Honest Urchin

You grew up on the streets alone, orphaned, and poor. You had no one to watch over you or to provide for you, so you learned to provide for yourself, and possibly your siblings, if you had any, though you did not steal and never took anything from the ones who had less than you.  You fought fiercely to protect yourself and those you cared for. You fought particularly hard to keep whatever food you had and kept a constant watch out for other desperate souls who might steal from you. You slept wherever you could find a place but never anywhere that meant you had to compromise yourself.  You slept on rooftops and in alleyways, exposed to the elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through force of personality, strength, speed, or some combination of each, and also earned the respect of some of the merchants for your willingness to do honest work. You refused to lower yourself to stealing or guile.

You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life?

Skill Proficiencies: Persuasion, Stealth

Tool Proficiencies: Cook's Utensils, Tinker's Tools

Equipment: A small knife, a map of the city you grew up in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Honest Urchins are shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life--and maybe find a way to help those who still struggle to survive on the street, by finding them honest work.

d8	Personality Trait
1	Growing up on the streets, I learned to keep a bit of food with me at all times. Also, some trinkets for trading or using to get out of tight spots.
2	I ask a lot of questions.
3	I like to squeeze into small places where no one else can get to me.
4	I always put myself between the door and those I love when I sleep.
5	I learned to eat quickly and have terrible table manners.
6	I am wary of anyone who’s nice to me for no reason, but prefer to give the benefit of the doubt.
7	I sometimes think the stink of the streets will never leave me so I bathe as often as I can.
8	I find candor saves time and energy and will bluntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding.

d6	Ideal
1	Respect. All people, rich or poor, deserve respect. (Good)
2	Community. All need to respect the rules and laws of the community, or there will be no community at all. (Lawful)
3	Growth. Struggle leads to growth. Growth can take one in unexpected directions so embrace the struggle. Some fall and rise but that is life. (Chaotic)
4	Retribution. The rich who turn a blind eye to the misery of the poor need to learn the true nature of misery. (Evil)
5	Friendship. Friends can be found in unexpected places. Be alert to those places and those people. (Neutral)
6	Ambition. I will do whatever I can honestly do to find a better life. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it.
2	Whenever I can, I return to the slums where I grew up to do what I can to aid those left behind.
3	I owe my survival to a kind merchant who was always willing to let me work for a meal.
4	I have been charged by the person who took pity on me to do the same for others.
5	I escaped the slums by stealing the opportunity of another, and will do whatever I can to redress that wrong.
6	I donate to all the charities I can because no one should endure the hardships I did.

d6	Flaw
1	I will fight to the death over food.
2	I will work from sunup to sundown and beyond just for a little more money.
3	Emotions are weakness so I hide my emotions to hide my weakness.
4	I will never back down from a bully and I have little patience and less pity for them. A beating is all they deserve.
5	I will go hungry or be cold if I think someone else needs what I have more than I do.
6	I find it hard to respect people who cannot take care of themselves.