Second Son

You were raised among wealth, power, and privilege, but whether by your parents’ choice or by law of primogeniture, you have no claim on your family’s wealth or title. You might be bitter about your station or grateful that you do not have to bear the burden of a noble title, but either way, you must forge your own destiny in this word.

Still, your upbringing had advantages. You learned how to act among the gentry. And your family’s connections certainly had their influence. Perhaps an old and loyal man-at-arms took you under his wing when you were young, filling your head with tales of the glories of battle. Maybe you were given training in a monastery or religious order. You might have been apprenticed to a friendly wizard or gained admittance to a magical college. Or maybe you fell in with bad company, taken in by disaffected nobles and greedy hangers-on.

Work with your DM to come up with details of your family and your relationship to it.

Is your family old and established, or was your title only recently bestowed? How much influence do they wield, and over what area? What kind of reputation does your family have among the other aristocrats of the region? How do the common people regard them?

What’s your position in the family? Are you second behind only the true heir? Or are you so far down the line of inheritance that no one cares what you do, as long as you don’t embarrass the family? How does the head of your family feel about your adventuring career? Are you in your siblings’ good graces, or shunned by the rest of your family?

Does your family have a coat of arms? An insignia you might wear on a signet ring? Particular colors you wear all the time? An animal you regard as a symbol of your line or even a spiritual member of the family?

These details help establish your family and your title as features of the world of the campaign.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose one social skill appropriate to the highborn and another you picked up from a friend or mentor along the way.

Tool Proficiencies: Select a tool you learned to use growing up.

Languages: Learn any one language of your choice.

Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a scroll of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Nobles are born and raised to a very different lifestyle than most people ever experience, and their personalities often reflect that upbringing.

d8	Personality Trait
1	My eloquent flattery makes everyone I talk to feel like the most wonderful and important person in the world.
2	I have little love and even less patience for anyone who displays a sense of entitlement.
3	I greet the day with optimism and others with enthusiasm. Time is short and life is for living!
4	I can tolerate almost any vice, but I will not endure a hypocrite.
5	I don’t like to get my hands dirty, and I won’t be caught dead in unsuitable accommodations.
6	Hierarchy doesn’t bother me, but I do not place myself above other folk. Merit matters more than title.
7	I have a long memory. My friendships — and my grudges — are lifelong.
8	If you do me an injury, I will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.

d6	Ideal
1	Justice. I am the true heir and would do anything to prove this to my family and claim my rightful position. (Any)
2	Duty. It is my duty to protect my family and the larger society. (Lawful)
3	Iconoclasm. I hold most authorities in disdain and will fight for freedom — mine and others’ — from all forms of oppression. (Chaotic)
4	Power. If I can accumulate enough personal power, titles cease to matter... or even to exist. (Evil)
5	Family. Blood runs thicker than water. (Any)
6	Protection. It is my duty to protect and care for the people beneath me. (Good)

d6	Bond
1	I will face any challenge to win the approval of my family.
2	My house’s alliance with another noble family must be sustained at all costs.
3	The common folk are more important to me than my family.
4	I am in love with the heir of a family that my family despises.
5	My loyalty to my mentor or the group that taught me is unwavering.
6	My great calling is to advance the faith of my church, temple, or monastery.

d6	Flaw
1	I secretly believe that everyone is beneath me.
2	I present myself as a titled noble and would do anything to prevent the shame of my true station from being discovered.
3	I too often hear veiled insults and threats in every word addressed to me, and I’m quick to anger.
4	I overreact to perceived sleights, especially deliberate ones, and I can be easily provoked.
5	I am deeply bitter at the circumstances of my birth and secretly (or not-so-secretly) despise my family.
6	I am desperately afraid the true heir will die and the burden of inheritance will pass to me. I would do anything to avoid this.