Backstory Option 1: Creating Your Personal History

This section will guide you in developing detailed information about your character’s life before becoming an adventurer.
Disclaimer: Copied from 3.5e source material and may not be comprehensive for 5e but offers valuable role-playing inspiration to all players.
Five major aspects comprise your character’s background:

• Home
• Family
• Instruction
• Life events
• Relationships

The following tables are designed to help create a background that is consistent and leads you to the type of character you want to play. Either choose an entry that appeals to you, or let the dice decide. It’s your character, so you’re in charge, not the 10-siders. If you see something you think is interesting on a table not designed for you, you’ll need to imagine a reason that your character had that experience. There’s nothing wrong with doing so, and by creating a unique background detail for your character, your overall story will be just that much more interesting. To begin, start with Table 1. Each table will tell you where to go next until you’re done with the process.

HOME COMMUNITY

How big is the community where you were born? Did you lead a sheltered childhood, or did a bustling community surround you? Ordinarily, your home community is where you grew up, and many adventures begin as you leave that community behind. If you like, you may select one community where you were raised and a different community where you currently live. If you do, simply go through the process twice and decide why you moved to the new area. You may want to use Table 1 to select a different environment for each as well. These tables are just a starting point as you explore your character’s background. The town generator in Chapter 4: Adventures of the DMG has more demographic information. You can determine who is in charge in your home community and what NPCs live there. Each race has its own version of Table 2. Choose the table that’s right for your race.

Table 1: Home Climate

What is the land like where you were born and raised? Roll twice on this table to find out. The first roll determines the temperature range in your home land, and the second determines the dominant terrain type. This choice may have some bearing on the type of terrain you find comfortable or the range of your Knowledge (geography) and Knowledge (nobility and royalty) skills. When you’re done, go to the appropriate home community table for your race. If you’re human, for example, go to Table 2a.

Temperature Zone

• 01—15 Cold (arctic or subarctic). It’s cold all year long, although seasons are still discernible. The length of day and night changes greatly from season to season.
• 16—65 Temperate. Cold winters, but warm summers.
• 66—100 Warm (tropical and subtropical). Conditions are warm year-round.

Terrain

• 01—10 Desert. Anyplace where precipitation and vegetation are rare. This could anything from a sandy wasteland to a rugged field of lava.
• 11—30 Plains. Mostly flat and often cultivated by nearby settlements.
• 31—45 Forest. Whether it’s a tangled jungle or sparser pines, trees are the dominant feature of the landscape.
• 46—60 Hills. Includes highlands, cliff dwellings, and any other rugged terrain.
• 61—70 Mountains. High altitude and rugged. Vegetation is sparse above the tree line, but forests and meadows predominate lower down.
• 71—80 Marsh. Includes swamps, moors, and other low, wet areas.
• 81—85 Aquatic. Includes shipboard life and any island small enough that the dominant terrain feature is the sea that surrounds it. Or perhaps you grew up in an underwater city.
• 86—90 Underground. You grew up in a subterranean community far beneath the surface world.
• 91—100 Nomadic People. You don’t have a specific home terrain because you migrated through more than one. If your character has this type of background, work with your DM to determine what suitable choices might be for the migration.

Table 2a: Home Community, Human

Humans in most games have a rural background. If you choose to play a character from a larger city, you should make sure to work with your DM to determine the nature and location of that city. Once you know what size of community you grew up in, go to Table 3 and follow the rest of the tables in order to finish detailing your character.

Community Size

• 01—05 Small Tribe. Life in your tiny community centers around hunting and gathering, herding, or subsistence farming. Your tribe has 100 people or less.
• 06—10 Religious, Arcane, Monastic or Military Compound. These communities tend to be close-knit and focused on a single interest. Up to 200 people.
• 11—20 Frontier Homestead. Life on the frontier is spartan and dangerous, but it encourages self-sufficiency. Most homesteads include only one or two families.
• 21—35 Thorp. These small settlements are usually little more than a cluster of farmhouses. Population ranges from 20 to 80.
• 36—55 Hamlet. Larger than thorps, hamlets have up to 400 people.
• 56—75 Village. The smallest community that will support a number of craftspeople. Population ranges from 401 to 900.
• 76—80 Small Town. A town large enough to appear on most maps. Population up to 2,000.
• 81—85 Large Town. Large towns serve as regional and provincial centers. Size ranges from 2,001 to 5,000 inhabitants.
• 86—90 Small City. With up to 12,000 residents, small cities are big enough to be the capitals of smaller nations.
• 91—95 Large City. The dominant city in a large country will typically have between 12,001 and 25,000 inhabitants.
• 96—100 Metropolis. Only the largest cities in the world have more than 25,000 residents.

Table 2b: Home Community, Dwarf

Dwarf communities tend to center on the mines that are central to the dwarven economy.

