This campaign uses **D&D 5.5e** character creation options, but heavily modified to suit the setting. This document outlines these options. # Base Origins (Race) Humans are the only intelligent species in the Treacherous Ground setting, so most of the Species Description section of the PHB (page 186 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=185|link]]]) is not used. However, three of the species benefits (Dwarves, Humans, and Orcs) have been preserved and renamed, and you may choose one of these to apply to your character to represent their innate physical and mental characteristics. No matter which Base Origin is chosen, your creature type is Humanoid, your size is Medium, and your base Speed is 30 feet. ## Fierce and Warlike This origin is adapted from the Orc Traits section (PHB, page 195 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=194|link]]]). You are strong and bold, able to unleash bursts of energetic movement, and difficult to put down. You have these special traits: **_Adrenaline Rush._** You can take the [[Actions#Dash|Dash]] action as a Bonus Action. When you do so, you gain a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest. **_Darkvision._** You have [[Cover and Perception#Darkvision|Darkvision]] with a range of 120 feet. **_Relentless Endurance._** When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 Hit Point instead. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest. ## Resilient in Body and Mind This origin is adapted from a combination of the Dwarf Traits (PHB, page 188 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=187|link]]]) and the Elf Traits sections (page 190 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=189|link]]]). You are hardy and tough, relying on your constitution to weather challenges that would lay others low. You have these special traits: **_Innate Toughness._** Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level. **_Bodily Resilience._** You have resistance to Poison damage. You also have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Poisoned condition. **_Mental Resilience._** You have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Charmed condition. **_Trance._** You don't need to sleep, and arcane effects (alchemy, artefacts) can't put you to sleep. You can finish a [[Resting#Long Rest|Long Rest]] in 4 hours (rather than 8) if you spend those hours in a trancelike meditation, during which you retain consciousness. ## Versatile and Skilful This origin is adapted from the Human Traits section (PHB, page 194 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=193|link]]]). You have talents in varied and diverse fields, and have a knack for succeeding just when you need to. You have these special traits: **_Skilful._** You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice. **_Versatile._** You gain an Origin feat of your choice. Skilled is recommended. **_Resourceful._** You gain Heroic Inspiration whenever you finish a Long Rest. # Backgrounds The 16 backgrounds described in the 2024 PHB (pages 178 – 185 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=177|link]]]) are available to you, as listed below. Some, marked with an asterisk, are altered to fit the setting, as described below the list. * Acolyte\* * Artisan * Charlatan * Criminal * Entertainer * Farmer\* * Guard * Guide\* * Hermit * Merchant\* * Noble * Sage\* * Sailor * Scribe * Soldier * Wayfarer The **Acolyte** background normally bestows the Magic Initiate feat, which is not available in this setting. Replace this feat with the Lucky feat. The **Guide** background normally bestows the Magic Initiate feat, which is not available in this setting. Replace this feat with the Healer feat. The **Sage** background normally bestows the Magic Initiate feat, which is not available in this setting. Replace this feat with the Skilled feat. The **Farmer** background normally bestows proficiency in Animal Handling, which does not exist in this setting. Replace this skill with Survival. The **Merchant** background normally bestows proficiency in Animal Handling, which does not exist in this setting. Replace this skill with Perception. In addition to those 16 backgrounds, the following 10 additional backgrounds from other sourcebooks are available for use, listed below. They are described below the list. * Archaeologist * Athlete * Cloistered Scholar * Fisher * Guild Artisan * Inheritor * Outlander * Smuggler * Scientist * Urchin ## Archaeologist Source: _Tomb of Annihilation (2017)_ An archaeologist studies the long history of Skadyrik and human civilisation on Adenland. Although the chthona make travel to surface ruins difficult, there are occasional surveying and salvaging expeditions, often accompanied by eager archaeologists. Others may join less reputable groups who attempt to loot or scavenge the relics of the past. However, the vast majority of an archaeologist's study is spent in books and other records, seeking to uncover the tapestry of humanity's history. **Ability Scores:** DEX, INT, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** History, Survival **Tool Proficiencies:** [[Cartographer's Tools]] or [[Navigator's Tools]] **Equipment:** A wooden [[Map or Scroll