You lived in seclusion in the wilds, far from civilization and the comforts of town and technology, for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from the clamor of society, you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the answers you were looking for. You’ve witnessed the migration of herds larger than forests, survived weather more extreme than any city-dweller could comprehend, and enjoyed the solitude of being the only thinking creature for miles in any direction. The wilds are in your blood, whether you were a nomad, an explorer, a recluse, a hunter-gatherer, or even a marauder. Even in places where you don’t know the specific features of the terrain, you know the ways of the wild.
- Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Animal Handling
- Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit, one type of musical instrument
- Languages: One of your choice
- Equipment: A staff, a scroll case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a winter blanket, a set of traveler’s clothes or set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, a musical instrument, and a pouch containing 10 gp
What was the reason for your isolation, and what changed to allow you to end your solitude? You’ve been to strange places and seen things that others cannot begin to fathom. Consider some of the distant lands you have visited, and how they impacted you. You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your seclusion, or you can choose or roll on the table below to determine the reason behind your seclusion.
| d8 | Life of Seclusion in the Wilderness |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was searching for spiritual enlightenment. |
| 2 | I was partaking of communal living in accordance with the dictates of a religious order. |
| 3 | I was exiled for a crime I didn’t commit. |
| 4 | I retreated from society after a life-altering event. |
| 5 | I needed a quiet place to work on my art, literature, music, or manifesto. |
| 6 | I needed to commune with nature, far from civilization. |
| 7 | I was the caretaker of an ancient ruin or relic. |
| 8 | I was a pilgrim in search of a person, place, or relic of spiritual significance. |
The quiet seclusion of your extended hermitage gave you access to a unique and powerful discovery. The exact nature of this revelation depends on the nature of your seclusion. It might be a great truth about the cosmos, the deities, the powerful beings of the outer planes, or the forces of nature. It could be a site that no one else has ever seen. You might have uncovered a fact that has long been forgotten, or unearthed some relic of the past that could rewrite history. It might be information that would be damaging to the people who consigned you to exile, and hence the reason for your return to society.
Work with your DM to determine the details of your discovery and its impact on the campaign.
You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth.
Suggested Characteristics
Some hermits are well suited to a life of seclusion, whereas others chafe against it and long for company. Whether they embrace solitude or long to escape it, the solitary life shapes their attitudes and ideals. A few are driven slightly mad by their years apart from society.
| d13 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’ve been isolated for so long that I rarely speak, preferring gestures and the occasional grunt. |
| 2 | I am utterly serene, even in the face of disaster. |
| 3 | The leader of my community had something wise to say on every topic, and I am eager to share that wisdom. |
| 4 | I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer. |
| 5 | I’m oblivious to etiquette and social expectations. |
| 6 | I connect everything that happens to me to a grand, cosmic plan. |
| 7 | I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplation, becoming oblivious to my surroundings. |
| 8 | I am working on a grand philosophical theory and love sharing my ideas. |
| 9 | I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home. |
| 10 | I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature. |
| 11 | I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear. |
| 12 | I feel far more comfortable around animals than people. |
| 13 | I was, in fact, raised by wolves. |
| d8 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Greater Good. My gifts are meant to be shared with all, not used for my own benefit. (Good) |
| 2 | Logic. Emotions must not cloud our sense of what is right and true, or our logical thinking. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Free Thinking. Inquiry and curiosity are the pillars of progress. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Power. Solitude and contemplation are paths toward mystical or magical power. (Evil) |
| 5 | Live and Let Live. Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Self-Knowledge. If you know yourself, there’s nothing left to know. (Any) |
| 7 | Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic) |
| 8 | Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral) |
| d8 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing is more important than the other members of my hermitage, order, or association. |
| 2 | I entered seclusion to hide from the ones who might still be hunting me. I must someday confront them. |
| 3 | I’m still seeking the enlightenment I pursued in my seclusion, and it still eludes me. |
| 4 | I entered seclusion because I loved someone I could not have. |
| 5 | Should my discovery come to light, it could bring ruin to the world. |
| 6 | My isolation gave me great insight into a great evil that only I can destroy. |
| 7 | An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me. |
| 8 | I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland. |
| d8 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | Now that I’ve returned to the world, I enjoy its delights a little too much. |
| 2 | I harbor dark, bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell. |
| 3 | I am dogmatic in my thoughts and philosophy. |
| 4 | I let my need to win arguments overshadow friendships and harmony. |
| 5 | I’d risk too much to uncover a lost bit of knowledge. |
| 6 | I like keeping secrets and won’t share them with anyone. |
| 7 | There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest. |
| 8 | 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. |
This background exists to combine the aspects of a hermit and an outlander in order to create a sort of hermit whose seclusion took place in the wilderness.
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