Community Size

• 01—10 Single-Family Redoubt. You grew up on the edge of dwarven civilization, far from the rest of your clan. Interesting question: Why?
• 11—20 Prospecting Camp. Anywhere from 5 to 20 dwarves call these camps home. Often they represent an extended family attempting to strike it rich.
• 21—30 Small Mine. The mine could be mundane metals like iron or copper, precious stones like diamonds, or something more exotic. Population ranges from 21 to 50.
• 31—45 Large Mine. Up to 200 dwarves work a mine of this size.
• 46—65 Delve. A delve includes a large mine, forge, and smith works. Up to 500 dwarves live in each one.
• 66—90 Large Delve. Like a delve, but with more extensive community structures and a population of up to 2,000.
• 91—100 Human-Dominated Area. Dwarves raised in nondwarf settlements may be subject to unfair prejudice from their fellows for being “contaminated” by out side ways. Determine the community size on Table 2a, above.

Table 2c: Home Community, Elf

The elves in most games are creature of the forest. They live in quiet places far from noisy human settlements or dangerous dwarven delves.

Community Size

• 01—50 Encampment. These elven camps are at least semi-nomadic and support between 10 and 50 elves.
• 51—85 Village. When an elven village forms, it is often a loose grouping of related families or crafts rather than a regimented town like the humans build. Population ranges from 50 to 100 elves.
• 86—95 Elven City. Only a handful of these cities exist. They are the center of elven government. Between 2,000 and 5,000 elves call them home.
• 96—100 Human-Dominated Area. For some reason, your home is among humans. Determine the community size on Table 2a, above.

Table 2d: Home Community, Gnome

Gnomes, a solitary people who pursue their own quiet studies and enjoyment of the wild, do not tend to group in large numbers. When they form clusters or gatherings, the area encompassed by the community will still be quite large to give every family a sense of space and privacy.

Community Size

• 01—10 Solitary Family. Your family has found solitude. Interesting question: Why did they crave it?
• 11—40 Cluster. Between two and ten gnome families form a loosely-knit cluster settlement. The total population can approach 100 gnomes.
• 41—70 Gathering. Up to 1,000 gnomes call this “cluster of clusters” home.
• 71—80 Human-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the humans. Determine the community size with Table 2a.
• 81—90 Dwarven-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the dwarves. Determine the community size with Table 2b.
• 91—100 Elven-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the elves. Determine the community size with

Table 2e: Home Community, Halfling

Most halflings are nomadic, ranging far and wide across the world. Even when a community of halflings settles, it is usually only for a generation or two. Soon, the call of the road pulls most families away from the settlement and back to their wandering ways. Long-established halfling communities and the halflings who live in them are considered quite strange by most of their fellows.

Community Size

• 01—30 Clan. You grew up on the road with your extended family of up to 50 halflings.
• 31—65 Troupe. These larger bands of wandering halflings number up to 100.
• 66—80 Shire. Up to 500 halflings live in these semipermanent villages.
• 81—90 Town. These towns are essentially shires that grew so much they could no longer pack up and move. Between 500 and 1,000 halflings live in a typical town.
• 91—95 County. Halflings refer to two or more towns within a day’s walk as a county; the most populous ones have close to 5,000 inhabitants.
• 96—100 Human-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the humans. Determine the community size with Table 2a.

Table 2f: Home Community, Half-Elf

Apart, yet entangled with the worlds of their parents, half-elves never have an easy time finding a place to call their own. Those who do often find such a place outside the normal structures of either human or elf society.

Community Size

• 01—20 Fringe Community. These settlements consist of 5 to 50 halfelves, half-orcs, and other mixed breeds and outcasts.
• 21—85 Human-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the humans. Determine the community size with Table 2a.
• 86—100 Elven-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the elves. Determine the community size with Table 2c.

Table 2g: Home Community, Half-Orc

Half-orcs who are raised by an orc parent may rise to great power in the orc community, provided they can survive the rigors of childhood. Half-orcs raised in human communities are subject to a pervasive and unending prejudice. They are a constant reminder that orc and human are not as different as many would like to believe.

Community Size

• 01—20 Fringe Community. These settlements consist of 5 to 50 halforcs, half-elves, and other mixed breeds and outcasts.
• 21—85 Human-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the humans. Determine the community size with Table 2a.
• 86—100 Orc-Dominated Area. Your family lives among the orcs. Ask your DM for information about the orc community.

FAMILY

It’s said that you are who you are either because of your parents or in spite of your parents. Whichever is the case for your character, few factors have a greater influence on you than your family. Note that throughout this section, “family” is intended in the broadest possible sense. Your family might be your fellow island castaways, the other beggars in Fish-Eye Alley, or the kindly monks who took you in as an orphan. In fact, one of the questions you should ask yourself as you use Tables 3 through 12 is “Who do I consider family, exactly?”

Table 3: Family Economic Status

How wealthy is your family? While this information doesn’t have any direct bearing on the wealth of your character, it may be a useful bit of background information to help describe your character’s attitudes. It’s also a good motivational hook for your DM.

