Orphaned young, you were taken in by a witch who lived deep in the woods outside a bustling coastal trading post. You were raised on the edges of civilization — part secret apprentice, part outcast, part monster in the villagers’ whispered tales. A witch taught you the old ways: herbs, hexes, alchemy, and the power of a well‑timed word.
You often traveled into the village to barter potions, trinkets, herbs, and other goods on behalf of your witch‑mother. You learned to move between worlds: the quiet magic of the forest and the noisy chaos of the trading post. Later, the underworld would teach you stealth, smuggling, and the price of trust.
As you grew older, you found yourself drawn to the warmth and raucousness of the local inn. Amid the clatter of dice and the roar of laughter, you met a charming smuggler who saw you not as a curiosity or an outsider, but as a woman. Nights spent watching him gamble and grin became the brightest part of your life.
Until the night everything ended.
You found him in your secret meeting place behind the inn, his lifeless body slumped against the stone, a deep gash carved across his throat. You cradled his head in your lap, your hands slick with his blood as you whispered desperate, futile pleas for him to return. Grief hollowed you. Rage filled the space it left behind.
Soaked in his blood, you swore a vow: you would find his killer, no matter the cost. You would feel their life drain beneath your hands. You would be the last thing they ever saw.
Your life has been shaped by loss, secrecy, and the dangerous beauty of the path you walk. Whether you seek revenge, redemption, or simply a place where your past is not feared, the shadows still cling to you like an old friend.
With nothing left to lose, you joined the smuggling network he once ran with. Every job became a means to survive — and a chance to uncover the truth. Every whispered rumor, every dangerous contact, every stolen ledger might be the thread that leads you to the one who took him from you.
You will not rest until the blood that was spilled is repaid.
- Ability Scores: This background does not grant ability score increases. Choose your ability score improvements from your class or species options.
- Feat: Blood‑Oath Avenger
Your life has been defined by a single vow: to hunt down the one who stole everything from you. This oath has sharpened your instincts and hardened your resolve.
• You gain proficiency in either Perception or Investigation (your choice).
• You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track a creature you have seen or learned about within the last 7 days.
• Once per long rest, when you deal damage to a creature that has damaged you since the start of your last turn, you can deal extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus. This extra damage is the same type as the triggering attack. - Skill Proficiencies: Choose two skills from the following list: Stealth, Deception, Insight, Performance, Nature, or Survival. These skills reflect your upbringing under a witch’s tutelage and your later immersion in the smuggling underworld.
- Tool Proficiencies: You gain proficiency with either an Herbalism Kit or a Poisoner’s Kit. Your early training in potion‑craft and your later work among smugglers have made you adept with both healing brews and more dangerous concoctions.
Alternatively, those who fell deeper into the smuggling underworld may have picked up Thieves’ Tools, a Forgery Kit, or Alchemist’s Supplies. - Languages: You learn one additional language of your choice. Your travels between forest, village, and underworld circles exposed you to many tongues, and you picked up what you needed to survive.
- Equipment: You start with a satchel of dried herbs and alchemical reagents, a page of handwritten potion notes from your witch‑guardian, a black hooded cloak, a token from your lost lover, a dagger with a worn handle, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.
These traits reflect a life shaped by witchcraft, secrecy, grief, and the relentless pursuit of vengeance.
| d8 | Use the following table to inspire your character’s quirks, habits, and emotional scars. |
|---|---|
| 1 | You keep dried herbs braided into your hair or clothing, a habit from your witch‑guardian’s teachings. |
| 2 | You sleep lightly and wake instantly, a smuggler’s instinct you’ve never shaken. |
| 3 | You trace the scar on your palm when you’re anxious — the mark of the night you swore your blood‑oath. |
| 4 | You always sit with your back to a wall and your eyes on the exits. |
| 5 | You hum old forest lullabies under your breath when you’re thinking. |
| 6 | You collect small tokens from places you visit, believing they help you remember the truth of a place. |
| 7 | You distrust silence; you’ve learned danger often hides inside it. |
| 8 | You keep a mental map of every alley, rooftop, and escape route in any settlement you enter. |
Your upbringing taught you how to read the land like a book. You can identify common alchemical plants, fungi, and natural reagents by sight or scent.
When you enter a new wilderness area, you can always locate one of the following within an hour of searching (DM’s choice or yours):
• A useful herb for potions
• A poisonous plant
• A natural reagent with arcane resonance
NPCs who work with herbs, potions, poisons, or natural magic tend to treat you with cautious respect, sensing your training.
Suggested Characteristics
Shadow‑Sung Wanderers are shaped by grief, secrecy, and the harsh lessons of the wild and the underworld. Their personalities often blend quiet intensity with sharp instincts, and their bonds and flaws reflect the weight of their past.
| d4 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I watch people closely, always trying to read what they aren’t saying. |
| 2 | I keep my emotions tightly controlled, but small cracks show when I’m tired. |
| 3 | I prefer quiet places where I can hear my own thoughts. |
| 4 | I slip into shadows without thinking — it’s where I feel safest. |
| d4 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vengeance. I will not rest until the one who took everything from me is brought to justice — or ruin. |
| 2 | Balance. The world is full of harm and healing; I walk the line between them. |
| 3 | Freedom. No one should be owned, cornered, or controlled — not by fate, not by fear. |
| 4 | Secrets. Knowledge is power, and power is survival. |
| d4 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I carry a token from my lost lover and refuse to let the memory fade. |
| 2 | My witch‑guardian taught me everything; I still follow her lessons. |
| 3 | I owe a debt to someone in the smuggling network — one I intend to repay. |
| 4 | There is one place in the world where I felt safe once; I long to find it again. |
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I push people away before they can leave me. |
| 2 | I hold grudges like iron — once you’ve wronged me, I never forget. |
| 3 | I take dangerous risks when I think they’ll bring me closer to the truth. |
| 4 | I don’t know how to ask for help, even when I desperately need it. |
Years spent running illicit goods through back alleys and hidden coves have taught you how to move unseen and how to find people who don’t want to be found.
You can always locate a discreet contact in any settlement of modest size or larger. This contact may be a fence, a courier, a lookout, or a low‑ranking member of the local criminal network. They will not risk themselves for you, but they can provide rumors, point you toward hidden markets, or arrange introductions to more dangerous individuals.
Additionally, you have an intuitive sense for the safest or least‑watched route through an urban area, allowing you to avoid patrols, crowds, or unwanted attention when traveling at a normal pace.
Your witch‑guardian taught you to read more than words and faces — she taught you to read intentions, emotions, and the subtle threads that bind people together.
You have an uncanny sense when someone is lying to you or hiding something important. While you cannot automatically determine the truth, you can always tell when a creature you are speaking with is being deliberately deceptive, evasive, or withholding key information.
Additionally, when you meet someone for the first time, you can learn one of the following about them (DM’s choice or yours): their emotional state, their immediate goal, or whether they pose an active threat to you.
VARIANT 3 - Blood‑Oath Resolve (since it only allowed me to make two variants im adding the third here)
Your vow of vengeance has hardened your spirit and sharpened your focus. You refuse to be broken by fear, grief, or intimidation.
You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Additionally, once per long rest, when you fail a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead, drawing on the burning resolve that drives you.
People who have suffered loss or hardship recognize something familiar in your eyes, and they are more willing to confide in you or offer quiet assistance.
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