Second, a character has a background. While many elves, for instance, are raised in predominantly elven cities and would be considered to be Fey-Touched, many characters are raised in more diverse cultures. A human might be raised by elves, and an elf might be raised in a Cosmopolitan city where they were influenced by a diversity of culture. Alternatively, perhaps your elf did not go through the same schooling as their peers, and instead went to a Militant academy. Your background represents the common skills and training learned by most members of your social circle growing up.
Your character will have special skills and abilities afforded by both your ancestry and your background. Each ancestry and each background are balanced so that they have approximately equal advantages, though as with all advantages, some may be better equipped for certain challenges than others.
Ancestry and Background replace the ‘race’ and ‘background’ systems from baseline 5e and do not work the same way. Click here for information as to how to use baseline 5e races alongside the new Elkan 5e ancestry and culture system (1).
Backgrounds
Below we have listed every Background in the Elkan5e ruleset. When creating a character, you should select your Background after your Ancestry. Background is what determines the languages your character grew up speaking, as well as a few abilities your character picked up from cultural or professional training outside of your class. Any Background is a viable choice for any character class or archetype.
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Arcanist
In most campaign settings, there is at least one culture where magical training is provided to everyone. In many settings, elves are the ones to build these magical ‘utopias’. Most with the Arcanist background, however, are mage’s apprentices from a young age, learning from local tutors away from mainstream society.
Languages: Common and three others (often one Magical Language)
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Arcana and Religion)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
Items: common clothes, a robe, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 30 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Cantrips: one of your choice from the sorcerer or wizard spell lists. You use intelligence or charisma as your spellcasting ability for this cantrip.
Spells: Detect Magic. You can cast this spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot. If you are a spellcaster, you count this spell as a spell you know and have prepared, and can cast it with a spell slot. This spell is a bonus on top of your normal number of spells known.
In the world of Elkan, the northern realm of Tyopalvka is a no-man’s land blasted by magical experiments, monsters, and bandits. While there is no significant central government in Tyopalvka, many unscrupulous wizards have built towers and lairs here to avoid attention. Knowledge of basic magic has slowly bled out of these towers as the wizards take countless apprentices who are later released back into the general population.
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Cosmopolitan
Characters with the Cosmopolitan background were influenced by many cultures. A cosmopolitan culture is one that includes and encourages members of different world cultures to come together. In most campaign settings, there will be several urban centers where members of any culture are welcome. Most of the time, these cosmopolitan cities are trade hubs, often located along water, and they usually have a large population.
Languages: Common and three others (usually Trade Languages)
Skills: three of your choice: (Recommended: Persuasion, Insight, and either Deception or Investigation)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
Items: common clothes and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 30 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Feats: one of:
In the world of Elkan, the country of Karsa is a cosmopolitan place built for the wealthy to partake of extravagant pleasures at the expense of the lower classes and slaves. Outside Karsa, the cities of Mothside City, Ka’uhane, and Batten Cliffs invite anyone to work in their chaotic ports. The Sleeping Towns are watched by gold dragons who prevent anyone from feeling unwelcome. The Borderlands between orc, human, and elven lands are home to varied peoples and never-ending warfare.
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Criminal
Characters with the criminal background usually have some notoriety to their name, whether they were part of organized crime or a street urchin. Sometimes a character with the criminal background has so far evaded notice, been sanctioned by their government, or received a pardon, but they almost always have an unsavory past.
Languages: Common, Thieves’ Cant and two others. If you later learn Thieves’ Cant, you can instead choose a different language.
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Deception and Stealth)
- Two tools or vehicle types of your choice
Items: common clothes and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 25 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
One of:
- Mob Tactics
You strike fast and hard, using your ally’s help to overcome your target’s defenses.
No Action Cost – 1 Creature – 1/Short Rest
- When you attack a creature and one of your allies is within 5 ft. of the target, you can roll the attack with advantage.
- Narrow Escape
You slip out of your attacker’s reach as they attack.
Reaction – Self – 1/Short Rest
Trigger: A creature attacks you, whether they hit or miss.
- You immediately move up to your speed without triggering attacks of opportunity. This may prevent your attacker from being able to reach you to make additional attacks.
In the world of Elkan, criminals run rampant throughout the world, but are especially common in Morventry, Mothside City, and Tyopalvka. In Morventry, the halfling government takes bribes and looks the other way as robber barons run their provincial cities. In Mothside City, elven crime syndicates control trade and the city guard are thugs. In Tyopalvka, armed gangs roam the wilderness, fighting each other and raiding villages with impunity.
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Devout
In many campaign settings, there is a culture where religion plays a central role in nearly everything they do. Some with the devout background were raised by priests. Many with the devout background are raised by devout members of a less devout society, or are members of a small sect or cult.
Languages: Common and two others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Insight and Religion)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
Items: common clothes, a robe, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 25 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Cantrips: one of your choice from the cleric spell list. You use wisdom as your spellcasting ability for this cantrip.