Terrain

• 01—05 Orphan. You have no known family. Roll again on this table to find out who raised you.
• 06—15 Refugee. After fleeing some calamity or war, your family owns nothing and has no regular income.
• 16—40 Poor. Sometimes your family had to beg for food and shelter. They own no property and income barely covers basic needs.
• 41—60 Moderate. Your family owns at least a small dwelling or can make rent payments without significant concern. The family’s income slightly exceeds its needs.
• 61—75 Wealthy. Your family owns a dwelling and may own other property. Family income significantly exceeds basic needs.
• 76—80 Religious Order. You were raised as part of a religious order. While your “family” didn’t have much direct income, it had access to resources through its church.
• 81—85 Arcane Order. As above, only the magic of wizards and sorcerers likely provides the resources.
• 86—90 Monastic Order. An order of monks have taken your family in. They live a spartan existence, and so does your family.
• 91—95 Wealth Unimportant. For some reason, your family’s economic status was difficult to measure. Perhaps you lived a solitary life on the frontier as a trapper or scout, living entirely off the land.
• 96—100 Military Support. You and your family are dependents of someone in the military (probably an officer). This means little direct income, but the army provides for your needs.

Table 4: Family Social Standing

How do other people in your community view your family? If your family is prominent, their social standing may extend to include surrounding areas, or perhaps even the entire country!

Social Standing

• 01—10 Newcomer. You and your family are settlers or refugees in your home.
• 11—15 Criminal. Members of your family may be guilty of crimes, or wrongly convicted of them. Either way, other members of the community treat you poorly as a result.
• 16—20 Slave. Your family was considered another’s property. Some slaves lead pampered if restricted lives, while others do backbreaking manual labor.
• 21—45 Lower Class. Most laborers and servants fall into this category.
• 46—65 Skilled Trade or Merchant Family. You could be the child of someone as simple as the village cobbler, or as complex as the weaponsmith for dwarf-king Arenduil.
• 66—75 Positive Religious, Arcane, Monastic or Military Affiliation. Your family is closely tied to a group that’s generally well regarded by the community, like a local church or helpful monastery.
• 76—85 Negative Religious, Arcane, Monastic or Military Affiliation. As above, but you’re despised and distrusted by your home community. Perhaps your family is affiliated with the garrison of the invading army, or the mysterious wizards in the tower on the hill.
• 86—95 Upper Class. Your family is considered the “upper crust” of your home community.
• 96—100 Noble. Your family is at the very pinnacle of social standing in your community.

Table 5: Family Defense Readiness

When trouble comes knocking at the door, how will your family respond? In areas where conflict is rare, military training may seem quite extraordinary, even distasteful. In areas where the threat of danger is real and constant, not being prepared is viewed as the worst kind of stupidity. Dwarves in particular usually have some form of martial training due to the constant threat of danger from their underground dwellings.

Readiness

• 01—10 None. Your family has no ability to defend themselves.
• 11—20 Low. Your family maintains a low level of readiness including a few weapons and an occasional discussion of how to defend against raiders or low-level monsters.
• 21—40 Rudimentary. Most family members are versed in basics of using clubs, spears and knives in self-defense and defense of the family home.
• 41—55 Medium. Your family trains actively in matters martial and is prepared for combat with a few days of last-minute preparation.
• 56—70 High. Combat is a regular part of the lives of your family. Most adult members are veterans of some combat, and martial weapons and training are commonplace.
• 71—80 Outstanding. Your family has a tradition of military service, and family members are taught from birth to be courageous and stalwart companions when battle is joined. The family armory contains magic weapons and armor.
• 81—90 Hired. Your family relies on outside protection such as guards or mercenaries.
• 91—95 Magical. Your family relies on magical protection.
• 96—100 Mixed. Your family has no consistent pattern of preparedness. Some members are very prepared for combat, but others are unprepared or unwilling to fight.

Table 6: Family Private Ethics

Some families have a shared ethos that impacts the decisions and actions of their members. In general, small communities composed of relatives or near relatives rarely tolerate shady or evil residents.

Family Ethics

• 01—25 Neutral. Your family has neutral ethics or no consistent family ethical direction.
• 26—50 Fair. Your family holds to the letter of contracts and agreements.
• 51—75 Good. Your family is known for involvement in the community and acting to help others.
• 76—90 Untrustworthy. Your family often tries to break agreements or recant promises.
• 91—100 Evil. Your family takes actions detrimental to the community.

Table 7: Family Public Ethics

Regardless of what the actual ethics of the family may be, the perception in the community may differ due to a variety of circumstances.

Public Ethics

• 01—60 Normal. Your family’s ethical reputation matches their private ethics.
• 61—75 Undeserved. Whether your family is unfairly painted as cheats or has a better reputation than they deserve, it’s clear the community has the wrong idea.
• 76—90 Recent Change. Family policy has changed for better or worse, but the family’s reputation has not yet been affected. Interesting question: How did the policy change, and why?
• 91—100 Beyond Reproach/Beneath Contempt. Regardless of your family’s actual ethics, public opinion is so ingrained about your family that it’s essentially unchangeable. You decide whether public opinion is accurate or not.

