately equal in degree to these examples.
| d6 | Mutation |
|---|---|
| 1 | A vestigial, non-prehensile tail |
| 2 | An unnatural skin color and/or texture |
| 3 | Mutant eyes (unnatural color, strange pupil, etc.) |
| 4 | Extra fingers on one hand |
| 5 | Strange growths coming out of your face |
| 6 | Hair in places it normally wouldn't be |
Examples: An acolyte cultist who gained the mutation in a ritual to bring them closer to their god, a circus freak entertainer, a street urchin abandoned by their parents due to their odd deformity.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Strange Visage. Your mutation puts people on edge. Replace one skill with Intimidation.
- Sideshow. You know how to use your mutation to make yourself an entertaining attraction. Replace one skill with Performance.
- Passing for Normal. You often have to disguise yourself to go unnoticed in public. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in disguise kits.
- Freakish Display. Replace your background feature with the Freakish Display feature.
Feature: Freakish Display
Your mutation is strange enough on its own, but you have the ability to make it look even more unusual on command. For example, you may be able to make your skin or eyes glow, or bend your limbs in disgusting ways. When you choose to do this, you appear monstrous, and those around you may assume that you are more powerful than you first appeared.
Those who do not know you well and are easily frightened will be scared of you when you do this, and will comply with reasonable requests to make you go away. If you do this in front of someone who is confident in their ability to fight, they may decide you are a monster and attack you.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I often make insensitive jokes about my mutation at my own expense. |
| 2 | My mutation makes me superior to others of my kind. |
| 3 | I'm shocked and confused when a stranger approaches me and seems to be friendly. |
| 4 | The thought of what medical complications my mutation is probably causing in my body keeps me awake at night. |
| 5 | I would give anything to be normal. |
| 6 | It's always fun to freak people out. |
| 7 | I'm proud of my mutation and consider it central to who I am. |
| 8 | When someone treats me like a regular person, I cling to them and treat them well. |
Parent
You have brought a child into this world and have spent many years as their primary caretaker, doing whatever you can to raise and protect them. They may still be a young child that you are guiding through life, or they may be grown and now carving their own path through the world. Consider why you chose to leave your family to go on an adventure, after all you've sacrificed for them.
Examples: A hermit who rejoined society so their child could have the support of a community, a criminal who only steals to provide for their family, a noble who is raising their future heir.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Parental Sense. You are always on the lookout to make sure your child stays out of trouble. Replace one skill with Perception.
- First Aid. Patching up boo-boos and treating colds is a part of childrearing. Replace one skill with Medicine.
- Cooking for the Family. Having to cook for more than just yourself has made you much better at it. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in cook's utensils.
- Housekeeping. Replace your background feature with the Housekeeping feature.
Feature: Housekeeping
After spending years cleaning up after a slobbish, uncoordinated toddler, cleaning up after yourself and your party is a piece of cake. Whenever you leave a campsite or room you were staying in for a night, you leave it looking even nicer than you left it without a trace of anyone having stayed there, assuming you did no major damage to the space that you couldn't reasonably clean up. You can clean up any mess in half the time it would take anyone else, as long as you have proper supplies.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I fuss over my teammates as if they were my own young. |
| 2 | All of my choices I make with my family in mind. |
| 3 | I carry a picture my kid drew with me, and I show it to everyone I meet. |
| 4 | I can't shake the feeling that I'm a failure as a parent. |
| 5 | I will drop everything to help a child in trouble. |
| 6 | My child tragically died, and I now seek vengence or closure. |
| 7 | I have a terrible dad (or mom) joke for every situation. |
| 8 | I can redirect any conversation to be about my child. |
Persecuted
You are a part of an oppressed population, and have been dealing with discrimination and senseless hatred for your whole life. It may be based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, class, or anything else that could incite hatred. Besides being among your own kind, you have never found a place where you are truly accepted for who and what you are, and you are often treated with open hostility.
Examples: An acolyte worshipping a god falsely painted as evil, a disenfranchised member of a disliked ethnic group who becomes a criminal to survive, an outlander who fled from civilization to get away from its judgmental nature.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Distrust. You know how to spot when someone harbors hatred towards you. Replace one skill with Insight.
- Going Unnoticed. You try not to attract attention to yourself in public. Replace one skill with Stealth.
- Multilingual. Your people use another language to keep unfriendly outsiders from listening in on their conversations. Replace tool proficiency with one language of your choice.
- Community of Outsiders. Replace your background feature with the Community of Outsiders feature.
