Campaign Backgrounds

While any common background is available, and uncommon and rare backgrounds may be available with GM permission, the following new backgrounds are particularly suited for characters who want to be directly tied to the campaign.

Child of the Six

You grew up in the shadow of the old Sandpoint Temple, perhaps literally. First Ezekian Tobyn, the High Priest of Sandpoint until the Late Unpleasantness, and later Abstalar Zantus, the current High Priest, may be your adoptive father or religious mentor. Though Ezekian and Abstalar worship Desna, the Sandpoint Cathedral is multidenominational and includes chapels devoted to Abadar, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Sarenrae, and Shelyn; so worshippers from all non-evil faiths are welcome here. Regardless of your beliefs, faith has been and remains a strong part of your life, and you’ve come to rely upon your faith to help you not only get through dangers in your adventures, but navigate the sometimes complex social problems that raise their ugly head in town. Conflicts between the cathedral and the Scarnettis seem like they’ve been growing lately.

You may live in one of the many apartments set aside for acolytes in the cathedral itself, or you might have family or own a small house elsewhere in town, but regardless of where you live, you’ve spent many an hour in the cathedral helping Abstalar—particularly when it comes to copying religious texts or otherwise serving as a scribe. It’s likely you play the part of healer in the party, but the drive to join an adventuring group itself may have even been inspired by Abstalar himself, who could have recognized in you an eagerness for adventuring, even before you did.

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Wisdom or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Religion skill and the Scribing Lore skill. You gain the Battle Medicine skill feat.
• Increase the party’s reputation with Sandpoint Clerisy by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with the Scarnetti Consortium by 1.

Curious Apprentice

Sandpoint features a wide array of shops and services. From blacksmiths to leatherworkers, general stores to curio shops, taverns to theaters, or jewelers to cartographers, the number and variety of places available are often commented upon by visitors to the town as being unexpectedly welcome. Even with the damage done to many local establishments during the Late Unpleasantness, Sandpoint has always come back stronger.

Growing up in town, you may have taken the opportunities for employment for granted, or perhaps your parents pulled strings to get you placed with a respected and talented local artisan, but being one of the town’s shopkeepers or service providers was never really what you wanted for yourself. Your years spent as an apprentice certainly kept you fit, but your heart has always been closer to the strange, dark, and mysterious. Whenever there was a slow stretch at work, you were quick to look through the latest book you’d bought or borrowed, or to express yourself by writing lines of poetry, and you’ve likely made several trips to the big city of Magnimar to browse occult shops or bookstores. Yet the money you earned as an apprentice never really gave you enough to buy the oddities you saw for sale. You hope that becoming an adventurer will solve this, for adventurers can not only find themselves with sudden windfalls of cash, but also have a knack for discovering strange occult mysteries and objects in their journeys and quests. Your family likely doesn’t approve of your choice, especially if they expected you to follow a tradition or cashed in favors to secure your apprenticeship. Alternatively, you might still be trying to juggle two worlds and still work at your “day job,” in which case you might have even been given a small room in the back of the shop as your own to stay in. Regardless, your work as an apprentice has earned you a lot of good favor with the Sandpoint Mercantile League—favor that’s resulted in a growing animosity from the League’s local competitor, the Scarnetti Consortium.

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Strength, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Occultism skill and the Poetry Lore skill. You gain the Hefty Hauler skill feat (carrying around all those books builds muscles, after all!).
• Increase the party’s reputation with Sandpoint Mercantile League by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with Scarnetti Consortium by 1.

Eager Performer

Hearing that Sandpoint had a theater rivaling those found in large cities like Magnimar and Korvosa, you decided to try your luck getting stage time there. After sending a letter to Cyrdak Drokkus requesting an audition and not hearing back, you’ve taken it upon yourself to travel to Sandpoint and meet him in person, trusting your force of will and charming influence will get you what you want. The arrival of a new performer with new performances is always a hit with the people... and always frowned upon by the more puritanical of the religious leaders.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Charisma or Dexterity, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Performance skill and the Theater Lore skill. You gain the Virtuosic Performer skill feat.
• Increase the party's reputation with Sandpoint Townsfolk by 1 and reduce the party's reputation with Sandpoint Clerisy by 1.

