Backgrounds & Professions
in 5e Player's HandbookEvery story has a beginning. Your character’s background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world. Your fighter might have been a courageous knight or a grizzled soldier. Your wizard could have been a sage or an artisan. Your rogue might have gotten by as a guild thief or commanded audiences as a jester.
Choosing a background provides you with important story cues about your character’s identity. The most important question to ask about your background is what changed? Why did you stop doing whatever your background describes and start adventuring? Where did you get the money to purchase your starting gear, or, if you come from a wealthy background, why don’t you have more money? How did you learn the skills of your class? What sets you apart from ordinary people who share your background?
Creating Your Character's Background
The sample backgrounds in this section provide both concrete benefits (features, proficiencies, and languages) and roleplaying suggestions, but they aren't your only options. You might want to tweak some of the features of a background so it better fits your character or the campaign setting. You might also need to create your own background if none of the samples align with your vision. You can customize or create a background using the following steps:Concept: Work with your DM to turn your ideas into a concept that suits your character, the campaign, and the setting.
Feature: Choose or replace one background feature with any other one. If you can't find a feature that matches your desired background, work with your DM to create one.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose any two skills to be proficient in.
Other Proficiencies: Choose either (a) a total of two tool, instrument, or vehicle proficiencies, or (b) one language proficiency.
Equipment: You can either use the equipment package from a background or spend coin on gear as described in chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook. If you spend coin, you can't also take the equipment package suggested for your class.
Traits: Come up with or choose two personality traits, one ideal, one bond, and one flaw.