Extended Backstory

This article is a series of tables with the intent of expanding the backstories of player characters. Roll once on each of the following tables to generate a highly varied and perhaps complicated backstory.

Origins

Parents

d100	Parents
1-4	Your parents were wanted criminals.
5-8	Your parents worshipped a terrible cult.
9-12	Your parents were active terrorists.
13-16	A coven of hags tried to summon a banderhobb, but got you instead.
17-20	You are the result of a science experiment, either gone quite well or quite wrong.
21-24	An elder brain created you from a tadpole and another individual.
25-28	A slaad infected on of your parents, but somehow created you instead of another slaad.
29-32	A god willed you into existence.
33-36	Your parents were nobodies.
37-40	Your parents were nobles of a powerful house.
41-44	Your parents were king and queen of their land.
45-48	One of your parents was a celestial.
49-52	One of your parents was a demon or devil.
52-56	One of your parents was replaced by an oblex.
57-60	Your parents became sworn servants of a deathpact angel.
61-64	A group of kuo-toa conjured you from their faith and worship you as a god.
65-68	A beholder accidentally dreamed you into existence.
69-72	One of your parents was a doppelganger.
73-76	One of your parents was a dragon.
77-80	One of your parents was a succubus/incubus.
81-84	You were born from a pact made between a warlock and his/her patron.
85-88	A lich created you from his/her undead.
89-92	Your mother was a drow matron.
93-96	A nagpa created you as a world-ending calamity.
97-100	One of your parents was abducted by a retriever for the drow.

Birthplace

d100	Location
1-4	Your parents' home
5-8	An extravagant castle
9-12	The Feywild
13-16	The Shadowfell
17-20	The Astral Plane
21-24	The Ethereal Plane
25-28	The Elemental Plane
29-32	The Nine Hells
33-36	The Celestial Plane
37-40	The Abyssal Plane
41-44	The Far Realm
45-48	Outer Space
49-52	In a lich's domain
53-56	On a small demiplane
57-60	On an active battlefield
61-64	The Underdark
65-68	Inside a volcano
69-72	On a storm giant's cloud
73-76	An area of psychic resonance
77-80	An area of unraveling magic
81-84	An enchanted spring
85-88	A mimic colony
89-92	A powerful monster's lair
93-96	A place of (un)holy worship
97-100	Abandoned ruins of a once great city

Siblings

d10	Number of Siblings
1-2	None
3-4	1d3
5-6	1d4+1
7-8	1d6+2
9-10	1d8+3

Family

d100	Family
1-4	You had no family
5-8	You were raised by someone who kidnapped you
9-12	You were raised by people who invaded and seized your hometown
13-16	Your parents
17-20	Another member of your family
21-24	Only your mother or father
25-28	A pack of wild animals
29-32	A unicorn
33-36	A group of monks at a monastary
37-40	A witch/wizard in a forest
41-44	A dragon
45-48	A demon or devil
49-52	A family of pixies
53-56	A herd of thri-keen
57-60	A treant family
61-64	A vampire
65-68	A cult of yuan-ti
69-72	Enslaved by firenewts
73-76	Enslaved by grungs
77-80	Corrupted by a coven of hags
81-84	A ki-rin
85-88	A colony of druids or dryads
89-92	A medusa
93-96	A unit of giff
97-100	A marut who was contracted into protecting you

Family Lifestyle

3d6	Lifestyle*
3	Wretched (-40)
4-5	Squalid (-20)
6-8	Poor (-10)
9-12	Modest (+0)
13-15	Comfortable (+10)
16-17	Wealthy (+20)
18	Aristocratic (+40)

*Use the number to modify the roll on the Childhood Home table.

