Not all talented individuals are blessed with access to a stage and grand audience, in fact most performers struggle simply to keep themselves afloat.
Whether enthusiastically playing instruments or dancing in the public square, or performing sleight of hand tricks on street corners, these "street performers" dot the public spaces of large cities, living on small offerings from passersby and a dream of a better life.
- Skill Proficiencies: performance, sleight of hand
- Tool Proficiencies: one type of Musical Instrument, one type of Gaming Set
- Equipment: A musical instrument of your choice, a map of the city you grew up in, a token to remember your family or a lost love by, a set of common clothes and a belt pouch containing 10 gold pieces.
Street Performers are gifted with a talent that they put to use in their routines as a style of performance. Choose one or two styles or roll on the table below.
| d8 | Entertainer Style |
|---|---|
| 1 | Singing |
| 2 | Dancing |
| 3 | Jester Routines (Juggling, fire eating, sword swallowing) |
| 4 | Poetry |
| 5 | Sleight of hand tricks |
| 6 | Instrumental |
| 7 | Storytelling |
| 8 | Actor |
Though you may not be able to get a steady stream of work, you can find places and people looking for last minute entertainment that you may provide in exchange for a negotiable price. (Information, room and board, exposure, a small amount of coin)
Suggested Characteristics
Street Performers are dreamers, living in poverty with almost nothing to their name. Whether by hopes to escape their current situation or a simple passion to perform, these struggling artists are driven to continue peddling their gifts along the city streets day in and day out, always searching for a big break.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm a hopeless romantic, always searching for a "special someone". |
| 2 | I love a good insult, even one directed at me. |
| 3 | I change my mood or my mind as quickly as I change key in a song. |
| 4 | I hide scraps of food and trinkets away in my pockets. |
| 5 | I sleep with my back to a wall or tree, with everything I own wrapped in a bundle in my arms. |
| 6 | I bluntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding. |
| 7 | When I set my mind to something, I follow through no matter what gets in my way. |
| 8 | Whenever I come to a new place, I collect local rumors and spread gossip. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Respect. All people, rich or poor, deserve respect. (good) |
| 2 | Community. We have to take care of each other, because no one else is going to do it. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Creativity. The world is in need of new ideas and bold action. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Greed. I'm only in it for the money and fame. (Evil) |
| 5 | People. I like seeing the smiles on people's faces when I perform. That's all that matters. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Aspiration. I'm going to prove that I'm worthy of a better life. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of someone I love. |
| 2 | My town or city is my home, and I'll fight to defend it. |
| 3 | I want to be famous, whatever it takes. |
| 4 | I owe my survival to another performer who taught me my craft. |
| 5 | I owe a debt I can never repay to the person who took pity on me. |
| 6 | Nothing is more important to me than my talent. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | If I'm outnumbered, I will run away from a fight. |
| 2 | I can't resist a pretty face. |
| 3 | I'll do anything to win fame and renown. |
| 4 | I have trouble keeping my true feelings hidden. My sharp tongue lands me in trouble. |
| 5 | Despite my best efforts, I am unreliable to my friends. |
| 6 | I have a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink. |
Like Street Performers, you are a talented entertainer with no real fame or opportunity. However, you have never been particularly tied to a more urban setting, and are more equipped to "take the show on the road," as it were.
If you take this variant background, you gain proficiency with Survival, rather than Sleight of hand, and Vehicles (land) rather than a gaming set of your choice. Additionally, replace the map of a city you grew up in in your starting equipment with a map of a region you frequently traverse.
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