"I likely won't see you again. Remember kid, life wasn't made for folks like us, and it won't give anything back that it takes, so you shouldn't either. Kick life in the teeth and grab its coin, run, never look back."

-Captain of the Northern Hammer, Ricky 'Longtooth'

Criminal Upbringing

Criminals are anyone that the powers that be recognize as unlawful deviants - pirates, raiders, highwaymen, thieves, robbers, hitmen, pickpockets, dealers, fences, crime bosses, and smugglers. They are not merely people that have committed crimes, but rather, a group of people whose occupation and skill set is itself a criminal endeavor. The life of a criminal is one of gold, blood, and living by the edge of a blade.

          Those brought up into a criminal life tend to have a hard childhood. Often, these are the children of life-long criminals, or at times, orphans that have been taken in by criminal syndicates. It is a life where childhood ends quickly - innocence and play are allowed very little space to breathe, and these children often become pulled into criminal machinations. Those brought up in this life see violence and chaos from a very young age, and this can often leave life-long trauma. Furthermore, one brought up in this life can bear the burdens of it much later on - once one is thrown down in the criminal sewers of the world, escaping them can be difficult even for upstanding souls.

          Characters from a Criminal Upbringing will have a Skeleton Key on their person to begin with, a token leftover from their time in the criminal underworld growing up. This skeleton key can be used to attempt opening any mundane lock that opens with a key. When using, roll a d6, and on a 6, it means the key successfully opens the door. On a 1, roll again: on a second 1, the key becomes jammed in the door and is stuck and damaged, and may no longer be used.

If you choose the Criminal Upbringing, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Dexterity score or a +1 to your Constitution score~

~A -1 to your Wisdom score~

~A language of your choice, one taught to you by a parent, guardian, or mentor from your upbringing~

~A Sub-Discipline in every social skill on checks dealing with other members of Criminal Upbringing~

~A Skeleton Key which can be used to open mundane locks~

Back to Upbringing

Back to Expanded Backgrounds

Back to Adra - 3rd Era World Guide