Background
Background (Roll 1d20)
1. Charlatan
2. Entertainer
3. Explorer
4. Grave Robber
5. Guard
6. Hunter
7. Inquisitor
8. Mercenary
9. Navigator
10. Occultist
11. Physician
12. Sailor
13. Scholar
14. Slave
15. Smuggler
16. Soldier
17. Spy
18. Thief
19. Thug
20. Tribal Warrior
Charlatan - Silver Tongue
You gain a +1 bonus to any Bluff and Diplomacy rolls and one of those skills is always a class skill for you.
Entertainer - Gifted Performer
You have a natural knack for performance, +2 when you make Perform checks and it is always a class skill for you.
Explorer - Trail-Blazer
You are at home in the wild. You may make Survival rolls at full overland speed. Linguistics is always a class skill for you.
Grave Robber - Seen it All
In your trade, you've seen plenty of nasty stuff. Whenever you face fear the effect becomes one step lower, panicked drops to frightened, frightened to shaken, and shaken to no effect.
Guard - Alert and Ready
Your job is to protect those in your charge. Your aid another (defensively) is +3. In addition, you get a +2 to Perception checks while on watch.
Hunter - Blooded
You are experienced in bringing down dangerous prey. You gain a +1 initiative. You also gain a +2 to Survival (track) rolls made to follow and identify trails made by animals.
Inquisitor - Sense Corruption
You have a knack for detecting lies, you gain a +2 bonus to Sense Motive rolls. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws versus fear.
Laborer - Sturdy
You are accustomed to hardship. Once per day per point of your Constitution bonus, you gain a DR equal to your Constitution bonus as a free action. Example, 14 Con would be able to ignore 2 points of damage twice a day.
Mercenary - Hardened
Life on the march has made you more comfortable in uncomfortable environments. You gain a +2 bonus to checks made to resist the negative effects of hunger, thirst, and temperature. You can also sleep in medium armor with no ill effect.
Navigator - Direction Sense
You have an uncanny sense for which way is north. You never need to roll Survival to determine true north. In addition, you are never at risk of getting lost so long as you have maps or a compass.
Occultist - Avid Reader
After a lifetime of reading old, musty tomes, they hold few secrets from you. When using a scroll or other written object, you may read them as a 1st level wizard.
Physician - Miracle Worker
You have a gift for healing. You gain a +2 bonus to all Heal rolls. Performing First Aid is a free action for you.
Sailor - Sea Legs
You are accustomed to the rolling deck of a ship, giving you amazing poise and balance. Gain a +2 bonus to Acrobatics.
Scholar - Lore
You have picked up all sorts of useful (and useless) information. You may roll Knowledge checks to learn information normally revealed only through a Trained Knowledge roll.
Slave - Resistance
You are accustomed to a life of hardship. Gain +1 DR.
Smuggler - Contraband
You are good at hiding things. +3 to Sleight of Hand when hiding things and it is always a class skill for you.
Soldier - Veteran
You are unfazed by combat. When rolling for initiative, you gain a +2 bonus.
Spy - Adaptable
You can change your appearance quickly. You gain a +2 bonus to Disguise and it is always a class skill for you.
Thief - Cutpurse
You are skilled at filching purses. You may use Sleight of Hand to pick pockets as a free action and it is always a class skill for you.
Thug - Fierce
You live by instilling fear in your enemies. When using Intimidate to scare your opponents, you gain +2. Finally, the damage for your unarmed attacks increases by +1.
Tribal Warrior - Natural Stealth
You are adept at blending into natural surroundings, +2 whenever you make a Stealth roll outdoors. Stealth is always a class skill for you.