Table 8: Family Religious Commitment

Does your family have a specific religious commitment? If you answer that question “Yes,” the obvious follow-up question is “Who?” Your family may worship a pantheon, a state religion, a group of deities based on alignment, or a “cosmic truth” like law or chaos. If you make an unusual choice, substitute that option wherever the table references a “deity.” Remember that this represents your family’s religion, not necessarily your own.

Religious Commitment

• 01—20 Neutral/Uninterested. Your family has no commitment or an inconsistent family religious direction.
• 21—40 Strong. Your family is deeply committed to a patron deity (you choose which one).
• 41—60 Historical. Your family has worshiped a patron deity (player choice) for years but may not observe religious commitments consistently.
• 61—70 Enmity. Your family has a historical conflict with followers of a particular deity (you decide which one).
• 71—80 Participatory. Your family is a part of a religious order.
• 81—85 Open Heretics. Your family believes in a religious movement considered heretical or dangerous by the community at large.
• 86—90 Hidden Heretics. As above, but your family hides this commitment from the public.
• 91—100 Mixed. Your family openly venerates one deity while privately venerating another.

Table 9: Family Reputation

You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your relatives. This table describes how the community feels about your family, based on the behavior of its members. This table overlaps a bit with Table 4 and Table 7, because all three answer the question “What do they think about your family?” Once again, if you get wildly different answers, brainstorm an unusual reason or simply roll or pick again.

Reputation

• 01—40 Unknown. Your family has no perceived character. Individuals are treated without regard to their family name.
• 41—55 Good. Your family is known as stalwart companions.
• 56—65 Outstanding. Your family is known to produce upstanding individuals but has an occasional bad apple.
• 66—75 A Black Sheep or Two. In general, your family is upstanding, but one or more members of family are known to be disreputable. 76—90 Mostly Bad. Family is treated in general with contempt, but occasionally a family member has demonstrated positive qualities and earned respect.
• 91—100 Bad. Others treat your family with contempt, and every member is assumed to be disreputable.

Table 10: Family Political Views

Politics plays a big role in every family. Even in a quiet kingdom with a beloved monarch, your family may have a strong and avowed commitment to supporting the ruler and his/her family. A sense of discord with the current system can create any number of really interesting background details for both you and your DM to use.
Terrain

• 01—15 Apolitical. Your family has no specific political stance.
• 16—30 Supportive. Your family supports the current political structure and rulers.
• 31—40 Enfranchised. Your family is a part of the system and supports it.
• 41—45 Enfranchised Progressive. Your family is a part of the system but is open to suggestions for change.
• 46—50 Enfranchised Radical. Your family is a part of the system but is actively seeking to change the system.
• 51—65 Loyal Opposition. Your family supports the current political structure but favors a change of rulers.
• 66—75 Dissatisfied. Your family is unhappy with current political structure but satisfied the current rulers are at least doing no real harm.
• 76—85 Dissident. Your family is secretly supporting a rebellion or movement to overthrow the political system or the existing rulers.
• 86—90 Radical. Your family is in open revolt against the current system and existing rulers.
• 91 —100 Mixed. One part of your family supports the cur rent system and/or rulers, and other faction is actively working to replace or remove that system and/or rulers.

Table 11: Family Power Structure

How does your family organize itself? Most families have some form of structure, even if it is only the “respect” of a child for a parent. The more complex the family business or intrigues, the more detailed the family power structure should become.

Power Structure

• 01—10 Unorganized. Your family has no internal organization. Family members are responsible for their own actions.
• 11—30 Elders. The oldest members control your family.
• 31—40 Patriarchy. The male members control your family.
• 41—50 Matriarchy. The female members control your family.
• 51—60 Oligarchy. The richest members control your family.
• 61—70 Meritocracy. The members with the most talent (usually ability in the family business) control your family.
• 71—90 Divided. One branch of the family follows one leadership structure, and one or more others follow a different structure.
• 91—95 External. Your family is lead by an outsider; liege lord or other person to whom the family has sworn support.
• 96—100 Domination. A violent or dangerous family member rules your family through fear.

Table 12: Ancestors Of Note

Every family has its favored sons, gifted daughters, and crazy aunts and uncles. If you want a truly strange family, roll on this table more than once. This table uses the term “ancestor” because it’s likely that these well-known people aren’t around to influence the character’s career directly. But with your DM’s approval, there’s no reason you can’t simply substitute “family member” for “ancestor” anywhere on this table. Every ancestor you select should prompt you to write a one- or two-sentence description of who that person was and why they matter to your family. This information does not need to include a complete character template, just enough data for your DM to use as hooks for an adventure and for you to have interesting stories to tell about your family.

