You were born in darkness, far below the surface, where stone walls and winding tunnels were both home and prison. Shadows were your constant companions, and the faint glow of bioluminescent fungi served as both guide and warning. From a young age, you learned that survival required patience, precision, and an understanding of the subtle currents of power in every encounter. In the Underdark, strength alone could not save you — cunning, timing, and an unerring aim were as vital as muscle or magic.
You were taught to respect the web of authority that governed your people, whether matrons who ruled Houses, clandestine rivalries between powerful families, or the ever-watchful influence of the Spider Queen herself. Every lesson, every slight, and every triumph shaped you, honing your reflexes and sharpening your mind for strategy.
Yet something — ambition, exile, or the pursuit of vengeance — drove you toward the surface. The upper world was bright and chaotic, filled with noise and strangers, yet you quickly learned it had its own shadows and rules. Baldur’s Gate, in particular, was a city of intrigue and opportunity, where the clever, the ruthless, and the bold could carve out a place for themselves — or vanish into its alleys and canals.
Your upbringing among the Drow taught you patience and stealth, but the streets of Baldur’s Gate demanded adaptation. Here, guilds and secret societies moved unseen, mercenaries and street gangs patrolled the alleyways, and influential patrons masked their misdeeds behind polite facades. You learned to navigate this maze of loyalty and deception, applying lessons from the Underdark to survive where danger could appear with the turn of a corner.
Each encounter taught you to strike with precision, to observe before acting, and to know when silence was worth more than words. You carry the cunning and grace of your people, but the surface has tempered your instincts, adding flexibility to the cold lessons of your youth.
Now, you walk between worlds — a child of darkness in a city that prizes both ambition and subtlety. You are poised to take what the shadows offer, to manipulate or outwit those who underestimate you, and to shape your fate in the web of the living and the unseen.
- Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
- Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch containing 15 gp
The threads of your past run deep, stretching from the shadowed tunnels of the Underdark to the streets of Baldur’s Gate. Your family, your House, or your mentors left marks on your life that continue to shape your choices. If you wish, you may roll on the Underdark Origins table to determine an event that defined your early years or forced your path to the surface.
| d8 | Underdark Ties |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were trained in one of the infamous assassin schools of the Underdark, where failure meant death. You escaped — but your instructors may still be hunting you. |
| 2 | You learned the art of ambush while serving as a scout for your House, stalking foes in darkness and striking only when the odds were certain. |
| 3 | It’s always been about money. You’re not paid what you’re worth, working for someone who has more than they deserve. But the Guild offered you a way to fix that. You keep doing what you’ve always done — guard work, dock labor, business accounting — but what you learn you pass on to the Guild. |
| 4 | The inequality of Baldur’s Gate has driven you to take matters into your own hands. You steal from patriars and rich Lower City residents, funneling the money through charitable fronts to help the needy. |
| 5 | You got into crime as a bored patriar looking for excitement. Your family has no idea of your activities, and neither does the Guild. If either of them ever finds out, your life as you know it will be over. |
| 6 | A close friend or relative joined the Guild and vanished mysteriously. You’ve worked your way into the lower ranks hoping to find out what happened to them. |
| 7 | You’ve always wanted to be a member of the Guild. As a child, you looked up to the Guild members’ swagger, their flashy dress, and their competence, which all marked them as different from the other adults you knew. As soon as you could, you joined the organization. |
| 8 | To you, this is just a way to earn a living. You go to work, do what needs to be done, and get paid. Anyone who pursues crime for thrill-seeking, to strike back at unjust authorities, or anything else are amateurs, and they’re liable to get you arrested or killed with their idiocy. |
our upbringing in the Underdark, combined with your experience in the alleys and backstreets of Baldur’s Gate, has sharpened both your mind and your aim. You move with patience and precision, striking from shadows and exploiting the environment. Your network — informants, minor operatives, and allies from both surface and subterranean origins — provides intelligence, access, and occasional assistance. You know how to send messages discretely, track targets, and use your surroundings to gain the upper hand, whether through coded signals, hidden passageways, or subtle marks.
Ambush Tactics: Your Drow training and practical experience in stealth, ambush, and rapid strikes have refined your mastery of ranged weapons. You gain the benefits of the Crossbow Expert feat, reflecting both your disciplined upbringing and your life in Baldur’s Gate’s shadowed corners.
Baldur’s Gate Feature: Criminal Connections
In Baldur’s Gate, information and influence are as valuable as coin. You can arrange meetings with low-ranking operatives in nearly any business, Guild cell, or street crew. These operatives will hear your information, pass along messages, or act on your behalf — though the extent of their help depends on your reputation, discretion, and the subtle leverage your network provides. Meetings almost always take place in shadowed, out-of-the-way venues, where prying eyes are scarce, and trust is hard-won.
Suggested Characteristics
The shadows are your allies, and secrecy is your language. You’ve learned to move unseen, strike unseen, and know when to vanish without a trace. In Baldur’s Gate, as in the Underdark, trust is scarce and loyalty is earned. Some respect your skill, others fear it — but all recognize that you are not to be underestimated. Your life has been shaped by cunning, patience, and the lessons of the hidden places you call home.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. |
| 2 | I am calm and patient, even when others panic or act rashly. |
| 3 | I notice everything unusual in a place—the entrances, exits, and hidden details. |
| 4 | I am slow to trust, and even then, only cautiously. |
| 5 | I prefer to observe before acting, letting others make the first move. |
| 6 | I take pride in subtlety, and a well-executed plan brings me satisfaction. |
| 7 | I enjoy testing others’ limits, seeing how they react under pressure. |
| 8 | I can be ruthless when the situation demands it, showing little mercy to those who oppose me. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Freedom. Chains are meant to be broken, and control is meant to be challenged. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | Ambition. I seek power and influence, and I will manipulate others to achieve it. (Evil) |
| 3 | Self-Preservation. Survival comes first; all else is secondary. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Loyalty. I am loyal only to those who have earned my trust or share my goals. (Neutral) |
| 5 | Knowledge. Secrets and information are the keys to power. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Retribution. Those who betray or harm me will regret it. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I owe a debt to someone who once saved me from death. |
| 2 | My family or clan still dwells in the Underdark, and I am haunted by their fate. |
| 3 | I seek an artifact, secret, or piece of knowledge that could change the balance of power. |
| 4 | Someone I loved was betrayed or killed, and I will ensure justice—or vengeance—is served. |
| 5 | I protect a valuable contact, informant, or ally who relies on me for survival. |
| 6 | I have a personal mission in Baldur’s Gate, and nothing will deter me from it. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I trust few, and even my closest allies may become targets of suspicion. |
| 2 | I am manipulative, and sometimes I push others too far to see their reactions. |
| 3 | I overestimate my own cunning and underestimate the unpredictability of others. |
| 4 | I can become obsessed with a goal, ignoring everything else in pursuit of it. |
| 5 | I am ruthless toward those I see as weak or expendable. |
| 6 | I have difficulty letting go of grudges or past slights, no matter how small. |
Comments