You are some kind of slave or indentured servant, or you are or were controlled entirely by another person or group of people. You don’t have to be a slave in the traditional sense; an abused and isolated child, a tortured prisoner, or an underpaid servant or worker, any or all of these people could take this background.
Were you a field worker, sweating to bring in harvests? Or were you a house slave who took care of the master and his/her household? Maybe you worked in something similar to a sugar plantation, where the work was highly dangerous and often lethal.
You can choose whether you bought your freedom, were freed by someone else or even your master/mistress, escaped and are on the run, or if you still actually serve them but are travelling on your own for one reason or another.
- Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Intimidation
- Languages: One of your choice, which you are illiterate in
- Equipment: A pair of manacles you at one point wore, A simple memento from your family or a fellow slave, something you used to do your job as a slave, 5 gp
As a slave, you had a job to do - whether you liked it or not. Roll a d8 on the table to determine that job.
You are used to bowing, scraping and apologizing for even slight offenses. While more prideful slaves are loathe to do it, you can earn enough through begging to live a Poor lifestyle in most cities, and you can usually find someone who is willing to take you in - though there may be a price, and it may not be gold.
Suggested Characteristics
Slaves will have been shaped by the way they were treated, and what kind of work they did. Their treatment and their relationships to both other slaves as well as their masters/mistresses affect their mannerisms and ideals. Their flaws might be a side effect of the trauma of their slavery.
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