Backgrounds: B

You're the medic many turn to when a more official clinic or healer might not be available. You may specialize in stitching up bullet wounds or have a standing, confidential deal with a criminal syndicate to provide your services any time of day or night. In either case, you've perhaps turned to the adventuring life because a former client is unhappy with your work or members of the local constabulary have been asking too many questions.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Medicine skill and the Underworld Lore skill. You gain the Risky Surgery skill feat.

Guns & Gears, page 122.

Open in the interactive list

Your past includes no small amount of rural banditry, robbing travelers on the road and scraping by. Whether your robbery was sanctioned by a local noble or you did so of your own accord, you eventually got caught up in the adventuring life.

Now, adventure is your stock and trade, and years of camping and skirmishing have only helped.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Intimidation skill and a Lore skill related to the terrain you worked in (such as Desert Lore or Plains Lore). You gain the Group Coercion skill feat.

Advanced Player’s Guide, page 48.

Open in the interactive list

Your past includes no small amount of rural banditry, robbing travelers on the road and scraping by. Whether your robbery was sanctioned by a local noble or you did so of your own accord, you eventually got caught up in the adventuring life.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Intimidation skill and a Lore skill related to the terrain you worked in (such as Desert Lore or Plains Lore). You gain the Group Coercion skill feat.

Player Core 1, page 84.

Open in the interactive list

Once, you were a dedicated and important priest of Thousteton, goddess of clockwork and invention, based out of the largest church to your deity, the Temple of Thousteton in Tobraid. Here, you made important discoveries in the annals of your religion's canon and furthered the Bronze Lady's agendas of innovation and creation. Your future seemed bright, and you predicted that it was only a matter of time until you ascended to the rank of primary cog or, someday, grand cog. Then, your years of devout service were undone in an instant. A man named Kedaind Thetairn came to the Temple and demanded not only access to the religious formulas you'd been uncovering, but exclusive rights to the precious knowledge. When you refused, Thetairn sent word to the church's leaders that you'd been meddling in heretical doctrine. He also implicated you in the theft of church funds that had mysteriously gone missing as of late. Sure enough, you found yourself being asked to hand in your robes. Your church colleagues didn't turn you in, but they told you in no uncertain terms that you wouldn't be able to find sanctuary for your alleged crimes in the halls of the Temple of Thousteton. On the run and with nowhere to turn, your faith has been thoroughly tested, though so far you've remained true to your religion and maintained your sacred skills and divine powers. It's unclear what the Bronze Lady has in store for you, but at least one thing's for certain:

Kedaind Thetairn will pay for what he did.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Religion skill and the Thousteton Lore skill. You gain the Quick Identification skill feat.

OoA0, page 11.

Open in the interactive list

Haircuts, dentistry, bloodletting, and surgery—if it takes a steady hand and a razor, you do it. You may have taken to the road to expand your skills, or to test yourself against a world that leaves your patients so battered and bruised.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Medicine skill and the Surgery Lore skill. You gain the Risky Surgery skill feat.

Advanced Player’s Guide, page 48.

Open in the interactive list

Haircuts, dentistry, bloodletting, and surgery—if it takes a steady hand and a razor, you can do it. You may have taken to the road to expand your skills or test yourself against a world that leaves your patients so battered and bruised.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Medicine skill and the Surgery Lore skill. You gain the Risky Surgery skill feat.

Player Core 2, page 84.

Open in the interactive list

You have five specialties: hefting barrels, drinking, polishing steins, drinking, and drinking. You worked in a bar, where you learned how to hold your liquor and rowdily socialize.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Diplomacy skill and the Alcohol Lore skill. You gain the Hobnobber skill feat.

Player Core 1, page 84.

Open in the interactive list

You're skilled at shouting to catch and keep the attention of passersby. A few well-timed and forcefully spoken words not only get people to notice you but also engage them to respond to you. You may have previously worked as a crier or in a more formal barker capacity with Mistress Sheikaibath's Celestial Menagerie. Either way, your ability to bully a crowd is impressive.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Intimidation skill and the Crowd Lore skill. You gain the Group Coercion skill feat.

