Halfling (Stout) Backgrounds

Halfling (Stouts)

Halfling society collapsed long, long ago, and Stouts are the Halflings that learned to live in a symbiotic community with the Hill Dwarves. Stouts earned their keep as cooks, cleaners, and farmers as well as occasional scouts and messengers. Cooking for the Hill Dwarves means cooking comfort food and brewing exceptional beers and ales, which has made the Stouts very popular in Hill Dwarf settlements, as well as making the Stouts themselves a bit rotund.

Illustration by Russ Nicholson

1d6	Ideal
1	Charity. I always try to help those in need, as others helped me when I needed the help.
2	Community. I believe we must protect and help all. We stand together or we fall together.
3	Creativity. If you're gonna do something you should do it with a bit of spice.
4	Spirituality. I think one must connect with the Pantheon to be fulfilled.
5	Fun. Life isn't worth living without a bit of silly fun.
6	Normalcy. I'd like to just enjoy my gardens and a nice table of food and drink. Unfortunately the Horde makes that unlikely in the near future.

1d6	Bond
1	I am loyal to other Halflings. I'm not disloyal to Elves or Dwarves or Humans but if push came to shove you can't really trust them the way you can your own folk.
2	I am loyal to my family primarily. I mean of course. I'd kill for them.
3	I'm loyal to the Pantheon, they make the soil rich and without that we'd have all starved long ago.
4	I love the Dwarves, so many died just to give my people a chance to get out of the Vault before it fell.
5	I'm fond of Elves. Not only do they believe in the Pantheon as well but their rangers showed up when we needed them and led us downriver to safety.
6	My people are not violent, but I was in the Hill Dwarves Great Vault when it fell to the horde and I'll not sleep peacefully until the horde are all long dead.

1d6	Flaw
1	I think I'm a great cook in a world of tasteless critics.
2	I believe wine is required with any cooking, and will be drunk for an hour whenever tasked with cooking.
3	I'm a bit of a jerk about inferior food and drink and feel the need to point such things out hoping cooks will improve.
4	I love food, and will eat 1.5 times normal rations and be so stuffed as to be unable to do anything for an hour after a meal.
5	I no longer believe in the Pantheon and wonder if most deities aren't actually Ancient Evil manipulating worshipers. Of course I'm quiet about these doubts.
6	Hedonist when given the chance and away from dangerous I'm gonna spend like an aristocrat on food, drink, and comfort.

Wood Elf Backgrounds

Wood Elves

Wood Elves are semi-nomadic Elves. That is they tend to have a different settlement for each season. Their settlements are massive strongholds built beneath forest hills hidden by hedges and Ha Ha walls that don't disturb the beautiful landscape. Wood Elves are effective light cavalry that easily keep the horde away from their territory but they are too few in numbers to really push the horde back. A number of Wood Elves have joined the war against the horde.

Illustration by Russ Nicholson

1d6	Ideal
1	Loyalty. I am fiercely loyal to my Bond.
2	Independence. I believe one must be self-sufficient and capable of surviving alone if necessary.
3	Adventure. Life is pointless without the thrill of exploration and danger.
4	Beauty. What is the point of a sword, armor, a wall if they are ugly. It is well worth the cost in time and wealth to make such items beautiful.
5	Free Will. I rebel against attempts to manipulate or order me around and would rather make my own mistakes than listen to commands.
6	Nature. Walls and masonry are abominations. I understand the need in the current crisis but believe they should be torn down once the horde is destroyed.

1d6	Bond
1	My tribe is everything. After that my horse, I guess.
2	I will protect the Wood Elf nation above all else and follow the commands of our Queen no matter what.
3	I am religious minded and respect and follow the dictates of the Pantheon.
4	I am dedicated to preserving nature from the Horde.
5	House Drow were behind the Hordes attacks and I have pledged my life to destroying them.
6	I was at a Vault when it fell. The carnage was horrific. Dead Giants are my goal in life.

1d6	Flaw
1	I like Dwarf food (when cooked by Halflings of course). Even a bite makes me a bit sick but the taste is amazing. Needless to say I hide this fact from my fellow Elves.
2	I tend to bathe rarely and do laundry even less often, the soil of the forests are part of the great world.
3	I have no compunction against lying to non-Elves.
4	I like wine, wine, wine, pass me some more wine. It really is the only way to tolerate others.
5	I hate metal armor, it feels as if its cutting me off from nature. Leather is fine though, it feels right.
6	I hate to be in cities. If forced to stay in a city I'll be on the rooftops or in a park or something with a day to feel less confined.

High Elf Backgrounds

High Elves

Aloof and often obsessed with magic. The High Elf cities fell centuries ago when the Dark Elves betrayed them. They have lived among the Hill Dwarves since. They provide some troops to defend settlements and scout surroundings but mostly they live in their towers studying magic and brooding.

