Backgrounds of Skyrim
For the purpose of Character Creation, these are the backgrounds of Skyrim. Choose one of the following options and receive extra features, skill proficiencies, languages, tool proficiencies and starting equipment.
Acolyte
You have spent your life in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. You act as an intermediary between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and offering sacrifices in order to conduct worshipers into the presence of the divine. You are not necessarily a cleric—performing sacred rites is not the same thing as channeling divine power. Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your religious service. Were you a lesser functionary in a temple, raised from childhood to assist the priests in the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call to serve your god in a different way? Perhaps you were the leader of a small cult outside of any established temple structure, or even an occult group that served a daedric master that you now deny.
Features
Shelter of the Faithful
As an acolyte, you command the respect of those who share your faith, and you can perform the religious ceremonies of your deity. You and your adventuring companions can expect to receive free healing and care at a temple, shrine, or other established presence of your faith, though you must provide any material components needed for spells. Those who share your religion will support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle.
You might also have ties to a specific temple dedicated to your chosen deity or pantheon, and you have a residence there. This could be the temple where you used to serve, if you remain on good terms with it, or a temple where you have found a new home. While near your temple, you can call upon the priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous and you remain in good standing with your temple.
Guidance
Calling upon the teachings of your chosen faith, gain the cantrip Guidance, this will not count against the number of cantrips available to you from class or other features.
Arcane Student
You are a budding mage, and you have been preparing to hone your craft according to the traditions of an ancient College of magic where you are an initiate, this can be Skyrims own College of Winterhold or another college of Tamriel such as the Arcane University of Cyrodiil, the Crystal Tower of the Summerset Isles or Sadrith Mora in Morrowind. Whether it is as an intitiate or by exchange you have a standing invitation to study at the presitgious College of Winterhold and wish to journey there, whether it is for learnings own sake, personal power or enrichment your goal is clear. Variant: Bardic Student Instead of a budding mage, you are practicing to become a bard and have travelled to Skyrim with intent to join the Bard's College in Solitude. With this variant you get proficency with Performance instead of Arcana and must choose musical instrument instead of Artisan's tools for proficency annd equipment.
Features
Spellbook
When you discover a spell-tome, you copy it into your spellbook much like a Wizard does, with a Intelligence (Arcana) check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell’s level. If the check succeeds, the spell is successfully copied. Whether the check succeeds or fails, the spell-tome is destroyed.
Spells copied into your spellbook become available for you to prepare, if you are granted a number of spells you can prepare from your class or other feature. Regardless of your spellcasting class, spells learned this way use Intelligence as the spellcasting modfier.
If you are a wizard you can instead copy a spell from a spell-tome into your spellbook instantaneously, using only an action, though doing so destroys the spell-tome.
Magic Initiate
Learn the Prestidigitation cantrip, this will not count against the number of cantrips available to you from class or other features.
Standing Invitation
You have a standing invitation to study at ethier the College of Winterhold or Bard's College (variant).
Bounty Hunter
Before you became an adventurer, your life was already full of conflict and excitement, because you made a living tracking down people for pay. Perhaps you are a travelling bounty hunter who follows your quarry into or through the wilderness. Or perhaps you practice your trade, in the place where you live, routinely testing your skills and survival instincts in the rough streets: you routinely interact with both the criminal subculture and other bounty hunters, maintaining contacts in both areas to help you succeed. You might be a cunning thief-catcher, prowling the rooftops to catch one of the myriad burglars of the city. Perhaps you are someone who has your ear to the street, aware of the doings of thieves' guilds and street gangs. You might be a "velvet mask" bounty hunter, one who blends in with high society and noble circles in order to catch the criminals that prey on the rich, whether pickpockets or con artists. The community where you plied your trade might have been one of Tamriel's great metropolises, such as the Imperial City, or a less populous location in Skyrim, perhaps Solitude or Riften – any place that's large enough to have a steady supply of potential quarries. As a member of an adventuring party, you might find it more difficult to pursue a personal agenda that doesn't fit with the group's objectives – but on the other hand, you can take down much more formidable targets with the help of your companions.
Features
Ear to the Ground
You are in frequent contact with people in the segment of society that your chosen quarries move through. These people might be associated with the criminal underworld, the rough-and-tumble folk of the streets, or members of high society. This connection comes in the form of a contact in any city you visit, a person who provides information about the people and places of the local area.
Tracker
Gain advantage on rolls to track humaniods you have encountered in the last 8 hours, so long as you are present in a location they have been in that time. If the humaniod began using a mount, vehicle or began swimming, flight, teleportation, extra-planar travel or similar this feature may simply lead you to the place they began traveling without walking.
Charlatan
You have always had a way with people. You know what makes them tick, you can tease out their hearts' desires after a few minutes of conversation, and with a few leading questions you can read them like they were children's books. It's a useful talent, and one that you're perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather, you promise to deliver. Common sense should steer people away from things that sound too good to be true, but common sense seems to be in short supply when you're around. The bottle of pink colored liquid will surely cure that unseemly rash, this ointment – nothing more than a bit of fat with a sprinkle of silver dust can restore youth and vigor, and there's a bridge in the city that just happens to be for sale. These marvels sound implausible, but you make them sound like the real deal.
Features
Favourite Scheme
Every charlatan has an angle they use in preference to other schemes. Choose a favorite scam or roll on the table below.
| d6 | Scam |
| 1 | I cheat at games of chance. |
| 2 | I shave coins or forge documents. |
| 3 | I insinuate myself into people's lives to prey on their weakness and secure their fortunes. |
| 4 | I put on new identities like clothes. |
| 5 | I run sleight-of-hand cons on street corners. |
| 6 | I convince people that worthless junk is worth their hard-earned money. |
You can create a second identity that includes documentation and established acquaintances that allow you to assume that persona. Additionally, you can forge documents including official papers and personal letters, as long as you have seen an example of the kind of document or the handwriting you are trying to copy. After spending two hours and expending the nessasry resources to complete this persona, you can make a Deception roll to convince others you are this fake person, without needing a disguise kit or similar means. Practiced Disception
When practicing your chosen scam, your rolls related to the scam are made with advantage and rolls made by others to discern that they are being scammed have disadvantage.
Criminal
You are an experienced criminal with a history of breaking the law. You have spent a lot of time among other criminals and still have contacts within the criminal underworld. You're far closer than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society. Variant: Spy Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a very different context: as an espionage agent. You might have been an officially sanctioned agent of the crown, or perhaps you sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder.
Features
Criminal Specialty
There are many kinds of criminals, and within a thieves' guild or similar criminal organization, individual members have particular specialties. Even criminals who operate outside of such organizations have strong preferences for certain kinds of crimes over others. Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below.
| d8 | Specialty |
| 1 | Blackmailer |
| 2 | Burglar |
| 3 | Enforcer |
| 4 | Fence |
| 5 | Highway robber |
| 6 | Hired killer |
| 7 | Pickpocket |
| 8 | Smuggler |
You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you. Move in Shadow
Skilled in evading those who would see you brought to justice, gain the Skulker feat.
Dwemer Crafter
The Dwemer were well known for their artisanship and the worth of their handiworks, and you have been trained in that ancient tradition. For years you labored over books and manuscripts, often venturing into the depths of dangerous Dwemer ruins in order to gain the fine skills you possess today. As a result you have learned the lost tongue of the dwemer, and can craft dwemer metals in a fashion not seen since their disappearence.
Features
Dwemer Smithing
Gain the Dwemer Smithing feat, you will need to be proficient with smith's tools to make use of it however. You can also use dwemer ingots in unique jewlery if you are proficent with jewler's tools, stamped with your maker's mark to increase thier value.
Invited Guest
Using your knowledge of the Dwemer language and customs, you can attempt rudimentary communication with Dwemer constructs. If you have not already damaged them, you can attempt to persuade them that you are an invited guest and not to attack you. The roll needed for a sucsess is determined by the DM and will become increasingly difficult further into the depths of any Dwemer ruin. A sucsessful roll will not prevent Dwemer constructs from attacking you if you attack them or are seen to be doing anything unlawful in thier eyes.
Entertainer
You thrive in front of an audience. You know how to entrance them, entertain them, and even inspire them. Your poetics can stir the hearts of those who hear you, awakening grief or joy, laughter or anger. Your music raises their spirits or captures their sorrow. Your dance steps captivate, your humor cuts to the quick. Whatever techniques you use, your art is your life. Variant: Gladiator A gladiator is as much an entertainer as any minstrel or circus performer trained to make the arts of combat into a spectacle the crowd can enjoy. This kind of flashy combat is your entertainer routine, though you might also have some skills as a tumbler or actor. Using your By Popular Demand feature, you can find a place to perform in any place that features combat for entertainment-perhaps a gladiatorial arena or secret pit fighting club. You can replace the musical instrument in your equipment package with an inexpensive but unusual weapon, such as a trident or net.
Features
Entertainer Routines
A good entertainer is versatile, spicing up every performance with a variety of different routines. Choose one to three routines or roll on the table below to define your expertise as an entertainer.
| d10 | Entertainer Routine |
| 1 | Actor |
| 2 | Dancer |
| 3 | Fire-eater |
| 4 | Jester |
| 5 | Juggler |
| 6 | Instrumentalist |
| 7 | Poet |
| 8 | Singer |
| 9 | Storyteller |
| 10 | Tumbler |
You can always find a place to perform, usually in an inn or tavern but possibly with a circus, at a theater, or even in a noble's court. At such a place, you receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the establishment), as long as you perform each night. In addition, your performance makes you something of a local figure. When strangers recognize you in a town where you have performed, they typically take a liking to you. Practiced Routine
You have advantage on Performance checks when performing the entertainer routine you have chosen.
Faction Agent
Many organizations active in the North and across the face of Tamriel aren't bound by strictures of geography. These factions pursue their agendas without regard for political boundaries, and their members operate anywhere the organization deems necessary. These groups employ listeners, rumormongers, smugglers, sellswords, cache-holders (people who guard caches of wealth or magic for use by the faction's operatives), haven keepers, and message drop minders, to name a few. At the core of every faction are those who don't merely fulfill a small function for that organization, but who serve as its hands, head, and heart. As a prelude to your adventuring career (and in preparation for it), you served as an agent of a particular faction in Tamriel. You might have operated openly or secretly, depending on the faction and its goals, as well as how those goals mesh with your own. Becoming an adventurer doesn't necessarily require you to relinquish membership in your faction (though you can choose to do so), and it might enhance your status in the faction.
