Pauper

Any structured society has those who fall through the cracks. Misfortune is no stranger to Etharis, and those who suffer under its hand have to make do any way they can. Some attempt to survive by begging or turning their hands to whatever jobs they can find, while others are cast out to wander from place to place through the unforgiving wilds.
This background is a good fit for characters who want to use adventuring as a way to escape their unfortunate circumstances or for those who possess character flaws relating to debt or misfortune. Their views on wealth and material goods are undoubtedly a primary feature of their adventuring career.
Skill Proficiency: Choose one from Deception, Insight, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth, or Survival.
Languages: Choose one standard language.
Tool Proficiency: Choose one gaming set.
Equipment: A worn blanket, a set of ragged clothing, a sack, and 10 copper pieces.

Beggar

Many who fall on hard times have no other option than begging for coppers. Considered the lowest rung of society, beggars are looked down upon in either pity or contempt by other members of society, when they deign to notice them at all. For their part, beggars see people at their best and worst, a more honest representation than they show their peers or superiors.
Skill Proficiency: Persuasion.
Additional Equipment: A begging bowl or tin cup for collecting coins, a crutch, spare scraps of cloth, and a small stick of grease paint.

Friends in Low Places

Upon spending an hour speaking to other beggars and succeeding on a DC15 Charisma (Persuasion) check, you can manipulate the underground currents of information that flow throughout the city. This allows you to manipulate the mood of the lower classes for or against a specific individual, group, or decision. the unrest caused may manifest itself in a number of ways, at the GM's discretion.

Rank 1 - Street Beggar

Driven by desperation, you are forced to the streets to earn what you need to survive. Poor decisions or bad luck drained away whatever funds you managed to scrape together and you have no real home to return to. As an adventurer you have certain alternatives not available to most, but between forays into the wilds the fact remains tha you have no steady occupation and no place to call home.
Holdings:

• A spot in an alley that you have managed to stake out and must defend against newcomers.
• The name of a sympathetic merchant with space in a high-traffic area of the city.

Progression: Gain the friendship of a local business owner by performing odd jobs or doing some other service.

Rank 2 - Mendicant

A common sight to locals, you have moved up to a better location in a busy street or plaza. You no longer have to fight for your place and have gained the tolerance of guards and the friendship of other local beggars. By this time you have established a begging "pitch" designed to attract attention without inconveniencing those passing by. This could be a persona or some sort of script that you devise in order to amuse or elicit sympathy from the general populace.
Holdings:

• A safe place to sleep near a merchant stall or building.
• Friendship with local beggars and a few local trades who may offer you some spare coin, food, or odd jobs from time to time.

Progression: Split a significant windfall with other beggars, earning their loyalty.

Gutter Baron

You have risen to a position of prominence, such as it is, among the beggars in your city. You are able to direct the actions of a number of other paupers and split the rewards in a far more efficient manner than they could do alone, and they respect and defer to you in important decisions.
Holdings:

• Squatter's rights in an abandoned building.
• A handful of other beggars who defer to your authority and aid you in gathering money and information.
• Knowledge of an illicit deal that took place in an alley in the dead of night, which implicates a minor noble.

Progression: Perform a great service for the poor of the city, either by thwarting the plans of a ranking noble or leveraging your influence to gain a powerful aristocrat patron.

Rank 4 - Beggar King

You have become the undisputed master of the city's destitute population, and none of them act without your knowledge. having control of such a wide ranging network of informants and agents puts you at the centre of the city's political power struggles. Even leaders of criminal organisations know that you are not someone to be trifled with.
Holdings:

• A comfortable hideout hidden in the slums or sewers.
• A network of beggars, informants, and criminals that keep you informed of all illicit activity within the city.
• Influence with at least one major player in local crime or politics.

---

Vagabond

Those paupers who choose to leave their past behind and take to the open road are known as vagabonds. Some do so in an attempt to flee whatever painful memories caused their descent into poverty, while others hold out hope of starting a new life in another city. Most don't survive outside the protective walls of a guarded settlement, but those that do often find little welcome in the cities they visit. Vagabonds must therefore work hard to gain trust and forge what connections they may have in each place they visit, and invariably they must move on before they wear out their welcome.
Skill Proficiency: Insight.
Additional Equipment: A walking stick, an old wool cloak, and an iron pot.

Friendly Face

Upon spending an hour in a tow or other settlement, and succeeding on a DC15 Wisdom (Insight) check, you can track down an ally that you made on a previous visit during your wandering. This ally begins as friendly to you and will answer questions you have regarding the town, its services, and its inhabitants.