Illustration by Russ Nicholson

1d6	Ideal
1	Change. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world.
2	Power. I hope to one day rise to the top and be respected by all.
3	Truth. I would seek the truth even if it might be damaging to my cause.
4	Neutral. I generally think a live and let live attitude is best, except when it comes to the horde. They've already past that point.
5	Looking good. I refuse to be seen without the latest fashions and styles. It doesn't take much to look good and everyone should do their best.
6	Deep thoughts. The world is a mess and one must spend time in moody contemplation of the darkness.

1d6	Bond
1	Truth be told loyalty to other races is pointless, their lives are so fragile and short.
2	I would do anything for the Dwarves, they requested help and my people were slow to believe or comply and will do my best to pay that debt.
3	Knowledge is the only thing, extensive knowledge. I'd risk anything to gain more and that includes whatever foul things the Horde and their Dark Elf Masters might know.
4	I am dedicated to the destruction of House Dark Elf, those evil creatures are unworthy to be considered Elves and they've brought death and destruction to a hundred worlds. They must be ended, painfully if possible.
5	I am loyal to our Clan leader. She is brilliant and has ensured the safety of our clan for decades.
6	The Elf Queen is my Master and I will do anything she commands.

1d6	Flaw
1	I come across as a bit of an aloof snob. I'm not a snob, but others do get that impression.
2	When there is no danger I find it hard to pull my nose out of books.
3	I have a strange relationship with money. Don't care for it but understand it is required to buy stuff.
4	I have zero interest in sex, never have.
5	Obsessed with fashion and will spend like an aristocrat to keep up with the latest.
6	I tend to be very emotional for an Elf, dark and depressed most of the time, although I try not to show that side to strangers.

Mountain Dwarf Backgrounds

Mountain Dwarves

Mountain Dwarves are considered to be like ignorant bumpkins or hillbillies by their more cosmopolitan Hill Dwarf Cousins. Mountain Dwarves avoided other races almost entirely until the horde ravaged their Vaults one by one and made them refugees in the Hill Dwarf communities. Now they are the most hard core militaristic of all of the races.

Illustration by Russ Nicholson

1d6	Ideal
1	Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and life must be preserved and upheld.
2	Law. Laws were codified for a reason and they must be followed or everything starts to fall apart.
3	Justice. Wrongs must be corrected, undone, or revenged.
4	Dignity. I believe even folks that have lost everything deserve dignity and I will oppose all those that cause or exploit them.
5	Defend. Except when life's scorned and damage done, to avenge.
6	Destruction. Of all Orcs, Goblins, and their allies.

1d6	Bond
1	I would die to recover lost Dwarven relics from the clutches of the Horde.
2	I will someday get revenge on House Dueger for betraying my Vault.
3	I owe my life to the Elven Rangers that helped my people to safety after the fall of our vault.
4	Everything I do is for the Dwarven people.
5	I will do anything to recover the bones of Dwarven dead from the crypts in Vaults now in the hands of the Horde.
6	The Hill Dwarves let my people into their settlements when we needed them the most, I am eternally indebted to them.

1d6	Flaw
1	I hate horses. I'd rather walk or ride in a wagon.
2	After a life in the vaults mines I get nervous out in the broad daylight. Not agoraphobic but I'll avoid the great outdoors during the day whenever possible.
3	I hate the traitorous House of Duegar, they came as friends and let the horde in. I would probably kill one with my bare hands if I could get a hold of one.
4	Uncontrollable hatred towards Orcs. I hate all of the horde but hate Orcs in particular and refuse to parlay with them at all.
5	In quiet times I drink heavily to keep my mind on the fall of my vault.
6	When I have time to think about it I get depressed about the fall of my vault and occasionally it gets the better of me and I become a drunken brawler.

Best of the Web - Thieves Guilds, Resources, & Inventory

Dungeons and Possums has a couple of posts on Thieves Guilds and Gangs called Thoughts on Thieves' Guilds and More Thoughts on Thieves' Guilds. Both are worth a look. I've always thought Thieves Guilds of the sort shown in the first D&D movie are silly and I've always used more of a Yakuza/Mafia/Triads organized crime model. Then I read a bit in the 'zine Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad issue one had a Street Gang and neighborhood generator (loved that 'zine). Now Dungeons and Possums adds to the gang pile with lots of additional tables to create an interesting gang. Well worth the read.

Rick Stump at Don't Split the Party has a nice post on using logistics to connect players to the campaign world. It is called If Your Torches Burn for only One Hour your NPCs will be More Important and it's thought provoking and worth a read. I like the idea, I really like the idea, myself I've been trying to do something like that but haven't gotten beyond simplify things to have supplies in 'days' rather than hours.