Eager Scofflaw

You never met a law that didn’t deserve testing, in theory at least and often in practice. This has likely strained relationships with your family and some friends, but is just as likely to have helped new friendships and relationships form. Whether or not those new associations are ultimately healthy, time will tell. Your childhood veered more toward pranks and minor crimes; if you were involved in a more serious crime you (so far) have avoided being caught for it, perhaps in part due to your quick wit. You know about Sandpoint’s local criminal gang, the Sandpoint Sczarni and, while you’re not officially a part of the group yet, they’ve taken notice of you—as has the town watch, unfortunately! Traditionally, you might have family in town, but chances are that you’re estranged with some or all of them, and either lived on your own in a rented room in the southern part of town, or in abandoned buildings or alleys using your Society skill to Subsist. Ever since you’ve started to adventure, you’ve likely been living in a long-term rental at one of Sandpoint’s inns, or perhaps have arranged accommodations at a fellow party member’s home. Joining the adventuring party made sense, since it’s a great way to make money fast—provided you can stay alive.

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Thievery skill and the Underworld Lore skill. You gain the Bon Mot skill feat.
• Increase the party’s reputation with the Sandpoint Sczarni by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with the Town Watch by 1.

Family Ties

Whether or not you are ethnically a Varisian, you have been raised among Varisians and they consider you one of their own. Furthermore, you managed to get in good with a group of Sczarni and consider them your new family. After being run out of the last place your Sczarni family camped, you tracked down a friend of the family in Sandpoint—a ruthless thug named Jubrayl Vhiski at the Fatman’s Feedbag.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Wisdom or Dexterity, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Thievery skill and the Varisian Culture Lore skill. You gain the Experienced Smuggler skill feat.
• You speak and read Varisian.
• Increase the party's reputation with the Sandpoint Sczarni by 1 and reduce the party's reputation with the Town Watch by 1.

Former Deputy

Although the official number of Sandpoint’s town guards is only about a dozen, this is more than enough for most days in town, where the most dangerous things one might face on a typical day are a tavern scuffle, a pet stuck on a roof, or a minor public disturbance arising from a trivial altercation between neighbors.

When something more serious occurs, Sandpoint’s come to rely on deputized citizens. Some deputies have taken on extra training and worked more closely with the Town Guard, including you!

You grew up on Sandpoint’s waterfront, perhaps the child of a fisher, sailor, or shipwright, and you have been helpful to the Guard. As a deputy, your duties were to help patrol the city, report suspicious activities, and help to deal with minor events or petty crimes before they have a chance to escalate. Your knack at tricking suspects into revealing their falsehoods, your knowledge about sailing and boats, and your connections on the town’s waterfront quickly made you a valued deputy whenever help was needed down along the docks—even if this earned you a disparaging nickname or two from petty criminals associated with the Bunyip Club!

Whether or not you were involved in the Late Unpleasantness five years ago or if your time as a militia member was relatively unremarkable, you’ve more recently become an adventurer.

As with most deputies, you likely are a lifelong resident of Sandpoint. Whether you still live with your family or have your own place, your home is modest but comfortable—yet you’re not against camping out under the stars or spending a night watching from the wall or a rooftop when times require.

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Athletics skill and the Sailing Lore skill. You gain the Lie to Me skill feat.
• Increase the party’s reputation with the Town Watch by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with the Bunyip Club by 1.

Friends and Enemies

One of your family members, perhaps a parent, cousin, aunt, or uncle, helped Daviren Hosk put down a group of goblins near Sandpoint. Since then, your family member passed away, but not before telling you about that day and the offer Daviren made her should she ever be in need. Once you make it to Sandpoint and meet up with Daviren Hosk at the Goblin Squash Stables, he gives you one of his best steeds, a military saddle, saddlebags, bit and bridle, a month’s worth of feed, and lifetime stabling at the Goblin Squash Stables.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Wisdom or Strength, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Nature skill and the Goblin Lore skill. You gain the Train Animal skill feat.
• You begin with a combat-trained warhorse, a military saddle, saddlebags, bit and bridle, and a month's worth of feed.

Giant Slayer

Your family’s village was plundered by giants in the wilds of Varisia, leaving nothing but a smoldering ruin. After the destruction of your village, your family trained for combat against giants to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. Since hearing of giants mobilizing throughout the countryside, you ventured to Sandpoint to help the town prepare for a possible incursion.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Strength or Constitution, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Athletics skill and the Giant Lore skill. You gain the Titan Wrestler skill feat.

