In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e), creating a character involves more than just selecting a race and class. An essential part of a character’s identity is their background, which represents the character’s past, lifestyle, and training before they embarked on their adventuring career. Backgrounds provide players with additional roleplaying opportunities, skills, proficiencies, equipment, and features that can significantly impact gameplay. This article delves into the intricacies of backgrounds in D&D 5e, exploring their mechanics, importance, and the wide array of options available to players.
What is a Background in D&D 5e?
A background in D&D 5e gives context to a character’s backstory. It helps answer the question: “Who was your character before they became an adventurer?” Backgrounds shape a character’s narrative and provide mechanical benefits such as skill proficiencies, tool proficiencies, languages, equipment, and unique features. These features often grant minor abilities, insights, or roleplaying hooks that can be used to enhance the story and gameplay.
For example, a character with the “Sailor” background might have spent years navigating the seas, leading to proficiency in Athletics and Perception skills, the use of navigator’s tools, and familiarity with ocean-going vessels. This background could influence the character’s perspective on life, their behavior, and how they interact with the world around them.
The Mechanics of Backgrounds
Each background in D&D 5e typically provides the following:
- Skill Proficiencies: Two skills that the character is particularly good at due to their past experiences. For instance, the “Criminal” background provides proficiency in Deception and Stealth.
- Tool Proficiencies: Proficiency with one or more tools, such as musical instruments, gaming sets, or artisan’s tools. For example, the “Guild Artisan” background provides proficiency with a set of artisan’s tools.
- Languages: Some backgrounds offer one or more additional languages that the character knows, reflecting the diverse interactions they may have had in their past.
- Equipment: Each background provides a set of starting equipment that aligns with the character’s past. This can include clothing, tools, and other items useful to the character.
- Feature: A unique ability or perk that reflects the character’s past. For example, the “Noble” background grants the “Position of Privilege” feature, allowing the character to leverage their noble status in social situations.
- Suggested Characteristics: Backgrounds include suggested personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws. These are optional but can help players flesh out their character’s personality and motivations.
The Role of Backgrounds in Roleplaying
Backgrounds are a critical tool for roleplaying in D&D 5e. They provide a narrative framework for a character’s actions, beliefs, and personality. For example, a character with the “Acolyte” background might be deeply religious and motivated by a desire to serve their deity, which could influence their decisions during the campaign.
Backgrounds also serve as a source of inspiration for a character’s backstory. They offer a glimpse into the character’s life before the adventure began, providing context for their skills, proficiencies, and knowledge. A well-chosen background can enhance a character’s narrative and add depth to the story being told.
Additionally, backgrounds can create interesting dynamics within the party. Characters with different backgrounds might have conflicting goals, perspectives, or values, leading to engaging roleplaying opportunities and character development.
Popular Backgrounds in D&D 5e
While there are numerous backgrounds available in D&D 5e, some have become particularly popular due to their versatility, flavor, or the unique abilities they provide. Here are a few examples:
1. Acolyte
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A holy symbol, a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Shelter of the Faithful
The Acolyte background is ideal for characters with a strong religious inclination. It represents someone who has spent their life in the service of a temple, learning religious rites, and understanding divine doctrines. The “Shelter of the Faithful” feature allows Acolyte characters to seek assistance and shelter from those sharing their faith, providing both roleplaying and mechanical advantages. This background is particularly fitting for clerics, paladins, or any character seeking a deeper connection with their deity.
2. Criminal
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
Languages: None
Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp
Feature: Criminal Contact
The Criminal background is suitable for characters with a shady past, such as thieves, smugglers, or con artists. The “Criminal Contact” feature gives characters a reliable and trustworthy contact within the criminal underworld, which can be an invaluable resource for acquiring information, goods, or services. This background can add a layer of complexity to a character, making them more morally ambiguous or conflicted, and is ideal for rogues, but can also be an interesting choice for any character with a darker past.
3. Folk Hero
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools, vehicles (land)
Languages: None
Equipment: A set of artisan’s tools, a shovel, an iron pot, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Rustic Hospitality
The Folk Hero background is perfect for characters who hail from humble beginnings but have risen to become a local hero. This background suggests a character who has performed great deeds for their community, endearing them to the common folk. The “Rustic Hospitality” feature allows characters to find shelter and support among commoners, who are willing to hide or help them when in need. This background is fitting for characters who are champions of the people, such as fighters, rangers, or barbarians, but it can also suit any class that wishes to embody the spirit of the underdog.