Feature: Community of Outsiders
Everyone seems to have an opinion on your people. Those who hate your group will treat you with hostility, and may deny you service or forbid your entry into certain areas.
You may not be accepted into society at large, but those who share your predicament and various sympathizers will accept you instead. Members of your persecuted group will be willing to support you (but not the rest of your party) at a modest lifestyle. If they own a business, they may also be willing to give you reasonable discounts on products and services. Others who passionately believe that the way your people are treated is wrong may give you the same benefits.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I fight ferociously for my people's right to live freely and peacefully. |
| 2 | I actively avoid playing into stereotypes of my group. |
| 3 | I am hesitant to share my people's cultural practices with outsiders. |
| 4 | Despite the persecution I suffer, I take great pride in who I am. |
| 5 | I never resort to violence when faced with hatred. The last thing I want is to give them more ammunition. |
| 6 | A lifetime of insults has given me a skin as thick as dragon's hide. |
| 7 | I try to be tolerant of everyone I meet. |
| 8 | I go to great lengths to hide my identity from others. |
Prodigy
You are far too young to be as skilled as you are. Your uncommon genius in some field has allowed you to compete with adult professionals at a young age. Roll a d6 or choose from the table below to decide what talent you have naturally.
| d6 | Talent |
|---|---|
| 1 | Combat. I am physically accomplished and became a skilled fighter at a young age. (Athletics, Vehicles (Land)) |
| 2 | Arcane. My magical abilities made themselves known early. (Arcana, alchemist’s supplies) |
| 3 | Art. I possess unmatched raw talent at a particular craft. (Perception, artisan's tool of your choice) |
| 4 | Music. I have an ear for music, and instruments come naturally to me. (Performance, musical instrument of your choice) |
| 5 | Academia. I absorb information much faster than most my age. (History, additional language) |
| 6 | Medicine. Anatomy and the natural world make sense to me, and I am an expert at finding cures. (Medicine, herbalism kit) |
Examples: A child genius sage, a guild artisan who went from apprentice to master in record time, a young folk hero who rose to greatness when their exceptional talents were discovered.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Natural Skill. You have an amazing amount of raw talent for a certain skill. Replace one skill with the skill listed with your talent on the talent table.
- Feigned Innocence. You act differently than most people your age, making it easy to fool others. Replace one skill with Deception.
- Natural Proficiency. You quickly picked up the tools used in the field you are talented in. Replace one language or tool proficiency with the language or tool proficiency listed with your talent on the talent table.
- Wise Beyond Your Years. Replace your background feature with the Wise Beyond Your Years feature.
Feature: Wise Beyond Your Years
While you are a capable adventurer, you are still a child. Pick an age that is less than the beginning of adulthood for your character's race.
Your young age makes your talents more impressive than they normally would be. Institutions related to the skill you are talented in will not take you seriously until you prove your skill, but after that they will be amazed by you and excited to have you around. Having a prodigy in their institution would help their prestige, so they would be willing to grant you admission and offer you benefits of membership more easily than they would with ordinary people.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm so used to riding on the wave of my talent that I never learned how to work hard. |
| 2 | I may look like a kid, but I act like a small adult. |
| 3 | I was so busy practicing my talent that I missed out on a normal childhood. |
| 4 | My pet peeve is when no one lets me do things on my own because of my age. I can take care of myself! |
| 5 | I love setting up elaborate pranks. |
| 6 | My talent comes so easily to me that I don't understand when others struggle to do what I do. |
| 7 | I throw tantrums just like any other child. |
| 8 | I have trouble connecting with people my age... or with anyone, really. |
Seducer
You've played with too many hearts to count in your life and broken just as many. There's something about your suave confidence that draws enraptured men and women to you like moths to a flame. While you can make yourself seem like the perfect partner in the early stages—romantic, caring, and just a little dangerous—you abandon your flings quickly to move onto the next pretty thing that catches your eye.
Examples: A pickup artist charlatan, a noble who has had an affair with everyone in court, an entertainer that always fools around with his adoring fans before leaving for the next town.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Seduction. You have an easy time convincing people to sleep with you, or do other things. Replace one skill with Persuasion.
- Bodybuilding. You train hard to maintain an attractive physique. Replace one skill with Athletics.
- Shows of Affection. You win over your romantic targets with either handmade gifts or songs you wrote just for them. Replace one language or tool proficiency with any artisan's tool or musical instrument of your choice.
- Army of Broken Hearts. Replace your background feature with the Army of Broken Hearts feature.
