Forest Sage

You have spent your entire life surrounded by and caring for the plants and animals that inhabit this land. You don't need to roll checks for plants and animals native to your area unless there is something unusual about them. Your experience with these topics means that even if you don't know exactly what is going on, you can usually infer at least basic information such as similarities to other plants or animals you do know about. In addition, you are able to be fully self-sufficient due to your upbringing and don't incur any lifestyle expenses for as long as you continue to live outside of settled areas. Living in the wild poses no challenge for you, and finding food, shelter, and water are second nature. Choose Nature and Animal Handling as your proficiencies.

On the other hand, if you do choose to live within a settled area, your discomfort and inexperience with living in general society mean that your lifestyle expenses will be higher than average due to a combination of factors, potentially including discomfort in social situations leading to you being uncomfortable haggling, not having an understanding of what things such as food would generally cost, and being more susceptible to being fooled by scams. Discuss an appropriate increase in living expenses with your DM to suit the setting and character.

 You have spent the majority of your life living in the wild, contending with the dangers that an excess of wild magic can pose when left to its own devices. You do your best to guide the flow of magic to work in less destructive ways to minimize the risk out-of-control magic can present to those living in and around these natural wells of power. Perhaps you have been facing off against normally mundane plants and animals super-charged with arcane forces, or strange magical effects coming seemingly out of nowhere. Maybe the magic around you is more benign and was able to be channeled into more productive tasks, such as increasing the production of resources in the area, or the health of local plants and animals. Either way, this experience has given you a wealth of experience in dealing with arcane forces and surviving and thriving in challenging situations. For this variant, select the Guardian of the Wild feature.

With the understanding of arcane forces you have gained over your life, you are able to intuitively have a grasp on the effects of wild magic, allowing you to sense the presence and class (but not the specific effect) of magic around you, not counting magic items. In addition, you are able to be fully self-sufficient due to your upbringing and don't incur any lifestyle expenses for as long as you continue to live outside of settled areas. Living in the wild poses no challenge for you, and finding food, shelter, and water are second nature. Choose Arcana and Survival as your proficiencies.

On the other hand, if you do choose to live within a settled area, your discomfort and inexperience with living in general society mean that your lifestyle expenses will be higher than average due to a combination of factors, potentially including discomfort in social situations leading to you being uncomfortable haggling, not having an understanding of what things such as food would generally cost, and being more susceptible to being fooled by scams. Discuss an appropriate increase in living expenses with your DM to suit the setting and character.