Goblin Watcher

You grew up in Sandpoint staring off the cliff across the Varisian Gulf. Spending so much time there at Junker’s Edge watching the goblins below as they scrounged through the discarded junk and seeing what they made out of the garbage, you developed an eye for spotting the most useful and valuable discarded items. Your watching made you popular as a lookout reporting to the Town Guard.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Wisdom, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in your choice of the Arcana or Occultism skills and the Sandpoint Lore skill. You gain the Quick Identification skill feat.
• Increase the party's reputation with the Town Watch by 1 and reduce the party's reputation with the Bunyip Club by 1.

Hagfish Hopeful

Ever since passing through Sandpoint when you were a child and hearing about the contest at the popular tavern known as the Hagfish, you wanted to take that coin purse as your own and carve your name on the ceiling beam above the bar. Training yourself to choke down indigestible food and drink water a pig would refuse, you’ve built up quite a strong resistance to all things putrid and gross. Those who are willing to try the Hagfish contest are popular with the townsfolk, but less so with the Bunyip Club who would rather they patroned the Fatman's Feedbag.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Constitution or Wisdom, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Nature skill and the Herbalism Lore skill. You gain the Natural Medicine skill feat.
• Increase the party's reputation with the Sandpoint Townsfolk by 1 and reduce the party's reputation with the Bunyip Club by 1

Lost Coast Local

You’ve very likely lived in Sandpoint your whole life—if you haven’t, then you’ve got family who does, and you’ve spent many months visiting them from your own home elsewhere on the Lost Coast. You might even be part of one of the many caravans of journeying Varisians who often pass through town during their travels. Regardless, your fondness for the climate, the terrain, the lifestyle, and the wonder of the Lost Coast suffuses your very bones, and at times you feel almost as if you were a fundamental part of the land itself. You might have family ties to one of Sandpoint’s original founding families, which included the Kaijitsus, the Valdemars, the Scarnettis, and the Deverins, although others were involved as well.

Conversely, you might have family ties to the indigenous Varisians who have long regarded this part of the Lost Coast as home and who were part of the original accord with the Sandpoint Mercantile Guild that ensured Varisians a place in town and the opportunity to profit from Sandpoint’s success. As such, your home might be anywhere in Sandpoint, and could well be one of its larger buildings if your family has dwelled in town for long enough.

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Society skill and the Sandpoint Lore skill. You gain the Hobnobber skill feat.
• Increase the party’s reputation with Townsfolk by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with Scarnetti Consortium by 1.

Merchant Family

You are related to one of the four noble families from Magnimar who founded the Mercantile League of Sandpoint. You either grew up in Magnimar as a cousin in the Valdemar or Deverin family or were born and raised in Sandpoint. Education in running a business and years of looking after the family enterprise have given you a knack for trade.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Charisma or Intelligence, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Diplomacy skill and the Mercantile Lore skill. You gain the Bargain Hunter skill feat.
• Increase the party's reputation with the Sandpoint Mercantile League by 1 and decrease the party's reputation with the Scarnetti Consortium by 1

Monster Hunter

Perhaps you came to the Varisian Gulf in search of the Sandpoint Devil, or maybe you followed fisherman’s tales of Old Murdermaw— regardless, you’ve ventured through Varisia to hunt down famous monsters. While they have all eluded you so far, you made it to Sandpoint to research and restock before heading back out into the wilderness. The local merchants always appreciate a new adventurer and the coin they bring, but the Guard are somewhat suspicious of strangers.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Strength, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Survival skill and a Lore skill related to a type of monster you hunt (such as Aberration Lore or Beast Lore). You gain the Experienced Tracker skill feat.
• Increase the party's reputation with the Sandpoint Mercantile League by 1 and decrease the party's reputation with the Town Watch by 1.

Newcomer

You’ve only been in Sandpoint a short time, although what constitutes a “short time” depends on who you talk to. It could be that you’ve only just arrived in town in the past few weeks, or you might have moved here months or even years ago but have continually struggled to find a place to fit in with the locals. It doesn’t help that you’ve been targeted often by allies of the Scarnetti family with offers of employment, support, or perhaps even friendship.

Whether you’ve accepted these offers, or you’ve realized that the local aristocrats focus on new arrivals due to their increasingly sour reputation among most of the townsfolk, people have noticed. You haven’t done anything yet to annoy the Scarnettis (that they’ve realized, at least), but many of the locals don’t trust you and might even think of you as a Scarnetti snitch or patsy.