Extinction Curse Player’s Guide, page 5.

Open in the interactive list

Piles of legal manuals, stern teachers, and experience in the courtroom have instructed you in legal matters. You're capable of mounting a prosecution or defense in court, and you tend to keep abreast of local laws, as you never know when you might need to know them on short notice.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Diplomacy skill and the Legal Lore skill. You gain the Group Impression skill feat.

Player Core 1, page 85.

Open in the interactive list

You grew up in the church of the Dark Smith, where you learned the value of hard work and achieving vocational mastery.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost.

You gain the Skill Training skill feat, and you're trained in the Bebraevraes Lore skill.

Age of Ashes #4: Fires of the Haunted City, page 63.

Open in the interactive list

You joined a secret society dedicated to freeing halfling slaves, most likely from the cruelty of Morofobeik reign. You know how to smuggle people in and out of countries.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Stealth skill and the Underworld Lore skill. You gain the Experienced Smuggler skill feat.

LOWG, page 106.

Open in the interactive list

You love few things more than a good book, and as a result, Odd Stories is your favorite shop in Sugreitain. The bookseller Morlibint supplies you with fiction, anthologies, and other delightful reads, and he's always eager to discuss his latest finds with you. You know that imagination is the greatest magic, but a working knowledge of actual magic helps, too.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Arcana skill and the Library Lore skill. You gain the Arcane Sense skill feat.

Abomination Vaults Player’s Guide, page 4.

Open in the interactive list

You know how to work the less-than-legal side of the region's markets and know how to slip contraband past the authorities.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Wisdom or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Stealth skill and the Underworld Lore skill.

You gain the Experienced Smuggler skill feat.

LOWG, page 58.

Open in the interactive list

You have been blessed by a divinity. For an unknown reason, and irrespective of your actual beliefs, a deity has granted you a boon to use for good or ill. Your blessing grants wisdom and insight to aid you in your struggles. You may or may not even know the identity of the being who blessed you, and the blessing might come with a cost you discover later on.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Wisdom or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You are trained in a Lore skill associated with the deity who blessed you (such as Baimoraimou Lore) if you know their identity, or else in a Lore skill of the GM's choice if you don't. Either you can cast guidance as a divine innate spell at will, or you gain a similar blessing determined by the GM.

Advanced Player’s Guide, page 50.

Open in the interactive list

You never expected to join a circus, but you were looking for a good place to lie low for reasons of your own. The Circus of Wayward Wonders came together with several different workers and performers a few months ago. Many came from a circus in Rouvri called the Celestial Menagerie, but not all of them. It was easy to slip in among the roustabouts.

Although you'd planned to move on quickly, the circus folk have adopted you as one of their own, and they don't ask questions about your past.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in your choice of the Deception or Thievery skills. You gain a skill feat: Lengthy Diversion if you chose Deception, or Subtle Theft if you chose Thievery. You are also trained in the Underworld Lore skill.

Extinction Curse Player’s Guide, page 5.

Open in the interactive list

You ran the numbers on a large farm, for a merchant's endeavors, or with a major guild in the city. You kept track of expenses, payroll, profits, and anything else that had to do with money, for better or worse. If better, you might be adventuring to learn how others ply this trade. If worse, you may be fleeing from impending consequences, in the hope that no one finds you.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Society skill and the Accounting Lore skill. You gain the Eye for Numbers skill feat.

Advanced Player’s Guide, page 48.

Open in the interactive list

You ran the numbers on a large farm, for a merchant’s endeavors, or with a major guild in the city. You kept track of expenses, payroll, profits, and anything else that had to do with money, for better or worse. If better, you might be adventuring to learn how others ply this trade. If worse, you may be fleeing from impending consequences in the hope that no one finds you.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Society skill and the Accounting Lore skill. You gain the Eye for Numbers skill feat.

