You live for the thrill of competition. Even in your current adolescense, you believe yourself to be on the road for greatness. No matter your sport, you usually have some form of entourage that ensures people will defintley hear or see you coming. This like-minded group might be other athletes like you, or just on the radar of the popular crowd who are more than welcome to help in reveling your victories, and scorn your defeats - such is the life of someone with a repuation.
You train, study and train again, to you life is a combination of 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, leading to a 100% reason for people to remember your name. Its a choice of not letting failure get into your head or being first into the fray - silenicng opponents or critics. Wether you are the star player, a rookie, lone wolf or in a slump, you have abilites to adapt to the field of competition.
Jocks are the masculine term for the school athletes at an American high school, those that are gifted in sports based classes. Jockettes are the feminine equivalent of the Jock, and are streoptyically involved in cheerleading squads and aren't far behind their masculine counterparts. Both can be tough in attitude and like to party after athletic events (especially after thier team achieves victory), though this interpretation offers more flexiblity in terms of sports on offer and opens up which genders can play which sports.
- Skill Proficiencies: You are training to become the pinnacle of physical comptetition. You gain proficency in either Acrobatics (Dexterity) or Athletics (Strength) based on your Athletic Schollarship.
But even you know that raw physique is not enough to dominate enemies and win hearts or minds. You also gain proficency in one of the following skills: Insight (Wisdom), Intimidation (Charisma), Medicine (Wisdom), or Performance (Charisma).
- Equipment: As a student, it is still important you attend your classes, and as such when picking this background you have a Schollar's Pack and a pouch containing 10 gold peices.
Depending on your Athletic Schollarship, you may also have additonal equipment based on your trianing needs. Choose between a set of Protective Equipment (which acts as a set of Leather Armor which you gain proficency in if you are not already) and a Healer's Kit, or a Performing Costume and a Disguise Kit (which you gain proficency in if you are not already).
The Protective Equipment can be flavoured as helmets, kneepads and other gear used in contact sports. A Performing Costume usually refers to Gymnastics, but can be flavoured to be a teams home kit in Soccer, or a specific set of martial arts Gi or wresting costume.
Your instution has taken note of your phyical prowess and granted you a schollarship. Choose a sport from the table, or roll a d6 to determine the sport that you specialise in as part of your schollarship. The sport you choose determines a skill proficency you are granted, shown in the brackets on the Athletic Schollarship table, as well as guides other choices made in this background.
| d6 | Athletic Schollarship |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gynmastics (Acrobatics) |
| 2 | American Football/Rugby (Athletics) |
| 3 | Soccer (Athletics) |
| 4 | Basketball/Netball (Acrobatics) |
| 5 | Martial Arts/Wrestling (Athletics/Acrobatics) |
| 6 | Baseball (Athletics/Acrobatics) |
When you create a character with this background you can choose this feature or "First to the Punch", which is described in the Variant Feature section, or by picking the "Variant: Brute" as a background.
With your confidence and physique, you never allow anything less than perfection - to do so would give up social reuptation amongst your peers. As such, you know how to manipulate a situation to your advantage to save face amongst your team, supporters or other kind of entourage.
When you miss with an attack roll, or fail an ability check or saving throw, you can choose gain a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies you can see witihn 30 feet of you (maximum bonus of +5), potentially turning the miss or fail into a success. Once you succeed with this trait, you can't use it agian until you finish a long rest.
Suggested Characteristics
Your characteristics can be defined by the sport you play, and your demeanour both on and off the feild of competition. Do you fight and play fair, respecting rules and traditions? Are you only in it for the social status?
The archetpyal Jock/Jockette most closely resembles the Entertainer and its Gladiator variant from the Players Handbook, as well as the Athlete from Mythic Odesseys of Theros. If status is the only thing that matters, consider characteristics from Noble or Charlatan.
If for you a team is a family, one that upholds the honour of your game or some form of legacy, then draw on traits from Guild Artisan, Sailor or Soldier.
If you are going for a blance of both status and honour, then traits from Folk Hero works if you are the poster child for your sport.
Not all Jocks/Jockettes are in the limelight or have noble ambitions. Some, like you, decide to use thier athleticisim for less noble means, like beating up nerds or picking fights with bigger folk for fun. These people are known as brutes, a type of bully that uses hubris and physicallity to get thier own way.
Usually quick to anger, and even quicker to end a fight with, this variant of Jock/Jockette allows you to choose a variant feature that empowers your combat ability with arrogance.
When you create a character with this background, you can choose this feature instead of the default "Pride Before a Fail" feature.
To get the upper hand of any competition, you must be able to react swiftly and decicively - a philosphy that applies off the field as well.
When you roll for initative, you can add half your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1) to the roll. Other bonuses are still applied as normal.
Previous Versions
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1/4/2021 11:41:33 AM
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