Childhood Home

d100*	Home
0 or lower	On the streets
1-20	Rundown shack
21-30	No permanent residence
31-40	Encampment or village in the wilderness
41-50	Apartment in a rundown neighborhood
51-70	A small house
71-90	A large house
91-110	A mansion
111 or higher	A palace or castle

*Remember to add modifier from previous table

Childhood Friends

3d6 + Cha Mod	Friends
3 or lower	I am still haunted by my childhood, when I was treated badly by my peers.
4-5	I spent most of my childhood alone, with no close friends
6-8	Others saw me as being different or strange, and so I had few companions.
9-12	I had a few close friends and lived an ordinary childhood.
13-15	I had several friends, and my childhood was generally a happy one.
16-17	I always found it easy to make friends, and I loved being around people.
18 or higher	Everyone knew who I was, and I had friends everywhere I went

Life Events

Life Events Table

The Life Events table will be used in conjunction with the Secondary Events tables.

d100	Life Event
1-10	You suffered a tragedy. Roll on the Tragedies table.
11-20	You committed a crime or were wrongly accused of doing so. Roll on the Crime table to determine the nature of the offence and the Punishment table to determine your sentence.
21-30	You fell in love or got married. If you get this result multiple times, you can choose to have a child instead. Work with your DM to determine the identity of your love interest.
31-40	You made an enemy of an adventurer. Roll 1d6. An odd number indicates you are to blame for the rift, and an even number indicates you are blameless. Use the supplemental tables and work with your DM to determine the hostile character's identity and the danger they pose to you.
41-50	You made a friend of an adventurer. Use the supplemental tables and work with your DM to add more detail to this friendly character and establish how your friendship began.
51-60	You fought in a battle. Roll on the War table to learn what happened to you. Work with your DM to come up with a reason for the battle and the factions involved.
61-70	You encountered something magical. Roll on the Arcane Matters table.
71-80	You went on an adventure. Roll the Adventures table to see what happened to you. Work with your DM to determine the nature of your adventure and the creatures you encountered.
81-90	You had a supernatural experience. Roll on the Supernatural Events table to find out what it was.
91-100	You had a personal encounter with a supernatural creature. First, roll 1d6. An odd number indicates you became enemies, an even number indicates you became friends. Then, roll on the Supernatural Creatures table to determine its identity.

Secondary Tables

Secondary Tables are the following supplemental tables, based on the rolls from the Live Events table.

Adventures Table

d100	Adventures
1-4	You nearly died. You have nasty scars on your body, and you are missing an ear, 1d4 fingers, or 1d4 toes.
5-8	You suffered a grievous injury. Although the wound healed, it still pains you from time to time.
9-12	You contracted a disease while exploring a filthy warren. You recovered from the disease, but you have a persistent cough, pockmarks on your skin, prematurely grayed hair, or some other permanent reminder of what you experienced.
13-16	You were terribly frightened by something you encountered and ran away, abandoning your companions to their fate.
17-20	You found a dying adventurer and saved their life.
21-24	You died, but were resurrected. You feel like you lost a part of yourself.
25-28	You valiantly slew a creature and attracted the attention of a powerful entity.
29-32	During an expedition into a deep cave or old ruins, you awakened an ancient evil.
33-36	An intellect devourer consumed your brain and controlled your body, but a sorcerer saved you.
37-40	You found an immensely powerful item in a dungeon, but lost it on the way out.
41-44	You found a portal which temporarily transported you to an extradimensional space.
45-48	You completed a contract for a certain group or guild, and now they know and respect you.
49-52	You trespassed into an insane archmage's domain, who casted a harmless curse on you.
53-56	You encountered a group of kuo-toa who worshipped an inanimate object as a god.
57-60	You met a fellow adventurer who assisted you in your quest, and you became good friends.
61-64	You did something illegal, intentionally or not. There is a bounty out for you: dead or alive.
65-68	You failed a sphinx's test, but managed to escape before it killed you
69-72	A succubus/incubus managed to seduce you, but not corrupt you completely.
73-76	You stumbled into the lair of a sleeping tarrasque, but you departed without waking it.
77-80	You discovered a hidden entrance to the Underdark.
81-84	You encountered a nomadic tribe of tortles.
85-88	A cult captured you and attempted to sacrifice you to their god, but you escaped or were saved.
89-92	You were abducted by a retriever, who took you to its master in the Underdark.
93-96	A group of shadar-kai jumped you and stole something from you for the Raven Queen.
97-100	You met a Star Spawn who prophesized that the end times are nigh.

