Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Background & Misery

Unfortunately, the often prevalence of character deaths could make the creation of backstories painful and unfulfilling (Why give a character a backstory if he is likely going to die in the first adventure?). For these reasons, the following tables may facilitate the generation of backstories, usables either for players for their characters and DMs for NPCs. Roll in both tables to generate one previous occupation and one misery (Or tragedy that forced said character to become an adventurer).

d20	Background	d20	Misery
1	Minor Noble	1	Abandoned at birth
2	Silt Sailor/Pirate	2	Banished from hometown
3	Nomad	3	Betrayed by a loved one
4	Farmer	4	Cursed by a vengeful witch
5	Ex-Slave (Worker)	5	Disiherited or disowned
6	Artissan	6	Escaped slavery
7	Ex-Slave (Servant)	7	Running away due to a scandal
8	Oulaw	8	Framed for a crime
9	Militia Soldier	9	Killed someone important
10	Urchin	10	Left for dead
11	Scholar	11	Farm failed due to plague
12	Herder	12	Owe someone money
13	Student	13	Pursued by templars
14	Pit Fighter	14	Raised in the streets
15	Performer	15	Reduced to poverty
16	Charlatan	16	Rejected by society
17	Bounty Hunter	17	Ruined by vice
18	Hermit	18	Suffering from amnesia
19	Merchant	19	Survived a massacre
20	Raider	20	Town destroyed