Features
Factions in Skyrim
The persistent unrest and wildness of Skyrim makes is likely directly responsible for the proliferation of secret societies and conspiracies in those lands. If your background is as an agent for one of the main factions active in Skyrim, here are some possibilities.
The Empire
The much diminished Third Empire under the Mede dynasty, the empire operates in Skyrim primarily through deployments of the Legion. The Legion works in the open protecting what remains of the unity of Tamriel from succesionist movements such as the Stormcloaks and the Forsworn. The Empire does also have operatives of the Penitus Oculatus in Skyrim however, who work in the shadows to combat such threats to imperial unity, as well as the renewed threat of the Dark Brotherhood. With the majority of Skyrim back under imperial control, while nominally bound to the rules of imperial bureaucracy, the voice of the Penitus Oculatus is the voice of the Emperor, law itself.
The Thalmor
The Thalmor is the governing council of the Third Aldmeri Dominion, the union of Valenwood, the Summerset Isles, and the client states of Elsweyr. To outsiders the members of the Thalmor are "elven supremacists" who seek to end the Empire and eradicate the worship of Talos as it goes against their own beliefs. They have a long-standing presence in Skyrim where they work often behind the scenes to enforce the ban on Talos worship outlined in the White-Gold concordant. Thalmor agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying and they can coerce the cooperation of local authorites loyal to the Empire to aid them.
The Thieves Guild
As criminal as the name suggests, dedicated entirely to thier own enrichment through organised crime, although for untold years, local authorities in places throughout Tamriel have tolerated the existence of the guild for its role as "crime regulator", as it does not tolerate competition or egregious conduct from its members such as wanton murder. The Thieves Guild operates accross Tamriel, though each provincal chapter operates entirely independently with little to no communication between them, with the Skyrim Guild operating out of Riften. Usually proficient in Deception or Intimidation, they have a network of corrupt or coerced merchants, government officals and law enforcement to aid them.
The Dark Brotherhood
A guild of assassins shrouded in shadow and mystery which has been active all over Tamriel. They were much diminished since the beginning of the fourth era, with the organisation nearly wiped out by the Penitus Oculatus. This was before they reached renewed infamy and resurrgence though, with the assassination of Emperor Titus Mede II. This single act brought the organisation back from the brink of obscurity, with two sanctuaries known to operate out of Skyrim alone. The oranisation still lacks unity though, with the sanctuaries being at odds and sworn eniemies to one another. Whenever an individual with legal authority takes an interest in their dealings, the Brotherhood relies upon a combination of bribery, blackmail, coercion, and murder to keep their activities hidden.
The Silver Hand
Dedicated to the extermination of werewolves, the silver hands are outlaws who hide in the shadows due to thier ongoing rivalry with the Companions who decimated thier organisation after an attack on Jorrvaskr. Thier methods are extreme and often lead them far outside the confines of the law, this combined with the influence of the Companions who label them common bandits, has led the organisation to become outlawed in Skyrim. Those who serve the faction are masters of survival and living off the land. They are often proficient in Nature, and can seek assistance from woodsmen, hunters, rangers, barbarian tribes, druid circles, and priests who share thier ideals.
The Stormcloaks
Loyalists of the much revered and reviled figure of Ulfric Stormcloak, the self-proclaimed high-king of Skyrim and suscessionist from the Empire. The Stormcloaks are famed for thier once open civil-war against the Empire. Where they captured and held numerous holds in open rebellion. Much diminished from this, now Stormcloaks usually operate in the shadows, continueing the fight in a guerilla war against the Legion and the Thalmor. Pursed by agents of the Penitus Oculatus, they recieve aid from the many families, officals, priests and law-enforcement who still secretly remain loyal to the cause or share a mutual worship of the forbidden god Talos.
Safe Haven
As a faction agent, you have access to a secret network of supporters and operatives who can provide assistance on your adventures. You know a set of secret signs and passwords you can use to identify such operatives, who can provide you with access to a hidden safe house, free room and board, or assistance in finding information. For the Cause
If they can be suitably convinced of the necessity, one or two members of these organisations may be convinced follow you temporarily and aid in your endevours, this feature should be used cautiously however. As convincing members of your chosen organisation to come to your aid will become harder if operatives that you've called to your aid have been put to trivial work or died in your service.
Giant Foundling
Though you aren’t a Giant, you grew up among giants. Maybe you were an orphan taken in by a sympathetic family of giants who raised you as one of their own. Or perhaps you lived in a lost pocket of the world, surrounded by giants and fearsome predators.
Something about your environment—perhaps the food or water that sustained you, elemental magic inherent in the site of your home, or some verdant blessing of growth placed on you—caused you to grow to a remarkable size for your kind. With the aid of this magic, you have learned how to embody the might of giants. You are used to moving through a world much bigger than you, and that is reflected in your skills, attitude, and perspective on life.
How you came to live among colossal creatures is up to you to determine, but the Foundling Origin table suggests a variety of possibilities.
| d6 | Foundling Origin |
| 1 | You were found as a baby by a family of nomadic giants who raised you as one of their own. |
| 2 | A family of Blackreach giants rescued you when you fell into a mountain chasm, and you have lived with them underground ever since. |
| 3 | You were lost or abandoned as a child, you found an equally lost and alone giant; together, you survived. |
| 4 | Your farm was crushed and your family killed in a battle between warring groups of giants. Racked with guilt over the destruction, a sympathetic giant promised to care for you. |
| 5 | Painted with the customary blue markings, your family of poor farmers gave you as an offering to the nearby giant camp when they had no more livestock to give. |
| 6 | While playing hide-and-seek with your friends, you stumbled into a camp of giants, who immediately adopted you against your will. |
Features
Strike of the Giants
Through your time in their care, you have absorbed primeval magic that gives you an echo of the might of giants. You gain the Strike of the Giants feat.
Giants Woad
With access to nature, you can paint yourself with the blue giants runes, the process takes an hour to complete and makes you instantly recognisable to giants as a foundling.
Haunted One
You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail. Whatever this thing is that haunts you can’t be slain with a sword or banished with a spell. It might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its toll, isolating you from most people and making you question your sanity. You must find a way to overcome it before it destroys you.
Features
Harrowing Event
Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one tragedy. Now you feel a darkness threatening to consume you, and you fear there may be no hope of escape. Choose a harrowing event that haunts you, or roll one on the Harrowing Events table.
| d10 | Harrowing Event |
| 1 | A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people spared your life, and you don’t know why. |
| 2 | You were sired by an evil deadra. You can feel it watching you, coldly and distantly. Sometimes it beckons you in the dead of night. |
| 3 | An apparition that has haunted your family for generations now haunts you. You don’t know what it wants, and it won’t leave you alone. |
| 4 | Your family has a history of practicing the dark arts. You dabbled once and felt something horrible clutch at your soul, whereupon you fled in terror. |
| 5 | A wispmother took your sibling one cold, dark night, and you were unable to stop it. |
| 6 | You were cursed with lycanthropy and later cured. You are now haunted by the innocents you slaughtered. |
| 7 | A hagraven kidnapped and raised you. You escaped, but the hagraven still has a magical hold over you and fills your mind with evil thoughts. |
| 8 | You opened an eldritch tome and saw things unfit for a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and images are burned into your psyche. |
| 9 | An evil spirit possessed you as a child. You were locked away but escaped. The spirit is still inside you, but now you try to keep it locked away. |
| 10 | You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams. |
Those who look into your eyes can see that you have faced unimaginable horror and that you are no stranger to darkness. You gain expertise in the Intimidation skill.
House Agent
You have sworn fealty to Jarl or noble of Skyrim. This could be a bond formed through loyalty and friendship; otherwise you're an outsider who hopes to make your fortune through service. As a house agent your main task is to serve as the eyes of your leigelord, but you could be called on at any time to act thier hand. Such missions can be perilous but lucrative. From the table below, choose a Jarl or noble you have sworn fealty to. Your choise grants corresponding tool proficiences:
| Hold | Jarl Served | Noble Served | Tool Proficiency |
| Eastmarch | Ulfric
Storm cloak |
Brunwolf
Free- Winter |
Disguise kit,
mounts |
| Falkreath | Siddgeir | Dengier | Calligrapher's tools,
forgery kit |
| Haafingar | Elisif
the Fair |
Erikur | One musical instrument,
poisoner's kit |
| Hjaalmarch | Idgrod
Raven crone |
Sorli
the Builder |
Alchemist's supplies,
herbalism kit |
| The Pale | Brenia
Merillis |
Skald
the Elder |
Navigator's tools,
ships |
| The Reach | Igmund | Thongor
Silver- Blood |
One gaming set,
thieves' tools |
| The Rift | Maven
Black- Briar |
Laila
Law- Giver |
Disguise kit,
thieves' tools |
| Whiterun | Balgruuf
the Greater |
Vignar
Grey- Mane |
Brewer's supplies,
mounts |
| Winterhold | Kraldar | Korir | Cook's utensils,
thieves' tools |
Features
You always gather information for your house, but when a liegelord gives you a specific mission, what sort of work do you do? The House Agent Role table gives possibilities.
| d8 | House Agent Role |
| 1 | Acquisition |
| 2 | Investigation |
| 3 | Research & Development |
| 4 | Security |
| 5 | Intimidation |
| 6 | Exploration |
| 7 | Negotiation |
| 8 | Covert Operations |
As an agent of your liegelord, you can always get food and lodging for yourself and your friends in your hold. When your liegelord assigns you a mission, they will usually provide you with the necessary supplies and transportation. Beyond this, you have many old friends, mentors, and rivals in your hold, and you may encounter one of them when you interact with a hold business. The degree to which such acquaintances are willing to help you depends on your current standing in your hold. Housecarl
Your legielord will have a housecarl, a powerful warrior dedicated to thier protection. You may be able to convince your legielord or thier housecarl themselves to come to your aid. If the task is of importance, such as one of your missions, however the housecarl will never want to stray to far from their lord's side.
