This Chapter’s goals are to assist you the Player in making a Narrative Background for your Character. You already would have decided on a mechanical Background in the Character Generation & Levelling Chapter, which was detailing something your Character did before they became an adventurer.
A Narrative Background is taking the elements of that chosen Background, the training and knowledge you decided to gain, and to give them a story you, your Party and your GG can call upon during play, both for Character motivation as well as future plot threads.
Creating a background is very simple grab a paper and pen, or a word document program, and write about the Character’s early life before they were an adventurer. This can be as simple as a bullet pointed list of key NPCs and moments or could be something more involved. It is entirely up to you and optional.
Once you do have something written though, pass it to your GG as it will potentially help with the Campaign, giving the main plot thread of the Campaign a chance to have greater import for your Character or providing the GG a new NPC to throw in at an important moment.
This Chapter is here to provide advice on writing a Narrative Background, provide prompts, and even example tables for answers to the prompts. This Class Playbook will also Feature some unique prompts and ideas related to the Class you have chosen to play. These tables and prompts should be used as places to help generate ideas rather than to force them, and as such, you do not have to use an prompt or a rolled result from a table if it doesn’t mesh with the Character.
So, to begin with first look back at the Background you made during Character Generation, note down in your Narrative Background document the following things:
Background’s Name. This was what you did before you became an Adventurer, it did not have to be your whole life prior, as you may have learnt the basics of your chosen Class before the first session.
As such consider how what you did in your Background related to your training to be a member of your Class.
Background’s Languages & Training. You in your Background chose to learn to use certain Weapons and Tools, as well as specific Languages. It may be wise to consider what about your Background led to you gaining that knowledge and could provide some threads to include in your Background.
Background’s Feat. Another thing you gained because of your Background was a Feat. Consider what the Feat says about the Character and their Background and how that could be incorporated into your Background’s narrative.
These may give you some ideas for basic beats your Background should cover, from there we get onto more specific aspects that will vary Character to Character.
Each specialist has spent their early years learning and mastering one skill above all others. These questions will hopefully help determine aspects about your Character. So, considering your Character consider the following aspects and looking to the following tables for inspiration for your own answers:
Why did you choose to focus on your particular Specialism? What is it that drives you to spend so much of your time learning the Specialism’s associated skill? Is it your own lofty ambition, or your family’s wishes, or due to another external influence? Is it due to a specific moment from your Character’s backstory? How you feel about this reason may inform other aspects of your Character.
| Results | |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was bored and decided to master this skill in the hopes that doing so would alleviate me of my boredom. |
| 2 | I had no choice but to learn to master this skill to survive on the streets. |
| 3 | I have always been gifted in the use of this skill from a young age. As such I chose to hone it through training and practice. |
| 4 | My parents were specialists in the same skill and so taught me their art. |
| 5 | An old teacher one day noticed my talents and offered to help me develop them. |
| 6 | I wish to follow in the footsteps of a childhood hero of mine. |
Where did you learn this Specialism? Did you have a formal education, an education from experience such as on the street, or are you self-taught? Did you have any mentors or teachers? Why did you learn the skill this way? Is it because of your Character’s background or family? How well do you learn? Were you gifted in this skill or was it gained with a lot of hard work and effort?
| Results | |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was self-taught with a lot of trial and error; I developed my skill to that of a master. |
| 2 | I learnt at my local orphanage where learning quickly was key to surviving the politics and systems in place there. |
| 3 | I went into formal education to learn and develop my skills. Pitting my skill and wits against other bright minds. |
| 4 | I learnt at my local library or bookshop. Learning my trade from the books I was able to surround myself with. They were reassuring teachers never judging me when I made mistakes. |
| 5 | I had a teacher who took a vested interest in my development. Constantly pushing me further each day in developing my skills. |
| 6 | I learnt at my family's estate where they hired tutors to teach and develop my skills. A shame I often was more skilled than they were. |
Have you made any connections in your time? Have you made any rivals or adversaries in your time? Maybe someone opposed to your actions or jealous of your success or talent? Do you have any allies or beneficiaries? People who gain from your use of your talents, or who support you as an individual? What are their personalities like and how do they treat you? Do any of these individuals work in the same field as you or in ones that are in opposition or symbiosis with your own? Do you remain in contact with these connections? How do you feel about them? Are they someone you could fall back on in an emergency?
| Results | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your family/mentor have always been there when you needed them most. |
| 2 | There was a famous criminal you helped put behind bars. They recently were let out/escaped. |
| 3 | An old arcanist helped you out of a situation once in exchange for a favour, they have yet to claim their due. |
| 4 | There is a local guild leader, who has repeatedly tried to convince you to join the guild. They seem to have taken your rejection personally. |
| 5 | A powerful local figure has often given you support in your endeavors. They often request a cut of your profits from your ventures, however it’s a small price to pay after all they have done for you. |
| 6 | You have a rival who has constantly tried to better your own work every chance they get. The last time you me you bested and humiliated them. You have not heard from them since. |
Is there any moment of particular fame or infamy for using your Specialism? You may at some point in your backstory have faced a moment that defined your whole career. This moment where you gained great fame or infamy for the use of your Specialism. What is this moment? How is it remembered? Is that how it actually happened? How do you feel about the event? How do you feel about, how it is remembered? How do you tend to respond when someone brings this moment up?
| Results | |
|---|---|
| 1 | A noble openly challenged everyone to solve a complicated puzzle. Using my skills, I was able to solve this ”impossible” puzzle and claim the reward. How legitimately I solved it is known only to me. |
| 2 | I used my skill to help solve a famous criminal mystery. Exonerating the innocent individual originally accused of the crime. While bringing the true perpetrator to justice. |
| 3 | I called upon my knowledge to give a lecture amongst a gathering of local scholars. During the lecture I brought a famous scholar's reputation into disrepute while disproving several of their own ideas/theories. |
| 4 | I created an item or problem which famously has been unable to be solved, by the most skilled specialists of countless fields, even to this day. I claim to know the solution. |
| 5 | I used my skills to create an item or solution to a problem that has saved countless lives. |
| 6 | I and a rival famously competed to determine who was the greater specialist in our field. My fame/infamy comes from how I did this. |
How do you use this Specialism in your day to day? Consider the above answers and your Character concept when answering the question. Potentially also consider how often do you fall back on this skill when in a stressful situation as well as in your day to day? Do you find you often try to use it in unusual situations? If so, how? Finally consider with all of the above, what does your Specialism and how you use it say about you? How does it reflect the background and nature of your Character?
| Results | |
|---|---|
| 1 | My skill is like a hammer. With every problem a nail. |
| 2 | I find my skills helpful on the road as we travel. Helping to avoid danger or make general survival easier. |
| 3 | I use my skills to help me acquire information. Whether by legitimate or less noble means, I always know how to get it. |
| 4 | My skills help me when I get into trouble. Turning fights from disorganized brawls into efficient and masterful displays of my talent. |
| 5 | My skills help me navigate social circles and political centers, these locations are far more merciless and deadly than any battlefield. |
| 6 | I find my skills help me in my creative pursuits often bringing coin and fame along with it. |
| 7 | My skills help me in locating lost items and beings. Rarely has there been something lost that you have been unable to locate. |
| 8 | My skills help me enhance my minor spellcasting abilities. I may not be an arcanist but my skills and magic combine for a unique perspective on magic. |