4. Noble
Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a scroll of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp
Feature: Position of Privilege
The Noble background suits characters of aristocratic descent or those born into wealth and privilege. It reflects a life of comfort, luxury, and authority. The “Position of Privilege” feature allows characters to be treated with respect, and even deference, by those who recognize their noble status, granting them access to high society and the corridors of power. This background is particularly suitable for bards, sorcerers, or any character looking to leverage social influence. However, it can also be used creatively for other classes, providing an interesting contrast or a unique twist on the character’s persona.
5. Sage
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, History
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of black ink, a quill, a small knife, a letter from a dead colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Researcher
The Sage background is ideal for characters devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, such as wizards, scholars, or arcane researchers. The “Researcher” feature allows a character to know where to find information on specific topics, giving them a distinct advantage in research-based scenarios. This background is fitting for characters who are more academically inclined, allowing them to leverage their knowledge in both social and investigative contexts. The Sage background emphasizes a character’s intellect and curiosity, providing a strong foundation for playing a character motivated by learning and discovery.
Creating Custom Backgrounds
While the Player’s Handbook provides a variety of backgrounds to choose from, players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) are encouraged to create custom backgrounds that better fit their characters or campaign setting. Creating a custom background allows for greater flexibility and can help to create a more immersive and personal character backstory.
To create a custom background, players should follow these steps:
- Choose Skill Proficiencies: Select two skills that align with the character’s backstory.
- Select Tool Proficiencies or Languages: Choose up to two tool proficiencies or languages that reflect the character’s past.
- Determine Equipment: Decide on a set of equipment that fits the character’s background.
- Develop a Feature: Create a unique feature that represents a specific aspect of the character’s past or provides a minor mechanical benefit.
- Consider Characteristics: Think about personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws that reflect the character’s background.
By customizing a background, players can craft a unique character that fits perfectly within the narrative of the campaign, allowing for deeper storytelling and roleplaying opportunities.
Backgrounds and Storytelling in D&D 5e
Backgrounds are a powerful storytelling tool in D&D 5e, providing both players and DMs with rich material to weave into the game’s narrative. They can inspire subplots, influence character motivations, and shape the overall tone of the campaign.
For example, a character with the “Hermit” background might be driven by a desire to protect a secret they discovered during their isolation, potentially serving as a central theme in the campaign. Similarly, a character with the “Soldier” background might have unresolved issues from a previous war, leading to conflicts, alliances, or quests related to their past.
DMs can use backgrounds to create hooks, encounters, or entire story arcs based on the characters’ histories. By integrating backgrounds into the main narrative, DMs can create a more personalized and engaging experience for players, fostering a deeper connection to the story and the world.
Integrating Backgrounds with Character Class and Race
Backgrounds can synergize with a character’s class and race to create a well-rounded and compelling character. For example, a “Sage” background complements a wizard’s focus on arcane knowledge, while a “Soldier” background might enhance a fighter’s martial prowess and discipline.
Combining backgrounds with class and race allows for a richer character experience. A “Noble” elf sorcerer, for instance, might draw on their highborn status and natural charisma to wield both magic and political power. Meanwhile, a “Folk Hero” halfling rogue could leverage their cunning and stealth to aid the common folk, blending their skills and background into a coherent and engaging persona.
Advanced Background Options and Variants
D&D 5e also offers advanced background options and variants for players seeking additional depth or customization. The “Variant” backgrounds, such as the “Knight” variant of the “Noble” background, provide alternative features and flavor to suit different character concepts.
Players can also explore multiclassing with backgrounds to create complex character histories. For instance, a character who starts as a “Soldier” (Fighter) might later adopt the “Acolyte” background after a religious epiphany, reflecting a shift in their life path and adding layers to their character’s story.
Conclusion
Backgrounds in D&D 5e are more than just a mechanical aspect of character creation; they are a vital storytelling tool that enhances the roleplaying experience. By providing context, skills, and unique features, backgrounds shape a character’s identity and influence their interactions within the game world.
Whether drawing from the classic backgrounds in the Player’s Handbook or crafting a unique one to suit a specific character concept, backgrounds allow players to create deep, multifaceted characters with rich histories and motivations. They offer DMs a wealth of material to draw from when crafting engaging narratives and adventures, making D&D 5e a richer and more immersive experience for everyone involved.
In essence, a well-chosen or well-crafted background can bring a character to life, transforming a collection of stats and abilities into a living, breathing part of the story, full of potential for growth, conflict, and adventure. So next time you create a character, consider their background carefully — it might just be the key to unlocking their full potential in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