Knight
You belong to an order who have sworn oaths to achieve a certain goal. The nature of this goal depends on the order you serve, but in your eyes it is without question a vital and honorable endeavor. Skyrim has a wide variety of knightly orders, all of which have a similar outlook concerning their actions and responsibilities. Though the term "knight" conjures ideas of mounted, heavily armored warriors of noble blood, most knightly orders in Skyrim don't call themselves such or restrict their membership to such individuals. The goals and philosophies of the order are more important than the gear and fighting style of its members, and so most of these orders aren't limited to fighting types, but are open to all sorts of folk who are willing to battle and die for the order's cause. The "Knightly Orders of Skyrim" section below details several of the orders that are active at present and is designed to help inform your decision about which group you owe allegiance to.
Features
Knightly Orders of Skyrim
Many who rightfully call themselves "knight" or suchlike earn that title as part of an order in service to a deity, such as the Vigilants of Stendaar. Other knightly orders serve a government, royal family, or are the elite military of a feudal state, such as the numerous knightly orders of High Rock or the Redguard Alik'r Coterie. Other knighthoods are secular and non-governmental organizations of warriors who follow a particular philosophy, or consider themselves a kind of extended family, similar to an order of monks. Although there are organizations that use the trappings of knighthood without necessarily being warriors, most folk of Skyrim think of a warrior in armour beholden to a code beyond that of mere sellsword as a "knight". Below are a few knightly organizations.
The Companions
Based in thier ancient Hall of Jorrvaskr, the Companions are the warriors guild of Skyrim. It serves a similar function to the Fighters Guild chapters of other regions of Tamriel. Working entirely in the open, often using their renowned reputation as warriors to lend themselves to solve problems, provided the client has the coin. Beyond mere sellswords though the companions are bound by a sense of brotherhood and honour, this is an informal code with the actual Oath of the Companions having long since been forgotten. Secretly though, the inner circle of the companions consists of a group of werewolves who revere Hircine's ideals of the hunt and who use thier transformations to deal with threats where mere steel will not surfice.
The Dawnguard
One of the newest power groups in Skyrim, the Dawnguard arose to combat the vampire menace that began in the wake of the choas of the civil-war and the dragons return. They are a versatile organisation that will work in the shadows or in the open with a relentless focus on thier core mission to eradicate vampires wherever they find them, and though oftentimes secondarily to protect the peoples of Skyrim from the threat vampires pose. Knights of the Dawguard are often ruthless and jaded figures who fight thier eternal war-for-the-dawn with vengeful determination while the majority of Skyrim's people remain ignorant. Occasionally leading to trouble as the Dawnguard have no requirement to prove a person was a vampire to local law-enforcement before exterminating it.
The Vigil of Stendarr
The Vigilants are holy warriors on a righteous quest to banish daedra and crush daedra worship, and they never hide in the shadows. Formed in the wake of the Oblivion Crisis where all Tamriel was invaded by the forces of Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, Vigilants are seen widely as a pure-hearted force for good. Though thier zealous belief that "All daedra are evil" can cause conflict between them and peaceful daedra worshiping factions. Their somewhat single-minded focus on diminishing the influence of the daedric princes can also lead them to being blind to other threats. They have a diminished presence in Skyrim after thier order was persued to near extinction in the region by vampires. Vigilants tend to be proficient in Religion, and frequently seek aid from law enforcement friendly to the order's ideals, and the clergy of the order's patron god Stendarr.
The Blades
In recent years, the Blades have become more visible in the world at large, as the group works to combat the persistent threats posed by the dragons return. Serving closer to their original purpose as an order of dragon-slayers, formally they had served the Empire in much the same way the Penitus Oculatus do now, but disbanded after being set aside by the Empire per the terms of the White-Gold concordant and being hunted to near extinction by the Thalmor across Tamriel. After being revived and then led by the Last Dragonborn to defeat Alduin the World-Eater, the Blades continued to serve the Last Dragonborn as an order of peacekeepers upholding the treaty of Snow-Throat. Agents of the Blades must still often work in secret however, as they remain the sworn enemies of the Thalmor.
Knightly Regard
You receive shelter and succor from members of your knightly order and those who are sympathetic to its aims. If your order is a religious one, you can gain aid from temples and other religious communities of your deity. Knights of civic orders can get help from the community – whether a lone settlement or a great nation that they serve, and knights of philosophical orders can find help from those they have aided in pursuit of their ideals, and those who share those ideals. This help comes in the form of shelter and meals, and healing when appropriate, as well as occasionally risky assistance, such as a band of local citizens rallying to aid a sorely pressed knight in a fight, or those who support the order helping to smuggle a knight out of town when he or she is being hunted unjustly. Knights Training
Your training as a knight makes you a dangerous foe to face, you gain the Weapon Master, Heavily Armoured or Mounted Combatant feat (your choice).
Oncelost
You grew up in the Shivering Isles after disappearing from your home plane as a child. Perhaps you were spirited away by Sheogorath who thought you were destined for great things. Perhaps you stumbled through a crossing by chance during a twilight stroll in the woods. Perhaps you were kidnapped by evil Daedra but escaped from their clutches. Whatever the manner of your disappearance, you gradually fell under the Isles's spell and learned a little about the nature of the insane denizens that dwell there. When you finally returned to your home plane, you did not come back unchanged. You are haunted by the fact the Shivering Isles-a mirror world hidden behind a mere twist of perception-is only a hair's breadth away. Although your memories of the Shivering Isles grow fainter with each passing day, your heart swells with a mixture of fear and joy at the prospect of one day venturing back to the Realm of Madness-your home away from home.
Features
Mad God's Mark
You were transformed in some small way by your stay in the Shivering Isles and gained the mad god's mark, determined by rolling on the Mad God's Mark table.
| d8 | Mad God's Mark |
| 1 | Your eyes swirl with iridescent colors. |
| 2 | You have a sweet scent, like that of nectar or honey. |
| 3 | Your ears are covered with soft tufts of fur. |
| 4 | Your skin sparkles in moonlight. |
| 5 | Flowers either bloom or wilt (your choice) in your presence. |
| 6 | Your hair is made of vines or brambles and grows back to normal length within 1 hour of being cut. |
| 7 | You have a tail like that of a dog or another animal. |
| 8 | You have long whiskers like those of a cat. |
Whenever you're sound asleep or in a deep trance during a long rest, a daedra of the Shivering Isles might pay you a visit, if the DM wishes it. Determine the spirit's form by rolling on the Madhouse Visitor table. No harm ever comes to you as a result of such visits, which can last for minutes or hours, and you remember each visit when you wake up. Conversations that occur with a visitor can contain any number of things, from messages and insights to nonsense and red herrings, at the DM's discretion. Such conversations are always conducted in a language you can understand, even if the Madhouse visitor can't speaking that language normally.
| d8 | Madhouse Visitor |
| 1 | Awakened creature (a Beast or an ordinary plant that has had the Awaken spell cast on it) |
| 2 | Gnarl |
| 3 | Baliwog |
| 4 | Grumminte |
| 5 | Flesh Atronach |
| 6 | Dark Seducer |
| 7 | Golden Saint |
| 8 | Sheogorath |
Your mannerisms and knowledge of daedric customs are recognized by natives of Oblivion, who see you as one of their own. Because of this, friendly daedra are inclined to come to your aid if you are lost or need help in Oblivion. Wildly Funny
Able to call upon the wild magic of the mad god, you can cast Hideous Laughter once per long rest without consuming a spell slot, this will not count against the number of spells available to you from class or other features, and the spell is always prepared for you. When cast without consuming a spell slot, you must roll on the Wild Magic Surge Table if a creature fails its saving throw against the spell. If a creature succeeds when the spell is cast this way, it must roll on the Wild Magic Surge Table instead. Regardless of your spellcasting class, the spell uses Charisma as the spellcasting modfier when cast without consuming a spell slot.
Outlander
You grew up in the wilds, far from civilization and the comforts of town and technology. You've witnessed the migration of herds larger than forests, survived weather more extreme than any city-dweller could comprehend, and enjoyed the solitude of being the only thinking creature for miles in any direction. The wilds are in your blood, whether you were a nomad, an explorer, a recluse, a hunter-gatherer, or even a marauder. Even in places where you don't know the specific features of the terrain, you know the ways of the wild.
Features
Origin
You've been to strange places and seen things that others cannot begin to fathom. Consider some of the distant lands you have visited, and how they impacted you. You can roll on the following table to determine your occupation during your time in the wild, or choose one that best fits your character.
| d10 | Origin |
| 1 | Forester |
| 2 | Trapper |
| 3 | Homesteader |
| 4 | Guide |
| 5 | Exile or outcast |
| 6 | Bounty hunter |
| 7 | Pilgrim |
| 8 | Tribal nomad |
| 9 | Hunter-gatherer |
| 10 | Tribal marauder |
You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth. Durability
Your time in the wilds has made you durable, able to fight to survive with little time to rest, you gain the Durable feat.
Ruined
Everything was going so well! You had a life of luxury, love, and comfort when you suddenly lost it all. Perhaps you were framed for crimes you didn’t commit and lost your reputation, fortune, and career. Maybe a rampaging dragon or another monster wiped out everything you had in a single calamitous afternoon. Or you might have sought out a Deck of Many Things, hoping to make your successful life even more glorious—only to draw a destructive card that changed your destiny forever. Your desperation has driven you to the career of adventurer. You don’t seek out dark dungeons and their monstrous inhabitants for excitement and glory; you do it because every other path is closed to you. But you have risen high on fortune’s wheel once before, and with luck and fortitude, you could do so again.
Features
Still Standing
You have weathered ruinous misfortune, and you possess hidden reserves others don’t expect. You gain the Alert, Skilled, or Tough feat (your choice). Your choice of feat reflects how you’ve dealt with the terrible loss that changed your life forever. If you’ve kept your senses sharp for every opportunity and climbed your way out of misery by seizing the tiniest scrap of hope, choose Alert. If you’ve redoubled your efforts to reclaim what was once yours, choose Skilled. If you’ve stoically persevered through your misfortune, select Tough.