Ancestor

• 01—49 None. Your family has no ancestors of note.
• 50—55 Forgotten. Your family’s ancestors of note are unknown or forgotten. Information about them could be revealed in a future adventure, however.
• 56—60 Immigrant. An ancestor was a settler from a far-off land of which little is known.
• 61—63 Master artisan. An ancestor was an artisan of unmatched skill who left a legacy of excellence that is still used as a standard gauge of quality.
• 64—66 Successful Merchant. An ancestor created a new business, trade good, or trade route that continues to contribute to the family’s finances.
• 67—69 Unsuccessful Merchant. An ancestor created a new business, trade good, or trade route that has been bought, lost, or stolen from the family.
• 70—72 Cleric. Your family produced a cleric of some repute.
• 73—75 Arcanist. Your family produced a wizard or sorcerer of some repute.
• 76—77 Magic item. An ancestor owned a magic item of specific or unusual note that may (or may not) have become a family heirloom.
• 78 Spell Creator. An ancestor is reputed to have created a spell that is now lost to common knowledge.
• 79 Item Creator. An ancestor is believed to have forged a magic item of significant reputation.
• 80—81 Victorious Hero. Your family produced a great military leader who was ultimately victorious.
• 82—83 Defeated Hero. Your family produced a great military leader who was eventually defeated.
• 84 Successful Founder. An ancestor founded a community that still thrives.
• 85 Unsuccessful Founder. An ancestor founded a community that has ceased to exist.
• 86 Successful Leader. An ancestor held a high position in the current political system.
• 87 Unsuccessful Leader. An ancestor held a high position in a discredited political system.
• 88—90 Successful Hero. An ancestor is known to have been instrumental in completing a great quest, recovering an important artifact, or destroying a terrible monster or villain.
• 91 Disbelieved Hero. An ancestor did complete a great quest, recover an important artifact, or killed a terrible monster or villain, but no one believes the story.
• 92 False Hero. An ancestor made up a story (commonly accepted as fact) about completing a great quest, recovering an important artifact, or killing a terrible monster or villain.
• 93 Exile. An ancestor was once a king or noble who lost power and fled to a new land.
• 94 Failed Rebel. An ancestor is known to have supported a failed rebellion.
• 95 Traitor. An ancestor is known to have betrayed the community or nation.
• 96 Cultist. An ancestor is known to have had an affiliation with a dark god or evil cult.
• 97 Villain. An ancestor was a terrible villain who caused great evil throughout the land.
• 98 Prophecy. An ancestor was the focus of some great omen.
• 99 God-touched. Your family is rumored to have produced an ancestor who ascended to godhood or had meaningful contact with the gods in some way.
• 100 Otherworldly. An ancestor is reputed to have come from some place not of this world.

EDUCATION

No one is a trained fighter or wizard from birth. Someone taught you how to swing that sword, pick that lock, or perform that religious ceremony. The following tables learn what your education was like before the day you began adventuring. After that point, you’re on your own.

Table 13: Early Childhood Instruction

All characters learn some basic skills as children. This instruction may provide a direction for their later interests and careers. This table tells where you focused as a child—your favorite subject. Keep in mind that your skill selection should reflect your childhood education. If you don’t want a particular skill suggested by this table, simply roll or choose another.

Childhood Education Focus

• 01—20 Outdoors. You learned basic wilderness survival skills.
• 21—40 Book Learning. You learned how to read and write.
• 41—55 Religious. You learned the religious beliefs of your community or family. Perhaps you embraced them, or perhaps you rejected them.
• 56—65 Language. You learned a foreign language.
• 66—75 Arts. You showed talent in singing, drawing, or another art.
• 76—85 Multicultural. You traveled or moved enough to learn that the world is a big place with many different people and places.
• 86—95 Business/Politics. You were curious about money or government.
• 96—100 Magic. You showed an affinity for the arcane arts.

Table 14: Formal Education

Most families that can afford it make sure their children get some formal schooling. Sometimes this education is a part of an apprenticeship program, or it may be a natural outgrowth of helping with the family business. It’s okay to use this table more than once, but make sure your choices here are backed up on your character sheet.

Subject

• 01—25 Agriculture. You learned farming and animal husbandry techniques.
• 26—30 History. You learned basic local or national history.
• 31—35 Politics. You studied political philosophy.
• 36—40 Religion. You studied religious texts and philosophy.
• 41—45 Natural History. You studied biology and geology.
• 46—50 Multicultural. You studied comparative cultures of other races, or other nationalities.
• 51—55 Arts. You learned to illustrate, sculpt, dance, or create art in other ways.
• 56—60 Literature. You read poetry and prose extensively, and you have some skill in composition.
• 61—65 Math. You learned basic mathematics.
• 66—70 Advanced Math. You mastered more complex mathematics.
• 71—75 Astronomy. You studied the movement of the stars. Depending on the culture, this may include an astrological aspect.
• 76—85 Finishing School. You are educated in courtly manners and etiquette.
• 86—95 School of Hard Knocks. Your time on the street taught you minor thievery and con games.
• 96—100 Magic. You studied “defenses against the dark arts” and learned ways to fight monsters and battle the influence of black magic.

Table 15: Learning A Trade

For most characters, the idea of making a living as an adventurer starts as little more than a dream. Instead, most characters are apprenticed to a trade, inducted into the religious or military order the family is affiliated with, brought into the family business, sent to the fields for planting and harvesting, or given some other task-related instruction.