Feature: Army of Broken Hearts
You have a handful of former partners who are desperate to get back with you. If you reestablish contact with one, they will be willing to do a significant but still reasonable favor for you in an attempt to win you over. They will not put themselves in danger or spend an excessive amount of money on the favor.
Using this former contacts comes with a risk. If one is given reason to believe that you have no intention of getting together with them despite what you have been asking them, or if they find out you have been flirting with other people or worse, they will become extremely angry with you. They will refuse to help you further, and may set out to get revenge on you if they have the resources.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I always have a gift ready to give to a pretty stranger. |
| 2 | I talk to people like I'm flirting even when I don't mean to. |
| 3 | I'm terrified of commitment. |
| 4 | Shirts are my arch nemesis and I go without one whenever possible. |
| 5 | If it were an option, I'd date myself. |
| 6 | I want to settle down someday, but no one has met my sky-high standards yet. |
| 7 | Using my wiles to mold people like clay never ceases to amuse me. |
| 8 | I keep my options open in all facets of life and love. |
Socialite
There's nothing you like more than a good conversation. Everywhere you go you pick up new friends, almost effortlessly. You love everything social, from meeting new people at a rambunctious party to having deep, one-on-one conversations with old friends. Your extraverted nature makes you great at scoping out social scenes and forming new contacts.
Examples: An acolyte who befriends everyone who stops by their temple, a guild artisan who loves networking, a criminal who hides behind a mask of sociability to deflect suspicion.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Social Graces. You know how to hold a good conversation. Replace one skill with Persuasion.
- Empathy. So much conversing has made you fluent in reading people. Replace one skill with Insight.
- Multilingual. You taught yourself a new language to help you make friends with even more people. Replace one tool proficiency with a language of your choice.
- Gossip. Replace your background feature with the Gossip feature.
Feature: Gossip
Your ability to make fast friends makes you great at seeking information. You can spend a day networking, hanging out in taverns and other gathering spaces to make new friends. When you do this, you can find out any gossip floating around related to a topic you are researching. The DM may decide that no one in the social circles you can access have the information you seek, if it is mostly known to powerful people who have successfully kept it secret.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I will never say no to a party. |
| 2 | I talk to everyone I meet as if they were an old friend. |
| 3 | There's no point getting all awkward when you say something weird, I just roll with it! |
| 4 | My friends can always trust me with their secrets. |
| 5 | I never forget a name or face. |
| 6 | Being hated is my worst nightmare. If someone doesn't like me, I'll go the extra mile to change their mind. |
| 7 | I get anxious if I'm left alone for more than a few minutes. |
| 8 | I'm often asked if I ever shut up. The answer is no. |
Survivor
You were at ground zero for a catastrophic event, and you barely made it out alive. It wasn't just any disaster that you survived—it was a horror with a reputation that spread far and wide, leaving a permanent scar on history along with your psyche. It could have been a natural disaster, a horrific battle, a massive monster attack, or something else.
Examples: A noble who's entire family was murdered by a rival house, a folk hero who couldn't save their hometown from being burned down by a dragon, a soldier who lived through a massacre that lost a major war.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Scraping By. You had what it took to barely stay alive in a nearly impossible situation. Replace one skill with Survival.
- Paranoia. You are constantly on the lookout for danger. Replace one skill with Perception.
- Protective Training. You have taken up a useful skill to make yourself feel safer. Replace one language or tool proficiency with any tool proficiency that would have helped you better survive the disaster you faced.
- Eyewitness. Replace your background feature with the Eyewitness feature.
Feature: Eyewitness
Very few people lived to tell the tale of what happened the day of the catastrophe, so you saw things during it that no one else alive did. It could be that you were the only one who saw the face of the person responsible, or that you saw the direction in which the attacking monster fled, or something else important. Whatever information you have, it is crucial to preventing such a tragedy from happening again. Discuss with your DM what you saw and how it will impact the campaign.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I can't remember my last good night's sleep. |
| 2 | I often brag about how badass I am for surviving. |
| 3 | Survivor's guilt eats me alive. Why did get to I make it while everyone else perished? |
| 4 | There's no point living in the past! |
| 5 | I hate it when people know what I've been through. I'd rather never talk or think about it again. |
| 6 | What I saw during the disaster shook me deeply, but I'll never admit it. |
| 7 | I am obsessed with what happened, constantly researching it to try and find meaning. |
| 8 | I am endlessly thankful for still being alive. |
Traveler
You've traveled far and wide in your life. You've been to many places all over the world, and if you haven't been somewhere, there's a good chance you'll visit eventually. Your traveling may be a part of your job, or it could just be insatiable wanderlust.
