You were taken away against your own will, by pirates, bandits or slave hunters. Your master was a noble or a powerful individual who liked collecting creatures from other Continents and places. They used you as a display of their collection, but for you to get your money’s worth, you were put to use.
Depending on your build, gender and size, you were put to a different position. If your looks are your strong point, you were either used as an entertainer for the masses or...just a single or a few individuals at a time in private ‘performances’…If your build and size are your strong points, then you could have been used as an arena or pit fighter, as a bodyguard or a laborer. But you are not defined just by your skills as a slave, like all individuals, you know a set of skills from your previous life as well.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose 2 skills among all of the skills. 1 skill appropriate to your previous life and 1 skill appropriate to your life as a slave.
- Tool Proficiencies: Choose a musical instrument, gaming set, an artisan’s tool or herbalist kit.
- Languages: Choose a language spoken by your master, usually a standard language. You only know how to speak it, except if you attempt to learn how to write after you escape.
- Equipment: You have a memento of your previous life (you can choose a trinket or something else), a set of clothes appropriate to your work as a slave (a laborer could have tattered clothes, a pit fighter leathers, a bodyguard or entertainer could have a better quality of clothes, common or fine.) On your escape, you managed to steal some coins from your master, determine it with your Dm, but the least amount you could steal, was 5gp.
You have spent most of your life following the beck and call for the one who controlled you at the time. Some may have taught you skills while others ignored your presence. However, you picked things up over the different years and masters.
Slave Master: You can use this table to determine the race of your master.
| d10 | Slave Masters |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dwarf |
| 2 | Elf |
| 3 | Human |
| 4 | Giant |
| 5 | Lich |
| 6 | Vampire |
| 7 | Fiend |
| 8 | Fey |
| 9 | Dragon |
| 10 | Other |
Slave Quirks: After a long servitude under your master, it has left you with a quirk. Those of magical nature could be caused by experimental drugs or unspoken magic. You can use this table to determine your quirk.
| d10 | Mundane quirks |
|---|---|
| 1 | You compulsively scratch (roll 1d4): 1. the nape of your neck; 2. your scalp; 3. under your chin/jawbone; 4. your nose. |
| 2 | You bite your fingernails/pick your nose when you are anxious or bored. |
| 3 | You chew with your mouth open. |
| 4 | If you see a hairy mammal that is not trying to kill you, you are obligated to try to pet it, even if it is an NPC/PC. |
| 5 | You always wear a mask. |
| 6 | When time allows it, you always paint your face with "the colors of war" prior to or during combat. (Usually with your own blood or the blood of an enemy you just killed.) |
| 7 | You’re constantly humming a tune, not always the same one. It’s very soft and most of the times you don’t even know you’re doing it. |
| 8 | You don’t feel comfortable unless you’re chewing on something. If you’re not eating there has to be a toothpick, stem of grass, piece of straw or a pipe in your mouth. |
| 9 | Has an non-combatant animal friend -mouse, ferret, cricket, etc. |
| 10 | You absolutely REFUSE to sleep without a trinket of some kind. (a blanket, a stuffed animal, a pillow, etc.) |
| d10 | Magical quirks |
|---|---|
| 1 | Allergic to magic. (Like sneeze, cough or itch when someone casts magic on them, they cast magic or they are within 5ft of a magical effect. |
| 2 | If you use magic, whenever you do so, your eyes shine brightly for the duration you use it. |
| 3 | Your eye color changes accordingly to your mood (i.e. red for anger, pink for passion/love, yellow for jealousy, black for hatred etc.) or you sport a different eye color each day, determined by your DM or you make a table to roll at. |
| 4 | Your scent is enchanted and a specific race (your choice or the DM's discretion) is seduced by you. (as in, they flirt with you, might treat you to a drink or inexpensive items and beverages.) |
| 5 | Your teeth, nails/claws are fluorescence. (They glow in the dark!) |
| 6 | You always smell like a particular herb, spice or flower. |
| 7 | Your hair change color to match the season. |
| 8 | Domestic animals and tiny harmless animals are either strangely fond of you, or scared of you. |
| 9 | Your body sports scars that crack with harmless energy or your veins pop with that same energy and are more vibrant than normal. |
| 10 | Your tongue is rough like a cat's and you might sport a feline tail regardless of your race. (If you already have a tail, you gain a second tail. You might even cut the feline tail.) |
Your master craved, burned or scarred a symbol appropriate to your job on your body. Folks of related professions might offer you a bed to sleep on, water and food to satisfy your thirst and hunger or even some coin as a trade for having you work for them for a day or might hire you for a specific job. You might not use the mark, but try to persuade these folks into letting you work for them for some food, water and a bed for a night or two. When dealing with such people, you gain advantage on persuasion roll to get the job.
Suggested Characteristics
Your life as a slave shaped your personality, possibly in ways you never expected. You might use the following characteristics or choose others that fit your character better.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I still prefer to sleep on the floor, even when a soft bed is available. |
| 2 | I hoard everything I'm ever given, I'm not used to having possessions. |
| 3 | I am incredibly obedient (or disobedient) of authority figures, a legacy from when failure to comply would be met with the whip, or worse. |
| 4 | I have poor social skills from barely being allowed to talk for so long. |
| 5 | I still wear the broken shackles from my time as a slave. I feel strange without them. |
| 6 | I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. |
| 7 | I take great pains to always look my best, regardless of my current situation. |
| 8 | I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Retribution. I will seek out and slay those that would enslave others. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | Freedom. My desire is to break the chains oppression in any form and destroy it. (Good) |
| 3 | Power. If I can attain more power, no one will tell me what to do. (Evil) |
| 4 | Pride. I will use what my master's gave me to make a better life for myself. (Any) |
| 5 | Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. (Lawful) |
| 6 | People. I’m committed to the people I care about, not to ideals. (Neutral) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My freedom is worth more to me than any coin. |
| 2 | I escaped from slavery but others were left behind. I am destined to lead my people to freedom. |
| 3 | I owe my life to the person who helped me escape my master(s). |
| 4 | I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend. |
| 5 | I idolize a hero of the old tales and measure my deeds against that person’s. |
| 6 | I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm distrustful of any kind of authority figure, it was authority that kept me in chains. |
| 2 | Gold is Power, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. |
| 3 | I fear that I am still being hunted from my previous master and their people. |
| 4 | I am suspicious of strangers and suspect the worst of them. |
| 5 | I bear the scars of my bondage and they mark me as a slave. |
| 6 | Now that I’ve returned to the world, I enjoy its delights a little too much. |
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Posted Aug 19, 2021Hello! I adore this backstory, and am actually working on my own right now. If I may ask, how did you have multiple tables in the 'Serving a Master' part?