1. A thief
2. A crusader only just returned
3. A member of the Royal Guard
4. A duelist
5. An errant knight
6. A young noble seeking fame, fortune and glory
7. A hardened mercenary
8. A common thug
9. A conman
10. A bounty hunter
11. A pirate
12. A privateer
13. A corsair from some distant land
14. A farmer
15. A merchant
16. A courtier in exile
17. A soldier
18. A sailor
19. A priest
20. A priest of an exotic religion
21. A murderer on the run
22. A spy
23. A healer
24. An veteran of a recent war
25. An assassin
26. A druidic priest
27. A heretic
28. A marine
29. An escaped slave
30. An officer
31. A cavalryman
32. A pick-pocket
33. A professional gambler
34. An executioner
35. A revolutionary
36. A common peasant
37. A miner
38. A poet
39. A musician
40. A fake priest
41. A wandering charlatan
42. A wandering 'law-giver'
43. a hunter
44. a disgraced condottiere
45. a knight
46. an elf-child*
47. a fake prophet
48. a priest of a dying out faith
49. a political exile
50. a psychologically disturbed war veteran
51. A sage
52. a man from the Moon
53. a man from the seas at the end of the world
54. a survivor of a totally destroyed city (like what the Romans did to Carthage)
55. a beggar
56. a tomb robber
57. a member of the Watch
58. a schizophrenic
59. a witch-hunter
60. a lover of an evil witch
61. a member of a cult
62. an escaped soul from the House of Darkness**
63. a barbarian savage
64. a bandit
65. an artist
66. a diplomat
67. a detective
68. a drug addict
69. a depressed alcoholic
70. an explorer
71. a herdsman
72. a fisherman
73. a decadent noble
74. a madman
75. a shaman
76. a scholar
77. a grave digger
78. someone stricken with wanderlust
79. a cartographer
80. a writer
81. a wandering trader
82. an alchemist
83. a juggler
84. a scientist
85. a taxidermist
86. a psychotic who believes is a deity
87. a disgraced or di
88. a wanted criminal
89. a cannibal
90. a nomad
91. a retired general
92. a demonicist***
93. an inn-keeper
94. a racketeer
95. a gatherer of intelligence
96. a viking
97. a messenger
98. an engineer
99. a prince from a conquered principality
00. a visitor from another world
Catalyst (roll 1d8)
Now that you have an idea of what you once did, its time to give some thought as to why you left your previous life and embarked on a journey of selfless sacrifice and soul searing encounters with that which lies beyond.
1. The Sole Survivor
Sometime in your past, whether as a child or as an adult, you were miraculous survivor of a group that was horribly savaged and killed. Perhaps, when you were a child, your family was attacked by a pack of werewolves during a particularly vicious snowstorm. Your mother hid you away and managed to close the cellar door just seconds before the beast leapt upon her. As an adult, you may have been part of a battle against cultists. Their foul blood magic fell many of the contingent and you fell unconscious during the onslaught. When you awoke beneath some palm fronds, you found your fellows slaughtered, their hearts ripped out of their chests. Regardless, by some miracle you find yourself the only survivor out of a group of victims. It was not long thereafter you decided to use this second chance at life to make sure that no one else would suffer as you had.
2. The Lazarus Effect
You died. Or at least you believe you did. You may have found yourself in a shallow grave, frantically clawing your way out, or you may have found yourself pinned beneath a pile of corpses, just another of the dead awaiting burial. Whatever it was that you "died" from, it was certainly not from anything as simple as consumption or the plague. Whatever you died from was brutal, bloody and terrifying.
3. The Damned
You've done some bad things in your life; some really bad things! Whatever your crime, whether it be against the laws of Man or some transgression against the gods, you realize that an eternity of burning in Hell awaits you unless you can somehow redeem yourself. Since that day, you hunt down those who are too corrupted to be saved and show mercy to those who may yet find salvation.
4. Cursed
Somewhere along the line, you were cursed. It may be an ancient family curse that has descended upon you or you greatly offended a true Witch who laid her spell upon you. Whatever the cause, you were searching to have it removed by whatever means necessary. Every wise-man, priest and minister were either unable to help or were opportunistic charlatans taking your last pence and giving only false hope. Finally, when all hope was lost, a strange and foreboding man appeared and offered salvation. All you had to do was give up your old life and follow him on his bizarre crusade against evil. Desperate for help, you agreed and your life became more dangerous and terrifying than a hundred curses could be.
5. The Witness
You saw something, something that everyone else didn't see or refused to believe. But instead of trying to blot the image from your mind through drink or drugs, you acted; you fought back. Now the things from the darkness know that you are not mere chattel like the rest of humanity, but a threat to their power. They know who you are and they are after you. Whether it was for self-preservation or from a deep-seated need to do the right thing, you fight these malignant denizens of Hell. Perhaps one day, you'll be able to truly have a good night sleep without having to keep one eye open.
6. The Chosen
Upon your birth, your parents were told that you had a great destiny before you, you never had a normal life. Nightmares were your bed time stories and the soothing coo of a mother was replaced by the howls of creatures not meant for this world. You may have tried to fight destiny, learning a mundane trade and trying to lead a normal life, but events conspired to cause you to take up arms and do what you were born to do.
7. Odd Bob
Weird things always seem to happen around you. Some think you're cursed or are just bad luck to be around. Bizarre occurrences and happenings follow you wherever you go. As a child, while other children scrambled up a hill, you were the one that fell into a hole and discovered an ancient barrow. Any other child would be delighted to find a shiny coin by the side of the road, but the ones you found were always strange with sigils carved into them. As an adult, the strangeness became more pronounced and disturbing and eventually you faced certain death at the hands of servants of the Adversary. Fortunately, a group of extraordinary people appeared in time to rescue you. They adopted you as one of their own and gave meaning to your odd luck.
8. DM's choice
Another Character Background Generator
Quickie Character Backstory Generator
You could also use the NPC Background Generator for ideas