You live most of your life on the road, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots or make more than a handful of true friends. Countless nights out under the stars have provided you with good navigation skills, and a firm grasp on what is needed to stay warm and alive without the comforts of civilization. Though you are familiar with the untamed wildlands, you have no qualms about bartering or working odd jobs in exchange for a cooked meal or more comfortable place to spend the night. Sometimes you travel towards a specific destination, whether it be a person, place, a treasure or an idea; oftentimes your destination is simply onward, and your only objective is to see where the path you tread on takes you.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from Nature, Persuasion, and Survival
- Languages: Two of your choice
- Equipment: A knife, a drinking flask, a set of traveler's clothes, five days' rations, and 7 gp
A large portion of a wayfarer's life takes place on the quiet, open roads between spots of civilization. As such, a significant aspect of your character is defined by the ways you spend all of that free time. Choose a pastime that you use to occupy the long hours of travel, or roll on the table below.
| d8 | Pastime |
|---|---|
| 1 | I whittle pieces of wood, creating small sculptures which I can occasionally trade for a few coppers or a meal. |
| 2 | I get lost in my thoughts, daydreaming about life and the world around me and contemplating the questions most people don't have the time to think about. |
| 3 | I practice cartography, mapping my journeys across the lands and keeping notes on interesting geographical features or uncommon encounters. |
| 4 | I study the world as I walk through it, keeping notes on the multitudinous plants and animals I encounter in my travels. |
| 5 | I read on the road, always keeping at least a couple of books on hand, and trading or bartering for new ones when I reach a town or city. |
| 6 | I write, whether it be an autobiographical account, a novel, or poetry. Someday I hope to have my work published. |
| 7 | I seek out interesting landmarks and epic vistas, often going far out of my way to see something new and exciting. |
| 8 | I hunt, practicing my survival and trapping skills as well as feeding myself away from civilization. |
After traveling through towns and cities of every shape and size, you have acquired a knack for getting the feel of a new place quickly, which helps you decide whether there is anything worth hanging around for, or if you should just take care of the necessities and move right along. When newly arriving in a populated area, you have an easier time gathering general information about important locations, features, figures, and events.
How this feature is implemented is up to you and your DM, whether it be advantage or a lower DC on related skill checks, or something else entirely.
Suggested Characteristics
Trudging along for days or weeks at a time without company can be lonesome and weary, and over time it can put a significant strain on your psyche. Some such travelers become uncomfortable around large crowds or populated areas, or lose touch with the finer aspects of culture, society, or even find themselves bereft of common manners. It's not all bad, though: Life on the open road can also offer a freedom of body and soul profound enough to refresh the senses, and open the mind to new thoughts and experiences.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I like to chat with strangers and tell stories of my travels. |
| 2 | Whenever I reach a town my first order of business is to seek out the nearest tavern and grab a cold drink. |
| 3 | Despite the years I've spent on my feet, I hate walking, and travel by other means whenever possible (and affordable). |
| 4 | Though I don't fall in love easily, I do have a lot of one-night stands, sometimes just to have a free bed until morning. |
| 5 | I enjoy helping people, and will go off the beaten path to assist a stranger in need. |
| 6 | If someone treats me poorly I will exact my revenge with a minor trick or prank, then leave town before they know what hit them. |
| 7 | I say I want to settle down and start a normal life, but so far I've never been somewhere I wanted to stay forever. |
| 8 | In every town I visit I send a letter back to my parents who still live in the house where I grew up. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open-Mindedness. I don't hold any ideal close enough to cloud my vision. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Freedom. I report to no man, and the world is open to me. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Self-Knowledge. To know your own mind is to have the power to be fulfilled. (Any) |
| 4 | Egoism. The only person worth living for is yourself, others will only bring you down. (Evil) |
| 5 | Generosity. That which is given will come back tenfold. (Good) |
| 6 | Perseverance. The difficult times always pass. Look to the future, and good things will come. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My most valuable possession is a letter or document which could have dire repercussions if it fell into the wrong hands. |
| 2 | Someone wronged me many years ago. I look for clues to their whereabouts every place I visit. |
| 3 | I wronged someone very dear to me, and I can't return to them until I have redeemed myself. |
| 4 | I seek some sort of enlightenment or purpose, but I don't know where to look for it. |
| 5 | I have a project or goal that I hope to one day complete, but at the moment it seems almost impossible. |
| 6 | I have been running from something or someone. It will catch up to me eventually. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am uncomfortable with more than a few other people around for an extended period of time. |
| 2 | After so long living on my own, I have little use for manners, and conduct myself accordingly with others. |
| 3 | I have a strong inclination to dislike anyone who has what I deem to be excessive wealth. |
| 4 | I am used to losing myself in my thoughts, and frequently do so when others are talking around or even to me. |
| 5 | Starved for affection, I try to sleep with just about anyone who looks available. |
| 6 | I have difficulty forming relationships, and often abandon ship before giving friendship a chance to grow. |
You travel the world gathering and retelling stories, often seeking out particularly interesting and fabled individuals so that you can record their tales for posterity. You can choose History as one of your two background skill proficiencies, take proficiency with Calligrapher's Supplies, and replace the knife with 10 pieces of parchment, an ink pen, and a bottle of ink.
If you've chosen the Chronicler variant, you can also choose to take this feature instead of Lay of the Land.
Over years of transcribing stories as they are spoken, you have developed a unique written code which allows you to record phrases nearly as fast as you hear them. This code is exceedingly difficult to decipher for anyone other than yourself, and any other creature attempting to read it by non-magical means must succeed on a DC 21 Intelligence check, or find themselves unable to extract any meaning from the text.
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