While your reasons for coming to Sandpoint are up to you, they should have something to do with your curiosity about the town, the Lost Coast, ancient ruins, the history of the Varisian lifestyle, or anything that might draw you to the region. You don’t yet own your own home in town and aren’t sure you ever will, since once you’ve completed your research you might not intend to stay in Sandpoint. You might have accepted an offer from a Scarnetti ally who had a room to let in their home (or nearby shed), could be paying for a room at one of the town’s inns, or might be relying on one of your few non-Scarnetti friends in town for a place to stay.

This could be one of your fellow PCs, or it might be someone in town whose place has a small library, such as Veznutt Parooh of The Way North, Brodert Quink (Sandpoint’s oldest sage), Jabyl Sorn of the House of Blue Stones, or even Ilsoari Gandethus of Turandarok Academy. Joining this adventuring group may have been a calculated move, a spur-of-the-moment choice, or because someone in the group is an old friend, but it’s given you a bit more security and peace of mind. You suspect the decision could sour your reputation with the Scarnettis—but you might not mind!

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Diplomacy skill and the Library Lore skill. You gain the Additional Lore skill feat—the lore you choose represents the interest and focus of study that drew you to the region.
• Increase the party’s reputation with Scarnetti Consortium by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with Townsfolk by 1.

Scholar of the Ancients

Growing up with your nose in books, you’ve had a great interest in past cultures and ancient history. Furthermore, having grown up in Varisia, you know the monuments dotting the landscape belong to an ancient civilization known as Thassilon. From your life of study and dogged research, you’ve pieced together the language and partial history of this once-great empire.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Charisma or Intelligence, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Arcana skill and the Thassilonian Lore skill. You gain the Multilingual skill feat. One of the languages you gain from this feat must be Thassilonian.
• Increase the party's reputation with Sandpoint Scholars by 1 and reduce the party's reputation with Sandpoint Clerisy by 1.

Scarnetti-Connected

There’s no denying that the Scarnettis, are one of Sandpoint's most connected and well-established families, but rumors persist about the unsavory methods they used to consolidate their hold on the lumber industry. While no hard evidence has come to light to light, Titus Scarnetti is not a beloved man, and his fortune has been hit by the low prices he has been forced to offer due to public ill will.

Your relationship with the Scarnettis has ensured you’re part of all of this, like it or not. You don’t bear the family name, but you might be a distant relation from Riddleport or Magnimar hoping for a new chance at life. You could be a petty criminal whose fines were paid by the Scarnettis in return for a promise of service for several months or years. You might even admire the family’s tenacity and see in the Scarnettis a chance for your own fortune.

The majority of your work for them has either been at one of the family’s mills (the Sandpoint Lumber Mill or the Scarnetti Mill), or as one of their agents and “watchdogs” at another business in town, where you were expected to keep an eye out for rumors and opportunities that the family could benefit from. Your knack at making lies seem like compliments helped you excel in this role, and while the Scarnettis do seem to appreciate your apparent loyalty (or at least the services you’ve provided in the past), they haven’t yet fully embraced you into their circle. Whether that’s something you want or seek to escape from, you can’t ignore the fact that your reputation as a Scarnetti ally has tarnished your standing with the Sandpoint Cathedral, simply as a side effect of the growing animosity between the two factions.

Your home might be with your family, or you could have been staying in a room rented to you at a discount (or perhaps even free of charge) from the Scarnettis, but those accommodations have recently come to an end. Joining this new adventuring group gives you an opportunity to make some of your own money, perhaps get out from under the Scarnettis’ shadow, or might even be the leverage you hope to build to finally earn old Titus’s approval.

• Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Charisma or Dexterity, and one is a free ability boost.
• You’re trained in the Intimidation skill and the Mercantile Lore skill. You gain the Charming Liar skill feat.
• Increase the party’s reputation with the Scarnetti Consortium by 1 and reduce the party’s reputation with the Sandpoint Clerisy by 1.

Student of the Faith

While you have personally dedicated your life to a single deity, you study all religions and mortal faiths. Upon hearing that the town of Sandpoint recently completed a cathedral dedicated to the six deities most popular in the area, you had to see the place for yourself, and have arrived in time for the consecration of this holy edifice.

• Choose two attribute boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Wisdom, and one is a free attribute boost.
• You're trained in the Religion skill and a Lore skill related to a deity (such as Desna Lore or Erastil Lore). You gain the Student of the Canon skill feat.
• Increase the party's reputation with the Sandpoint Clerisy by 1 and reduce the party's reputation with the Bunyip Club by 1.