The Oblidisideryptch has a post called On Inventory in which he discusses mental inventory. There is a lot in there about Trauma that I don't really know how to unpack but the post got me thinking about spell slots and memory and the GLOG idea of spells as living daemons of some kind packed/trapped in your brain. Combine that idea with this bit:

Photo of a loved one: As long as you possess this item, you may use it to store up to 3 slots of Stress. If you ever lose it, though, you gain Stress equal to twice the Stress in the photo.

Imagine that photo is a rune of glyph that increases your number of spell slots as long as you can see it prior to casting you are good. It jogs your memory. My imagination is churning and the ideas are still half baked but I think there might be something there.

Also Oblidisideryptch started the post mentioning the short story "The Things They Carried" which dove-tails with some of my thoughts on giving more personality to different items. Another idea I need to revive and work on. Nothing special, but a table to tell you more about starting equipment to give a character color. Was the sword a family weapon handed down or was it given by the master during weapons training? Found on a battlefield or stolen? A mundane item can provide a lot of character and as far as I know nobody has really exploited this, yet.

Hill Dwarf Backgrounds

Hill Dwarves

The Hill Dwarf settlements are cosmopolitan places having provided a home for refugees from fallen Mountain Dwarf Vaults and Elven Holds for centuries. They are also now filled with mercenaries to help fight, or loot the old Dwarven goods.

Illustration by Russ Nicholson

1d6	Ideal
1	I strive to be an expert in my Class.
2	I prefer stability to anything else, if giving in a little will make life easier we should do it.
3	Hard work. I believe enlightenment comes from constant, miserable, hard work.
4	Joy when you can find it, and afford it. That usually means booze and food.
5	Honesty. If I catch you in a lie I won't trust you entirely, ever.
6	Diligence. Get the job done, do it right, do it well.

1d6	Bond
1	I am indebted to the alliance, to the Wood Elf patrols that keep the horde away, to the High Elf Mages that work their magic to defend us, to the humans who put their lives on the line to defend our Vault, and to the Halflings that have kept everyone well fed despite everything.
2	I am bonded to my House. A Dwarves House is everything and anyone that tells you differently is being untruthful.
3	I would do anything to recover Religious artifacts left behind in fallen Vaults.
4	I am loyal to our King and will do whatever he commands.
5	My vault fell to the Horde, family and friends are gone, I live for revenge.
6	The Mountain Dwarves slaughtered an insane number of Orcs and Goblins before their Vaults fell. Because of that we might actually survive. I am indebted to them.

1d6	Flaw
1	I'm obsessed with recovering Dwarven treasures and returning their original owner (Dwarven House). I expect money for returning the goods, however, but that's rarely a problem.
2	I can't handle Elf food. Eating weeds and bark makes me violently ill.
3	I'm a fanatic when it comes to the cleaning and preparing my equipment. I'll spend a short rest sharpening my axe to the point that I have to replace my stuff often.
4	I'm stubborn and will try the same thing over and over despite failing each time.
5	I don't like Elves. I'll tolerate them if necessary but they didn't help when needed despite promises. I don't know if they are corrupt or cowards.
6	I like Ale, ale, ale, ale.

Thoughts On 5E Backgrounds

When I first read about Backgrounds I was kind of excited. Seemed a decent way to give a little bit of backstory with a couple of bits to give it some weight. So what went wrong?

1. When 5E shipped they didn't really provide much info on how to create your own Backstories and they provided enough that folks didn't bother. This was a missed opportunity as Backgrounds can help really define a campaign world. The DMs Guild created backgrounds but these were hidden from most people and the DMs Guild is lame.
2. Backgrounds were placed in the rules after race and class which is counter-intuitive as this is where the character came from, their upbringing before becoming an adventurer and should sensibly come between Race and Class.
3. Backgrounds were professions that applied to all races when they could have been used to help define the different races by having certain or even most background restricted by race. Sort of race as class but with Backgrounds. Elves are different than Dwarves and Backgrounds jobs would have been a nice way to show that.
4. The Personality Trait part was nonsense. Players should be determining their characters personality and not picking from a list or rolling. Also coming up with 8 interesting personality traits for every background was a lot to ask of the GM. Too much to ask when you consider to work properly you'd need a dozen or more Background.
5. The Ideal, Bond, & Flaw (my favorite part) were linked to professions. This part of the Background is asking a lot of the GM to create for each profession, but are ideal if associated with the different races. Create an Ideal, Bond, & Flaw for each race and you help define that race for your campaign world. This offloads the bulk of the work in creating the Jobs part of the Background and really opens things up.