Expanding Custom Background Options

[bedir than]

The basic format of Custom Backgrounds is simple: two skills, two from languages, tools, kits, sets and instruments. There's the personality stuff, which SCAG shows us can be either "use Soldier" or a fresh custom list. Features are things that help in social and/or exploration pillars while giving no mechanical advantages. Equipment is generally worth a couple dozen gold.

For homebrewers it's a decent baseline. Keeping within what is modeled in the PHB and SCAG nothing will be overpowered. You can add new flavors to the game. Simplistic NPCs are basically a Commoner + a Background.

But there's some more things that can be done, without adjusting the power balance. We know from the Feats system that three skills equal two cantrips and a single 1st level spell per long rest. We also know that three skills equals four weapons. With that knowledge and a bit of gumption we can make some other backgrounds that enhance the social and exploration pillars, but rarely tap into combat.

Take a notable farmer. Mostly you would use the Folk Hero. But what if what made that farmer a Farmer is that they have abilities beyond the normal. How broken is?

Fluff per your worldspace

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Nature
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (Land)
Languages: None
Equipment: Still working on this
Feature: Druidcraft and Foraging
In occupied lands you know how to take just enough food to live without most farmers/ranchers noticing, unless you do so for more than 2 days.
Characteristics: Folk Hero

Or the Tinker. It's a trope at this point - the wise, old man or woman that travels from hamlet to homestead repairing things and sharing the news in the region.

Skill Proficiencies: Performance
Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s Tools
Languages: None
Equipment: donkey/mule/pony, Tinker’s Kit, 1 pound each tin, copper, iron, pack saddle, traveler’s clothes, pouch with 5 gold
Feature: Job Seeker and Mending
Whether fixing small metal objects or telling tales in the local inn, you find a way to survive at a modest level. This can be through a mix of both activities or just one. If fixing objects all of a morning or afternoon of most days is occupied. If at an inn every evening and some afternoons are occupied.
Characteristics: Entertainer

Neither of these break the game. It does make for a more magical world, at least at the level of cantrips. There's also "skill penalty" for these Backgrounds.

I've got nine total of these, mainly waiting on me to add more to the story elements. A few of them have negative features. Others have bonus equipment.

Overall the idea is that since we have rough equivalencies for the things that backgrounds give, why not expand our options to add greater definition to the worlds we build?

 

[Redthistle]

This is the running list of backgrounds [official, semi-official (Unearthed Arcana), and 3rd-party) I've accumulated so far:

Player’s Handbook (13)
Background Page
Acolyte p.127
Charlatan p.128
Criminal p.129
Entertainer p.130
Folk Hero p.131
Guild Artisan p.132
Hermit p.134
Noble p.135
Outlander p.136
Sage p.137
Sailor p.139
Soldier p.140
Urchin p.141

Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (12)
Background Page
City Watch p.145
Clan Crafter p.145
Cloistered Scholar p.146
Courtier p.146
Faction Agent p.147
Far Traveler p.148
Inheritor p.150
Knight of the Order p.151
Mercenary Veteran p.152
Urban Bounty Hunter p.153
Uthgardt Tribe Member p.153
Waterdhavian Noble p.154

Adventurer’s League
- Hillsfar (7)
Background Page
Cormanthor Refugee p.5
Gate Urchin p.6
Hillsfar Merchant p.7
Hillsfar Smuggler p.8
Secret Identity p.9
Shade Fanatic p.10
Trade Sheriff p.11
- Mulmaster (5)
Background Page
Caravan Specialist* p.2
Earthspur Miner p.3
Harborfolk (Riverfolk)* p.4
Mulmaster Aristocrat p.5
Phlan Refugee p.6

James Introcaso - worldbuilderblog.me (17)
Background Page
Cook p.1
Dead p.2
Demolitions Expert p.3
Doctor p.4
Farmer p.5
Harvester p.6
Legendary Lineage p.7
Lycanthrope p.8
Parent p.9
Possessed p.10
Retired Adventurer p.11
Variant Sailor: Sky Sailor p.12
Tinkerer p.13

<>More from James Introcaso:
>Group Backgrounds p.14
-Family
-Military Unit
-Religious Order
-Secret Society

Third Parties (2)
Background Page
Plague Doctor p.1
>[by empireofchaos on EN World]
Thief-Taker p.1
>[by Redthistle on EN World]

Midgard Heroes for 5e (7)
Background Page
Corsair p.18
Darkling p.19
Fey-Touched p.20
Guild Merchant p.22
Master Craftsman p.22
Nomad p.24
Raider p.25
Southlands Heroes for 5e (7)
Background Page
Child of the Divine p.13
Temple Slave p.15
Siwali Traveler p.16
Soldier: Quartermaster p.17
Soldier: Groom/Squire p.19
Soldier: Healer* p.20
Desert Runner* p.21

Dark Sun 5e Player’s Handbook (5)
Background Page
Caravan Guard p.51
City-State Militia p.51
Gladiator p.51
Scribe p.51
Untrained Escaped Slave p.51

Running total of backgrounds: 75

 

[Li Shenron]

But there's some more things that can be done, without adjusting the power balance. We know from the Feats system that three skills equal two cantrips and a single 1st level spell per long rest. We also know that three skills equals four weapons. With that knowledge and a bit of gumption we can make some other backgrounds that enhance the social and exploration pillars, but rarely tap into combat.

