You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as their champion, and your destiny calls you to stand against the tyrants and monsters that threaten the common folk everywhere.
- Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools, vehicles (land)
- Equipment: A set of artisan’s tools (one of your choice), a shovel, an iron pot, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp
Defining Event
You previously pursued a simple profession among the peasantry, perhaps as a farmer, miner, servant, shepherd, woodcutter, or gravedigger. But something happened that set you on a different path and marked you for greater things. Choose or randomly determine a defining event that marked you as a hero of the people.
| d10 |
Defining Event |
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1
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I stood up to a tyrant’s agents.
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2
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I saved people during a natural disaster.
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3
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I stood alone against a terrible monster.
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4
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I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor.
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5
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I led a militia to fight off an invading army.
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6
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I broke into a tyrant’s castle and stole weapons to arm the people.
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7
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I trained the peasantry to use farm implements as weapons against a tyrant’s soldiers.
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8
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A lord rescinded an unpopular decree after I led a symbolic act of protest against it.
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9
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A celestial, fey, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin.
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10
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Recruited into a lord’s army, I rose to leadership and was commended for my heroism.
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Feature: Rustic Hospitality
Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.
Suggested Characteristics
A folk hero is one of the common people, for better or for worse. Most folk heroes look on their humble origins as a virtue, not a shortcoming, and their home communities remain very important to them.
| d8 |
Personality Trait |
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1
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I judge people by their actions, not their words.
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2
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If someone is in trouble, I’m always ready to lend help.
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3
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When I set my mind to something, I follow through no matter what gets in my way.
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4
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I have a strong sense of fair play and always try to find the most equitable solution to arguments.
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5
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I’m confident in my own abilities and do what I can to instill confidence in others.
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6
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Thinking is for other people. I prefer action.
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7
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I misuse long words in an attempt to sound smarter.
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8
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I get bored easily. When am I going to get on with my destiny?
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| d6 |
Ideal |
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1
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Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)
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2
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Fairness. No one should get preferential treatment before the law, and no one is above the law. (Lawful)
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3
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Freedom. Tyrants must not be allowed to oppress the people. (Chaotic)
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4
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Might. If I become strong, I can take what I want—what I deserve. (Evil)
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5
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Sincerity. There’s no good in pretending to be something I’m not. (Neutral)
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6
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Destiny. Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any)
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| d6 |
Bond |
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1
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I have a family, but I have no idea where they are. One day, I hope to see them again.
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2
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I worked the land, I love the land, and I will protect the land.
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3
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A proud noble once gave me a horrible beating, and I will take my revenge on any bully I encounter.
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4
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My tools are symbols of my past life, and I carry them so that I will never forget my roots.
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5
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I protect those who cannot protect themselves.
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6
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I wish my childhood sweetheart had come with me to pursue my destiny.
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| d6 |
Flaw |
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1
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The tyrant who rules my land will stop at nothing to see me killed.
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2
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I’m convinced of the significance of my destiny, and blind to my shortcomings and the risk of failure.
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3
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The people who knew me when I was young know my shameful secret, so I can never go home again.
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4
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I have a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink.
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5
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Secretly, I believe that things would be better if I were a tyrant lording over the land.
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6
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I have trouble trusting in my allies.
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Posted Sep 19, 2018A hero of the people, their is something humbling about this. As long as your not playing "great destiny man" ha ha ha ha.
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Posted May 17, 2019More like it is my destiny to be annoying 😂
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Posted Jun 8, 2019There should be an option to have an NPC follow you around and play your leitmotif.
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Posted Jun 10, 2019You should be able to call the commoners for help in a battle
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Posted Jul 6, 2019I need a better definition of commoners. Are they normal people or is it just community? (tribe, village, town, ect.) pls help.
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Posted Aug 28, 2019Commoners are from the average social rank. They are neither beggars nor nobles, and they sit right in the in-between spot. So, they're the 'normal' people.
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Posted Oct 7, 2019[Deleted]
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Posted Oct 7, 2019Middle class
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Posted Nov 21, 2019Middle class is the lower section of 'the rich'. Commoners are the working class, the common labourers, who may have a permanent job or may get jobs from anyone who needs a job done and doesn't have a permanent servant or the skills to do it themselves.
Farm labourers, factory workers, most servants, the city watch etc would all be classed as commoners.
Middle class would be the people who live in fancy townhouses, have a servant or two, and would be skilled masons, carpenters, shipbuilders etc, who made their cash by hard work (and possibly luck) rather than by being born into a noble family like the upper class.
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Posted Nov 23, 2019This is the best thing I've ever heard
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Posted Apr 5, 2020Pretty sure commoners are just normal people who live in the world. IE not nobles or other adventures
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Posted Apr 7, 2020The real question is how this is a "flaw":
It's certainly a plot hook for the DM to use, as noted in the answers to this exact question on RPG.SE, but it's still not a "flaw" in the sense of making a character that's imperfect and not a Mary Sue.
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Posted Jun 16, 2020What if a barbarian was a folk hero in his clan and is now on a quest to find a magic item to help save his tribe?
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Posted Jun 20, 2020Someone else was thinking of Roran from the Inheritance Cycle while reading the background entry?
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Posted Jul 6, 2020.
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Posted Aug 15, 2020Can someone explain how these proficiencies make sense?
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Posted Sep 29, 2020No, I don’t really know why. Survival kinda makes sense though.
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Posted Nov 13, 2020These are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.
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Posted Nov 29, 2020They make sense if you keep in mind that the background focuses on rural commoners who live meagerly from a trade. A lot of modern amenities simply would not exist for them, and they would need to grow/make much of their own goods.
Animal Handling: Animals were omnipresent in medieval life, so it makes sense that someone raised around them would be able to interact with them and intuit their moods.
Survival: This covers subsistence farming and small game hunting for food and goods, as well as minor medicinal and culinary herbs. Again, the background is largely rural so it makes sense to understand how to fend for one's self.
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Posted Apr 9, 2021They kinda have that with the knight background.