Feral

You were abandoned or otherwise left alone as an infant. Against all odds you survived, though it was not until much later in your life that you re-joined society. Emerging from your brutal, animalistic life to the world of people was difficult, and even now you struggle to be around people for too long. People from a feral background may be highly adaptive, having learned to fend for themselves in a hostile world at a very young age. In other much rarer cases, they find themselves taken in and cared for by wild animals. The settlements of civilized creatures are alien, hostile places to feral people, and those who have tried to rehabilitate themselves into the world often find they fight a constant battle between the rules of society and their base instincts.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit

Languages: You only know one language. You do not speak it well, and you are unable to learn any others even if you are granted additional languages by your class or race.

Equipment: Two short swords or any simple weapon you are proficient with, a trinket from your pre-abandonment childhood (a baby’s rattle, or a stuffed toy, or the like), ragged clothing, and a pouch you made yourself containing 10gp

Suggested Characteristics

A feral upbringing imbues a wildness in a person that is difficult to disguise. Someone with the feral background might communicate more in gestures and grunts than words, might mistrust being indoors, or may be incredibly territorial and possessive of their friends and belongings (if they have any of either). A life of adventure offers a chance to forget the social niceties they have been forced to learn and revert back to a violent, simple way of life that makes more sense to them.

d8	Personality Trait
1	Urban areas are unnatural and make me nervous. I am much happier out of sight of so-called civilized places.
2	I don’t understand what gods are or why people worship them.
3	Money doesn’t interest me as much as useful things, and food.
4	Language fascinates me, and I repeat words and phrases that I hear even if I don’t understand them.
5	I am shy around people and very slow to trust.
6	I am curious about this new world of people and can’t help but study and question everything around me.
7	Fire scares me.
8	I have a deep respect for - and healthy fear of - animals and nature, and do my best not to bring unnecessary harm to them.

d6	Ideal
1	Survival. I would rather flee and live to fight another day than fight to the death out of pride. (Any)
2	Aspiration. I’m determined to prove that I’m more than the savage people say I am. (Any)
3	Freedom. Laws are chains on the true nature of people and the world, and I will not be chained. (Chaotic)
4	Live and Let Live. Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble. (Neutral)
5	Change. Life, like the seasons, is in constant flux, and we must learn to change with it. (Chaotic)
6	Nature. The natural world is more precious and important than anything created by people. (Neutral)

d6	Bond
1	Any threat to my home is a threat to me.
2	The gods have a plan for me, and I will do everything in my power to fulfill it.
3	Whatever it takes, I will be reunited with the family I never got a chance to know.
4	My friends are the only family I know, and I will defend them with my life.
5	Now that I have discovered civilization, I want to see as much of it as possible.
6	I owe my life to the animals that saved me from death in the wilderness.

d6	Flaw
1	I think in terms of short-term survival, and find it difficult to focus on long-term goals.
2	I’m suspicious of strangers and do not hide it well.
3	I see nothing wrong with taking the things you want
4	Weak or sick people are of no use to me, and I will discard them without thought.
5	I get angry around people who are more intelligent than me, because I assume they are mocking me.
6	If I spend too long around lots of people I start to get anxious and aggressive.