Trade

• 01—20 Farmer. You helped plant, weed, and harvest a crop.
• 21—30 Hunter/Trapper. You’ve spent time seeking animal skins or meat in the wilderness.
• 31—40 Craft. You’ve learned a craft (any of the categories possible for the Craft skill).
• 41—50 Religious. You’ve had advanced studies in a formal church setting. Includes training as an acolyte or special functionary for religious practice.
• 51—60 Politics. You’ve been apprenticed to a political or bureaucratic functionary.
• 61—70 Healing. You’ve learned the skills of a healer or herbalist.
• 71—75 Specialized. You’ve learned an unusual trade such as bookkeeping or the law.
• 76—85 Military Training. Commoners typically become infantry or archers, and those with higher social status become staff officers or squires.
• 86—90 Special Military Training. Examples include artillery, armorer, underdark scout, aide de camp, and logistics.
• 91—95 Monastery/Knightly Order. You have been accepted for training by an order of monks or paladins.
• 96—100 Arcanist. You’ve been apprenticed to a wizard or sorcerer for arcane instruction.

LIFE EVENTS (THUS FAR)

Life isn’t just training for a profession of course. Think of your own life and all the events—good and bad— you’ve lived through. It’s likely that your character, growing up in a fantastic, dangerous world, has had at least that many triumphs and tragedies.

Table 16: Early Childhood Events

Some events in early childhood have lasting impacts on a character’s future development.

Event

• 01—15 Survived Childhood Danger. Perhaps you were menaced by a dangerous creature or kidnapped by raiders.
• 16—30 Survived Major Danger to Community. Flood, famine, plague, or another calamity struck when you were a child.
• 31—45 Undertook a Long Journey. This could be a one-way or two-way trip. You decide where you went and why.
• 46—55 Witness. You saw a horrible crime or violent event. 56—60 Astronomical Event. You were born under a strange moon, a comet in the sky, or some other phenomenon.
• 61—65 Personal Epiphany. You had an earthshaking brush with greatness, such as meeting a king or being contacted directly by a god.
• 66—75 Became a Refugee. War or some other disaster ruined your community.
• 76—85 Death in the Family. You lost a parent or other significant family member.
• 86—95 Illness. You contracted a lingering sickness or developed a congenital defect.
• 96—100 Injury or Physical Defect. This can range from burns and scars to more serious defects.

Table 17: Youth Events

Many characters get their first sense of the wide world they live in during their teenage years. Use this table to determine what exciting or heartbreaking events were the highlights of your character’s youth.

Event

• 01—15 Battle. You aided in the defense of the community against raiders or a marauding monster.
• 16—25 Adventure. You participated in a minor adventure such as building a homestead or working on a caravan on a new route.
• 26—35 Politics. Perhaps you spoke on behalf of a political movement or candidate, or stood up to an abuse of authority.
• 36—50 Great Romance. Lingering effects may include a jilted lover or a current relationship—and a reputation for boorishness or tenderness.
• 51—60 Religion. You served the character’s faith in a minor capacity perhaps including a minor vow or oath.
• 61—70 Arcane. You displayed an innate talent for arcane spellcasting or an affinity for magic. Perhaps others took notice, or maybe you kept it a secret.
• 71—80 Healing. You cared for a recovering family member or hero.
• 81—95 Crime. You broke the law. Either you got caught and suffered some form of punishment, or you learned how to dodge the consequences and survive.
• 96—100 Discovery. You found a unique aptitude or talent such as extremely keen vision or a knack for ventriloquism.

Table 18: Pivotal Events

Some events are so significant that they change the entire course of a character’s life. These events are not necessarily tied to a specific age or experience level but might occur at any time. Remember that you don’t have to use this table if you don’t want to. For many, this table represents the last significant thing that happened to your character before the first adventure begins.

Event

• 01—55 No Pivotal Events. Tables 16 and 17 cover the most dramatic aspectsof your past.
• 56—65 Refugee. As a result of some calamity, you were forced tobecome a displaced person.
• 66—70 Cultural Shift. A large, cohesive group moves to your home community, creating friction with the existing community. As a result, you’re exposed to a new culture and new challenges. Your DM may have some ideas on exactly who the new population is and why they arrived.
• 71—75 Under Siege. Attacks from organized raiders menace the community over a substantial period of time.
• 76—80 Climactic Battle. A significant monster or villain threatens the community and is eventually either destroyed or driven off.
• 81—85 All-Out War. An armed conflict engulfs your community. This can be a traditional war, a revolution, or an invasion by a monstrous host.
• 86—95 Community Crisis. This includes structural problems like earthquake, climate shifts, famine, and repeated waves of plague. 96—100 Religious Awakening. A new faith is created, a schism tears an existing faith apart, or a prophecy is announced, for example.
• 96-100 Religious Awakening. A new faith is created, a schism tears an existing faith apart, or a prophecy is announced, for example.

