Backgrounds - Runera

A character's **background** is how they lived before becoming an adventurer. In place of a skill system, players should imagine how their background might give them an advantage in any given situation. A former *Soldier* might be an expert in battlefield strategy, an *Artist* could be theatrically persuasive, a *Sannish-Fiend* may have knowledge of criminal hideouts and slang. > ### Example > *Velris* is a 5th level Magic User with the *Noble* background. While negotiating with a local lord to lessen the punishment for his friend's crime, *Velris'* player asks the GM if he would recall the appropriate courtly manners from his highborn upbringing. The GM agrees, and gives him a +2 bonus on his Cha roll to sway the lord's opinion. Roll on your **class's table** to determine your background. If you are a Magic User, Cultist or Druid, you must first roll to determine your **Magical Background.** If at any point you roll a result unavailable to your race, roll again. If you roll **Custom Background,** you may either reroll for another background or work with your GM to create a unique origin. Determine your background's name and choose an already existing background to serve as a template. Then, you may swap out either the template background's attribute bonus or item (choose one) with another provided by the other backgrounds. | Background | Description | Attribute | Starting Items | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Peasant** | Hard labor and humble living is all you have known, whether in a far-flung settlement or a city ghetto. | +1 Str | 5 Rations, Pitchfork OR Dog | | **Soldier** | Bloody battlefields have taught you the benefit of both a sturdy shield and meticulous strategy. | +1 Str | Any Weapon, [[Trollblood Ointment]] | | **Hermit** | Whether by choice or exile you came to live far from civilization in the isolated wilderness, teetering on the edge of sanity. | +1 Perc | 2 [[Antitoxin\|Antitoxins]], Pet Rat | | **Spy** | Poisoning rivals, stealing secrets, deceiving diplomats; all these dark deeds and more you committed as an agent of your masters. | +1 Int OR +1 Cha | [[2 - Rules/Items/Equipment/Rare Gear/Poison\|Poison]], Secret Pocket | | ***Templar*** | You were a warrior-monk of the Hand, and served the gods by crusading 'gainst the monster, the mutant, and the malfeasant. (Man & Half-Elf only) | +1 Con | *The Five Prayers*, Any Weapon, [[Poppy Milk]] | | **Survivalist** | You lived close to the land with only a small group of kin; you scorned the city and town in favor of the bow and snare. | +1 Dex | 2-Person Tent, Hunting Trap | | **Merchant** | A silver tongue and a mind for sums have earned you flush coffers and connections in high places. | +1 Int OR +1 Cha | 10 gp, Weighing Scale | | **Scholar** | While some chided you for losing your nose in dusty tomes, you have learned much and more of all manner of lore. | +1 Int | Ancient Tome (100 sp), Research Notes, Ink & Quil | | **Noble** | You proudly proclaim your highborn lineage, whether ancient or upstart, though not all are as deferential as you please. | +1 Int | 5 gp, Servant | | ***Sannish-Fiend*** | Much blood and sweat have you spent in service of the copper devil; she is both your best friend and worst enemy. | +1 Perc | [[Sannish\| Sannish Pouch]], [[Valuables B]] | | **Barber-Surgeon** | Wandering from village to village, you sewed up countless wounds, sawed off quite a few limbs, and shaved many more beards, all for only a handful of coin. | +1 Int | 2 [[Healer's Kit\|Healer's Kits]], Straight Razor | | **Artist** | Love, blood, and rhetoric! Whether concurrent or consecutive, you gave life to them through painting, play, song, or saga. | +1 Cha | Lucky Coin (3 uses reroll), Unfinished Masterpiece | | ***Hand Clergy*** | Whether you tended a flock of faithful as a temple priest, scribed holy texts as a *Learned Brother*, or wandered from village to village as a begging *Palmed,* you devoted your life to the word of the Exarch. (Man, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome only) | +1 Will | *The Five Prayers*, Staff, Alms (2 Rations, 10 sp) | | **Apothecary** | You toyed with bubbling retorts and fuming calcinators to brew philtres and elixirs aplenty; whether they cured their prescribed ailments is another matter entirely. | +1 Int | [[Potions\|Potion]], [[Acid]] | | **Criminal** | Perhaps you robbed roads as a bandit or cut purses for a ghetto gang; either way, the rattle of manacles and the cold bars of a cell are all too familiar to you. | +1 Perc | [[Thieves' Tools]], [[Valuables A]] | | **Sailor** | The open seas called to you, whether as mariner, explorer, or pirate -- and so did you find that Mother Myr is as treacherous as she is beautiful. | +1 Dex | Treasure Map, Spyglass | | **Pagan Acolyte** | The temple or cult which you served was neither loved nor blessed by the Hand, but still you worshipped your gods with great fervor. | +1 Will | [[Spell List\|Spell Scroll]] | | **Prostitute** | Many paid well for a taste of your flesh, but the secrets they whispered in bed afterwards were worth more than any coin. | +1 Cha OR +1 Dex | [[Euphoros]], 10 sp, Letter from an Admirer | | **Slave** | The shrill jingling of shackles and chains haunt your dreams; even now as a freeman you dread ever again being bought and sold like cattle. | +1 Str | Manacles, Chain 10 ft, Turtle-Stone (1 free Short Rest) | | **Artisan** | While not yet a master of your craft, you still have made many fine works, whether as a blacksmith, mason, jeweller, or other manner of artisan. | +1 Perc | Artisan Tools, Special Metal Ingot, 15 sp | | **Courier** | You hardened your ass to solid steel carrying missives and packages to every corner of the world -- and still there was more to see. | +1 Con | Riding Horse, Map | | ***Flagellant*** | Lash marks and burns scar your flesh, but such is demanded of the Saint-Penitent and his Great Struggle. | +1 Con OR +1 Will | 3 [[Fire Pot\|Fire Pots]], *The Penitent Creed* | ## Class Tables | d100 | Fighter | d100 | Barbarian | d100 | Rogue | | ------ | ----------------- | ------ | ----------------- | ------ | ----------------- | | 1-25 | Peasant | 1-25 | Peasant | 1-25 | Peasant | | 26-45 | Soldier | 26-40 | Soldier | 26-27 | Soldier | | 46-47 | Hermit | 41-42 | Hermit | 28-47 | Spy | | 48-49 | Spy | 43-52 | *Templar* | 48-49 | Merchant | | 50-64 | *Templar* | 53-72 | Survivalist | 50-51 | Scholar | | 65-66 | Survivalist | 73-74 | Merchant | 52-53 | Noble | | 67-68 | Merchant | 75-76 | Noble | 54-55 | *Sannish-Fiend* | | 69-70 | Scholar | 77-78 | *Sannish-Fiend* | 56-57 | Barber-Surgeon | | 71-72 | Noble | 79-80 | Artist | 58-59 | Artist | | 73-74 | *Sannish-Fiend* | 81-82 | *Hand Clergy* | 60-61 | *Hand Clergy* | | 75-76 | Barber-Surgeon | 83-84 | Criminal | 62-71 | Apothecary | | 77-78 | Artist | 85-86 | Sailor | 72-86 | Criminal | | 79-80 | *Hand Clergy* | 87-88 | Pagan Acolyte | 87-88 | Sailor | | 81-82 | Apothecary | 89-90 | Prostitute | 89-90 | Pagan Acolyte | | 83-84 | Criminal | 91-92 | Slave | 91-92 | Prostitute | | 85-86 | Sailor | 93-94 | Artisan | 93-94 | Slave | | 87-88 | Pagan Acolyte | 95-96 | Courier | 95 | Artisan | | 89-90 | Prostitute | 97-98 | *Flagellant* | 96 | Courier | | 91-92 | Slave | 99-100 | Custom Background | 97-98 | *Flagellant* | | 93-94 | Artisan | — | — | 99-100 | Custom Background | | 95-96 | Courier | — | — | — | — | | 97-98 | *Flagellant* | — | — | — | — | | 99-100 | Custom Background | — | — | — | — | | d100 | Ranger | d100 | Bard | | ----- | ----------------- | ------ | ----------------- | | 1-25 | Peasant | 1-25 | Peasant | | 26-35 | Soldier | 26-27 | Soldier | | 36-50 | Hermit | 28-37 | Spy | | 51-52 | Spy | 38-39 | *Templar* | | 53-57 | *Templar* | 40 | Survivalist | | 58-77 | Survivalist | 41-50 | Merchant | | 78 | Merchant | 51-52 | Scholar | | 79-80 | Scholar | 53-54 | Noble | | 81 | Noble | 55-56 | *Sannish-Fiend* | | 82-83 | *Sannish-Fiend* | 57-58 | Barber-Surgeon | | 84 | Barber-Surgeon | 59-78 | Artist | | 85-86 | Artist | 79-80 | *Hand Clergy* | | 87 | *Hand Clergy* | 81-82 | Apothecary | | 88-89 | Apothecary | 83-84 | Criminal | | 90 | Criminal | 85-86 | Sailor | | 91-92 | Sailor | 87-88 | Pagan Acolyte | | 93 | Pagan Acolyte | 89-90 | Prostitute | | 94-95 | Prostitute | 91-92 | Slave | | 96 | Slave | 93-94 | Artisan | | 97 | Artisan | 95-96 | Courier | | 98 | Courier | 97-98 | *Flagellant* | | 99 | *Flagellant* | 99-100 | Custom Background | | 100 | Custom Background | — | — | | d100 | Artificer | d100 | Monk | | ------ | ----------------- | ------ | ----------------- | | 1-25 | Peasant | 1-25 | Peasant | | 26-27 | Soldier | 26-27 | Soldier | | 28-29 | Hermit | 28-29 | Hermit | | 30-31 | Spy | 30-34 | *Templar* | | 32-33 | Merchant | 35-36 | Survivalist | | 34-35 | Scholar | 37-38 | Scholar | | 36-37 | Noble | 39-40 | Noble | | 38-39 | *Sannish-Fiend* | 41-43 | *Sannish-Fiend* | | 40-49 | Barber-Surgeon | 44-45 | Barber-Surgeon | | 50-51 | Artist | 46-47 | Artist | | 52-66 | Apothecary | 48-67 | *Hand Clergy* | | 67-68 | Criminal | 68-69 | Apothecary | | 69-70 | Sailor | 70-71 | Criminal | | 71-72 | Prostitute | 72-73 | Sailor | | 73-74 | Slave | 74-88 | Pagan Acolyte | | 75-76 | Artisan | 89-90 | Prostitute | | 77-78 | Courier | 91-92 | Slave | | 79-98 | *Flagellant* | 93-94 | Artisan | | 99-100 | Custom Background | 95-96 | Courier | | — | — | 97-98 | *Flagellant* | | — | — | 99-100 | Custom Background | ### Magical Backgrounds A Magic User, Cultist, or Druid's **Magical Background** determines whether they learned to control their power under the guidance of the Hand, or if they have lived as a fugitive since discovering their unnatural abilities. A *Conclave Mage* or *Ceraph* will find themselves and their magic tolerated (but not trusted) in most places, while a Witch or Warlock must needs hide their power from the authorities or risk a lynching. | Magic User | Cultist | Druid | Background | Feature | | ---------- | ------- | ----- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 1-85 | — | — | ***Conclave Mage.*** *Ammentol* or another great tower of magic was your home since puberty, where you studied the secrets of the Beyond under the tutelage of the Magus. (Man, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome only) | The *Brand of the Magus* on your forearm allows you to cast *[[Pierce The Veil]]* without making spellcasting or DDM checks twice per adventure. | | — | 1-70 | — | ***Ceraph.*** The Silent Sisters stole you from your home and gave you to the Hand; you learned to control your divine gift and became a leal servant of the Exarch. (Man, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome only) (Alor, Sathrine, Tohr, Lothrir Endra, Xythr only) | You can spend 1 hour praying to gain Favour twice per adventure. | | 86-100 | 71-100 | 1-100 | **Witch/Warlock.** Living apart from the Hand's laws of magic is equal-parts freeing and perilous, but you found the unbridled power worth the risk. | Gain a random [[Mutations\|Beneficial Mutation]], or advantage on a spellcasting check twice per adventure. | After rolling for your **Magical Background,** roll on the table below to determine your original background. | d100 | Conclave Mage & Ceraph | d100 | Witch/Warlock | | ------ | ---------------------- | ----- | ----------------- | | 1-25 | Peasant | 1-25 | Peasant | | 26-30 | Hermit | 26-27 | Soldier | | 31-34 | Survivalist | 28-42 | Hermit | | 35-39 | Merchant | 43-44 | Spy | | 40-43 | Scholar | 45-46 | Survivalist | | 44-48 | Noble | 47-48 | Merchant | | 49-52 | *Sannish-Fiend* | 49-50 | Scholar | | 53-57 | Barber-Surgeon | 51-52 | Noble | | 58-61 | Artist | 53-54 | *Sannish-Fiend* | | 62-66 | Apothecary | 55-56 | Barber-Surgeon | | 67-70 | Criminal | 57-58 | Artist | | 71-75 | Sailor | 59-60 | Apothecary | | 76-79 | Pagan Acolyte | 61-70 | Criminal | | 80-84 | Prostitute | 71-72 | Sailor | | 85-88 | Slave | 73-87 | Pagan Acolyte | | 89-92 | Artisan | 88-89 | Prostitute | | 93-96 | Courier | 90-91 | Slave | | 97-100 | Custom Background | 92-93 | Artisan | | — | — | 94 | Courier | | — | — | 95-99 | *Flagellant* | | — | — | 100 | Custom Background |