You’ve endured a life of hardship and punishment that forged your body and spirit into something unbreakable. Where others fall, you keep moving.
- Ability Scores: Characters with the Tough background often rely on raw physical resilience and mental fortitude. Strength and Constitution are the most common hallmarks of a life spent enduring hardship, while Wisdom reflects the self-discipline that lets a survivor push past pain.
- Feat: Your endurance borders on legendary. When you gain a level, you add 1 additional hit point to your maximum HP, representing the hard lessons your body has learned to endure pain. This stacks with any other class or feature bonuses to your HP.
- Skill Proficiencies: You gain proficiency in the Athletics and Intimidation skills. Your strength and sheer presence come from a lifetime of surviving punishment and pushing through pain.
- Tool Proficiencies: You gain proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools of your choice. Years of hard work and harsh living have given you practical, hands-on skills that help you survive or repair what breaks.
- Languages: You can speak, read, and write one additional language of your choice. This often reflects trade picked up from travelers, mercenaries, or workers in harsh environments.
- Equipment: A simple weapon of your choice, a set of common clothes, a belt pouch containing 10 gp, and a small token from your past hardship (such as a broken shackle, a dented flask, or a worn piece of armor).
Where did your toughness come from? Roll on the table below or choose one that fits your story.
| d6 | Origin |
|----|---------|
| 1 | You survived years of brutal labor in the mines. |
| 2 | You were a soldier left for dead who clawed your way back. |
| 3 | You endured a cruel gladiatorial pit or fighting circuit. |
| 4 | You weathered years in the wilderness with nothing but your will. |
| 5 | You were raised in a harsh land where only the strong survive. |
| 6 | You were the lone survivor of a disaster that hardened your spirit. |
You’ve endured physical and mental trials that would have killed lesser souls. You can go twice as long without food or water before suffering the effects of exhaustion. You also have advantage on saving throws made to resist exhaustion caused by harsh environments or forced marches.
People who live by hard work and survival instinct—laborers, mercenaries, miners, and soldiers—recognize your grit and respect it. In settlements, you can usually find basic shelter or rough work among such folk without cost, provided you pull your weight.
Suggested Characteristics
Those who grow up hard learn to wear pain like armor. Tough characters might appear stoic or cruel, but their endurance hides deep loyalty to anyone who’s proven themselves strong enough to stand beside them.
**Personality Traits**
1. I laugh in the face of pain—mine or anyone else's.
2. I face every challenge head-on, no matter the odds.
3. I measure people by how well they endure hardship.
4. I speak bluntly and expect others to handle it.
**Ideals**
1. Strength. The strong survive; the weak must learn or perish. (Neutral)
2. Endurance. There’s honor in pain endured. (Lawful)
3. Freedom. No one tells me when to quit. (Chaotic)
4. Duty. I endure for those who can’t. (Good)
**Bonds**
1. My scars remind me of the ones who didn’t make it.
2. I owe my survival to someone tougher than me.
3. I’ll protect anyone who’s still learning to stand back up.
4. I carry a token from the worst day of my life.
**Flaws**
1. I push myself too far and refuse to rest.
2. I look down on people who complain about pain.
3. I solve problems with my fists first.
4. I never ask for help, even when I need it.
| d4 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Endurance. There’s honor in pain endured. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Freedom. No one tells me when to quit. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Duty. I endure for those who can’t. (Good) |
| 4 | Strength. The strong survive; the weak learn or perish. (Neutral) |
| d4 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My scars remind me of those who didn’t make it. |
| 2 | I’ll protect anyone still learning to stand back up. |
| 3 | I carry a token from the worst day of my life. |
| 4 | I owe my survival to someone tougher than me. |
| d2 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I push myself too far and refuse to rest. |
| 2 | I look down on people who complain about pain. |
Contacts
You know people who respect strength and grit—miners, guards, mercenaries, and other laborers. They might not be friends, but they recognize your toughness and are willing to trade favors, information, or supplies with someone who’s proven themselves.
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