Refugees are people that have had a hard time in life. They have left their homeland from war, disease, or political reasons, maybe shamed or shunned, and have had to start from nothing. Your character might have been sent away from a brutal tyranny, could have been the children of brutal and evil nobles, or might just be people trying to escape from the war or poverty in their kingdom. Your family might have been impoverished but stumbled into a fortune in their new life, or they might have been ruined by their sudden shift. Talk with your DM to see why your character is a refugee.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from the following: athletics, acrobatics, history, and/or persuasion.
- Tool Proficiencies: You can be proficient with any one tool, decided by your Dungeon Matster.
- Languages: You know Common, one Language of your choice, and one Exotic language of your choice.
- Equipment: One set of common clothes, three unlit torches, and a pouch containing 10 Gp and 5 Sp (the pouch contains 25 Gp if you take the Escaped Tyrant Variant).
People you encounter can recognize you as a refugee from a far-off country. This might be from a special mannerism, a hairstyle, or because of a specific style of clothing. These people might give you some shelter and food for the night, with the possibility of them giving you even more aid. This could be because of some personal connection to your country, their generous heart, some ulterior motives, or the fact that they might be a refugee themselves. Likewise, you could be specifically targeted by some groups, refused entry into some inns, or attacked by the town guard for the smallest of infractions. Talk about this with your DM, and give them an idea of if refugees like you are discriminated against or pitied.
Suggested Characteristics
Think about how your life has gotten to this point. Why have you left your home kingdom, have you made any enemies, and why have you decided to become an adventurer? Who are some significant others or enemies you could encounter, and what are some items from your past life that you could find?
Instead of being a simple refugee, you could have been a ruler or a noble from a kingdom ruled through a tyrant. This could have had a positive or negative impact on the kingdom, with the tyrant overthrowing a benevolent king or a cruel monarchy. Whatever the case, these tyrants had a short run, and the previous rulership rose up and overthrew the tyrants. Now you have gone into hiding, changed your name, and abandoned any former life. Think about what your character wants to do. Do they want to erase any connection to their past life and start anew, or do they want to reclaim their kingdom and regain their nobility?
As an iron-fisted ruler, you maintained spies in your own home nation and those surrounding it. During your adventures, you might encounter some of these former spies, either having stayed loyal to your rule, having thrown their lot with those who opposed you, or having offered their services to other groups. Whatever the case, if they encounter you, they will attempt to aid you. Whether their supposed aid lands with you dead on the ground or whisked away to fulfill a plot to restore your kingdom depends on how long you stay.
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