Arcane Matters

d100	Arcane Matters
1-4	You were charmed or frightened by a spell.
5-8	You were injured by the effect of a spell.
9-12	You witnessed a powerful spell being cast.
13-16	You were affected by teleportation magic.
17-20	You were turned invisible for a time.
21-24	You successfully identified an illusion for what it truly was.
25-28	You witnessed a creature being conjured by magic.
29-32	Your fortune was read by a diviner. Roll twice on the Life Events table, but dont' apply the results. Instead, the DM picks one event as a portent of your future, which may or may not come true.
33-36	You were temporarily banished to an extradimensional plane.
37-40	You witnessed someone being vaporized, only to be resurrected.
41-44	You witnessed someone completely turned to stone.
45-48	You almost caught someone you were chasing, but then they disappeared.
49-52	Somebody succumbed to a powerful curse in front of your eyes.
53-56	You nearly starved to death, but fortunately, a spellcaster came along and created food for you.
57-60	You were nearly killed by a naive spellcaster who threw a fireball a little too close to you.
61-64	A cleric spoke with one of your dead relatives/friends, who had something important to share.
65-68	You thought you found a sanctuary/oasis, only for it to be hallucinatory terrain.
69-72	You saved the life of an animal, who revealed himself or herself actually to be a druid.
73-76	A spellcaster put you to sleep and caused you to dream something wild.
77-80	You saw something you shouldn't have, but a mighty spellcaster modified your memory.
81-84	You were being chased by a powerful entity, but a nearby spellcaster teleported you to safety.
85-88	A powerful being granted you a Wish, but you wasted it on something frivolous.
89-92	One of your relatives/friends was permanently polymorphed into a different creature.
93-96	You were temporarily trapped in a Forcecage, where you were interrogated or tortured.
97-100	You were killed, but a druid reincarnated you as a different race.

Crime

d10	Crime
1	Murder
2	Theft
3	Burglary
4	Assault
5	Smuggling
6	Kidnapping
7	Extortion
8	Counterfeiting
9	Enchanting a person
10	Espionage

Punishment

d10	Punishment
1-2	You did not commit the crime and were exonerated after being accused.
3-4	You committed the crime or helped do so, but the authorities found you not guilty.
5-6	You were nearly caught in the act. You had to flee, and are wanted in that community.
7-8	You were caught and convicted. You spent time in jail, chained to an oar, or performing hard labor. You served a sentence determined by you and the DM, or escaped in that time.
9-10	You did not commit the crime but were nonetheless convicted. You spent time in jail, chained to an oar, or performing hard labor. You served a sentence determined by you and the DM, or you escaped in that time.

Supernatural Creatures

d100	Creature
1-4	Angel
5-8	Archdruid
9-12	Beholder
13-16	Cyclops
17-20	Darkling
21-24	Demon or devil
25-28	Dragon
29-32	Eladrin
33-36	Elemental
37-40	Flumph
41-44	Genie
45-48	Giant
49-52	Hippogriff
53-56	Hydra
57-60	Lich
61-64	Medusa
65-68	Mind flayer
69-72	Narzugon
73-76	Ogre
77-80	Pegasus
81-84	Phoenix
85-88	Pixie
89-92	Succubus/Incubus
93-96	Wraith
97-100	Wyvern

