That he's a Northern outlander originally, which makes him good with travel/survival/nature, as well as causing him to long for more in life and see new horizons.
Yet he immigrated South, in later childhood (say 8-13 yrs old). This caused him to assimilate to his new lands, and grow up in a small, peaceful town, in a safer, stabler region. Presently, as a young adult, become complacent and stuck in a comfort zone, not knowing what he would do to seek more in life, and fearing discomfort and danger.
Combining the 2 Themes: The contradicting instincts (thirst for self-development/adventure vs comfort zone/fear of the unknown) causes him to be full of angst. Events that transpire force him into adventure, circumventing his need to make a decision, and "tribal-like" camaraderie of a party, survival instinct, and sense of purpose push him past his fears, while satisfying his yearning for a more epic life. Despite his drive, the fear of extreme danger is still present, motivating him to be more careful/perceptive, and use his skills to navigate his surroundings in a safer way.
I think building a custom background, based on "Outlander" from PHB, would make sense.
Ideas for Background Names: "Assimilated Outlander", "Child of Outlander", "Immigrant"
Potential Origin: (taken from "Outlander") Guide - in his backstory, due to his comfort with nature and want for travel, my character does oddjobs escorting people/delivering goods between local towns/villages, as a guide rather than a guard though.
Possible Equipment (#?): Traveler's clothes, Hunting trap, Fishing tackle, Herbalism kit, Tent, An animal/plant part made into necklace/bracelet or some other Northern symbol, Belt pouch with 10GP, Paper, Ink, Oil lantern, Waterskin, Signal whistle, Rope.
Personality Traits, Ideal, Bond, Flaw - can all come from character description (see link above).
List of possible "Features" (others' homebrews and my own):
You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land permits it.Y
You can find food, water and shelter for yourself and up to five people each day provided that the land permits it.
Before you start a journey you can spend a number of hours equal to 1d4 to ascertain information from people in settlements, villages, towns or cities that might be helpful for you on the road ahead. You may ask for a number of information equal to 2d4. The information shared are mundane, at the DM's discretion. For example you may ask the DM, what terrain you can expect on the journey, what type of hostile creatures you may encounter in the area, or historical and lore related significance or locally known pathways.
You've been learning to get around for a while so you know ways to make things quicker, no matter where you are. This allows you to get around a city or town in half the normal time.
You travel the main roads daily and remain cautious even when travelling quickly. This allows you to travel at a fast pace without penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores.
Being a hybrid of two cultures let's you understand people of new lands easier and fit in with them quickly. You are good at arbitrating between different groups. (Some type of ability/skill checks)
Having lived different place, you know a few languages, and are able to understand and communicate with those who speak languages unknown to you in a rudimentary way (Ability/skill check for understanding/getting the gist across).
Please help me choose and/or recommend ideas of your own!
I had posted something on this topic earlier, without a tangible idea - that thread is deleted.
I'd like to hear what you think of it so far, as well as some help on narrowing down from the options I presented for each category.
For your reference -- 2 EZ-to-read screenshots of my character writeup:
Rough Idea for the Custom Background:
My character's backstory has two central themes:
Combining the 2 Themes: The contradicting instincts (thirst for self-development/adventure vs comfort zone/fear of the unknown) causes him to be full of angst. Events that transpire force him into adventure, circumventing his need to make a decision, and "tribal-like" camaraderie of a party, survival instinct, and sense of purpose push him past his fears, while satisfying his yearning for a more epic life. Despite his drive, the fear of extreme danger is still present, motivating him to be more careful/perceptive, and use his skills to navigate his surroundings in a safer way.
I think building a custom background, based on "Outlander" from PHB, would make sense.
Ideas for Background Names: "Assimilated Outlander", "Child of Outlander", "Immigrant"
Potential Origin: (taken from "Outlander") Guide - in his backstory, due to his comfort with nature and want for travel, my character does oddjobs escorting people/delivering goods between local towns/villages, as a guide rather than a guard though.
Potential skills (2): survival, athletics, perception, stealth
Potential tool proficiency (1): Vehicle, Herbalism, Woodcarving
Potential Language (1): Giant, Goblin, Orc
Possible Equipment (#?): Traveler's clothes, Hunting trap, Fishing tackle, Herbalism kit, Tent, An animal/plant part made into necklace/bracelet or some other Northern symbol, Belt pouch with 10GP, Paper, Ink, Oil lantern, Waterskin, Signal whistle, Rope.
Personality Traits, Ideal, Bond, Flaw - can all come from character description (see link above).
List of possible "Features" (others' homebrews and my own):
You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land permits it.Y
You can find food, water and shelter for yourself and up to five people each day provided that the land permits it.
Before you start a journey you can spend a number of hours equal to 1d4 to ascertain information from people in settlements, villages, towns or cities that might be helpful for you on the road ahead. You may ask for a number of information equal to 2d4. The information shared are mundane, at the DM's discretion. For example you may ask the DM, what terrain you can expect on the journey, what type of hostile creatures you may encounter in the area, or historical and lore related significance or locally known pathways.
You've been learning to get around for a while so you know ways to make things quicker, no matter where you are. This allows you to get around a city or town in half the normal time.
You travel the main roads daily and remain cautious even when travelling quickly. This allows you to travel at a fast pace without penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores.
Being a hybrid of two cultures let's you understand people of new lands easier and fit in with them quickly. You are good at arbitrating between different groups. (Some type of ability/skill checks)
Having lived different place, you know a few languages, and are able to understand and communicate with those who speak languages unknown to you in a rudimentary way (Ability/skill check for understanding/getting the gist across).
Please help me choose and/or recommend ideas of your own!