You are an individual who collects, buys, sells, and trades information in order to make a living. Sifting through gossip for kernels of truth, mining tips from people in the know, and working your knuckles to the bone in the rumor mill to glean secrets are all the kinds of activities you might engage in to gather information. And once you have it, you trade that information to those who find it useful or valuable.
You may get other information in return for your trouble, though goods, services, favors, or even cold hard cash are just as often exchanged for the knowledge you deal in.
Regardless of how you get it or what you trade for it, dealing in information is your specialty, and there seems to always be a demand for such a service.
- Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Stealth
- Tool Proficiencies: A notebook, an ink pen, a dozen small tubes and slips of paper (for clandestine notes), a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp.
- Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Given that your stock and trade is information, you have a respectable network of individuals spread across the territory you operate in. These informants don’t work for free, but they actively keep their eyes and ears open for information, rumors, and secrets at all times because they know that any intelligence they gather might potentially be valuable to you, and for many of them, this part of the business helps them line their pockets or accumulate favors.
When you are in search of information or rumors, you may reach out to your informant network. The GM will let you know what methods are permissible for this, and it is up to the GM’s discretion if and how your attempt succeeds, as well as what it might cost you. GMs are encouraged to use this feature to introduce plot hooks, hints, and worldbuilding details to the player character.
Additionally, if someone knows that you are an information dealer, they may be inclined to do business with you (buying, selling, or otherwise) in exchange for information when they otherwise may not even consider it. This is entirely up to the GM’s discretion in any given situation, but it is possible that people you run across may be willing to buy or sell information through you in various capacities.
Suggested Characteristics
Some questions to consider when determining how this background applies to your character: Do you enjoy your work? How do you feel about the people you get your information from? How do you feel about the people who buy information from you? Do you specialize in a certain type of information? Is there a kind of information you avoid dealing in?
You should also consider what caused you to take up the role of an adventurer. Did you become an adventurer as a result of your information dealing? Did one of the secrets you learned send you off on a quest? Or send you fleeing from someone dangerous who wants their information kept private? Or did your life of adventure cause you to end up on the path of an information broker simply by circumstance?
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a habit of listening in on the conversations of others. |
| 2 | I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. |
| 3 | I prefer to do more listening than speaking. |
| 4 | I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. |
| 5 | I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. |
| 6 | I always check the escape routes of every building I enter. |
| 7 | I change my attitude and personality to blend in with the people around me. |
| 8 | I write anything I think is important in code. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Preservation. Data should be collected, recorded, and cataloged so that it won’t be lost. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Accessibility. Information should be freely accessible to those who seek it. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Amelioration. Knowledge should be shared and applied to improve people’s lives. (Good) |
| 4 | Tyranny. Control of information is only a small step away from control of thoughts. (Evil) |
| 5 | Power. Knowledge is power. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Utility. Information is a currency all its own. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I had some colleagues in a spy ring I used to be a part of that I trade information with from time to time. |
| 2 | I have secrets that I've uncovered that should never see the light of day. |
| 3 | Something important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back. |
| 4 | My work helps me stay one step ahead of the people who know a dangerous secret about me. |
| 5 | I can’t remember what got me into this business, and I can’t see a way out. |
| 6 | One of my friends was hanged for treason. My helplessness to aid him still haunts me today. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am paranoid that other people are watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake, so that they can take advantage |
| 2 | I have no problem with betraying people who trust me. |
| 3 | Some people want to kill me, to make sure I never tell a secret they'd rather have untold. |
| 4 | I avoid crowds like the plague. |
| 5 | I don't save people who can't save themselves. The Game is harsh and the stupid and flamboyant tend to die the first. |
| 6 | An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that. |
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