Supernatural Events

d100	Supernatural Event
1-4	You were ensorcelled by a Fey and enslaved for 1d6 years before you escaped.
5-8	A lich sacrificed your soul to its phylactery, but someone freed you.
9-12	One of your friends or family members turned out to be a polymorphed dragon.
13-16	A kraken destroyed a ship you were on, and you were the sole survivor.
17-20	You were petrified by a medusa, but someone managed to save you.
21-24	You were briefly possessed. Roll a d6 to determine what type of creature possessed you: 1 celestial; 2 devil; 3 demon; 4 fey; 5 elemental; 6 undead.
25-28	You have been met with an unremovable curse; every sentient creature you kill becomes a voice in your head that talks to you.
29-32	One of your favorite toys or items turned out to be a mimic.
33-36	You managed to barely survive an eldritch storm.
37-40	You were infected by either a vampire or a werewolf, but managed to remove the disease.
41-44	You met a demon or devil and struck a deal.
45-48	You were lost on the Lower Planes, but someone contracted a merrenoloth to ferry you to safety.
49-52	You thought your house was infested by a fungus, but it turned out to be an alkilith
53-56	You were imprisoned by a devourer, but someone managed to heal you and set you free.
57-60	You were paralyzed and kidnapped by a tlincalli who intended to feed you to its newly-hatched young.
61-64	A vargouille kissed you, implanting its curse within you. You start to develop its features, but were able to remove and revert the curse's effects.
65-68	A yuan-ti nightmare speaker forced you to experience your greatest fear.
69-72	You did something yo catch the attention of an archduke of the Nine Hells, who then sent an orthon after you.
73-76	A priestess of Lolth took special interest in you, and acquired you as a favored consort for 1d6 years.
77-80	You entered a divine temple or vault, wherein you encountered an eidolon.
81-84	A gray render attempted to form a bond with you.
85-88	Your settlement was attacked by a horde of frost salamanders.
89-92	You were once attacked by a lonely, who really wanted you as a friend.
93-96	You suffered a notable injury, which caught the attention of a nearby vampiric mist.
97-100	You found a mystical orb, which projected a strange symbol into your mind.

Tragedies

d100	Tragedies
1-4	You set out to prevent a terrible fate, but failed miserably. Something truly heartbreaking occurred in your home town or to someone you love.
5-8	Your entire hometown was wiped out by a skulk, who then replaced everyone with gloomy, ghostly versions of themselves.
9-12	Someone you loved was infected with a lethal disease by an oinoloth.
13-16	One of your pets that you loved passed away.
17-20	You lost all or a large portion of your life savings.
21-24	In a terrible turn of events you were forced to kill someone you loved.
25-28	Someone you trusted with your life turned against you and betrayed you.
29-32	You watched helplessly as someone you loved was murdered.
33-36	You did something that brought terrible shame to you in the eyes of your family.
37-40	For a reason you were never told, you were exiled from your community.
41-44	A romantic relationship ended. Roll 1d6. An odd number means it ended with harsh feelings. An even number means it ended amicably.
45-48	You lost an important battle, which meant the destruction of your hometown or kingdom.
49-52	You were imprisoned for a crime you didn't commit and spent 1d6 years in jail.
53-56	A lover disappeared without a trace. You have been looking for them ever since.
57-60	You were scammed by someone you idolized.
61-64	One of your closest friends sacrificed themselves to save you.
65-68	You lost your life's work in an unfortunate accident.
69-72	Your child was dead before they were born.
73-76	You had to choose between the lives of two different people you loved.
77-80	One of your relatives or friends was executed for a crime they did not commit.
81-84	A spellcaster caused you to hallucinate a loving relationship that you never truly had.
85-88	A close relative or friend lost their memory. and forgot you existed.
89-92	One of your relatives or friends turned down a dark path and you were forced to kill them to save others.
93-96	You accidentally killed someone you were trying to protect.
97-100	You were defeated by an opponent, who left a permanent scar on you, physically or mentally.

War

d100	War
1-4	You were knocked out and left for dead. You woke up hours later with no recollection of the battle.
5-8	You were badly injured in the fight, and you still bear the awful wounds.
9-12	You ran away from the battle to save your life, but you feel shame for your cowardice.
13-16	You suffered only minor injuries and the wounds all healed without scars.
17-20	You survived the battle, but you suffer from terrible nightmares in which you relive the experience.
21-24	You escaped the battle unscathed, though many of your friends were injured or lost.
25-28	You acquitted yourself in battle and are remembered as a hero.
29-32	You disobeyed a direct order because you felt it was wrong.
33-36	You accidentally killed civilians.
37-40	You intentionally killed civilians.
41-44	You used civilians as leverage against the enemy.
45-48	You defiled a religious structure in battle.
49-52	You were victorious on the battlefield and took some trophies home.
53-56	You switched sides in the middle of a battle.
57-60	You had to mercy kill someone who was beyond saving.
61-64	You saved an orphaned child after their parents were killed in the battle.
65-68	You were captured by the enemy and became a prisoner of war for 1d6 years.
69-72	You were used as a test subject for a new weapon.
73-76	A spellcaster charmed you and forced you to attack your teammates.
77-80	One of your allies turned out to be working for the enemy.
81-84	You weren't fighting in the war, you were just caught in the crossfire.
85-88	You willfully took part in genocide.
89-92	You killed children on the battlefield.
93-96	You gave a bad order and got some of your soldiers killed.
97-100	You were able to end a conflict diplomatically before violence broke out.