Case|case]] containing a [[map]] to a ruin or dungeon, a [[bullseye lantern]], a [[miner's pick]], a set of [[traveller's clothes]], a [[shovel]], a [[tent]], a trinket recovered from a dig site, and a [[pouch]] containing 25 GP **Feat:** **_Historical Knowledge._** When you enter a ruin or dungeon, you can correctly ascertain its original purpose and determine its builders. In addition, you can determine the monetary value of art objects more than a century old. ## Athlete Source: _Mythic Odysseys of Theros (2020)_ You strive to perfect yourself physically and in execution of everything you do. The thrill of competition lights fire in your blood, and the roar of the crowd drives you forward. Tales of your exploits precede you and might open doors or loosen tongues. Whether in one of the skycities, the foothill regions, or among the scattered villages, physical contests and those who pursue them command respect bordering on reverence. Athletes arise from all walks of life and all cultures and quite often cross paths with one another. **Ability Scores:** CON, DEX, STR **Skill Proficiencies:** Acrobatics, Athletics **Tool Proficiencies:** Vehicles (Land) **Equipment:** A bronze discus or leather ball, a lucky charm or past trophy, a set of [[traveller's clothes]], and a [[pouch]] containing 10 GP **Feat:** **_Echoes of Victory._** You have attracted admiration among spectators, fellow athletes, and trainers in the region that hosted your past athletic victories. When visiting any settlement within 100 miles of where you grew up, there is a 50% chance you can find someone there who admires you and is willing to provide information and temporary shelter. Between adventures, you might compete in athletic events sufficient enough to maintain a [[Resting#Lifestyle Expenses|Comfortable]] lifestyle. ## Cloistered Scholar Source: _Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (2015)_ As a child, you were inquisitive when your playmates were possessive or raucous. In your formative years, you found your way to one of the great universities of the skycities, where you were apprenticed and taught that knowledge is a more valuable treasure than gold or gems. Now you are ready to leave your home – not to abandon it, but to quest for new lore to add to its storehouse of knowledge. The oldest sanctum in the mountains is of course Gudesberg, in the priests' cloistered halls. However, most avenues of research deal with the gods and their rites. The newest and most advanced university is in Prosperity, where engineers strive to perfect industrial processes and useful technologies under the aegis of Lord Haakon. Finally, Vinsklar's university is a true bastion of intellectual curiosity and scientific exploration. **Ability Scores:** CHA, INT, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** History, plus your choice of one from among Arcana, Nature, and Religion **Tool Proficiencies:** [[Calligrapher's Supplies]] or [[Painter's Supplies]] **Equipment:** The scholar's [[robe]]s of your cloister, a writing kit (small [[pouch]] with a [[Ink Pen|quill]], a bottle of [[ink]], folded [[parchment]], and a small penknife), a borrowed [[book]] on the subject of your current study, and a [[pouch]] containing 10 GP **Feat:** **_Library Access._** Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable or secret to permit anyone immediate access. You have a working knowledge of your cloister's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease. Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other universities, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar. ## Fisher Source: _Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2019)_ You have spent your life aboard fishing vessels or combing the shallows for the bounty of the ocean. Perhaps you were born into a family of fisher folk, working with your kin to feed your village. Maybe the job was a means to an end – a way out of an undesirable circumstance that forced you to take up life aboard a ship. Regardless of how you began, you soon fell in love with the sea, the art of fishing, and the promise of the eternal horizon. **Ability Scores:** DEX, STR, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** History, Survival **Tool Proficiencies:** [[Woodcarver's Tools]] **Equipment:** [[Fishing tackle]], a [[net]], a favourite fishing lure or oiled leather wading boots, a set of [[traveller's clothes]], and a belt [[pouch]] containing 10 GP **Feat:** **_Harvest the Water._** You gain Advantage on ability checks made using [[Fishing Tackle]]. If you have access to a body of water that sustains marine life, you can maintain a [[Resting#Lifestyle Expenses|Moderate]] lifestyle while working as a fisher, and you can catch enough food to feed yourself and up to ten other people each day. **Feat:** **_Fishing Tale._** You can tell a compelling tale, whether tall or true, to impress and entertain others. Once a day, you can tell your story to willing listeners. At the DM's discretion, a number of those listeners become [[Actions#Friendly|Friendly]] toward you; this is not a magical effect, and continued amicability on their part depends on your actions. ## Guild Artisan Source: _Player's Handbook (2014)_ You are a member