Known Misfortune
You have known misfortune, so helping to alleviate it for others is more meaningful for you. When you recieve a charity die, the die becomes a d8 for you.
Sage
You spent years learning the lore of the multiverse. You scoured manuscripts, studied scrolls, and listened to the greatest experts on the subjects that interest you. Your efforts have made you a master in your fields of study. To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below.
| d8 | Specialty | Tool Proficency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alchemist | Alchemist's Tools |
| 2 | Astronomer | Navigator's Tools |
| 3 | Discredited Academic | Forgery Kit |
| 4 | Librarian | Playing card set |
| 5 | Professor | Painter's Supplies |
| 6 | Researcher | Tinker's Tools |
| 7 | Wizard's Apprentice | Dragonchess set |
| 8 | Scribe | Calligrapher's Supplies |
Features
Researcher
When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know that information, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a library, scriptorium, university, or a sage or other learned person or creature. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign.
Codex
Part of your training as a sage has been desiphering ancient languages and breaking codes to discern secret knowledge, you gain the Linguist feat.
Scholar
As a child, you were inquisitive when your playmates were possessive or raucous. In your formative years, you found your way to one of Tamriel's great institutes of learning, where you were apprenticed and taught that knowledge is a more valuable treasure than gold or gems. Now you are ready to leave your home – not to abandon it, but to quest for new lore to add to its storehouse of knowledge. The most well-known of Tamriel's fonts of knowledge is the Acane University. The great library is always in need of workers and attendants, some of whom rise through the ranks to assume roles of greater responsibility and prominence. You might be one of University's own, dedicated to the curatorship of what is likely the most complete body of lore and history in all the world. Perhaps instead you were taken in by the Moth Priests or the Vigil of Stendarr, and now you have struck out to increase your knowledge and to make yourself available to help those in other places who seek your expertise. You might be one of the few who aid Herald's Holdfast, helping to catalogue and maintain records of the information that arrives daily from across Faerûn.
Features
Professional Courtesty
Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit anyone immediate access.
You have a working knowledge of your order's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease. Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across the Realms, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar.
Learned Expertise
Your scholarly learning has granted you advanced knowlege in a field of your choosing, you gain the Skill Expert feat.
Smuggler
On a rickety barge, you carried a hundred longswords in fish barrels right past the dock master's oblivious lackeys. You have paddled a riverboat filled with stolen elven wine under the gaze of the moon and sold it for twice its value in the morning. In your more charitable times, you have transported innocents out of war zones or helped guide herd animals to safety on the banks of a burning river.
Features
Down Low
You are acquainted with a network of smugglers who are willing to help you out of tight situations. While in a particular town, city, or other similarly sized community (DM's discretion), you and your companions can stay for free in safe houses. Safe houses provide a poor lifestyle. While staying at a safe house, you can choose to keep your presence (and that of your companions) a secret.
Claim to Fame
Every smuggler has that one tale that sets them apart from common criminals. By wits, sailing skill, or a silver tongue, you lived to tell the story—and you tell it often. You can roll on the following table to determine your claim or choose one that best fits your character.
| d6 | Acomplishment |
| 1 | Spirit of the Whale. You smuggled stolen dwarven spirits in the body of a dead whale being pulled behind a fishing boat. When you delivered the goods, the corpse suddenly exploded, sending whale meat and whiskey bottles for half a mile. |
| 2 | Cart and Sword. You drove a cart filled with stolen art through the middle of a battlefield while singing sea shanties to confuse the combatants. |
| 3 | The Recruit. You enlisted in another nation's navy for the purpose of smuggling stolen jewels to a distant port. You attained a minor rank before disappearing from the navy and making your way here. |
| 4 | River of Shadows. Your riverboat accidentally slipped through the veil into the Shadowfell for several hours. While you were there, you sold some stolen dragonborn artifacts before returning to this plane and paddling home. |
| 5 | Gold-Hearted. You agreed to transport a family escaping a war. The baby began to cry at a checkpoint, and you gave the guards all your gold to let you pass. The family never found out about this gesture. |
| 6 | Playing Both Sides. You once smuggled crates of crossbow bolts and bundles of arrows, each destined for an opposing side in a regional war, at the same time. The buyers arrived within moments of each other but did not discover your trickery. |
As a smuggler, survival for you has meant being able to outwit those who would catch you. You gain the Keen Mind feat.
Thane
You understand wealth, power, and privilege. You carry the noble title of thane, perhaps your family owns land and wields significant political influence. You might be a pampered aristocrat unfamiliar with work or discomfort, a former merchant just elevated to the nobility, or a disinherited scoundrel with a disproportionate sense of entitlement. Or you could be an honest, hard-working landowner who cares deeply about the people who live and work on your land, keenly aware of your responsibility to them.
Is your family old and established, or was your title only recently bestowed? How much influence do they wield, and over what area? What kind of reputation does your family have among the other aristocrats of the region? How do the common people regard them?
What's your position in the family? Are you the heir to the head of the family? Have you already inherited the title? How do you feel about that responsibility? Or are you so far down the line of inheritance that no one cares what you do, as long as you don't embarrass the family? How does the head of your family feel about your adventuring career? Are you in your family's good graces, or shunned by the rest of your family?
Does your family have a coat of arms? An insignia you might wear on a signet ring? Particular colors you wear all the time? An animal you regard as a symbol of your line or even a spiritual member of the family?
These details help establish your family and your title as features of the world of the campaign.
From the table below, choose a Jarl or noble you have sworn fealty to:
| Hold | Jarl Served | Noble Served (variant) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastmarch | Ulfric Stormcloak | Brunwolf Free-Winter |
| Falkreath | Siddgeir | Dengier |
| Haafingar | Elisif the Fair | Erikur |
| Hjaalmarch | Idgrod Ravencrone | Sorli the Builder |
| The Pale | Brenia Merillis | Skald the Elder |
| The Reach | Igmund | Thongor Silver-Blood |
| The Rift | Maven Black-Briar | Laila Law-Giver |
| Whiterun | Balgruuf the Greater | Vignar Grey-Mane |
| Winterhold | Kraldar | Korir |
Features
Position of Privilege
Thanks to your nobility, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to.
Housecarl Variant Feature: Respect of Alliegence
People who have allied themselves to your liegelord or in the hold of your liegelord. You are shown respect as a trusted representative of your liegelord, your loyalty to them will not be questioned without good cause. Law-enforcement in the hold of your liegelord will show you paticular reverence and if your liegelord is the Jarl, will follow your commands so long as they are not obviously immoral or reckless. This command is not magical in nature and subject to limitation by the DM.
Foreign Noble Feature: By Invitation Only
An unknown figure in the courts of halls of Skyrim nobility you are unwelcome except in circumstances where foriegn dignataries are invited, such as the weddings of important noble figures, conferances of court and other special occasions. You will recieve invatations by courier randomly, determined by the DM. If you choose this variant you can also choose an additonal language.
Your Bodyguard
As a person of importance, you have gained the service of a housecarl, a protecter sworn to your service. At 1st-level they will use Warrior (lvl 1), at 6th-level this becomes Warrior (lvl 3) and at 10th-level Warrior (lvl 5). However if they die, you will not be able to replace them.
Urchin
You grew up on the streets alone, orphaned, and poor, you had no one to watch over you or to provide for you, so you learned to provide for yourself. You fought fiercely over food and kept a constant watch out for other desperate souls who might steal from you. You slept on rooftops and in alleyways, exposed to the elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You've survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each.
You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life?
Features
City Secrets
You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.
Light Fingered
Survival has necessitated you become proficent in pickpocketing, when in dense crowds you have advantage on rolls to do so.
Street Rat
Your time living in the gutters of society has granted you advantage on saving throws against contracting disease.
Anthropologist
You have always been fascinated by other cultures, from the most ancient and primeval lost lands to the most modern civilizations. By studying other cultures' customs, philosophies, laws, rituals, religious beliefs, languages, and art, you have learned how tribes, empires, and all forms of society in between craft their own destinies and doom. This knowledge came to you not only through books and scrolls, but also through firsthand observation – by visiting far-flung settlements and exploring local histories and customs.
Features
Adept Linguist
You can communicate with humanoids who don't speak any language you know. You must observe the humanoids interacting with one another for at least 1 day, after which you learn a handful of important words, expressions, and gestures – enough to communicate on a rudimentary level.
Cultural Chameleon
Before becoming an adventurer, you spent much of your adult life away from your homeland, living among people different from your kin. You came to understand these foreign cultures and the ways of their people, who eventually treated you as one of their own. One culture had more of an influence on you than any other, shaping your beliefs and customs. you can roll on the following table or choose a race whose culture you've adopted:
| d10 | Cultural Chameleon Table |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nord. Known for honour and tradition. |
| 2 | Imperial. Known for diplomacy and trade. |
| 3 | Breton. Known for a connection to history. |
| 4 | Redguard. Known for martial tradition. |
| 5 | Altmer. Known for a connection to magic. |
| 6 | Dunmer. Known for a connection to their ancestors. |
| 7 | Bosmer. Known for a connection to nature. |
| 8 | Orcs. Known for honour and survival. |
| 9 | Khajiit. Known for trade and deception. |
| 10 | Argonian. Known for a connection to nature. |
Athlete
You strive to perfect yourself physically and in execution of everything you do. The thrill of competition lights fire in your blood, and the roar of the crowd drives you forward. Tales of your exploits precede you and might open doors or loosen tongues. Whether in the arena of the imperial city, the tournaments in high rock, the archery competitions in valenwood or between them, physical contests and those who pursue them command respect bordering on reverence. Athletes arise from all walks of life and all cultures and quite often cross paths with one another.
Features
Favoured Event
While many athletes practice various games and events, most excel at a single form of competition. Roll or choose from the options in the Favored Events table to determine the athletic event in which you excel.
| d8 | Favoured Event |
| 1 | Marathon |
| 2 | Melee |
| 3 | Wrestling |
| 4 | Boxing |
| 5 | Horse racing |
| 6 | Jousting |
| 7 | Rowing |
| 8 | Swimming |
You have attracted admiration among spectators, fellow athletes, and trainers in the region that hosted your past athletic victories. When visiting any settlement within 100 miles of where you grew up, there is a 50 percent chance you can find someone there who admires you and is willing to provide information and temporary shelter. Between adventures, you might compete in athletic events sufficient enough to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Athletic Conditioning
You have undergone extensive physical training, you gain the Athlete feat.
