Backgrounds, Proficiencies & Feats

Additional Backgrounds

Astral Merchant

Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion
Tool Proficiency: Vehicles (space)
Language: Celestial
Feat: Linguist or Crafter
You have traveled wild space with a skilled trader, perhaps aboard an imperial merchant vessel or with a clan of rebel smugglers. You have learned to communicate with a wide variety of cultures in order to negotiate your own deals.

Bombardier

Ability Scores: +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiency: Heavy Weapons tools
Language: One of players choice
Feat: Tavern Brawler
You have crewed among one of the legendary Imperial Navy ships, loading its enormous cannon, learning to create smokepowder, and working alongside the rough-and-tumble crew.

Citadel Defender

Ability Scores: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception
Tool Proficiency: Smith’s tools
Language: Dwarvish
Feat: Weapon Master (battleaxe, handaxe, warhammer or throwing hammer) or Dwarven Fortitude
You have lived aboard an enormous Dwarven Citadel built from an asteroid, and helped defend the ship against the depredations of neogi, vampirates, and other dangers of Wildspace. You have been trained in traditional Dwarven weapons and picked up some tricks from your fellow soldiers.

Divine Delver

Ability Scores: +1 Strength, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Religion
Tool Proficiency: Mason’s tools
Language: Dwarvish or Gnomish
Feat: Squat Nimbleness or Infernal Constitution
As part of the Imperial Archaelogical Survey, you've been commissioned by the Chantry to spend years studying old ruins and catacombs in the hopes of finding any artifacts left behind from Merlin. Your faith and intellect guides you deeper.

Wildlands Tribesman

Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiency: Leatherworker’s tools
Language: Common sign language
Feat: Alert or Tough
You were raised among a Thri-kreen tribe in an incredibly dangerous part of the Wildlands on Orpheus. You learned to communicate with - and hunt alongside - the members of the tribe.

Escaped Thrall

Ability Scores: +1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Stealth
Tool Proficiency: Thieves tools
Language: Deep Speech
Feat: Telekinesis or Telepathy
You were magically enslaved by a psychically empowered species - possibly a beholder, mind flayer, or neogi. While plotting your escape, you studied your captors carefully, and learned to use a bit of your enemy’s power against them.

Forge-tender

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +1 Intelligence
Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Arcana
Tool Proficiency: Smith’s tools
Language: Dwarvish
Feat: Crafter or Magic Initiate (Divine)
You spent years working as or alongside the forge-priests at a Dwarven Citadel’s Spelljamming Forge, helping to craft weapons and works of art, and using that creative energy to keep the enormous vessel moving through space.

Indentured Servant

Ability Scores: +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Survival
Tool Proficiency: Choose one of Smiths, Masons, Woodcarvers, or Cook's Tools
Language: Elvish
Feat: Athlete or City Secrets
You were raised on Orpheus in the heart of the United Colonies. From birth you have been an indentured servant, or indent - being born in debt to the Empire, you will likely work for the rest of your life with no real prospect of being free.

Hamster Handler

Ability Scores: +1 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom
Skill Proficiencies: Animal handling, Arcana
Tool Proficiency: Tinker’s tools
Language: Gnomish
Feat: Artificer initiate or Crafter
You have traveled on a gnomish vessel, which - instead of a spelljamming helm - was powered by giant Space Hamsters running on wheels. Your job was to keep the giant Space Hamsters running, and you worked with the Gnomish engineers to maintain the arcane machinery fueled by the giant Space Hamster wheel.

Imperial Sailor

Ability Scores: +1 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiency: Vehicles (space)
Language: Elvish
Feat: Weapon Master (with the longbow, shortbow, longsword, or shortsword) or Elven Accuracy
You have been trained in the ancient, world-spanning traditions of the Imperial Navy. You might have been an eager volunteer, or a reluctant draftee - either way, a terrifying sargeant drilled you in traditional weapons of the Empire, and you learned to keep your feet while the solar wind rocked the boat beneath you.

