Backgrounds
Every story has a beginning. Your character’s background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world. Your warrior might have been a courageous knight or a grizzled soldier. Your mage could have been a sage or an artisan. Your rogue might have gotten by as a guild thief or commanded audiences as a jester.
Choosing a background provides you with important story cues about your character’s identity. The most important question to ask about your background is what changed? Why did you stop doing whatever your background describes and start adventuring? Where did you get the money to purchase your starting gear, or, if you come from a wealthy background, why don't you have more money? How did you learn the skills of your class? What sets you apart from ordinary people who share your background?
The sample backgrounds in this section provide both concrete benefits (features, proficiencies, and languages) and roleplaying suggestions.
Proficiencies
Each background gives a character proficiency in two skills. Skills are described in Chapter 7 of the Basic Rules.
In addition, most backgrounds give a character proficiency with one or more tools. Tools and tool proficiencies are detailed in Chapter 5 of the Basic Rules.
If a character would gain the same proficiency from two different sources, he or she can choose a different proficiency of the same kind (skill or tool) instead.
Languages
Some backgrounds also allow characters to learn additional languages beyond those given by race. See the “Languages” section.
Equipment
Each background provides a package of starting equipment. If you use the optional rule from Chapter 5 of the Basic Rules to spend coin on gear, you do not receive the starting equipment from your background.
Suggested Characteristics
A background contains suggested personal characteristics based on your background. You can pick characteristics, roll dice to determine them randomly, or use the suggestions as inspiration for characteristics of your own creation.
Customizing a Background
You might want to tweak some of the features of a background so it better fits your character or the campaign setting. To customize a background, you can replace one feature with any other one, choose any two skills, and choose a total of two tool proficiencies or languages from the sample backgrounds. You can either use the equipment package from your background or spend coin on gear as described in Chapter 5 of the Basic Rules. (If you spend coin, you can’t also take the equipment package suggested for your class.) Finally, choose two personality traits, one ideal, one bond, and one flaw. If you can’t find a feature that matches your desired background, work with your GM to create one.
Delvebound Backgrounds
| Background Name | Skill Proficiencies | Tool Proficiencies | Languages | Equipment | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arena Combatant | Athletics, Performance | One type of gaming set or a musical instrument | One of your choice | A signature weapon that is inexpensive, a symbol of your gladiatorial style (tabard, sash, or emblem), a personalized gift from a fan, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 50 septims. | LGtC |
| Company Clerk | Persuasion, Insight | Land vehicles or sea vehicles | One of your choice | A certificate of membership, 10 sheets of parchment, a quill, a personal Company seal, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch containing 60 Septims. | LGtC |
| Dark Brotherhood Slayer | Deception, Stealth | Poisoner’s kit, disguise kit | -- | A memento taken from a killed target, a dark hood and face mask, a set of common clothes and a pouch containing 40 septims. | LGtC |
| Fighters Guild Associate | Athletics, Intimidation | One type of gaming set | One of your choice | A Fighters Guild insignia, a hunting trap, a stein marked with a family crest, a deck of cards, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 40 septims. | LGtC |
| Footpad | Sleight of Hand, Stealth | Thieves’ tools | Thieves Cant | Thieves’ tools, a memento of an earlier theft, a pocket knife, a set of dark clothes, and a pouch containing 60 septims. | LGtC |
| Legion Auxiliary | Athletics, History | One type of gaming set | One of your choice | An Imperial Legion insignia, a cloth bearing the symbol of the Empire, a memento from home, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 50 septims. | LGtC |
| Mage Initiate | Arcana, History | -- | Two of your choice | A magical focus, Guild robes, a badge of the Mages Guild, a set of common clothes and a pouch containing 50 septims. | LGtC |
| Murkmire Tribe Member (Black-Tongues) | Religion, Survival | Alchemist’s supplies | Two of your choice | A hunting trap, a totem or item that represents your tribe, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 20 septims. | MoM |
| Murkmire Tribe Member (Bright-Throat) | Persuasion, Survival | Woodcarver’s tools or one type of musical instrument | Two of your choice | A hunting trap, a totem or item that represents your tribe, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 20 septims. | MoM |
| Murkmire Tribe Member (Dead-Water) | Athletics, Survival | Leatherworker’s tools | Two of your choice | A hunting trap, a totem or item that represents your tribe, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 20 septims. | MoM |
| Murkmire Tribe Member (Ghost People) | Stealth, Survival | Poisoner’s kit | Two of your choice | A hunting trap, a totem or item that represents your tribe, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 20 septims. | MoM |
| Murkmire Tribe Member (Miredancers) | Insight, Survival | Woodcarver’s tools, weaver’s tools, cartographer’s tools, navigator’s tools, or one gaming set of your choice | Two of your choice | A hunting trap, a totem or item that represents your tribe, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 20 septims. | MoM |
| Murkmire Tribe Member (Root-House People) | Intimidation, Survival | Thieves’ tools | Two of your choice | A hunting trap, a totem or item that represents your tribe, a set of traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 20 septims. | MoM |
| Temple Initiate | History, Religion | -- | Two of your choice | A holy symbol of your faith, vestments bearing the emblem of a Divine, 10 candles, a set of common clothes and a pouch containing 40 septims. | LGtC |