Caravan Specialist
You are used to life on the road. You pride yourself at having traveled every major tradeway in the Skyrim region, including the best back roads and shortcuts. When traveling these roads, you know where the best inns, campsites, and water sources are located, as well as potential locations of danger such as ambush. Having worked the roads as long as you have, you have made many acquaintances and find it easy to pick up information and rumors floating from town to town. You are skilled with beasts of burden and handling and repairing wagons of all kinds.
Features
Wagonmaster
You are used to being in charge of the operation and your reputation for reliability has you on a short list when the job is critical. Experience has taught you to rely on your gut. Others recognize this and look to you for direction when a situation gets serious. You are able to identify the most defensible locations for camping, during short or long rests in dangerous areas you are far less likely to be attacked (the DM rolls with disadvantage). You have an excellent memory for maps and geography and can always determine your cardinal directions while traveling.
Courtier
In your earlier days, you were a personage of some significance in a noble court or a bureaucratic organization. You might or might not come from an upper-class family; your talents, rather than the circumstances of your birth, could have secured you this position.
You might have been one of the many functionaries, attendants, and other hangers-on in the Courts of Highrock, or perhaps you traveled in the Imperial City's baroque and sometimes cutthroat conglomeration of guilds, nobles, adventurers, and secret societies. You might have been one of the behind-the-scenes law-keepers or functionaries in Solitude, or you might have grown up in and around the castle of Windhelm.
Even if you are no longer a full-fledged member of the group that gave you your start in life, your relationships with your former fellows can be an advantage for you and your adventuring comrades. You might undertake missions with your new companions that further the interest of the organization that gave you your start in life. In any event, the abilities that you honed while serving as a courtier will stand you in good stead as an adventurer.
Features
Court Functionary
Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you gain access to the records and inner workings of any noble court or government you encounter. You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in the group are.
Observant
Skilled at navigating the politics and intrigue of court or government bureaucracies, you gain the Observant feat.
Dissenter
Whether a worshiper of the forbidden god Talos, a cultist of one of the many daedric lords outlawed by most civilised society, a native reachman intent on seeing your people reclaim thier ancestral homeland or a loyalist to the self proclaimed true high-king Ulfric Stormcloak. Your life has been defined by a secret opposition to the dictates of law in Skyrim society. You might be motivated by fear, anger or moved by conceince to dissent from the ruling order and with others who share your beliefs, seek to overturn the established order of things dispite the everpresent danger of discovery and death.
Features
Shelter of Dissenters
If they wish to have any hope of survival, whether hiding within the city or cast out into the wilderness of Skyrim, dissenters must help each other. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other dissenters. They will help shield you from those who hunt you, possibly even risking their lives for you.
On the Alert
In a life where survival has meant staying one step ahead of those who would see you killed for your beliefs, you gain the Alert feat.
Dragon Casualty
When the Alduin the World-Eater descended upon Skyrim, you were one of the unfortunate casualties of war. Perhaps you were a humble farmer, your home, fields and livestock burned to a crisp by an awakened Dragon. Or perhaps you were a soldier, pitted against a guargantuan beast of tooth and claw with nothing but a simple sword, whatever your life before that fateful encounter, you were forever changed when you could only watch as your comrades or loved ones were roasted and devoured by a beast of, what you had thought, mere legend. You bare the scars of this encounter to this day, both physical and mental, you only fear that those who died to these terrible beasts were the lucky ones, and you and your fellow Dragon scarred are doomed for a fate worse than death. Prior to the attack on Helgen by Alduin and the return of the dragons, you were once a citizen or visitor to Skyrim. While the trauma of your ordeal has greatly altered your motivations and perception of the world, your former life still clings to you and colours your mannerisms, behaviors, and outlook on life. Choose one entry on the following table (or roll randomly) to determine your former occupation prior to your scarring. Your choice determines your tool proficiency from this background.
| d8 | Origin (Occupation) | Tool Proficency |
| 1 | Dockworker/Fisherman | Ships |
| 2 | Tradesperson/Merchant | Artisan's Tools |
| 3 | Soldier/Guardsman | Gaming Set or Mounts |
| 4 | Adventurer/Visitor | Mounts |
| 5 | Entertainer | Musical Instrument |
| 6 | Scholar/Healer | Alchemist's Supplies or Herbalism Kit |
| 7 | Criminal | Thieves' Tools, Forgery Kit, or Disguise Kit |
| 8 | Farmer/Laborer | Gaming Set |
Features
Dragonscarred
Your encounter with the Dragons has left you horribly disfigured but mark you as a survivor of the Dragon Crisis. This affords you a measure of fame and notoriety, for those who know of your harrowing ordeal are keen to hear the tale personally, but makes it difficult to disguise your appearance and hide from prying eyes. You can parley this attention into access to people and places you might not otherwise have for you and your companions. Nobles, scholars, mages, and those who seek to ferret out the secrets of the Dova would all be keen to hear your tale of survival, and learn what secrets (if any) you might possess, and/or study your affliction with great interest.
Elemental Resilience
Whether it was some innate resilience that allowed your survival in the first place, or whether your injuries have granted you a tolerance, you gain resistance to fire or frost damage, your choice.
Faceless
Being who you are, you could never be a hero. Whether due to your class, your people, your family, or your sins, something about you prevents you from effectively pursuing the path you've chosen. Even so, that doesn't stop you. You've left your old face behind, taking on a new persona, becoming something more. Characters with the faceless background don a disguise—literally or otherwise—as they adventure. This persona might be dramatic or subtle. In a way, though, many characters have such larger than life personalities. Therefore, this background largely focuses on detailing the hero behind the mask.
Features
Faceless Persona
A faceless character adventures behind a mask of a public persona. This persona is as natural to them as their hidden, true face, but it disguises their identity. Roll on the Faceless Persona table to determine your persona, or work with the DM to create a persona that's unique to your character and suits the tone of your game.
| d10 | Faceless Persona |
| 1 | A flamboyant spy or brigand |
| 2 | The incarnation of a nation or people |
| 3 | A scoundrel with a masked guise |
| 4 | A vengeful spirit |
| 5 | The manifestation of a deity or your faith |
| 6 | One whose beauty is greatly accented using makeup |
| 7 | An impersonation of another hero |
| 8 | The embodiment of a school of magic |
| 9 | A warrior with distinctive armor |
| 10 | A disguise with animalistic or monstrous characteristics, meant to inspire fear |
Most of your fellow adventurers and the world know you as your persona. Those who seek to learn more about you—your weakness, your origins, your purpose—find themselves stymied by your disguise. Upon donning a disguise and behaving as your persona, you are unidentifiable as your true self, rolls to discern that you are disguised automatically fail. By removing your disguise and revealing your true face, you are no longer identifiable as your persona. This allows you to change appearances between your two personalities as often as you wish, using one to hide the other or serve as convenient camouflage. However, should someone realize the connection between your persona and your true self, your deception might lose its effectiveness.
Fisher
You have spent your life aboard fishing vessels or combing the shallows for the bounty of the ocean. Perhaps you were born into a family of fisher folk, working with your kin to feed your village. Maybe the job was a means to an end - a way out of an undesirable circumstance that forced you to take up life aboard a ship. Regardless of how you began, you soon fell in love with the sea, the art of fishing, and the promise of the eternal horizon.
Features
Harvest the Water
You gain advantage on ability checks made using fishing tackle and you can use fishing tackle to make any gathering checks for fish. You can also harvest the parts of poisonous fish for alchemical ingredients without using a poisoners kit, making a survival check with the same DC instead. Additonally if you have access to a body of water that sustains marine life, you can also maintain a moderate lifestyle while working as a fisher, and you can catch enough food to feed yourself and up to ten other people each day.
Fishing Tale
You can tell a compelling tale, whether tall or true, to impress and entertain others. Once a day, you can tell your story to willing listeners. At the DM's discretion, a number of those listeners become friendly toward you; this is not a magical effect, and continued amicability on their part depends on your actions. You can roll on the following table to help determine the theme of your tale or choose one that best fits your character. Alternatively, work with your DM to create your own fishing tale.
| d8 | Tale |
| 1 | Mudcrab Wrestling. You fought in hand-to-hand combat with an immense mudcrab. |
| 2 | It Dragged the Boat. You nearly caught a fish of monstrous size that pulled your boat for miles. |
| 3 | Fins of Pure Gold. You caught a sea animal whose fins were made of pure gold, but another fisher stole it. |
| 4 | Ghost Fish. You are haunted by a ghostly fish that only you can see. |
| 5 | Nemesis Clam. A large clam containing a pearl the size of your head claimed one of your fingers before jetting away; one day, you'll find that clam. |
| 6 | It Swallowed the Sun. You once saw a fish leap from the water and turn day into night. |
| 7 | Dive into the Abyss. You found yourself in an underwater cave leading to the Abyss, and your luck has been sour ever since. |
| 8 | Love Story. You fell in love with a creature of pure water, but your brief romance ended tragically. |
Folk Hero
You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as their champion, and your destiny calls you to stand against the tyrants and monsters that threaten the common folk everywhere.
Features
Defining Event
You previously pursued a simple profession among the peasantry, perhaps as a farmer, miner, servant, shepherd, woodcutter, or gravedigger. But something happened that set you on a different path and marked you for greater things. Choose or randomly determine a defining event that marked you as a hero of the people.
| d10 | Defining Event |
| 1 | I stood up to a tyrant's agents. |
| 2 | I saved people during a natural disaster. |
| 3 | I stood alone against a terrible monster. |
| 4 | I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor. |
| 5 | I led a militia to fight off an invading army. |
| 6 | I broke into a tyrant's castle and stole weapons to arm the people. |
| 7 | I trained the peasantry to use farm implements as weapons against a tyrant's soldiers. |
| 8 | A lord rescinded an unpopular decree after I led a symbolic act of protest against it. |
| 9 | A spriggan, daedra, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin. |
| 10 | Recruited into a lord's army, I rose to leadership and was commended for my heroism. |
Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you. Inspiring Heroism
Your heroism is capable of inspiring your companions, bolstering their resolve to fight, you gain the Inspiring Leader feat.
