Hey Game Fans, we’re back with the final part of our series on Backgrounds for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. Today we’re going to take a hard look at the Sailor. Soldier, and the Urchin. Backgrounds and how they affect your character’s background and possible development as you level up. First up, we have the Sailor, then the Soldier,, and then we’ll conclude with the Urchin.
Sailor
Sailors come from the ranks of the highly skilled workers who keep ships operational and crossing the seas and oceans of their campaign world. Whether they are navigators on a spice freighter, pirates on the high seas, or the royal marines who protect ships at sea, Sailors have a shared culture that extends to their days on land. There are as many reasons for a sailor to take up the profession as there are for them to leave the sea behind to become an adventurer.
Proficiencies
The Sailor Background gives you the Skill Proficiencies for Athletics and Perception.
Tool Proficiencies
The Sailor Background gives you proficiency with navigator’s tools and vehicles (water)
Equipment
The Sailor Background gives you the following pieces of equipment:
- A belaying pin (club)
- 50 feet of silk rope
- A lucky charm
- A set of common clothes
- A belt pouch containing 10 gp (gold pieces)
Feature
Ship’s Passage
The Sailor has maintained good ties with friends in his or her previous job and in exchange for a little bit of work during the voyage, the Sailor and his or her companions can get a free ride anywhere the ship normally goes. It’s up to the DM to determine whether the destination in mind is available, and how long the ride takes.
Suggested Characteristics
Life at sea requires a specific mindset and a discipline that many other backgrounds don’t require. Understanding the type of ship the character operated on and what his or her role aboard the ship was can give you a lot of ideas about what your character thinks and how they view the world around them. You always have the Option of using the random tables on page 139 if you get stuck. This background has a Variant, along with a variant feature
Pirate (Variant Sailor)
This version of sailor focuses exclusively on the sailor who have taken to crime on the high seas and are typically wanted men. Career criminals with a highly specific set of skills, Pirates are the bane of commerce on the high seas and are a frequent target of government forces looking to root them out. Selecting the Pirate variant opens up the Variant Feature: Bad Reputation.
Variant Feature: Bad Reputation
With a reputation built on wholesale slaughter and a willingness to use violence to settle issues, the Pirate has a fearsome reputation that allows them to commit minor crimes without being reported to local authorities. Your DM is the final decider of what a minor crime actually is, but it’s safe to assume you can knock down most doors or refuse to pay for your food without attracting any local attention.
Soldier
Professionally trained military personnel are the lifeblood of a kingdom’s defense. From lowly town guards to the elite protectors of the King, Soldiers occupy a lot of places in the background of many high fantasy settings. Soldiers are omnipresent in most fantasy settings, and they make a perfectly workable background for any character, regardless of race and class. If you’re interested in digging into this background a little harder, check out the Specialty table on page 140.
Proficiencies
The Soldier Background gives you the Skill Proficiencies for Athletics and Intimidation.
Tool Proficiencies
The Soldier Background gives you proficiency for one type of gaming set (player’s choice) and Vehicles (Land).
Equipment
The Soldier Background gives you the following pieces of equipment:
- A rank insignia
- A trophy from a defeated foe
- Dice or cards
- A set of common clothes
- A belt pouch containing 10 gp (gold pieces)
Feature
Military Rank
The Soldier still maintains his or her rank from their military service. Soldiers of lower rank will defer to the Soldier, and they usually have good reactions from higher ranking personnel. Soldiers can typical borrow simple gear, or horses on a temporary basis, and frequently have access to the fortresses and garrisons where they used to work.
Suggested Characteristics
Soldiers are one of the most likely character backgrounds to have dealt with violence and the horrors of war. Whether they were front line soldiers in the middle of a war, or garrison troops guarding an important fortress, all soldiers are touched by the conflicts that rage around them. This may require some thinking and research on your part, and i would encourage you to work with your DM about any major conflicts your character may have fought in, and the effects they may have had. If you are lacking some ideas, you have the charts on page 140 and 141 to get you started.
Urchin
Banished to the streets by an ugly childhood, Urchins have managed to survive the struggle of their early years and survived. In some cases, they’ve flourished in the shadows and have adapted to the circumstances life has dealt them. Surviving the rigors of life on the streets has made Urchins slow to trust, and quick to take advantage. Life hasn’t been easy for these characters, but they are resilient in their own ways.
Proficiencies
The Urchin Background gives you the Skill Proficiencies for Sleight of Hand and Stealth.
Tool Proficiencies
The Urchin Background gives you proficiency with a disguise kit and Thieves’ tools
Equipment
The Urchin Background gives you the following pieces of equipment:
- A small knife
- A map of your home city
- A pet mouse
- A set of common clothes
- A belt pouch containing 10 gp (gold pieces)
Feature
City Secrets
The Urchin has a unique understanding of city life and can use this to move from one location to another at a surprising pace. When not in combat, the Urchin, (and companions) move at twice the speed normally indicated.
Suggested Characteristics
Urchins are shaped by the extreme hardship of poverty. Whether this shapes them into good or bad people depends on the circumstances and other things that happen in their background. This is a hard knock life for anyone who goes through it and the people who make it out the other side are often tougher and more resilient than their companions. If you are drawing blanks, you have the random tables on page 142 to use as a resource, whether you roll randomly or cherry pick the ones you like.
Conclusions
So that’s the finale of our featured series on backgrounds. Next up, we’ll start the Adventurer’s League Season 4 (centered on the Curse of Strahd hardcover). We’ll hopefully get through all of these before Christmas, and we honestly hope these help you figure out some of the background components of your characters. Game On, Game Fans.
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