of an artisan's guild, skilled in a particular field and closely associated with other artisans. You are a well-established part of the mercantile world, freed by talent and wealth from the constraints of a feudal social order. You learned your skills as an apprentice to a master artisan, under the sponsorship of your guild, until you became a master in your own right. **Ability Scores:** CHA, DEX, INT **Skill Proficiencies:** Insight, Persuasion **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of artisan's tools **Equipment:** A set of artisan's tools (one of your choice), a letter of introduction from your guild, a set of [[traveller's clothes]], and a [[pouch]] containing 15 GP **Feat:** **_Guild Membership._** As an established and respected member of a guild, you can rely on certain benefits that membership provides. Your fellow guild members will provide you with lodging and food if necessary, and pay for your funeral if needed. In some cities and towns, a guildhall offers a central place to meet other members of your profession, which can be a good place to meet potential patrons, allies, or hirelings. Guilds often wield tremendous political power. If you are accused of a crime, your guild will support you if a good case can be made for your innocence or the crime is justifiable. You can also gain access to powerful political figures through the guild, if you are a member in good standing. Such connections might require the donation of money or artefacts to the guild's coffers. You must pay dues of 5 GP per month to the guild. If you miss payments, you must make up back dues to remain in the guild's good graces. **_Guild Business._** Guilds are generally found in cities large enough to support several artisans practising the same trade. However, your guild might instead be a loose network of artisans who each work in a different village within a larger realm. Work with your DM to determine the nature of your guild. You can select your guild business from the **Guild Business Table** or roll randomly. **Guild Business Table** | d20 | Guild Business | | --- | ------------------------------------------ | | 1 | Armourers, locksmiths, and finesmiths | | 2 | Brewers, distillers, and vintners | | 3 | Calligraphers, scribes, and scriveners | | 4 | Carpenters, roofers, and plasterers | | 5 | Cartographers, surveyors, and chart-makers | | 6 | Chemists and apothecaries | | 7 | Cobblers and shoemakers | | 8 | Cooks and bakers | | 9 | Glassblowers and glaziers | | 10 | Jewellers and gemcutters | | 11 | Leatherworkers, skinners, and tanners | | 12 | Masons and stonecutters | | 13 | Painters, limners, and sign-makers | | 14 | Potters and tile-makers | | 15 | Shipwrights and sailmakers | | 16 | Smiths and metal-forgers | | 17 | Tinkers, pewterers, and casters | | 18 | Wagon-makers and wheelwrights | | 19 | Weavers and dyers | | 20 | Woodcarvers, coopers, and bowyers | As a member of your guild, you know the skills needed to create finished items from raw materials (reflected in your proficiency with a certain kind of artisan's tools), as well as the principles of trade and good business practices. The question now is whether you abandon your trade for adventure, or take on the extra effort to weave adventuring and trade together. **Variant: Guild Merchant.** Instead of an artisans' guild, you might belong to a guild of traders, caravan masters, or shopkeepers. You don't craft items yourself but earn a living by buying and selling the works of others (or the raw materials artisans need to practice their craft). Your guild might be a large merchant consortium (or family) with interests across the region. Perhaps you transported goods from one place to another, by ship, wagon, or caravan, or bought them from travelling traders and sold them in your own little shop. In some ways, the travelling merchant's life lends itself to adventure far more than the life of an artisan. Rather than proficiency with artisan's tools, you might be proficient with [[Navigator's Tools]] or [[Cartographer's Tools]]. And instead of artisan's tools, you can start with a mule and a cart. ## Inheritor Source: _Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (2015)_ You are the heir to something of great value – not mere coin or wealth, but an object that has been entrusted to you and you alone. Your inheritance might have come directly to you from a member of your family, by right of birth, or it could have been left to you by a friend, a mentor, a teacher, or someone else important in your life. The revelation of your inheritance changed your life, and might have set you on the path to adventure, but it could also come with many dangers, including those who covet your gift and want to take it from you – by force, if need be. **Ability Scores:** CHA, CON, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** Survival, plus one from among Arcana, History, and Religion **Tool Proficiencies:** Your choice of a gaming set or a musical instrument **Equipment:** Your inheritance, a set of [[traveller's clothes]], the tool you choose for this background's tool proficiency, and a [[pouch]] containing 15 GP **Feat:** **_Inheritance._** Choose or randomly determine your inheritance from among