Scavenger

(heavily drawn from Unlikely Heroes for 5th Edition © 2016 Open Design; Author: Dan Dillon.)

Waste not, want not. Perfectly useful things are cast off every day, from broken tools and weapons to ramshackle structures just waiting for the elements to knock them over, and battlefields are everywhere, with countless items left behind.

Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Perception

Tool Proficiencies: Two tool sets of your choice, or one tool set and one vehicle of your choice

Equipment: A trinket scavenged from a battlefield or wreckage (i.e, a sword hilt, a dented helmet, a scrap of cloth from a banner), a set of traveler's clothes, a pickaxe, a small shovel, one set of ramshackle artisans tools, and a pouch containing 10gp.

Suggested Characteristics

A former soldier, jaded from war, picks through the remnants of a battlefield. An eccentric inventor in a bustling metropolis looking for just the right size gears. A stranger swathed in oil‑stained robes gathering scrap metal to trade for food. The nervous fellow who always seems to know where to find the perfect glass bottle. Scavengers arise from all walks of life and ply their trade for a variety of reasons..

Why did you engage in this risky line of work? Were you employed by the throne to deprive the enemy of their fallen comrades arms? Are you searching for a legendary item throughout the world? Or are you just seeking to get rich by amassing a mountain of salable clutter? Have you ever had to do something you felt was wrong to get out of danger on the job? How did you get into scavenging in the first place? Did you ever "hit it big", or have you been running a dry streak? What do you think of others in your profession? Do you have any rules about whose body you are willing or unwilling to disturb? Why did you leave a scavenging life to join a group? Are you still scavenging, or did you leave that life behind?

d8	Personality Trait
1	Why spend perfectly good money on something that someone else just threw away?
2	I keep a close eye on anyone who gets close. They might want my stuff.
3	Everybody else calls it junk, but I know it’s treasure.
4	I’m very particular about organizing my collection.
5	Bartering is better than buying, and finding is better than bartering.
6	I see myself as a liberator of lost and forgotten things.
7	I take great pains to always look for things of value.
8	People see me as a bum because I tend to always carry broken things with me.

d8	Ideal
1	Generosity - Collections are made so that others can benefit. (Good)
2	Preservation - I keep my collection so that it will last through the ages. (Lawful)
3	Bargain hunting - I like to bargain for a better deal, though sometimes I’ll trade for the right information. (Neutral)
4	Gold - My collection will make me very rich one day. (Any)
5	Collecting - Only my collection matters. (Neutral)
6	Greed - Gold is worth more than lives. (Evil)
7	Independence. I don't need coin to have nice things I just need to find things and make them nice. (Chaotic)
8	Charity. There are too many people in the world that have little while others throw away what they have plenty. I don't mind finding those things and giving them to folks in need. (Good)

d8	Bond
1	I lost something precious, so now I collect everything I can to try to fill that void.
2	Someone stole something from my collection, and I’m tracking them down to get it back.
3	My collection is more important to me than my family.
4	Someday I’d like to have something from every major city in my collection.
5	I will put myself in danger to find something nice.
6	I still have the first thing I've ever scavenged and will always protect it.
7	Nothing is more important to me then turning a profit on what I find.
8	The poor folk see me as a hero because I'm always willing to part with something I've found if it helps them in some way.

d8	Flaw
1	If someone holds my collection hostage, I’ll do just about anything to get it back.
2	I’m oblivious when others don’t want to hear about my collection and tend to drive people away with my chatter.
3	I view anything left sitting as fair game, whether individual objects or something I can break down for parts.
4	I can't keep my hands away from valuable objects.
5	Once, I stole from the wrong battlefield, and now, a group of mercenaries are hunting me down.
6	If I had to choose between the most valuable item in my collection and one of my companions, I would choose the item.
7	When I see a good junk pile I don't get to search I'll dwell on it for days.
8	I sometimes feel like people think less of me because I use things people discard.