Guild Artisan
You are a member of an artisan's guild, skilled in a particular field and closely associated with other artisans. You are a well-established part of the mercantile world, freed by talent and wealth from the constraints of a feudal social order. You learned your skills as an apprentice to a master artisan, under the sponsorship of your guild, until you became a master in your own right. Variant: Guild Merchant Instead of an artisans' guild, you might belong to a guild of traders, caravan masters, or shopkeepers. You don't craft items yourself but earn a living by buying and selling the works of others (or the raw materials artisans need to practice their craft). Your guild might be a large merchant consortium (or family) with interests across the region. Perhaps you transported goods from one place to another, by ship, wagon, or caravan, or bought them from traveling traders and sold them in your own little shop. In some ways, the traveling merchant's life lends itself to adventure far more than the life of an artisan. Rather than proficiency with artisan's tools, you might be proficient with navigator's tools or an additional language. And instead of artisan's tools, you can start with a mule and a cart.
Features
Guild Business Guilds are generally found in cities large enough to support several artisans practicing the same trade. However, your guild might instead be a loose network of artisans who each work in a different village within a larger realm. Work with your DM to determine the nature of your guild. You can select your guild business from the Guild Business table or roll randomly.
| d20 | Guild Business |
| 1 | Alchemists and apothecaries |
| 2 | Armorers, locksmiths, and finesmiths |
| 3 | Brewers, distillers, and vintners |
| 4 | Calligraphers, scribes, and scriveners |
| 5 | Carpenters, roofers, and plasterers |
| 6 | Cartographers, surveyors, and chart-makers |
| 7 | Cobblers and shoemakers |
| 8 | Cooks and bakers |
| 9 | Glassblowers and glaziers |
| 10 | Jewelers and gemcutters |
| 11 | Leatherworkers, skinners, and tanners |
| 12 | Masons and stonecutters |
| 13 | Painters, limners, and sign-makers |
| 14 | Potters and tile-makers |
| 15 | Shipwrights and sailmakers |
| 16 | Smiths and metal-forgers |
| 17 | Tinkers, pewterers, and casters |
| 18 | Wagon-makers and wheelwrights |
| 19 | Weavers and dyers |
| 20 | Woodcarvers, coopers, and bowyers |
As an established and respected member of a guild, you can rely on certain benefits that membership provides. Your fellow guild members will provide you with lodging and food if necessary, and pay for your funeral if needed. In some cities and towns, a guildhall offers a central place to meet other members of your profession, which can be a good place to meet potential patrons, allies, or hirelings.
Guilds often wield tremendous political power. If you are accused of a crime, your guild will support you if a good case can be made for your innocence or the crime is justifiable. You can also gain access to powerful political figures through the guild, if you are a member in good standing. Such connections might require the donation of money or magic items to the guild's coffers. Tradesman
When selling goods related to your choosen guild business, you can expect to sell to them at thier base price to vendors you are friendly with.
Hermit
You lived in seclusion – either in a sheltered community such as a monastery, or entirely alone – for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from the clamor of society, you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the answers you were looking for.
Features
Life of Seclusion
What was the reason for your isolation, and what changed to allow you to end your solitude? You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your seclusion, or you can choose to roll on the table below to determine the reason behind your seclusion.
| d8 | Life of Seclusion |
| 1 | I was searching for spiritual enlightenment. |
| 2 | I was partaking of communal living in accordance with the dictates of a religious order. |
| 3 | I was exiled for a crime I didn't commit. |
| 4 | I retreated from society after a life-altering event. |
| 5 | I needed a quiet place to work on my art, literature, music, or manifesto. |
| 6 | I needed to commune with nature, far from civilization. |
| 7 | I was the caretaker of an ancient ruin or relic. |
| 8 | I was a pilgrim in search of a person, place, or relic of spiritual significance. |
The quiet seclusion of your extended hermitage gave you access to a unique and powerful discovery. The exact nature of this revelation depends on the nature of your seclusion. It might be a great truth about the cosmos, the deities, the powerful beings of the outer planes, or the forces of nature. It could be a site that no one else has ever seen. You might have uncovered a fact that has long been forgotten, or unearthed some relic of the past that could rewrite history. It might be information that would be damaging to the people who or consigned you to exile, and hence the reason for your return to society. Work with your DM to determine the details of your discovery and its impact on the campaign. Hermit's Healing
Your life of isolation has necessitated a thorough understanding of medicine, you gain the Healer feat.
Horse Thief
The lands of Skyrim, once the civil-war and the Dragon crisis began, became to be a site of extensive banditry and lawlessness, in the choas you took up the trade of horse thief, stealing mounts from unsuspecting victims, perhaps from farms or even daring to steal from the camps of the opposing Legion and Stormcloak forces. Despite the threat of the death penalty, perhaps it was desperation, thrill or simply the call of fortune that drove you to this lucrative but dangerous profession. Your time as an erstwhile horse thief has given you plenty of experience in the saddle and a knack for acquiring and appraising other people’s mounts, pets, and vehicles among other things. This particular set of skills has become very lucrative for you by working for the underground for a local guild of thieves and other shadowy organizations.
Features
Black-Market Breeder
You know how to find people who are always looking for stolen animals & vehicles, whether to provide for animal pit fights, or to supply some desperate rogues the means to get away faster on mounts during an illegal job. This contact not only provides you with information of what such animals & vehicles are in high demand in the area, but also offers to give you favors and information (DM choice) if you bring such animals & vehicles to them.
Equestrian
You roll with advantage when making Animal Handling checks on horses.
Mounted Evasion
You can choose to mount a creature (that you would otherwise be able to mount) even when you have expended all your movement on your turn, though your movement speed must be more than 0. While mounted, if you take the dodge action on your turn your mount will also take the dodge action as a free action for it.
Inheritor
You are the heir to something of great value – not mere coin or wealth, but an object that has been entrusted to you and you alone. Your inheritance might have come directly to you from a member of your family, by right of birth, or it could have been left to you by a friend, a mentor, a teacher, or someone else important in your life. The revelation of your inheritance changed your life, and might have set you on the path to adventure, but it could also come with many dangers, including those who covet your gift and want to take it from you – by force, if need be.
Features
Inheritance
Choose or randomly determine your inheritance from among the possibilities in the table below. Work with your DM to come up with details: Why is your inheritance so important, and what is its full story? You might prefer for the DM to invent these details as part of the game, allowing you to learn more about your inheritance as your character does.
The DM is free to use your inheritance as a story hook, sending you on quests to learn more about its history or true nature, or confronting you with foes who want to claim it for themselves or prevent you from learning what you seek. The DM also determines the properties of your inheritance and how they figure into the item's history and importance. For instance, the object might be a minor magic item, or one that begins with a modest ability and increases in potency with the passage of time. Or, the true nature of your inheritance might not be apparent at first and is revealed only when certain conditions are met.
When you begin your adventuring career, you can decide whether to tell your companions about your inheritance right away. Rather than attracting attention to yourself, you might want to keep your inheritance a secret until you learn more about what it means to you and what it can do for you.
| d8 | Inheritance |
| 1 | A document such as a map, a letter, or a journal |
| 2 | A trinket |
| 3 | A engraved simple or martial weapon |
| 4 | An article of clothing |
| 5 | A piece of jewelry |
| 6 | An arcane book or formulary |
| 7 | A written story, song, poem, or secret |
| 8 | A tattoo or other body marking |
Whether by the same winds of fate that saw you come into your inheritance, or by some inexplicable charm of the inheritance itself, gain the Lucky feat.
Mercenary Veteran
As a sell-sword who fought battles for coin, you're well acquainted with risking life and limb for a chance at a share of treasure. Now, you look forward to fighting foes and reaping even greater rewards as an adventurer. Your experience makes you familiar with the ins and outs of mercenary life, and you likely have harrowing stories of events on the battlefield. You might have served with a large outfit such as the Fighters Guild or the mercenaries of the East Empire Company, or a smaller band of sell-swords, maybe even more than one. See the "Mercenaries of the North" section below for a collection of possibilities. Now you're looking for something else, perhaps greater reward for the risks you take, or the freedom to choose your own activities. For whatever reason, you're leaving behind the life of a soldier for hire, but your skills are undeniably suited for battle, so now you fight on in a different way.
Features
Mercenaries of the North
Countless mercenary companies operate across Tamriel and throughout Skyrim. Most are small-scale operations that employ a dozen to a hundred folk who offer security services, hunt monsters and brigands, or go to war in exchange for gold. Some organizations, such as the Fighters Guild and the Mercanaries of the East Empire Company have hundreds or thousands of members and can provide private armies to those with enough funds. A few organizations operating in the North are described below.
The Fighters Guild
The guild is a professional organization chartered by the Emperor to regulate the hiring and training of mercenaries, protect commerce, capture or drive away beasts, and similar security duties. Guild halls can take on a contract from any citizen, provided it does not conflict with the laws or customs of the region.
The Fighters Guild most prominent and is highly organized in Cyrodiil. They have had numerous rivals over the years, including the dubious Blackwood Company, and outmaneuvering them has kept the Guild performing at its best.
The East Empire Mercanaries
The East Empire Company is a monopolistic merchantile enterprise charted by the Emperor and managed by a board of directors appointed by the Emperor. The Company has sole authority to trade in certain goods, like flin, raw ebony, raw glass, and Dwemer artifacts, and it also enjoys favorable tariffs and regulations for import and export of other common and exotic goods. Such trade makes them a prime target for bandits, pirates and thieves, as such they employ a vast army of mercenaries to protect thier investments. Also using them to aid in "negotiation" to expand thier recources and stifle competition.
The Black-Briar Mercanaries
One of the most famous and infamous names in Skyrim is that of the Black-Briars, an immensely powerful family in Riften who own the Black-Briar meadery along with having a stake in many other business ventures in the province. They have a reputation for ruthlessness when it comes to competition, with strong ties to the thieves guild and a private company of mercanaries under the direct control of the family matriarch Jarl Maven Black-Briar.