the possibilities in the table below. Work with your DM to come up with details: Why is your inheritance so important, and what is its full story? You might prefer for the DM to invent these details as part of the game, allowing you to learn more about your inheritance as your character does. The DM is free to use your inheritance as a story hook, sending you on quests to learn more about its history or true nature, or confronting you with foes who want to claim it for themselves or prevent you from learning what you seek. The DM also determines the properties of your inheritance and how they figure into the item's history and importance. For instance, the object might be a minor artefact, or one that begins with a modest ability and increases in potency with the passage of time. Or, the true nature of your inheritance might not be apparent at first and is revealed only when certain conditions are met. When you begin your adventuring career, you can decide whether to tell your companions about your inheritance right away. Rather than attracting attention to yourself, you might want to keep your inheritance a secret until you learn more about what it means to you and what it can do for you. | d8 | Inherited object or item | | ----- | ------------------------------------------------ | | 1 | A document such as a map, a letter, or a journal | | 2 – 3 | A trinket | | 4 | An article of clothing | | 5 | A piece of jewellery | | 6 | An arcane book or formulary | | 7 | A written story, song, poem, or secret | | 8 | A tattoo or other body marking | ## Outlander Source: _Player's Handbook (2014)_ You grew up in the wilds, far from civilisation and the comforts of town and technology. You've witnessed the migration of herds larger than forests, survived weather more extreme than any city-dweller could comprehend, and enjoyed the solitude of being the only thinking creature for miles in any direction. The wilds are in your blood, whether you were a nomad, an explorer, a recluse, a hunter-gatherer, or even a marauder. Even in places where you don't know the specific features of the terrain, you know the ways of the wild. **Ability Scores:** CON, STR, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Survival **Tool Proficiencies:** One type of musical instrument **Equipment:** A [[Quarterstaff|staff]], a [[hunting trap]], a trophy from an animal you killed, a set of [[traveller's clothes]], and a [[pouch]] containing 10 GP **Feat:** **_Wanderer._** You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth. ## Smuggler Source: _Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2019)_ On a rickety barge, you carried a hundred longswords in fish barrels right past the dock master's oblivious lackeys. You have paddled a riverboat filled with stolen wine under the gaze of the moon and sold it for twice its value in the morning. In your more charitable times, you have transported innocents out of battle zones or helped guide herd animals to safety on the banks of a burning river. **Ability Scores:** CHA, DEX, INT **Skill Proficiencies:** Athletics, Deception **Tool Proficiencies:** Vehicles (water or airships) **Equipment:** A fancy leather vest or a pair of leather boots, a set of [[common clothes]], and a leather [[pouch]] with 15 GP **Feat:** **_Down Low._** You are acquainted with a network of smugglers who are willing to help you out of tight situations. While in a particular town, city, or other similarly sized community (DM's discretion), you and your companions can stay for free in safe houses. Safe houses provide a [[Resting#Lifestyle Expenses|Poor]] lifestyle. While staying at a safe house, you can choose to keep your presence (and that of your companions) a secret. ## Scientist Source: _Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica (2018)_ (as Simic Scientist) You strive to uncover some hidden truth about your field of study. Your research and theories seem bizarre to outsiders, but even the most sceptical cannot deny that your experiments produce useful results, and your dogged intellectual curiosity is apparent to all. **Ability Scores:** DEX, INT, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** Arcana, Medicine **Tool Proficiencies:** [[Chemist's Supplies]] **Equipment:** A set of [[common clothes]], a [[book]] of research notes, an [[ink pen]], a bottle of [[ink]], a flask of [[oil]], a vial of [[acid]], a [[vial]] of fish scales, a [[vial]] of seaweed, a [[vial]] of jellyfish stingers, a [[glass bottle]] of unidentified slime, and a [[pouch]] containing 10 GP **Feat:** **_Researcher._** When you attempt to learn or recall an arcane or scientific fact, if you don't know that information, you know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a laboratory, or sometimes from a library, a university, or an independent scholar or other learned person or creature. Knowing where the information can be found doesn't automatically enable you to learn it; you might need to offer bribes, favours, or other incentives to induce people to reveal their secrets. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an inaccessible place, or that it simply can't be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign. ## Urchin Source: _Player's Handbook (2014)_ You grew up on the streets alone, orphaned, and poor. You had no one to watch over you or to provide for you, so you learned to provide for yourself. You fought fiercely over food and kept a constant watch out for other desperate souls who might steal from you. You slept on rooftops and in alleyways, exposed to the elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You've survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life? **Ability Scores:** CON, DEX, WIS **Skill Proficiencies:** Sleight of Hand, Stealth **Tool Proficiencies:** [[Disguise Kit]], [[Thieves' Tools]] **Equipment:** A small knife, a [[map]] of the city you grew up in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of [[common clothes]], and a [[pouch]] containing 10 GP **Feat:** **_City Secrets._** You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your Speed would normally allow. # Feats 65 of the 75 feats described in the 2024 PHB (pages 199 – 211 \[[[D&D 5.5E PHB.pdf#page=198|link]]]) are available to you. The following are not available: * Magic Initiate _(Origin feat)_ * Elemental Adept _(General feat)_ * Fey-Touched _(General feat)_ * Shadow-Touched _(General feat)_ * Spell Sniper _(General feat)_ * Telekinetic _(General feat)_ * Telepathic _(General feat)_ * War Caster _(General feat)_ * Boon of Dimensional Travel _(Epic Boon feat)_ * Boon of Spell Recall _(Epic Boon feat)_ In their place, you have access to the feats listed below as General feats. The feats are described after the list. * Cruel * Dungeon Delver * Mobile * Remarkable Recovery * Thrown Arms Master ## Cruel Source: _Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn (2022)_ Prerequisite: Level 4+ The challenges and struggles you've faced throughout your life have led you to delight in inflicting pain and anguish upon others. You gain a number of Cruelty Dice equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Your Cruelty Dice are d6s. You can roll only one Cruelty Die per turn, and a Cruelty Die is spent when you roll it. You can roll a Cruelty Die under any of the following circumstances, with the indicated result: * When you deal damage to a creature, spend one Cruelty Die to deal extra damage to the creature equal to the roll. * When you score a Critical Hit, spend one Cruelty Die to gain Temporary Hit Points equal to the roll. * When you make a Charisma (Intimidation) check, spend one Cruelty Die and add the roll to your check. You regain all spent Cruelty Dice when you finish a Long Rest. ## Dungeon Delver Source: _Player's Handbook (2014)_ Prerequisite: Level 4+ You are alert to the hidden traps and secret doors found in many dungeons. You gain the following benefits: * You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to detect the presence of secret doors. * You have Advantage on saving throws made to avoid or resist traps. * You have Resistance to the damage dealt by traps. * Travelling at a Fast pace doesn't impose Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception or Survival) and Dexterity (Stealth) checks. ## Mobile Source: _Player's Handbook (2014)_ Prerequisite: Level 4+, DEX score 13+ You are exceptionally speedy and agile. You gain the following benefits: * Your Speed increases by 10 feet. * When you take the [[Actions#Dash|Dash]] action, difficult terrain doesn't cost you extra movement on that turn. * When you make a melee attack against a creature, you don't provoke [[Combat and Damage#Opportunity Attacks|Opportunity Attacks]] from that creature for the rest of the turn, whether you hit or not. ## Remarkable Recovery Source: _Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn (2022)_ Prerequisite: Level 4+, CON score 13+ Your body has the ability to recover quickly from terrible injuries, and is unusually receptive to healing effects. You gain the following benefits: * Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20. * When you are successfully stabilised while dying, you regain Hit Points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). * Whenever you regain Hit Points as a result of an alchemical reaction, potion, artefact property, or character feature (but not this feat), you regain additional Hit Points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). ## Thrown Arms Master Source: _Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn (2022)_ Prerequisite: Level 4+, DEX or STR score 13+ You've honed your ability to lob weaponry into the fray, including weapons not meant for ranged combat. You gain the following benefits: * Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20. * Simple and martial melee weapons without the Thrown property have the Thrown property for you. One-handed weapons have a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet, while two-handed weapons have a normal range of 15 feet and a long range of 30 feet. * Weapons that already have the Thrown property increase their short range by 20 feet and their long range by 40 feet for you. * When you miss with a thrown weapon attack using a Light weapon, the weapon returns to your grasp like a boomerang at the end of your turn, unless something prevents it from returning. You can catch and stow as many weapons as you threw in this way.