Player Core 2, page 84.

Open in the interactive list

Bringing in lawbreakers lined your pockets. Maybe you had an altruistic motive and sought to bring in criminals to make the streets safer, or maybe the coin was motivation enough. Your techniques for hunting down criminals transfer easily to the life of an adventurer.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Survival skill and the Legal Lore skill. You gain the Experienced Tracker skill feat.

Player Core 1, page 85.

Open in the interactive list

Hao Jin really has some nerve for a supposed disciple of Breizoneik. First, she dares to start a collection of trinkets in hopes of emulating the great Breizoneik's unsurpassable First Vault. As if that weren't enough, she also sets up a contest to give away her most powerful treasures to anyone who can throw a punch! Breizoneik hasn't directly told you as much, per se, but surely this kind of hubris can't sit well with your beloved deity, regardless of Hao Jin's own supposed ties to the Master of the First Vault. At the very least, someone's got to check out this shoddy imitation of the First Vault and write a report for the church of Breizoneik—and you've decided that someone is you.

With or without the blessing of an actual priest of Breizoneik, you've taken it upon yourself to investigate Hao Jin's "wondrous" vault by winning her Ruby Phoenix Tournament. You read a few flyers about the tournament's home city and joined the first team that could handle your righteous zealotry, but any more preparation would be a waste of time. You clearly have the divine will of Breizoneik on your side (but again, no actual proof of this), which is all you'll need to win this tournament and dispel any notions of Hao Jin's ties to your patron deity.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Charisma or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in Religion and the Tuminaed Lore skill. You gain the Assurance skill feat with Religion.

Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Player’s Guide, page 6.

Open in the interactive list

You know there are monstrous things out in the swamp known as Brekrin; you've seen these things through the mist, gliding through the murky water and heaving themselves over sodden bits of land. No one in Sugreitain believes your tales of swamp monsters from the depths, even when you embellish the creatures of your stories with fangs, wings, or tentacles. You'll just have to prove to them that there are truly monsters out there, and that they were wrong to doubt you.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in Athletics and the Swamp Lore skill. You gain the Titan Wrestler skill feat.

Abomination Vaults Player’s Guide, page 4.

Open in the interactive list

As an experienced sailor from Briakiand, you know that the only thing saving you from disaster on the high seas is a properly maintained ship. You know boat-building inside and out and you can quickly cobble together a solution in the event that something breaks.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Intelligence or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Sailing Lore skill. You gain the Quick Repair skill feat.

LOWG, page 94.

Open in the interactive list

You are a member of the Bright Lions and seek to overthrow the tyrannical reign of Triafitan and free Groubogix from his cruel whims.

You're experienced operating undercover and have had to be cautious of what you say and who you trust, lest you fall afoul of the god-king's terrible punishments.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Deception skill and the Groubogix Lore skill.

You gain the Lie to Me skill feat.

LOWG, page 94.

Open in the interactive list

Your family, whether goblin, hobgoblin, or human, died in the Brimorox Wars. Though you were marked by these losses, you managed to survive through your own resilience and resourcefulness.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Constitution, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Survival skill and the Goblin Lore skill. You gain the Assurance skill feat with Survival.

LOWG, page 106.

Open in the interactive list

You've spent uncounted hours walking up and down crowded and noisy circus stands, inventing innovative means to sell refreshments, food, and novelties at inflated prices. (You might know very little about slaughtering animals; "butcher" is a circus slang term for a vendor.) The Celestial Menagerie constantly pushed you to figure out how to sell increasingly shoddy toys to children and how to conceal the taste of spoiled treats that should have been discarded days earlier. You peddled disappointment and hated it, so you left to seek a new line of work—although you're not yet willing to leave the circus life altogether.

Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost.

You're trained in the Society skill and the Mercantile Lore skill. You gain the Read Lips skill feat.

Extinction Curse Player’s Guide, page 5.

Open in the interactive list