Some become adventurers by choice, others by chance; for you, it's part of the job. You're employed by a powerful patron - a local noble, the head of a major guild, the curator of an otherworldly library or a similar person of wealth and influence. Your duties may vary, but ultimately amount to 'whatever your patron wants' - which, apparently, includes going adventuring.

Are you a beleaguered clerk, thrust into adventuring life by office politics? Are you an inspector, foisted onto a group of adventurers to safeguard your patron's interests? Are you your patron's favored troubleshooter, sent wherever surveyors or tax collectors go missing? Are you a noble retainer, tasked with making sure a party member comes back in one piece? Are you a natural survivor, with a track record of miraculous successes that sees you given more and more important (and dangerous) assignments? Are you a warlock who serves two patrons, or only one?

Work with your DM to establish the type and identity of your patron, as well as your role in their employ. Consider if your time as an adventurer is meant to be only one assignment, the first of many, or do you intend to quit and become one full-time. If your patron is also the one sending the entire party on a quest, you may wish to consider having your character be the point of contact between the two, or the one who hired them in the first place, or simply the person to get blamed when something invariably goes wrong.

Skill Proficiencies: Investigation and one of: Arcana, History, Persuasion or Religion

Tool Proficiencies: Calligrapher's supplies

Languages: One of your choice

Equipment: A signet ring, reading glasses, a set of common clothes, and a leather shoulder bag containing paperwork confirming your identity, calligrapher's supplies, an abacus, and a modest discretionary budget of 10gp. You're expected to account for losses and expenses.

Suggested Characteristics

The life of an official is a stressful one, trapped between a demanding patron, countless petitioners and the unforgiving grind of office politics. Becoming an adventurer can sometimes even be a change for the better.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I'm far too professional to tell people what I really think. Dry sarcasm has to suffice.
2	Bureaucracy is my life's work. Complex tasks bow before me.
3	Dealing with an endless cavalcade of fools has made me dour and humorless.
4	I'm a perfectionist in my field of expertise.
5	I've mastered the ability to nod along and offer non-committal agreement without listening.
6	Fighting for my life is a welcome change from the brain-numbing drudgery of desk work.
7	Do not try obstructions and loopholes on me, witch, I was there when they were invented.
8	I have a tendency of charging bravely into danger, complaining all the way.

d6	Ideal
1	Cooperation. The world's a better place if we all do our part, big or small. (Good)
2	Perfection. Anything worth doing is worth doing to the best of one's ability. (Lawful)
3	Flexibility. Know when to play by the rules. Know when to bend them. Know how to. (Chaotic)
4	Ambition. Everything is just a stepping stone to something greater. Everything. (Evil)
5	Stability. One task after another, one day after the next. There is comfort in routine. (Neutral)
6	Family. I just want the best for me and mine. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I owe my patron everything. My loyalty is absolute
2	Insults to my work ethic are unforgivable.
3	I'm romantically entangled with a colleague or superior.
4	I wouldn't be in this job if I had another way of supporting my family.
5	I'm actually no longer employed, but the bureaucracy hadn't caught up.
6	My real loyalty lies with one of my patron's rivals.

d6	Flaw
1	I retain my sanity by harboring horrible thoughts and violent fantasies. Sometimes, something slips out.
2	I committed a crime. Only my patron knows this.
3	I am frequently just one small setback away from my breaking point.
4	I rely on intoxicants to cope with stress.
5	I'm embezzling from my patron and need to divert some attention before it's discovered.
6	In the end, I'll throw anybody under the proverbial cart if it'll save my own skin.