Spells: Protection from Evil and Good. You can cast this spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot. If you are a spellcaster, you count this spell as a spell you know and have prepared, and can cast it with a spell slot. This spell is a bonus on top of your normal number of spells known.
In the world of Elkan, the Solar Hegemony is a predominantly human kingdom ruled by living saints who have ascended and become angels, each embodying one of their revered virtues. The Archangels, the first among the saints, look for mortal paragons of their associated virtues, and raise these mortal paragons as new angels when they die. Further northeast, the gnomish god and Lord of Light, Glanis, walks among his children, encouraging them to take up arms to protect the weak and seek the truth.
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Entertainer
Entertainers can be found just about anywhere in most campaign settings, but it is rare for an entire culture to be entertainers. Usually, a character with the entertainer background either performed or created art for years before becoming an adventurer.
Languages: Common and three others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Acrobatics and Performance)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
- Three sets of Artist’s Tools of your choice
Items: common clothes, fine clothes and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 30 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Dazzling Display
You awe or distract nearby creatures with a brief performance or dramatic display.
Bonus Action – All Enemies (15 ft.) – 1 Round – 1/Short Rest
A creature is immune to this effect if they are immune to being confused.
- Targets cannot make attacks of opportunity and have disadvantage on concentration saves.
In the world of Elkan, entertainers can be found in any part of the world. Some places have larger entertainment industries than others. The halfling nation of Morventry is known for having tours by world-famous musicians almost all the time. Mothside City, the Howler Nation orcs, and the lush palaces of the Mahavala jungle are also common places to find artists. Finally, an elite school of artists is based out of Maronne: the Maronne Artist’s Guild. There, noble scions and the exceptionally talented train to be both artists and diplomats to be sent across the world.
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Fey-Touched
In most campaign settings, most elves and some gnomes grow up in close harmony with nature and fey creatures. This background could also represent anyone growing up with strong elvish or fey influences.
Languages: Common and three others: (usually including Elvish, Gnomish, and/or Sylvan)
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Animal Handling and Nature)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
- Two sets of Artist’s Tools of your choice
Items: common clothes, traveler’s clothes, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 10 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Cantrips: one of your choice from the druid spell list. You use wisdom as your spellcasting ability for this cantrip.
Spells: Speak with Animals. You can cast this spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot. If you are a spellcaster, you count this spell as a spell you know and have prepared, and can cast it with a spell slot. This spell is a bonus on top of your normal number of spells known.
In the world of Elkan, two cultural groups count as Fey-Touched. The Wood Elves and Forest Gnomes of Ananua live in shrouded forests and live in harmony with nature. The druids of Maronne raise orphans and runaway children alongside fey spirits.
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Forge-Bound
In most campaign settings, dwarves are an intensely conservative society that places a tremendous value on smithing and craftsmanship. In other settings, similar cultures exist among other ethnic groups. Some with the Forge-Bound background are the exceptions in their society, raised by blacksmiths or other craftspeople to carry the legacy of their trade.
Languages: Common and two others (usually including Dwarvish or Goblin)
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Athletics and Engineering)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
- Two Crafting Tools of your choice
Items: common clothes and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 30 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Feats: one of:
In the world of Elkan, the largest dwarven population lives in Ironhome, where residents spent most days walking around in full-body metal armor. Smithing is something that comes naturally to most dwarves, and many make their own armor. They drink ale, tell boisterous stories, and harden their heart against outsiders. Rumour has it that the dwarves used to be a more open and accepting people, but they are the target of some foul curse.
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Laborer
Laborers come from humble origins, where they grew up doing manual labor. Many are farmers, miners, or other lower class working people. A player character who is a labourer could be from a small provincial town, where they tended their family farm, they could be an oppressed dockhand working in a big city, or perhaps even a former slave who has since escaped bondage.
Languages: Common and two others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Athletics and Survival)
of your choice
- Two tools or vehicle types of your choice
- One Crafting Tool of your choice
- One vehicle type of your choice
Items: common clothes and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 10 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
One of:
- Laborer’s Endurance
You gain proficiency in the athletics skills (or another skill if you already have it). You also have advantage on saving throws against effects that could cause Exhaustion.
- Feat: Powerful Build. If you already have this feat, you must instead choose Laborer’s Endurance.
In the world of Elkan, laborers can be found everywhere. The Borderlands are a place marred by conflict but rife in resources, and cheap laborers are always being brought in from abroad to work the fields and the mines. In metropolis cities like Mothside City, the poor laborers who keep the city running are trampled beneath the feet of their so-called betters, and slavemasters in Mahavala will enslave anyone they can reach, but especially goblinoids.
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Maritime
Characters with the maritime background grew up in and around sailing and large bodies of water. Whether in the water or on the deck of boats, this character is very comfortable with the water.
