Backgrounds & Races

Pony Concept

Your pony did not spring from nothing. Just like real life, culture and upbringing shaped their personality and attributes. In Tails of Thedastria, you pick a background to represent these facets of your character and to determine your race.
You should read over the following section and then pick the background you find most appealing or suitable for your pony concept. The descriptions of the backgrounds will also give you a better sense of the setting and help you place your pony within it. Choosing a background modifies your pony in several ways. These are spelled out in each description, but generally include the following:

• An increase to one or more of your traits.
• One or more talents.
• Determination of your race.
• Determination of your class choices.
• The languages you can speak and read.

As noted previously, backgrounds create limitations to the race and class of your character. For example, you can’t have a Changelish background unless you’re a Changeling. Of course, rare exceptions might exist. For example, an Earth Pony raised by a Changelish band might have a background similar to Changelish Halla. Unique backgrounds might also be possible in some campaigns, such as Shale, the golem from Dragon Age: Origins. Players wanting to play such unusual concepts should talk to their GMs to customize an existing background or come up with their own using the guidelines provided at the beginning of this section.

Buying Background Benefits

Instead of rolling twice on the table for your chosen background, you get 3 advancements. You can buy one of the trait upgrades from your background’s table for 2 advancements, or any of the other listed benefits for 1 advancement each. If you decide to play an Avian Wayfarer, for example, you could choose to upgrade your Mind by 1 for 2 advancements and to gain the talent Special Skill: Initiative (D4) for 1 advancement. If you wish, you can choose 3 non-trait benefits for 1 advancement each, but choosing 2 trait increases won’t work, obviously.