Hidden Villager

You grew up within a community that took special effort to keep itself isolated and hidden from the outside world, so that even the most accurate of maps don't mark its location, and the most learned of scholars have never heard of it. You learned from a young age that you must keep your home a secret, which involves not only camouflaging the village itself, but also watching for intruders nearby and concealing your movements when you travel outside your home. This background is common among fairies, green elves, thimble elves, stone dwarves, and jungle halflings, along with other races such as firbolgs and tritons.

Skill Proficiencies: Two of your choice from Medicine, Nature, Perception and Stealth.

Tool Proficiencies: One gaming set known only to those from your village, and your choice of navigator's tools or herbalism kit.

Languages: Outsiders might know your language, but they will not recognize your natural accent, nor will they be familiar with your manners of celebration, introduction, eating, mourning, and so on. Your ideas about art, philosophy, religion, and politics may be completely foreign to them. Outsiders won't recognize your village's gestures, secret phrases, heraldry, or other identifiers. They are unaware of any cultural traits from your village that could be used against you (such as difficulty with lying or a sense of duty to the community). Finally, you and your village are unknown to local governments and aren't listed in any charters, ledgers, or official documents. Only those with knowledge of much secret lore might know something of your village and your society.

Equipment: A waterskin, a tinderbox, a gaming set (one of your choice), a lamp, a bedroll a set of traveler's clothes, a trinket that reminds you of home, and a gemstone worth 10 gp.

Suggested Characteristics

Life within a secluded community has a unique impact on your characteristics. You have been taught to live as an isolationist. Your mannerisms, ideas, equipment, and even the way you speak may stand out from the crowd to others in the outside world. Use the tables for the folk hero or outlander background in the Player 's Handbook as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a person from a shrouded isolationist community. For example, if you are using the folk hero tables, you might change references to your homeland to fit with the nature of your secluded lifestyle and location.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I judge people by their actions, not their words.
2	I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear.
3	I was, in fact, raised by wolves.
4	I feel far more comfortable around animals than people.
5	I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.
6	I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature.
7	I get bored easily. When am I going to get on with my destiny?
8	I misuse long words in an attempt to sound smarter.

d8	Ideal
1	Might. If I become strong, I can take what I want—what I deserve. (Evil)
2	Destiny. Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any)
3	Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic)
4	Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
5	Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe. (Good)
6	Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any)
7	Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan. (Lawful)
8	Fairness. No one should get preferential treatment before the law, and no one is above the law. (Lawful)

d8	Bond
1	I worked the land, I love the land, and I will protect the land.
2	I protect those who cannot protect themselves.
3	My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me.
4	I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend.
5	I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland.
6	My tools are symbols of my past life, and I carry them so that I will never forget my roots.
7	I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it.
8	An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.

d6	Flaw
1	I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies.
2	Violence is my answer to almost any challenge.
3	There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.
4	I’m convinced of the significance of my destiny, and blind to my shortcomings and the risk of failure.
5	I am too enamored of ale, wine, and other intoxicants.
6	Don’t expect me to save those who can’t save themselves. It is nature’s way that the strong thrive and the weak perish.