Languages: Common and two others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Perception and Survival)
- Two tools or vehicle types of your choice
- Water Vehicles
Items: common clothes, traveler’s clothes, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 25 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Feats: one of:
Sailor’s Vigilance
Having grown up near the water, you remain alert to your surroundings at all times.
Reaction – Self – 1/Short Rest
Trigger: You roll initiative.
- You reroll Initiative, taking the higher of the two rolls.
In the world of Elkan, the Isles of Takat are a cold, unforgiving place. While there is a thriving lumber industry, most youth grow up in the water, rolling logs down rivers or working on ships. The human and elven shipwright families are the most influential, and determine who is able to advance to a lucrative career. Nearby, there are strange creatures in the deeps, but the people of Takat maintain their willingness to brave the terrible tentacled horrors.
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Militant
This background is meant to represent any number of militant cultures and organizations that rely on the strength of organized armies to keep up with their magically gifted neighbors. Humans often belong to such a culture, and most campaign settings feature an empire of hobgoblins, sometimes with goblins or bugbears integrated into a militant culture. It is also possible for your character to have been raised by a militant sect within a larger culture.
Languages: Common and two others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Athletics and Intimidation)
- Any tool or vehicle type of your choice
- One vehicle type of your choice
Items: one Simple Weapon, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 25 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Martial Command
You shout a command to an ally to get moving.
Bonus Action – 60 ft. Ally – 1/Short Rest
- Your chosen ally can immediately move up to their speed using their reaction.
In the world of Elkan, the most notable militant culture is the Empire of the Ancestors, which is a massive country founded by immortal hobgoblin Ancestors who live forever by possessing the most physically fit of their descendants.
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Noble
Nobles tend to grow up outside the larger culture they are part of, with different skills and experiences. While most characters with the noble background would have been born into such a lifestyle, others entered the aristocracy later in life, sometimes through illegal means. Others were never wealthy, but learned to fit into high society regardless.
Languages: Common and three others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: History and Persuasion)
- Two tools or vehicle types of your choice
Items: fine clothes, traveler’s clothes, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 50 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Coordinating Direction
You notice an ally struggling and give them direction or advice to complete a task.
Reaction – 1 Ally (60 ft.) – 1/Short Rest
Trigger: An ally other than yourself attempts a skill check.
- Target rerolls the skill check they just made and takes the higher result.
In the world of Elkan, the country of Karsa is rampant with inequality, and the upper class is built on the suffering of indentured servants and the desperate lower classes. In Mahavala, the leaders are supposedly the most pious, but their religious beliefs mainly involve taking whatever you can to make yourself happy, so they resemble a noble aristocracy more than a priesthood.
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Outsider
This background is meant for any character who never fit into the culture of those around them. While they didn’t live alone, they were always separate from other people. Sometimes an outsider is a scorned child, sometimes a fugitive, and sometimes just someone who never had a home.
Languages: Common and three others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Deception and Stealth)
- Two tools or vehicle types of your choice
Items: common clothes, traveler’s clothes, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 10 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
Charade
You shift your demeanor and body language to appear more or less dangerous than you really are. Your enemies then either fight more cautiously against you than they need to, or choose to ignore the threat you pose.
Bonus Action – Self – 1/Short Rest
- Until the end of your next turn, creatures have disadvantage on attacks against you.
In the world of Elkan, the ruined towns of Fallow and Leslie were abandoned after an undead army swept through and killed most of the inhabitants. Most people who now live there are fugitives or pariahs who don’t fit in anywhere else.
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Wild
Wild characters spent a large amount of their lives living in the wilderness. Some live on their own, honing their skills, while some live in family groups or small communities. Sometimes this is because of family and cultural influence, and sometimes it’s a personal choice made by people trying to escape civilization. Regardless, wild characters tend to experience regular danger in the wilderness.
Languages: Common and two others
Skills: two of your choice: (Recommended: Nature and Survival)
- Two tools or vehicle types of your choice
- Navigation Tools
Items: traveler’s clothes, and the tools (but not vehicles) you gained proficiency with above
Starting Gold: 5 gold, which can be spent at character creation to buy nonmagical equipment at base cost.
One of:
- Quiet Focus
You focus on your task, working efficiently as you tune out those around you.
No Action Cost – Self – 1/Short Rest
Trigger: You roll a skill check that isn’t a charisma skill.
- You can reroll the skill check.
- Sudden Warning
You warn allies about incoming danger right before it strikes.
Reaction – All Allies (60 ft.) – 1/Short Rest
Trigger: One or more allies within range fail a dexterity saving throw against a single effect. Your allies must be able to hear you.
- All allied creatures within 60 ft. of you can reroll their saving throw.
In the world of Elkan, the Howler orcs spend most of their time in the wilderness, living among the animals. In the Morventry frontier, small halfling families live off their own skills, with little contact with civilization.