Outskirt Dweller
While Willowshore is a lovely small town, even a population of 200 is a bit much for you. Whether you grew up in the town’s outskirts, or you grew frustrated and overwhelmed with town life and decided to move to the fringes, you’re only really at home when you’re surrounded by nature. You don’t look down on those who live in town, and you might be among the hunters, trappers, fishers, or herbalists who provide important support to those who lack such forestry skills. Your home is on the outskirts of Willowshore and might not even be represented by an actual building on the map. With the GM’s permission, you might even dwell in a small building further out in the Willowshore hinterlands, but no further than a couple of miles from town.
During the Reenactment Festival, you likely showed up late and weren’t intending to stay for long, but your friends and allies (the other PCs) convinced you to stick around.
You were chosen to be an abductee during the Reenactment Festival at the last minute when someone else had to back out (perhaps as a result of overindulging during the feast), and your friends (the other PCs) convinced you to join them on what would be a fun, shared experience. And since it involves sleeping out under the stars in the woods, well, that’s a pretty lovely way to end an evening!
Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost.
You’re trained in the Nature skill and the Hunting Lore skill. You gain the Terrain Expertise (forest) skill feat.
You can add one of the following two adjustments to any background to further modify your choice to match your vision for your PC.
Family: You and one (or more) other PCs are close family members (siblings, parent/child, married, etc.) If you take this adjustment, the other PC(s) who are your family must also take this adjustment. Choose one of the following to replace the skill feat you otherwise would’ve gained from your background. (You and your sibling need not share the same choice—a sibling who wants to keep their background’s skill feat can pick “Typical” from the list.)
- Bickering: You have a long-standing feud with your sibling(s). Whenever your sibling(s) critically fail a significant skill check or attack roll and you witness their failure, you gain a +1 status bonus to your saving throws until the end of your next turn as you secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) delight in their failure.
- Close-Knit: You and your sibling(s) work well together, and you go all-out to help them when they’re badly hurt. When you provide Aid or Administer First Aid to your sibling(s), the DC is 5 lower than normal.
- Typical: You have a standard relationship with your sibling(s); don’t change your background’s skill feat.
Foundling: You aren’t a native to Willowshore, but you did grow up in the town. You might have adoptive parents, or you could’ve grown up on the streets. Choose one of the following to replace the bonus feat you otherwise would’ve gained from your background.
- Bitter: You appreciate the town of Willowshore but still resent the conditions that resulted in you being abandoned or left in the town. You gain the Intimidating Glare skill feat.
- Mysterious: You keep secrets, and very few in Willowshore (if anyone) know your history before you settled in the town, in part because you’ve taken to learning about Willowshore by watching rather than engaging in conversation. You gain the Streetwise skill feat.
- Outgoing: You’re grateful for the sense of belonging the townsfolk of Willowshore have extended to you and always do your best to repay that kindness. Once per week when you attempt a skill check to resolve a downtime activity that could benefit Willowshore (several of these activities are detailed in the adventures, and your GM can always make the call if another activity would qualify) and you fail that check, you instead succeed at the check, or if you critically fail at that check, you instead simply fail that check.