The Blackwood Company
A minor mercenary faction that began to operate in the Imperial province of Cyrodiil, out of the city of Leyawiin and the Blackwood Forest, during the latter days of the Third Era, and simultaneous to the Oblivion Crisis. Initially comprised of former soldiers who failed to reclaim territory in Black Marsh for the Emperor, and comprised almost exclusively of Beastfolk, the Blackwood Company emerged as a notorious yet effective rival and threat to the Cyrodilic chapter of the Fighters Guild. Unlike the Fighters Guild, the Blackwood Company has no objection to completing less scrupulous jobs and seems to operate without moral qualms. Further, unlike the Fighters Guild, there are no limitations as to who can join; even individuals of questionable moral integrity and those with a criminal record can join the group providing that they have combat prowess.
The Silver-Blood Mercanaries
The Silver-Bloods are a family of wealthy silver miners located in Markarth. They own most of the city and use prisoners to mine silver in Cidhna Mine, the prison of Markarth. They own and preside over the Silver-Blood Inn. The family clashes repeatedly with the growing faction of Forsworn in the Reach, being involved in a protracted gureilla war over the Reach to protect thier interests. As such they employ a large company of private mercenaries to keep the Forsworn at bay, also using them to deal with any other threats or competition to the family and its bussiness.
The Morag Tong
An ancient guild of assassins headquartered in Morrowind, celebrating murder in the name of Mephala. They have been active since at least the First Era, and their targets have included multiple rulers of Tamriel, high-ranking Dunmer nobility, and countless others. Despite nominally being assassins the Morag Tong is unique in its sanctioned status under the Morrowind government to perform legal executions, bound under contracts called 'writs'. Because of its official sanction, the guild has the authority to print legal bills known as Honorable Writs of Execution, which excuse a Tong agent of all legal misgiving associated with any Tong related business. As such, Morag Tong executioners are expected to give themselves up immediately following an execution even if the death itself would have remained a mystery, in order to legally absolve themselves and avert any possible long-term ramifications. Tong executioners who fail to do so are considered suspect by their order and may be subject to major internal investigations, as the Tong does not harbor criminals. This legal protection does not however, exist beyond the bounds of Morrowind where they are seen as an entirely criminal organisation.
Mercenary Life
You know the mercenary life as only someone who has experienced it can. You are able to identify mercenary companies by their emblems, and you know a little about any such company, including the names and reputations of its commanders and leaders, and who has hired them recently. You can find the taverns and festhalls where mercenaries abide in any area, as long as you speak the language. You can find mercenary work between adventures sufficient to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Combat Experience
Your time in a mercenary company has given you experience in the ways of war, you gain the Light Armour Master (if proficent), Heavy Armour Master (if proficent) or Martial Adept feat (your choice).
Orc Tribe Member
Though you might have only recently arrived in civilized lands, you are no stranger to the values of cooperation and group effort when striving for supremacy. You learned these principles, and much more, as a member of an Orc tribe. The vast majority of Orc tribe members are Orcs themselves, however they occasionally name a select few outsiders as one of thier own, perhaps this is the case for you. As an Orc born of the tribe, a foundling of another tribe or race, or an outsider of acclaim such as to be named one with the tribe, you spent much of your life calling the tribe your family and them the same to you. Your people have always tried to hold to the old ways. Tradition and taboo have kept the Orcs strong while the kingdoms of others have collapsed into chaos and ruin. But for the last few generations, some bands among the tribes were tempted to settle, make peace, trade, and even to build strongholds. Other orcs led bands back to the old ways, and abandoned the soft ways of civilization. You might have grown up in one of the tribes that had decided to settle down, and from a life in the walls of the stronghold you venture out. Or you might come from a segment of the Orcs that adheres to strict tradition, wandering the wilderness fighting for survival. Ethier way, perhaps you seek to bring glory to your tribe by achieving great things as a formidable adventurer. Variant: Barbarian Tribe Member Instead of a tribe of Orcs, perhaps you come from a tribe of similar ideals of one of the other races. Similarly outcasted from society, such as the Forsworn or even one of the many roving tribes of bandits that call the wildernesses of Tamriel thier home.
Features
Orc Strongholds of Skyrim
Though this section details the Orc Strongholds of Skyrim specifically, either it or the Outlander background can be used for a character whose origin lies with one of the other barbarian tribes in Tamriel.
Dushnikh Yal
Led by Chief Burguk, Dushnikh Yal is a prosperous Orc stronghold in the southwest of Skyrim, southeast of Markarth. With a temperate climate, a mine rich in ore and a fruitful trade relationship with both the ruling Nords and the rebellious Forsworn of the region. This stronghold is spared the worst of the trouble affecting the region and is respectfully left to its own devices by most.
Largashbur
Led by Chief Yamaraz, Largashbur is an accursed Orc stronghold beset by giants in the southeast of Skyrim, west-southwest of Riften. Traditionally the centre of worship for the Orcish patron god Malacath, the tribe has fallen out of his favour, his shrine standing empty as the members of the tribe battle tirelessly to cling to life as thier tribe is rocked by the attacks of angry giants.
Mor Khazgur
Led by Chief Larak, Mor Khazgur is an Orc stronghold in the far northwest of Skyrim, west of Solitude and north of Markarth. Renowned for thier talent in craftmanship even among the tribes of the orcs, with thier own mine. This stronghold remains somewhat less prosperous than their cousins to the South as they maintain closer ties to tradition. Prefering never to trade with outsiders other than fellow "blood-kin" and to stay as far from the affairs of the other races as possible.
Narzulbur
Led by Chief Mauhulakh, Narzulbur is an Orc stronghold in the northeast of Skyrim, southeast of Windhelm. Despite also having its own mine and a fame in the art of Alchemy, Narzulbur struggles against the bitter cold of the region and the unfriendliness of thier Nord niebours. Despite this it finds plently of oppertunities to trade with the Legion presence in the area and survives despite it's challenges. Though its graveyard is as full as its coffers.
Tribal Heritage
You have an excellent knowledge of not only your tribe's territory, but also the terrain and natural resources of the rest of the Skyrim, along with the locations of the other Orc Strongholds. You are familiar enough with any wilderness area that you find twice as much food and water as you normally would when you forage there. Bloodkin
You are recognised as belonging to a tribe of Orc's and so are welcome in any of the Orc Strongholds of Skyrim, you can call upon the hospitality of your people, and those folk allied with your tribe, often including members of druid circles, tribes of other nomadic peoples, and the priesthoods devoted to the god of the Malacath. Brutal Conditioning
The ways of your people were brutal but that brutality has made you strong, you gain the Tough feat.
Rewarded
You were living a difficult life before your destiny suddenly changed through a miraculous turn of good fortune. Perhaps a benevolent deity gave you precisely what you most desired. You might have stumbled across a Standing Stone and drawn from it a potent, positive effect. Or maybe you inherited a modest fortune from a distant relative you didn’t know you had.
Regardless, you left the daily miseries of your old life behind in favor of a life of adventure and excitement. Your old debts have been paid, responsibilities you thought inescapable are behind you, or you suddenly possess rare and unusual skills unknown to ordinary folk.
Features
Fortune's Favor
Your unexpected good fortune is reflected by a minor boon. You gain the Lucky, Magic Initiate, or Skilled feat (your choice). Your choice of feat reflects the transformation that changed your life. An encounter with a genie who gave you three wishes might have resulted in magical powers represented by Magic Initiate. If you paid off all your family debts with a fortuitous round of three-dragon ante, you might be Lucky instead. Alternatively, you could use the Skilled feat to reflect whatever trial you endured to secure your new destiny and to model the knowledge and abilities imparted to you by whatever force transformed your life.
Standing Stone
Your good fortune allows you to shape your own destinty. When you choose this background you may roll an additional two times on the Birthsigns Rules page to determine your characters birthsign.
Rune Carver
You’ve dedicated your life to studying runecraft. Whether you were taught by a master rune carver or learned by poring over ancient engravings, you can tap into the supernatural power held within runes. The art of runecraft has been adopted by many peoples. Choose one type of Rune's you know, ethier Ancient Nord, Dwemer, Giant, Daedric or Old Aldmeric. This will affect the language you know. Rune Styles Each rune carver has a unique style and preferred medium. To determine how you make your runes, you can roll on the Rune Style table.
| d6 | Style |
| 1 | You inscribe runes in wax or clay with a fine metal needle. |
| 2 | You whittle pieces of wood into small figurines you mark with runes. |
| 3 | You engrave runes onto glass beads and thread them onto necklaces and bracelets. |
| 4 | You stitch your runes into the hems of clothing. |
| 5 | You carve runes on a set of animal bones you can throw in different formations. |
| 6 | You draw your runes into candles, melting the wax to smooth over the engravings. |
Features
Choose one of the following three features: Rune Shaper You gain the Rune Shaper feat. Runic Codex Alternatively, gain the ritual spell Illusory Script and always have it prepared, this will not count against your known or prepared spells. Though the secret message must always be written in the runic script you know, and will remain readable to others who know this script and pass an Insight check against your Spell Save DC. Arcane Rune Alternatively, and instead of choosing a Runic Style you inscribe them onto the ground as an action. The sigils disappear if you later inscribe them in a different place. The sigils otherwise last indefinitely. You can use the area bearing these runes as a spellcasting focus for your spells, so long as it is within 30ft of you.
Sailor
You sailed on a seagoing vessel for years. In that time, you faced down mighty storms, monsters of the deep, and those who wanted to sink your craft to the bottomless depths. Your first love is the distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your DM. Was it a merchant ship, a naval vessel, a ship of discovery, or a pirate ship? How famous (or infamous) is it? Is it widely traveled? Is it still sailing, or is it missing and presumed lost with all hands? What were your duties on board – boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? Variant: Pirate You spent your youth under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You've indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you've garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town. If you decide that your sailing career involved piracy, you can choose the Bad Reputation feature below instead of the Ship's Passage feature. Variant: Marine Instead of simple sailor you were a soldier. You were trained for battle on sandy beaches and rocky shores. You have launched midnight raids from swift ships whose names evoke terror in the hearts of your adversaries. The water is your second home, the rain your shelter, and the crashing waves your battle cry. As a Marine you have proficency in Survival instead of Perception. If you decide you sailed as a Marine, you can choose from ethier the Ship's Passage feature, the Bad Reputation feature or the Steady feature.