RELATIONSHIPS

Next we’ll turn our attention away from events and toward people. By populating your character’s world with interesting family, friends, and enemies, you make the world eem more real, and you give your DM all kinds of tools to make adventures more exciting. Perhaps your sister gets kidnapped. Or maybe your uncle is now the captain of the watch, and he’ll let you sneak into the tower if you can get a certain flower for his wife. Be Relatively Knowledgeable Throughout this section, you’ll be determining who the important people are in your character’s life. These tables provide only the very basics, but you can supply the rest. Here are some things you’ll want to decide about your character’s relatives:

• Alive or dead. And if a relative is deceased, how did happen? How old were you at the time?
• Gender. Your mother is obvious, but your youngest sibling isn’t.
• Occupation. Are your siblings old enough to work for a living? Have your parents retired?
• Location. Where do they live?

The answers to these questions are up to you, of course. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, try running your character’s relatives through some of the tables in this chapter, or sketch out your character’s family tree.

Table 19: Parents

Probably the most important basic relationship a character has is with his or her parents. If previous tables have told you about your parents, you may want to choose an entry on this table, rather than roll one.

Parent Status

• 01—55 Two Living Parents. Both are aliveand healthy.
• 56—65 One Living Parent. You choose which one is alive, and how the other one passed away.
• 66—70 Both Parents Dead. Again, you choose the circumstances.
• 71—80 One Ill. One parent has a long term illness or infirmity.
• 81—85 Both Ill. Both parents have a long term illness or infirmity.
• 86—95 Parents Lost or Unknown. You may learn more about them in a future adventure, of course.
• 96—100 Adoptive or Foster Parents. You can repeat this table to determine their status, if you like.

Table 20: Siblings

Second only to the parent/child relationship is the relationship between a child and siblings. This table determines how many brothers and sisters you have.

Siblings

• 01—25 No Siblings. You are an only child.
• 26—45 Oldest. You have 1d4 younger siblings.
• 46—75 Middle. You have 1d3 older siblings and 1d3 younger siblings.
• 76—95 Youngest. You have 1d4 older siblings.
• 96—100 Twin. You have a fraternal twin, identical twin, or two triplet siblings.

Table 21: Grandparents

Many humans have living grandparents. In the longer-lived races, grandparents or greatgrandparents are even more common. You should decide how many of your character’s elders are still a part of the character’s life.

Grandparents

• 01—20 No Grandparents. You remember them, but they have passed away.
• 21—30 Mother’s Parents Alive. Father’s parents are deceased.
• 31—40 Father’s Parents Alive. Mother’s parents are deceased.
• 41—60 One Grandparent on Each Side. You choose which ones.
• 61—70 Three Grandparents Alive. Again, you choose.
• 71—80 Great-Grandparent alive. At least one, maybe more. Make a note of how many and who they are. Roll again to check on your grandparents.
• 81—100 Grandparents unknown. They died before you were old enough to remember them.

Table 22: Extended Family

This table includes uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, links by marriage, links broken by marriage dissolution, etc. The tangle of familial relationships can be as detailed or as simple as you desire.

Extended Family

• 01—10 None. You have no living relatives beyond the ones you’ve already created.
• 11—20 No Known Relatives. You have other relatives out there somewhere, but you don’t know who or how many.
• 21—55 Few Living Relatives. You have 1d10 living relatives.
• 56—90 Many Living Relatives. You have 2d12 living relatives.
• 91—100 Huge Extended Family. You know dozens of relatives of various generations.

Table 23: Friends

These friends might actually be other heroes that your character will adventure with, or they may be NPCs for your DM to use for mood, setting, or plot. In any event, create as many or as few as you feel necessary, in as much detail as you wish.

Friends

• 01—15 No Friends. You are a loner by choice or circum stance.
• 16—30 Lost. A significant friend is dead or missing.
• 31—50 Few. You don’t make friends easily, but you’re a good friend to them. You have a few close friends.
• 51—80 Some. You have several friends who are companions or associates but who aren’t intimately close to you.
• 81—100 Many. You have light and pleasant relationships with many people but few if any significant ties.

Table 24: Enemies

Enemies, from local bullies to major villains, can shape your life as much as your more positive relationships. At the least, a good set of enemies provides your DM with an excellent foil for heroic adventures! This is another table you can roll on more than once, if you want.

Enemy

• 01—15 No Enemies. Yet....
• 16—25 Minor Childhood Enemy. Someone harbors a grudge or a prejudice against you but has no current basis for the antagonism.
• 26—30 Jilted Lover. You wronged someone in a matter of the heart.
• 31—35 Jilted Lover’s Friend or Relative. Someone harbors ill feelings for you due to your actions toward a loved one.
• 36—40 Romantic Rival. You edged someone out in some affair of the heart, and they hold a grudge.
• 41—50 Enemy of the Family. Your family has earned the enmity of a person, group, or opposing family.
• 51—55 The Enemy of My Friend Is My Enemy. One of your friends has an enemy, and now that person hates you, too.
• 56—60 Social Rival. You wronged someone (either actually or only in that person’s imagination) in a social or business context.
• 61—65 Villain. One or more local villains have chosen to direct their hatred toward you, perhaps because of some minor adventure you completed.
• 66—70 Monster. One or more local monsters view you as a threat, perhaps as a result of some minor encounter.
• 71—75 Alignment Enemy. A person of an opposed alignment has a philosophical beef with you.
• 76—80 Political Enemy. A noble, officer, or other high-ranking official looks on you with disfavor, maybe due to your lack of manners (real or perceived) or because you inadvertently spoiled the enemy’s secret plans.
• 81—85 Arcane Rival. A fellow apprentice or student of the arcane arts develops an intense dislike for you. Perhaps you were the instructor’s favorite….
• 86—90 Diabolic Enemy. A demon, devil, or other powerful outsider identifies you as a current or future threat.
• 91—95 Enemy Within. Someone in your family hates and fears you, either openly or secretly.
• 96—100 Imaginary Foe. You falsely believe that someone is out to get you.