Examples: A criminal who hops from city to city to avoid being caught, a sailor who has been all over the world trading, an outlander who has wandered great distances with their nomadic tribe.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Worldly. In all the places you've been, you've soaked up a bit of the culture and history. Replace one skill with History.
- Urban Navigation. You know how to find what you need when you're in a new town or city. Replace one skill with Investigation.
- Vehicle Driver. So much long distance travel taught you how to handle vehicles well. Replace one language or tool proficiency with a proficiency in either Vehicles (Land) or Vehicles (Water).
- Well Traveled. Replace your background feature with the Well Traveled feature.
Feature: Well Traveled
You've traveled to most towns and cities in the area. If a large town or city is within 50 miles of your hometown and there is nothing stopping you from having visited there before, you will be familiar with the area. You will know where to find shops, inns, taverns, government buildings, and other major establishments. You may be familiar with other farther away cities at the DM's discretion.
You will also have a friendly contact in town that will be willing to share news and gossip about what's going on locally. They can give you recommendations for place to go, as well as advice on what establishments to avoid. You are not extremely close with this local, so they will not be willing to share sensitive information with you.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I love climbing mountains and hills, just to see what's beyond them from up high. |
| 2 | Okay, maybe I say every city is my favorite, but this one is really my favorite, I swear! |
| 3 | I love the destination, but I hate the journey. |
| 4 | Whenever I visit somewhere with friends, I go into tour guide mode. |
| 5 | I will try any weird food put in front of me. |
| 6 | Few things match the excitement of being in a new place for the first time. |
| 7 | Sometimes I wish I could settle down in one place. |
| 8 | I've been to so many places, they get mixed up in my head. Which town are we in again? |
Ugly
You have a face only a mother could love. While you don't look outright monstrous, you aren't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, and you're painfully aware of it. No one is attracted to your exterior in any sense of the word, making it difficult to start quick friendships and nearly impossible to find romance. There's not much you can do about it, so it's your choice whether you obsess over your looks or move on with more important parts of your life.
Examples: A criminal with horrible facial scarring caused by a torturous punishment, an entertainer who performs with a mask on so their face won't be judged by the audience, a sage who focuses on books because they haven't had much luck with people.
Background Traits
Choose as many of the following features as you want.
- Twisted Scowl. The warped face you make when you're angry makes people flinch. Replace one skill with Intimidation.
- Unnoticed. Your plain appearance draws little attention. Replace one skill with Stealth.
- Hobbies. Without many social prospects, you've turned to solo hobbies to entertain yourself. Replace one language or tool proficiency with one artisan's tool of your choice.
- Unapproachable. Replace your background feature with the Unapproachable feature.
Feature: Unapproachable
You don't look very welcoming, causing strangers to avoid talking to you. If you are in public while not hiding your appearance and you are not doing anything obviously suspicious, strangers will not pay any attention to you and will avoid watching you closely. You will not be approached by anyone who doesn't have business with you specifically.
When you are with your party, you can choose to make yourself loud and very visible to drive strangers away from your entire group in the same way you would if you were alone.
Suggested Characteristics
Consider using these personality traits in addition to those given by your main background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm a hopeless romantic, emphasis on hopeless. |
| 2 | I've tried everything to be beautiful, but nothing has worked. |
| 3 | Little kids are scared of me, and it's hilarious. |
| 4 | I don't put much effort into hygiene, since people wouldn't like me even if I were clean. |
| 5 | I'd rather be ugly than a shallow, airheaded prick. |
| 6 | I frequently crack jokes about how I look. |
| 7 | Not being distracted by romance lets me throw all my energy into more important things, like training. |
| 8 | I'm thankful for my appearance. When someone likes me, I know it's for who I am and not what I look like. |
Art Credits and Notes
Page 1 art by Harumi Namba.
Credit to James Introcaso's Backgrounds homebrew for giving me some inspiration on a few of these (mostly Parent and Feral).
This is version 0.1 of Secondary Backgrounds. Things I still want to get done include:
- Bring number of original secondary backgrounds to between 25 and 30
- Create a secondary background for each of the official PHB backgrounds, for mixing and matching
- Add more art
- Rethink certain trait names
- Rethink certain background features
- More flavor tables
- Generally improve flavor text
- Catch all them pesky typos