The Wanderer background encompasses those who lead a life of constant movement, roaming the vast expanses of the world in search of adventure, meaning, or simply a place to belong. These nomads, explorers, and seekers of truth possess keen survival skills, honed by years of navigating diverse landscapes and climates. They are adept at finding sustenance and shelter in the wild, able to read the signs of nature and adapt to whatever challenges they encounter.
Despite their ability to thrive in the wilderness, Wanderers often struggle to form lasting connections with others, finding solace in solitude or the transient company of fellow travelers. Their wandering lifestyle can breed restlessness and a sense of displacement, yet they are driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to explore the unknown. For Wanderers, the journey itself is the destination, and each new horizon offers the promise of discovery and adventure.
- Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Survival
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument
- Languages: One of your choice
- Equipment: A staff, a hunting trap, a trophy from an animal you killed, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp
Wanderer Origins
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Wanderer Origins |
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1
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Someone stole something precious from your people. You tracked the thief to the city gates, but finding clues in an urban environment is very different from tracking someone across the wilderness. You don’t know where to go from here, but your people need you to succeed.
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2
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You’ve always been fascinated by the glitter and glamor of city life, so different from the slow pace of life in your homeland. Now you’re here, ready to make your mark in the world, but unsure how to begin.
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3
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War, plague, famine, or a marauding monster ravaged your home, forcing you to flee for your life. You don’t even know how many of your people survived or where to find them. Alone or accompanied by a handful of equally bereft survivors, you must navigate a new life that you never asked for.
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4
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You were captured by kidnappers and taken far from your home. The Knights of the Unicorn freed you and brought you here, but now you’re on your own.
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5
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You were exiled for breaking a trivial-seeming taboo. For this seemingly minor transgression, you lost your friends, family, and homeland in one fell swoop, and were given little choice but to strike out on your own.
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6
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A peddler once brought something astonishing to your homeland—a Gondan clockwork, shimmering cloth of gold, a trained speaking bird, or some other small wonder—and told you that it came from Baldur’s Gate. You’ve come to see the source of such wonders, and perhaps learn to create them.
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Feature: Wanderer’s Lore
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
| d8 |
Personality Trait |
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1
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I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home.
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2
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I watch over my friends as if they were a litter of newborn pups.
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3
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I once ran twenty-five miles without stopping to warn to my clan of an approaching orc horde. I’d do it again if I had to.
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4
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I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature.
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5
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I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear.
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6
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I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.
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7
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I feel far more comfortable around animals than people.
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8
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I was, in fact, raised by wolves.
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| d6 |
Ideal |
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1
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Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic)
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2
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Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe. (Good)
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3
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Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan. (Lawful)
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4
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Might. The strongest are meant to rule. (Evil)
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5
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Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
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6
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Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any)
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| d6 |
Bond |
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1
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My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me.
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2
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An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.
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3
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I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland.
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4
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I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend.
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5
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I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it.
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6
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It is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe.
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| d6 |
Flaw |
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1
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I am too enamored of ale, wine, and other intoxicants.
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2
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There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.
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3
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I remember every insult I’ve received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who’s ever wronged me.
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4
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I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies.
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5
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Violence is my answer to almost any challenge.
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6
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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.
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