Interesting idea!

I suppose that in a sense, we could design some backgrounds which grant a cantrip or a weapon instead of one skill proficiency, or two weapons or a 1st level spell per day instead of two skill proficiencies (or maybe one skill proficiency and 1-2 tools proficiencies).

Cantrips and spells can significantly increase the commonality of magic in the world, but they could also be refluffed as non-magical abilities.

Perhaps these ideas are better to be handled always a each group's house rules, I am afraid they would not be appropriate in a published book, because they would probably become just exploits for certain players...

Take weapon proficiency for instance. A proficiency in one weapon would have made a lot of sense for the Soldier background, not necessarily a martial weapon but a reasonably decent simple weapon (spear, javelin), but why not a short sword? Would it break the game? Certainly not, since everyone of any class in the game is anyway already proficient in the quarterstaff which isn't significantly worse than these. But then if the regular Soldier background granted this by default, classes for which the Soldier would be a very common choice would already have the weapon proficiency, and it would mean nothing to them. But if you handle this as your group's house rule, you can tailor the benefit to whoever player takes this.

For example how about a variant Soldier background which grants one weapon proficiency of choice in place of one of the two skills proficiencies?

 

[bedir than]

For example how about a variant Soldier background which grants one weapon proficiency of choice in place of one of the two skills proficiencies?

What I would probably do is call it "Militia" and have it be slightly different than the soldier (I have yet to do this, but it is something that fits a couple kingdoms in my world). Rather than be a professional it would be the ad hoc forces that assemble when needed. I would probably remove 2 skills/tools/etc and allow a weapon from a select list (polearms, simple ranged weapons, light crossbow).

Which I know isn't the full answer as to what to do with martial types. So this moment of thinking/writing is semi-helpful. It's a necessary exercise as I think my way through this.

Taking another angle where weapons are added.
I made Slaver. I'm still working on the personality characteristics which is rather complex, because I want heroes able to play the background, but it's inherently unsavory. So here's that project;

Spoiler

Prerequisite: You must be from Azsel or Mehmd.

You keep, manage and control slaves. It's dirty work. It's nasty. It eats at your soul, but it is better than being one of them. You may be an a mission to find an escapee, or you may have abandoned the work once you made enough coin. You currently have no slaves.

Keeping slaves is forbidden outside of Azsel (chattel style) and Mehmd (indentured), but due to the military power of those two kingdoms some allowances are often made. Still, a slaver is looked at with disdain. Their work is nasty. They are nasty.

Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Insight
Tool Proficiencies: Gaming set
Weapon Proficiencies: Net, Whip
Languages: None
Equipment: Whip or net, shackles, 50 feet of hempen rope, common clothes, pouch with 5 gold

Feature: Hated and Tracker
You are considered proficient with Survival when tracking, unless you have the Survival skill through other means. Outside of Azsel and Mehmd, or around slaves, no stranger will start with better than a neutral attitude towards you or the group with which you travel.

 

[Redthistle]

I made Slaver. I'm still working on the personality characteristics which is rather complex, because I want heroes able to play the background, but it's inherently unsavory.[/SPOILER]

Inherently unsavory, yes, but not unprecedented. Remember that the man who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace went through that very transformation in his life; the lyric "... saved a wretch like me" and others in the song refer to that situation.

 

[bedir than]

Inherently unsavory, yes, but not unprecedented. Remember that the man who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace went through that very transformation in his life; the lyric "... saved a wretch like me" and others in the song refer to that situation.

For sure. The hero of this rather famous movie refuses to fire on civilians, even though that was his job. I just want the negatives to be apparent and obvious from the moment someone chooses the background.

 

[bedir than]

I posted seven new backgrounds for my world. They are Street Mage, Glight’s Monitor, Keeper of Everflow, Tinker, Farmer/Rancher, Messenger Service, and Villien. I kept the Slaver and Free Merchant for later, as they need full characteristics builds.

https://fullmoonstorytelling.wordpr...-additional-backgrounds-in-world-of-everflow/

Not all of these use the cantip instead method, but some do.