Rank 1 - Outcast

For whatever reason, you can't go home again. Bereft of family, property, and support, you are now cut loose to wander and survive as best you can. You stand out more as a stranger in smaller settlements, where people shun you as if you have the plague, but even in larger cities you are viewed with suspicion by the local authorities.
Holdings:

• A tarnished compass.
• A posting from a town seeking able-bodied workers to deal with a recent disaster.

Progression: Survive a major storm on the road or participate meaningfully in a town's internal disputes.

Rank 2 - Drifter

You have gotten used to life on the road and now travel aimlessly from town to town. At each stop you take on odd jobs, greet familiar faces, and the move on. Outside your small group of friends spread across Etharis, others are begging to recognise you as a frequent visitor.
Holdings:

• News from far parts of your current region that are not public knowledge.
• A letter or package that one of your contacts asked you to deliver to another town.

Progression: Save the life of one of your contacts.

Rank 3 - Seeker

Your aimless wanderings have taken on a new purpose. Competent in the rigors of the road and dealing with suspicious villagers, you travel from place to place in search of a new life or new direction. For good or ill, you are recognised as you travel, much as a caravan leader or travelling merchant.
Holdings:

• A lightweight tent and bedroll.
• The ability to send messages across long distances through your network of contacts.

Progression: Play a major role in the downfall of a prominent member of society.

Rank 4 - Wanderer

You now travel the world not out of necessity, but choice. Your deeds have garnered you an almost mythical reputation, and whispers follow you whenever you enter a new city or settlement. As a champion of righteousness, or a walking plague, everyone knows that even the best laid plans are uncertain when you arrive.
Holdings:

• A respected or feared reputation in any settlement you visit.
• Information about major events across Etharis that has not yet made its way to your current location.

---

Pit Fighter

Unterland was the first of the provinces to host blood sport arenas, back in the days before the formation of the Bürach Empire. Since then the practice has been driven underground, but, like poison spreading silently throughout a healthy body, it has infiltrated nearly every major city.
Ostensibly illegal, you can almost always find small groups of desperate individuals putting their lives on the line for the amusement and enrichment of others. This hidden network of arenas has recently organised into the self-proclaimed Fighter's Guild and developed a series of coded phrases and symbols to identify its members. Following the unspoken rule of Etharis, it is a place where only the strong survive.
Skill Proficiency: Intimidation.
Additional Equipment: A pair of tough leather gloves, one gaming set of your choice, and a mess kit.

Street Tough

While you are in a large town or city, you may spend an hour and, upon succeeding on a DC15 Charisma (Intimidation) check, your tough demeanour and familiarity with the Fighter's Guild attracts attention from the local members. You learn the location of any underground prize-fighting rings, guild friendly businesses, and the names of upper-class arena patrons. You also learn of any minor jobs being offered to street toughs, such as bodyguard positions or debt collection.

Rank 1 - Scrapper

Life on the streets has toughened you, and now you have started down the path of an illegal underground fighter. You have yet to make an name for yourself, but your training is starting to pay off. All you need is a chance to prove yourself.
Holdings:

• Room and board at a guild house near an underground arena.
• An invitation to an exhibition match that will be attended by promoters and scouts for the Fighter's Guild.

Progression: Attract the notice of a patron among the various underground fight handlers of the Guild.

Rank 2 - Prize Fighter

You've made your debut and are now a part of the Fighter's Guild. As part of a small stable of up-and-coming fighters, you are mostly booked for minor tournaments and as warmups for some of the bigger names in arena fighting.
Holdings:

• A mentor in the form of a handler, trainer, or promoter who helps organise and book your fights.
• Access to a small training area equipped with dummies and frequented by potential sparring partners.

Progression: Enter a fight with a high-ranked fighter and either last three rounds or knock your opponent out.

Rank 3 - Contender

Recognised as one of the most promising fighters in the Guild, you are now eligible for entry into major tournaments for ever-increasing amounts of prize money. Most of hte money goes to your handlers, but your standard of living has increased dramatically along with your value.
Holdings:

• A private room at a high quality inn or other establishment.
• Several admirers among the arena patrons, willing to ingratiate themselves with gifts or bribes.

Progression: Win a major championship bout.

Rank 4 - Arena Champion

Being champion of an underground tournament makes you a major figure within the Fighter's Guild. As your fights draw greater and greater crowds, your duties are lessened and you live in relative luxury. Admired by some, envied by others, you nevertheless command respect among those in your line of work. Even your patron is willing to bend to most of your wishes, out of fear that you will defect to another noble or trainer.
Holdings:

• A collection of toadies and sycophants, eager to follow your wishes.
• Job offers and party invitations from various nobles and criminals aware of your status.
• A fancy championship trophy, which can take the form of a belt, cup, or some other trinket.

---