Backgrounds - Runera

A character's **background** represents the unique circumstances in which they were raised or spent much of their life. In place of traditional skills, players are encouraged to imagine how their backgrounds might give them mechanical advantages in a given situation. A former *Soldier* might be proficient in battlefield strategy, an *Artist* might be an expert liar, 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 | [[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 |