Features
Ship's Passage
When you need to, you can secure free passage on a sailing ship for yourself and your adventuring companions. You might sail on the ship you served on, or another ship you have good relations with (perhaps one captained by a former crewmate). Because you're calling in a favor, you can't be certain of a schedule or route that will meet your every need. Your DM will determine how long it takes to get where you need to go. In return for your free passage, you and your companions are expected to assist the crew during the voyage.
Pirate Variant Feature: Bad Reputation
If your character has a pirate or marine background, you may select this background feature instead of Ship's Passage.
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the authorities.
Marine Variant Feature: Steady
If your character has a marine background, you may select this background feature instead of Ship's Passage or Bad Reputation.
You can move twice the normal amount of time (up to 16 hours) each day before being subject to the effect of a forced march. Additionally, you can automatically find a safe route to land a boat on shore, provided such a route exists.
Resourceful Brawler
Whether it was on decks when choas erupted or back on land after a flagon too many, you have learned to fight with fists and whatever you can get your hands on. You gain the Tavern Brawler feat.
Shipwright
You have sailed into war on the decks of great ships, patching their hulls with soup bowls and prayers. You once helped build a fishing vessel that single-handedly saved a town from starvation. You have seen a majestic prow in your dreams that you have not been able to replicate in wood. Since childhood, you have loved the water and have been captivated by the many vessels that travel on it.
Features
I'll Patch It
Provided you have carpenter's tools and wood, you can perform repairs on a water vehicle. When you use this ability, you restore a number of hit points to the hull of a water vehicle equal to 5 × your proficiency modifier. A vehicle cannot be patched by you in this way again until after it has been pulled ashore and fully repaired.
Life At Sea
Your life at sea and in port has shaped you; you can roll on the following table to determine its impact or choose an element that best fits your character.
| d6 | Seas Influence |
| 1 | Grand Designs. You are working on plans and schematics for a new, very fast ship. You must examine as many different kinds of vessels as possible to help ensure the success of your design. |
| 2 | Solid and Sound. You patched up a war galley and prevented it from sinking. The local navy regards you as a friend. |
| 3 | Favored. You insisted on thicker planking for a merchant vessel's hull, which saved it from sinking when it smashed against a reef. You have a standing invitation to visit the merchant's distant mansion. |
| 4 | Master of Armaments. You specialized in designing and mounting defenses for the navy. You easily recognize and determine the quality of such items. |
| 5 | Low Places. You have contacts in the smuggling outfits along the coast; you occasionally repair the criminals' ships in exchange for coin and favors. |
| 6 | Mysteries of the Deep. You experienced an encounter with a possibly divine being while sailing alone. Work with your DM to determine the secret about the deep waters of the sea that this entity revealed to you. |
Repairing ships in the midst of a storm has made you remarkably steady when others would hit the deck. When an effect that is not falling damage would knock you prone, you remain on your feet.
Soldier
War has been your life for as long as you care to remember. You trained as a youth, studied the use of weapons and armor, learned basic survival techniques, including how to stay alive on the battlefield. You might have been part of the famed Legion army or a mercenary company, or perhaps a member of a local Stormcloak militia who rose to prominence during the recent war. When you choose this background, work with your DM to determine which military organization you were a part of, how far through its ranks you progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career. Was it a standing army, a town guard, or a village militia? Or it might have been a noble's or merchant's private army, or a mercenary company.
Features
Specialty
During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. Roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below to determine your role:
| d8 | Specialty |
| 1 | Officer |
| 2 | Scout |
| 3 | Infantry |
| 4 | Cavalry |
| 5 | Healer |
| 6 | Quartermaster |
| 7 | Standard bearer |
| 8 | Support staff (cook, blacksmith, or the like) |
You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and influence, and they defer to you if they are of a lower rank. You can invoke your rank to exert influence over other soldiers and requisition simple equipment or horses for temporary use. You can also usually gain access to friendly military encampments and fortresses where your rank is recognized. Basic Training
Your time in an army has trained you in the ways of war, you gain the Lightly Armoured, Weapon Master or Fighting Initiate feat (your choice).
Thalmor Inquisitor
As an Inquisitor of the Thalmor you are tasked with rooting out heretical Talos worship in the province of Skyrim, his birthplace and the province where his cultists remain most prevelent. In accordance with the White-Gold concordant, the provincal rulers and law enforement are prohibited from obstructing you in this duty, some may even aid you if it seen to be to thier benefit. However the peoples of Skyrim are also notoriously resistant to the Thalmor and most will look upon you with disdain in the performance of your duty. You may be a superior High-Elf yourself, or perhaps even one of the lesser races assigned this important mission due to exceptional talent uncharacteristic of your race. Your motivations may be rightful fanatical devotion to the true pantheon, or perhaps mere personal enrichment, whatever the case it is your task to uncover those who still dare to worship a mere man as a god and bring them to justice. Putting them to death yourself if circumstances warrant it, though the Thalmor would prefer to take them alive to extract information on other such heretics.
Features
Legal Authority
As an inquisitor of the Thalmor, you have the authority to arrest those you suspect of Talos worship. In the absence of other authorities, you are authorized to pass judgment and even carry out sentencing. If you abuse this power, however, your superiors in the Thalmor might strip it from you.
Percecutor
Fear is the weapon you weild to establish dominion of the heritics, you have expertise in the Intimidation skill.
Town Guard
You have served the community where you grew up, standing as its first line of defense against crime. You aren't a soldier, directing your gaze outward at possible enemies. Instead, your service to your hometown was to help police its populace, protecting the citizenry from lawbreakers and malefactors of every stripe. You might have been part of the City Watch of Solitude, protecting the common folk from thieves and rowdy nobility alike. Or you might have been one of the valiant defenders of Whiterun, or even one of the magic-wielding Winterhold College-guard. Whether you're city-born or from a small village, this background can describe your early years as a member of law enforcement. Most settlements of any size have their own guardsmen in hostile environments of Tamriel. Variant: Investigator Rarer than watch or patrol members are a community's investigators, who are responsible for solving crimes after the fact. Though such folk are seldom found in rural areas, nearly every settlement of decent size has at least one or two watch members who have the skill to investigate crime scenes and track down criminals. If your prior experience is as an investigator, you have proficiency in Investigation rather than Athletics. If you choose to be a town guard or investigator from Skyrim consult the table below to choose your town of origin:
| Hold | Capital | Other Settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Eastmarch | Windhelm | Kynesgrove, Darkwater Crossing |
| Falkreath | Falkreath | Helgen |
| Haafingar | Solitude | Dragon Bridge |
| Hjaalmarch | Morthal | Stonehills |
| The Pale | Dawnstar | Fort Dunstad |
| The Reach | Markarth | Karthwasten, Old Hroldan |
| The Rift | Riften | Ivarstead, Shor's Stone |
| Whiterun | Whiterun | Riverwood, Rorikstead |
| Winterhold | Winterhold | - |
Features
Watcher's Eye
Your experience in enforcing the law, and dealing with lawbreakers, gives you a feel for local laws and criminals. You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or a similar organization, and just as easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you're more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter.
Restrain
Your career as a town guard has given you experience restraining those who do not go quietly, you gain the Grappler feat.
Vampire
Once you were a mortal, before falling prey to a vampire or otherwise contracting the dreaded disease Sanguinare Vampiris. Whoever you were before that fateful day, you are now a creature of the night, sustaining yourself on the blood of living and cowering from the tyranny of the sun. Perhaps you became part of a den of vampires living on the edges of civilisation, perhaps you disguised yourself and walked; a wolf among sheep, through the halls of high society, or perhaps you simply retreated into the wilds, living off animal blood or whatever was unfortunate enough to cross your path in the dark.
Whether you wished for this to be your fate or not, you are now the stuff of mortal nightmares, few you encounter will be likely to treat with you. Unless you can disguise your true nature but maybe you've had practice, having left your normal lifespan far behind, bound to the mortal plane by the curse of undeath.
Variant: Cursed Undead
Not a vampire but something else, once a mortal but cursed with undeath. Walking the mortal plane evermore, never ageing, never eating, never drinking, never sleeping. Your rest has been stolen from you, seemingly forever, leaving you a walking corpse. You cannot ever truly die, yet your body remains fragile, ever threatening to leave you trapped on the precipse between the mortal plane and oblivion.
Features
As a Vampire you will not age naturally and can no longer die of old age, you do not need to eat or drink or even breathe to continue living. You are also immune to disease (including lycanthropy, the Path of the Werewolf is locked to you) but must feed on the blood of sentient living beings to survive. You must continue to feed on humanoids blood every three days or else slowly succumb to feral vampirism, animal blood will suffice but nowhere near as effectively (1 day). As a vampire also gain the following features:
• Partial Undeath. For the purposes of spells and other effects that do not work on undead, such as most of the healing spells of the restoration school, you will not be able to be affected by them. Spells that can or only target undead will also work on you, such as the Necromantic Healing spell. You are still alive in a sense though, spells such as Revivify will work when cast on you, though only a True Resurrection spell can cure your vampirism.
• Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot discern colour in darkness, only shades of gray. (120 feet if belonging to a race with Darkvision already).
• Sunlight Sensitivity. In direct sunlight, your Vampire blood boils. Causing a discomfort that exposes your vampric nature to all observers. This effect can be negated using a disguise kit or the Disguise Self spell if you know it. While in direct sunlight, you also have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. As a vampire, you also suffer Vulnerability to Radiance damage.
• Vampires Bite. As a bonus action, any living creature within 5 feet that is grappled by you, incapacitated, or restrained, takes (1d4) piercing damage plus (1d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. Hits with this attack count as feeding and have a chance to cause sanguinare vampiris.
• Vampires Claws. Your unarmed strikes now deal (1d4) slashing damage and count as having light and finesse properties.
Variant Feature: Cursed Undead
You do not need to feed on living beings, otherwise eat, drink, sleep or even breathe to survive. You lose the Vampires Claws and Vampires Bite features but keep the other features, including immunity to disease. Additionally gain resistance to necrotic damage and poison damage.
Comments