Table 25: Instructors

Many people form strong bonds with teachers, mentors, superior officers, etc. For the purpose of this table, we’ll call them instructors. This relationship provides not only excellent basis for creating NPCs, but also suggests what your 1stlevel class might be. Once you’ve checked this table, make a note of your instructor’s name, location, etc.—and decide whether your instructor is still alive.

Instructor

• 01—15 No Instructors of Note. Either they were forgettable, or you taught yourself.
• 16—40 Basic. A particularly good instructor taught you the basic skills (choose alive or dead, note NPC details)
• 41—50 Advanced. A top-notch instructor taught you more advanced military, religious, or arcane techniques.
• 51—55 Angry. You have angered or otherwise alienated an instructor of note.
• 56—60 Vanished. The instructor who taught you everything you know has vanished.
• 61—65 Favor. A favorite instructor of note has requested an oath or service from you (describe the oath or service).
• 66—70 Unrelated. The person who taught you the most isn’t actually in your area of expertise.
• 71—80 Unrelated. The person who taught you the most isn’t actually in your area of expertise.
• 81—90 Lower Class. As above, but the instructor is much lower class than you are.
• 91—95 Other Race. Your favorite instructor of note is of a different race than you (choose one).
• 96—100 Exotic. The instructor of note is exotic (nonhumanoid, outsider, etc.)

Congratulations. You’re done!

Example: Lucinda The Half-Orc Paladin

Let’s suppose Jack wants a new 1st-level character for a campaign Dave is starting up. He decides on a half-orc, thinking it’d be a nice change of pace from the humans and halflings he usually plays. All the PCs will come from the same area, but since the DM hasn’t decided on the starting location yet, Jack skips Table 1 for now Rolling on Table 2g, he finds that his half orc grew up in a human dominated area—no surprise there. Rolling on Table 3, he discovers that his character is an orphan, so he skips over Tables 4 through 12 for now—some of this may prove important later on, but he wants his character to start the game without knowledge of them, a selfreliant solitary.
Checking Table 13, he finds his half-orc had a religious upbringing. Skimming over Tables 14 and 15, he toys briefly with the idea of a half orc cleric, a foundling brought up since childhood by a monastic order and trained to follow in their footsteps. How ever, on Table 16 he rolls 03, ‘survived childhood danger” and on Table 17 he rolls 90, “crime?’ Putting these together with the character’s orphanhood, Jack gets a new idea for the characters backstory. The childhood danger, he decides, is the same event that left her an orphan; the crime took place, but she was its victim, not the criminal. Since half-orcs have traditionally been viewed with distrust and suspicion in their campaigns, he decides his half-orc’s parents were adventurers killed by an angry mob. Only the child escaped, to be taken in by a kindly cleric who raised her in the ways of his faith. Thus her formal training (Table 14) is religious, but mindful of her parents fate, she is self trained in combat skills (Table 15). The pivotal event of her teen years (Table 18) was a religious awakening—in short, the discovery of her vocation as a paladin.
As things come together, Jack skims over the remaining tables He already knows that both her parents are dead, but he rolls anyway on Table 19 to discover if her mentor, the priest of Pelor who raised her, is still alive—the result being 67, he decides the old man died recently, freeing her for an adventuring career. Because the character may well have living relatives—an aunt or uncle, cousins, or even a grandparent or two (either fullhuman or full-orc), he tells the DM that discovering her relatives, if any, will be a long-term goal of the character but makes no rolls on Tables 20 through 22 at this time.
In keeping with his conception of the character, whom he names Lucinda (an unorclike name, signifying that this is a very unusual half-orc), as a solitary, he decides she has no friends (Table 23). Looking at Table 24, he also decides that she has no special enemy—she has not forgotten the mob that killed her family but no longer has contact with any of its members and has no wish to hunt them all down one by one. Instead of pursuing vengeance, her goal is to achieve justice by preventing a similar tragedy from befalling another.
With plenty of blank spots to be filled out as the character grows and plenty of adventure hooks for the DM and player to exploit, Jack now has a strong, dramatic personal history for his new character that defines her and enables him to judge how she will react in any number of situations. Lucinda is already much more than just a list of stats: her personality, motivation, and goals are clear right from the start.