Supplemental Tables

The following are tables used to randomly determine the characteristics of people, places, and things. They can also be used to randomly determine more of your character's identity.

Alignment

3d6	Alignment
3	Chaotic evil or chaotic neutral
4-5	Lawful evil
6-8	Neutral evil
9-12	Neutral
13-15	Neutral good
16-17	Lawful good or lawful neutral
18	Chaotic good or chaotic neutral

Cause of Death

d100	Cause of Death
1-4	Unknown
5-8	Murdered
9-12	Killed in battle
13-16	Accident
17-20	Eldritch or otherwise severe storm
21-24	Natural causes
25-28	Suicide
29-32	Wild animal
33-36	Natural disaster
37-40	Consumed by monster
41-44	Executed for crime
45-48	Plague
49-52	Hit by meteorite
53-56	Smote by an angry god
57-60	Consumed by giant monster
61-64	Slaad egg hatched from inside them
65-68	Disintegrated by a spellcaster
69-72	Tortured to death
73-76	Poisoned
77-80	Triggered a lethal trap
81-84	Sacrificed by cult
85-88	Caught in crossfire of a battle
89-92	Turned into an undead by a lich
93-96	Died at sea
97-100	Banished to another realm of existence

Class

d100	Class
1-9	Artificer
10-17	Barbarian
18-24	Bard
25-31	Cleric
32-38	Druid
39-45	Fighter
46-52	Monk
53-59	Paladin
60-67	Ranger
68-74	Rogue
75-82	Sorcerer
83-91	Warlock
92-100	Wizard

Occupation

d100	Occupation
1-4	Academic
5-8	Adventurer (roll on Class table)
9-12	Aristocrat
13-16	Artisan or guild member
17-20	Criminal
21-24	Entertainer
25-28	Exile, hermit, or refugee
29-32	Explorer or wanderer
33-36	Farmer or herder
37-40	Hunter or trapper
41-44	Laborer
45-48	Merchant
49-52	Politician or bureaucrat
53-56	Priest
57-60	Royalty
61-64	Sailor
65-68	Soldier or guard
69-72	Student
73-76	Teacher
77-80	Veterinarian
81-84	Waiter/Waitress
85-88	Warden of a prison
89-92	Weapons manufacturer
93=96	Writer
97-100	Zoologist

Race

d100	Race
1-3	Aarakocra
4-6	Aasimar
7-9	Bugbear
10-12	Centaur
13-15	Changeling
16-18	Dragonborn
19-21	Dwarf
22-24	Elf
25-27	Firbolg
28-30	Genasi
31-33	Gith
34-36	Gnome
37-39	Goblin
40-42	Goliath
43-45	Grung
46-48	Half-Elf
49-51	Half-Orc
52-54	Halfling
55-57	Hobgoblin
58-60	Human
61-63	Kalashtar
64-66	Kenku
67-69	Kobold
70-72	Leonin*
73-75	Lizardfolk
76-78	Locathah*
79-81	Loxodon
82-84	Minotaur
85-87	Orc
88-90	Satyr*
91	Shifter*
92	Simic Hybrid*
93	Tabaxi
94-95	Tiefling
96	Tortle
97	Triton
98	Vedalken*
99	Warforged
100	Yuan-ti Pureblood

*These races are potentially not included on Etof, you may re-roll if landing on one of these.

Relationship

d10	Attitude
1-2	Hostile
3-4	Unfriendly
5-6	Indifferent
7-8	Friendly
9-10	Loving

Status

3d6	Status
3	Deceased (roll on Cause of Death table)
4-5	Missing or Unknown
6-8	Alive, but doing poorly
9-12	Alive and well
13-15	Alive and quite successful
16-17	Alive and infamous
18	Alive and famous

All credit to u/DoctorMcCoy1701