You have lived a life of servitude and captivity for a large portion of your life.  Somehow, years ago, you became a slave.  Maybe you were born into slavery, abducted, or forced into it by a merciless creditor for a debt you were unable to pay.  Perhaps it was a punishment for a serious crime you may or may not have committed, or you could have entered into it willingly as an indentured servant or as some self-imposed condition for repaying a life debt.  Regardless of how you entered into this bondage, you were long considered the property of another person, your master.  As a slave, you had no more rights than an animal, and lived at the mercy of your master's every whim. If you were lucky, they were humane and treated you with kindness. Maybe they believed it was in their own best interest to treat you well.  Maybe they were a kind soul who bought you from an evil slaver or picked you up off the street so they could offer you a healthy, happy, secure life, in exchange for your services. However, if you were like the majority of slaves, you were not nearly so lucky. You were downtrodden, unpaid, and forced to work and live in inhumane conditions.  At best, your master took some interest in your well being because you were talented at some prized skill. Perhaps you even received some special privileges because of it.  But more than likely, you were simply disposable, and your master didn't care if you lived or died.

Now you are out adventuring in the wide world.  Maybe you escaped, bought your freedom, were freed by someone else, got released by your master, or were thrown out because of some deficiency (frequent illness, a disability, weakness, incompetence, etc.).  However, even if you are free now, your past captivity still affects you.  Your master may even be looking to bring you back...

Or perhaps you have taken up this adventure on their orders.

Regardless of your situation, you most likely have no schooling and are illiterate.  You may even have some strange habits or odd social quirks (like an overly servile attitude) from your time as a slave. You have few personal belongings, little money, and no contacts, forcing you to work your way up from the bottom of society.

How did you become a slave?  Have you been a slave as long as you can remember, or did you become one later in life? What were the conditions of your slavery?  Who was (or is) your master and where are they?  Did they treat you well, or abuse you?  How would you treat them if you met again, as equals?  What did you do as a slave?  How many freedoms and privileges did you have during your bondage, and how did you obtain them?  Are you a freeman, a runaway, or do you still serve your master?  Is your master searching for you?  Can you ever really leave your past behind you, or will it continue to haunt you wherever you go?

 

Ability Scores: Strength, Constitution, Wisdom 

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics and Insight

Tool Proficiencies: Choose one kind of Artisan's Tools you would have used in your specific line of work as a slave.

Equipment: A simple memento from your family or a fellow slave, traveler's clothes, and a pouch containing 1gp.  Optionally, you may also have a small but valuable item you stole or received from your master, worth no more than 25 gp.

Suggested Characteristics

(Yes, I know it's not in 5e 2024, but I still use these...)

When creating a slave character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character.

d8	Personality Trait
1	No matter what happens, I never complain. I've seen worse.
2	Idleness is a foreign concept to me; I always need to be doing something. As such, I end up doing all sorts of menial labor for those around me purely out of habit. I just don't know how to relax.
3	I try to hide as much of my body as possible in order to conceal my many scars.
4	I avoid talking about my past with others, even my close friends. It has brought me nothing but pain.
5	I cannot escape from my blurry memories about my long-lost life before slavery. Even in my sleep, they haunt me as dreams.
6	I will never work for free again. I would rather starve than receive unfair payment.
7	I don’t take orders from anyone anymore. If you want something from me, you'd better say "Please would you...?" and top it off with a "Thank you."
8	I'm constantly searching for things I can do to make life easier for those I care about, because if I work for them, they will think I'm worthwhile and keep me around. How else can a person like me be seen as valuable?

d6	Ideal
1	Equality. Nobody has the right to treat another person the way my master treated me, regardless of their position in life. (Good)
2	Revenge. I shall bring low those lofty men who would own others. They shall all belong to me. Then they will taste their own whips, and I will revel in the sound of their screams. (Evil)
3	Independence. No one will ever tell me what to do again. I am my own master. (Chaotic)
4	Subservience. Just follow the rules and do what you’re told, and everything will turn out alright in the end. (Lawful)
5	Peace. I just want to live a normal life, safe and undisturbed. (Neutral)
6	Lost Time. Now that I'm free, I'm determined to live life to the fullest. I will travel the world, experiencing all the things I've missed out on so far. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I have escaped, but I will only be truly free when my master no longer has any claim on me. I need to get enough money to buy my freedom.
2	All I have left of my former life is this trinket.
3	I owe everything to the one who freed me.
4	Someone I love is still a slave. I'm going to free them.
5	I've heard grand tales about a certain place, and I desperately want to go there.
6	Slavery has separated me from my family. All I want is to find them again.

d6	Flaw
1	I refuse to listen to others, and I rarely accept advice. I will not be controlled by anyone.
2	Because I've never had anything that truly belongs to me, I will not share things with anyone, and I will fight to keep personal belongings within my full control.
3	My scars, both mental and physical, still cause me great pain.
4	I cannot stop myself from reveling in the material pleasures I never used to dream of having.
5	I will never trust an authority figure. Power corrupts even the strongest minds, and I've served too long under corrupt masters to allow myself to fall into the same trap again.
6	I am jumpy, constantly watching those around me for signs of displeasure, and waiting for whip blows I know full well aren't coming.