Kindori Colonist

Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
Skill Proficiencies: Animal handling, Survival
Tool Proficiency: Herbalism kit
Language: Common sign language
Feat: Magic initiate (Primal)
You have spent years of your life perched on the back of an enormous space whale, part of a community surviving in symbiosis with the celestial beasts. You have learned to subtly guide the movement of the great creatures, to guide the growth of edible lichen and other plants, and to use sign language to communicate with your companions on neighboring kindori.

Imperial Aristocrat

Ability Scores: Charisma +1, Intelligence +1
Skill Proficiencies: Performance, History
Tool Proficiency: Calligrapher's supplies
Language: Elvish
Feat: Imperial Cipher
Whether through good lineage or association, you are part of the imperial aristocracy - the elite, ruling class of the Empire. Perhaps you are related to an imperial System Lord, or perhaps you serve the bureaucracy of the Empire. You are familiar with navigating the imperial upper class, and therefore operate with finesse.

Imperial Veteran

Ability Scores: +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Perception
Tool Proficiency: Heavy Weapons tools OR Vehicles (Space)
Language: One of players choice
Feat: Imperial Cipher
You were once a loyal dog of the Empire, perhaps a soldier in the imperial navy or perhaps part of the elite gaurd that serve the system lords - it matters not anymore, as you've outlived your use to the Empire. Now exiled, decomissioned and discarded; you are all but outcast.

Additional Proficiences

Firearms Proficiency

This covers the basic use of all personal firearms. Characters without this proficiency are at a disadvantage with these weapons, take twice as long to reload, and expand the critical failure range to 1-5. This all assumes the user knows how the weapon works. A character who has never spent any time with a firearm used would have no idea how to reload it, and a character who has never see one used would have no idea how to fire it.

Navigator’s Tools (Spelljammer)

This set of instruments is used to navigate through Wildspace and the Phlogiston. A basic set cost 100 GP and can get much more expensive and ornate, but add no more effectiveness to the tools. Proficiency with these tools allow the character to use charts to plot courses, and to find their location if they become lost. Plotting courses without proper charts is at disadvantage. The character with these tools and the proficiency may add their proficiency bonus to charting new routes, not getting lost, determining their location, or any other use of the the tools.
Cost: 100 GP +

Vehicles (Spelljammer)

This proficiency is necessary to work as a crew member aboard a Spelljammer vessel. It includes the use of rigging, sails, and other Spelljammer ship equipment used to maneuver the ship. Characters with this tool proficiency can assume crew status.

Shipwright Tools (Spelljammer: Wood, Metal, Stone, etc)

These tools are used for the construction and repair of certain types of ships, wood for wood ships, metal for metal ships, etc. Proficiency with each type of construction material is separate, however a character proficient with one type may use another type at disadvantage.
Cost: 125 GP each

Artillery Weapons Tools (Heavy Weapons)

Tools necessary for maintenance and repair of artillery weapons. These tools can be used on any type of heavy weapon typically mounted on a Spelljamming vessel.
Cost: 25 GP

Additional Feats

Firearms Specialist

This feat requires Firearms proficiency. You do not suffer disadvantage for using firearms in melee range. If you attack with a one handed weapon, you may use your bonus action to attack with a one handed firearm in your off hand.

Firearms Expert

This feat requires Firearms Specialist and the player must be at least level 10. On a critical failure for an attack with a firearm, roll a d20. On a result of 10-20, there is no critical failure, but you still miss.

Alchemical Arsenal

This feat requires Firearms Specialist. This grants players the ability to imbue custom alchemy flasks into their firearm ammunition, provided they have a compatible flasklock firearm. See Flasklock Firearms Here for more info.

Imperial Cipher

Due to your experience around imperial systems, you've gained the ability to navigate the imperial registry as well as interpret basic imperial codes. You gain advantage on any check related to accessing or interpreting imperial records or messages.

Resilient Mind

You have a stronger tolerance than others to magitech augmentation - permanently increase your Humanity Threshold by +3