Half the backgrounds in the game could be "criminal", if one takes the original intent of the word criminal, i.e. one who commits or has committed a crime.
Charlatans are criminals by definition, as are pirates and smugglers. Volstrucker agents, in Exandria, are basically government sanctioned terrorists. Urchins commit petty street crime on the daily to avoid Deth. The absolutely phenomenal and criminally (tee hee) underrated 'Faceless' background from Descent to Avernus could easily be a larger-than-life Robin Hood-esque crook. Faction Agent is a solid choice for someone working within the strictures of a highly organized criminal guild. A lot of the other backgrounds are basically Law Neutral and could be used for people who may or may not be professional crooks.
There's a ton of flexibility even before one gets into custom configurable backgrounds.
I was hoping for a librarian who really disliked people who had overdo books.
Conan the librarian exacts harsh retribution for those who fail to honor the library due date. Books are due because the library serves the whole Book Clan, not the individual book hoarder. Hoarding knowledge is deadly to the survival of the Book Clan. Dangers to the Book Clan must be destroyed. An overdue book is a danger to the Book Clan. By Book Clan Way, Conan must destroy the holder of the overdue book to make the Book Clan whole again with justice.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
PCs with the Entertainer background also make great criminals. Many of the people who manage circus acts and carnival games IRL are expert hucksters and frauds. With a Disguise Kit and the right combination of class of feats, it's easy to make counterfeiting Wizard, a racketeering Sorcerer, or an illegal subtances-smuggling Druid. Heck, with wildshape, Druids could be some of the best smugglers around with or without proficiency in disguise-making.
Could there be a fine line between Criminal and Urchin where an interpretation of the Urchin background may qualify as Criminal and vice-versa?
Any background could belong to a person that is or was a criminal. I have a hard time imagening an Urchin not committing petty crimes to survive, for example. Yurei1453 gave some other examples. The background could just show what your position you had in a criminal organization, if you wanted it to be that way. So you're an acolyte? Yup. In a forbidden death cult who kidnaps and eats Halflings because our demon god thinks they're tasty. Guild artisan? Yeah, I work in a pawn shop modifying the stolen goods so that it will be easier to sell unrecognized. Hermit? Actually a serial killer who murders anyone stumbling into their abode and makes hand puppets from their skin.
My point is, any background (and class) could work for a criminal person. The background is just reflecting what kind of skills you picked up while doing whatever you did before becoming an adventurer. Go wild! B)
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Half the backgrounds in the game could be "criminal", if one takes the original intent of the word criminal, i.e. one who commits or has committed a crime.
Charlatans are criminals by definition, as are pirates and smugglers. Volstrucker agents, in Exandria, are basically government sanctioned terrorists. Urchins commit petty street crime on the daily to avoid Deth. The absolutely phenomenal and criminally (tee hee) underrated 'Faceless' background from Descent to Avernus could easily be a larger-than-life Robin Hood-esque crook. Faction Agent is a solid choice for someone working within the strictures of a highly organized criminal guild. A lot of the other backgrounds are basically Law Neutral and could be used for people who may or may not be professional crooks.
There's a ton of flexibility even before one gets into custom configurable backgrounds.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
PCs with the Entertainer background also make great criminals. Many of the people who manage circus acts and carnival games IRL are expert hucksters and frauds. With a Disguise Kit and the right combination of class of feats, it's easy to make counterfeiting Wizard, a racketeering Sorcerer, or an illegal subtances-smuggling Druid. Heck, with wildshape, Druids could be some of the best smugglers around with or without proficiency in disguise-making.
Any background could belong to a person that is or was a criminal. I have a hard time imagening an Urchin not committing petty crimes to survive, for example. Yurei1453 gave some other examples. The background could just show what your position you had in a criminal organization, if you wanted it to be that way. So you're an acolyte? Yup. In a forbidden death cult who kidnaps and eats Halflings because our demon god thinks they're tasty. Guild artisan? Yeah, I work in a pawn shop modifying the stolen goods so that it will be easier to sell unrecognized. Hermit? Actually a serial killer who murders anyone stumbling into their abode and makes hand puppets from their skin.
My point is, any background (and class) could work for a criminal person. The background is just reflecting what kind of skills you picked up while doing whatever you did before becoming an adventurer. Go wild! B)