An exiled noble is fated to drive occupiers from their ancestral homeland. A servant is compelled to hide the rightful heir from murderous usurpers. A reclusive scholar is branded a heretic after becoming the sole keeper of forbidden knowledge.
You have been charged with protecting something of tremendous importance. As steward, your life is dedicated to your charge. Whether by sacred oath or simple promise, you have accepted responsibilities beyond the mere survival of your charge. Your life is devoted (perhaps reluctantly) to ensuring that your wardship perseveres.
- Skill Proficiencies: Persuasion, plus one from among Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion
- Tool Proficiencies: Your choice of two artisan’s tools
- Languages: Two of your choice
- Equipment: Evidence of your charge, a set of traveler’s clothes, the tool you choose for this background’s tool proficiency, and a pouch containing 15 gp
You carry with you an item demonstrating your stewardship. This may be a legal decree or official appointment, or a merely symbolic representation of your solemn promise to act in your ward's best interest. Use the table below for guidance on identifying the item evidencing your charge.
| d8 | Evidence of Charge |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pages torn from a journal or diary |
| 2 | A deed or contract |
| 3 | A signet ring or holy symbol |
| 4 | A partially translated tome |
| 5 | Documents carrying noble seal |
| 6 | Bloodstained garment |
| 7 | A prophetic story, song, or poem |
| 8 | A tattoo or other body marking |
You are the stalwart protector of something under threat. Unfortunately, this makes you a target for those forces endangering your ward. You have invested in the supplies, contacts, and intel required to flee a settled location and evade your foes. Escaping in this fashion may require traveling light and prioritizing bare essentials. As a result, your DM may require that you sacrifice luxuries, abandon encumbrances, or pay necessary bribes to unsavory characters in order to escape safely.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables for the folk hero background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as an inheritor.
Your bond might be directly related to your inheritance, or to the person from whom you received it. Your ideal might be influenced by what you know about your inheritance, or by what you intend to do with your gift once you realize what it is capable of.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | All deserve my respect, until they prove otherwise. |
| 2 | If someone is in trouble, I’m always ready to lend help. |
| 3 | When I set my mind to something, I follow through no matter what gets in my way. |
| 4 | I am convinced that there is always a better solution than the one I've thought of. |
| 5 | I’m confident in my own abilities and do what I can to instill confidence in others. |
| 6 | Thinking is for other people. I prefer action. |
| 7 | I cannot be honest with dishonest people. |
| 8 | I'm convinced that my life will inspire stories some day. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hope. Everyone can obtain a better life for themselves and loved ones. (Good) |
| 2 | Truth. An institution that suppresses truth is inherently corrupt. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Sacrifice. The least important must always be compromised for the most important. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Supremacy. I, alone, am worthy of control. (Evil) |
| 5 | Sincerity. There’s no good in pretending to be something I’m not. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Destiny. Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have not seen my home for many years, but hope to make it my final resting place. |
| 2 | My family's past is inimitable and cannot be tarnished. |
| 3 | I was unjustly disgraced by an elder of my order, but will restore my good name. |
| 4 | My tools are symbols of my past life, and I carry them so that I will never forget my roots. |
| 5 | I have unique value in accomplishing the final goal. |
| 6 | I wish my younger sibling were with me on my travels. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am frozen with indecision when confronted with danger. |
| 2 | I’m convinced of the significance of my destiny, and blind to my shortcomings and the risk of failure. |
| 3 | The people who knew me when I was young know my shameful secret, so I can never go home again. |
| 4 | I have a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink. |
| 5 | Secretly, I believe that things would be better if I were leading my order. |
| 6 | I have trouble trusting in my allies. |
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Posted Jul 7, 2022This will work perfectly for the Order of the Scribes wizard my friend is planning for my upcoming campaign.