Nomads are people which have no single place to call home. Many travel with an entire community and carry with them rich cultures, but some travel in much smaller groups or alone. Nomads are seldom fully welcomed by larger, more static societies, which view them as outsiders and fear their otherness. But tinkers, itinerant healers, and theatre troupes are seldom turned away.
Ability Scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution
Feat: Unknown Wizard
Skill Proficiencies: Riding, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Cartographer's Tools.
Equipment Choose A or B: (A) A set of expensive travelling clothes including a cloak, a staff, and a belt pouch containing 5 gp, or (B) 50 gp
Nomadic Type
Unconnected as you are to any greater society, you survive by alternative means. Your lifestyle is characterized by your activities, which determines a second proficiency provided by this background. Below are examples; you may work with your DM to create a different nomadic type as needed.
| d10 | Type |
|---|
| 1 | Pastoralist (Animal Handling) |
| 2 | Hunter-gatherer (Survival) |
| 3 | Performer (Performance) |
| 4 | Healer (Medicine) |
| 5 | Raider (Athletics) |
| 6 | Craftsman (Expert Craftsman*) |
| 7 | Con Artist (Deception) |
| 8 | Merchant (Persuasion) |
| 9 | Prophet (Religion) |
| 10 | Chronicler (History) |
*An expert craftsman chooses one type of artisan's tools. You gain proficiency with those tools and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check that uses those tools.
Suggested Characteristics
Nomads are continually at the outside of larger society, which separates them from many conventional social norms and customs.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|
| 1 | I am slow to trust people that are not members of my social group. |
| 2 | I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. High-minded values and ideas teach you nothing about the world as it is. |
| 3 | I'm full of witty aphorisms and have a proverb for every occasion. |
| 4 | I travel incessantly because no place could bear to keep me for very long. |
| 5 | I never feel satisfied in one place for long, and I quickly feel the need to move on. |
| 6 | I don't mind fleecing someone if they don't know the true price of what they seek. |
| 7 | I feel that I must share my gifts with all places in the world, not just one land or kingdom. |
| 8 | I enjoy travelling to new lands and making new friends over a flagon of ale. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|
| 1 | Tradition. The long standing traditions of my people must be honored and upheld. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Community. We have to take care of each other, because no one else is going to do it. (Good) |
| 3 | Creativity. The world is in need of new ideas and bold action. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Loyalty. I do not give my word of friendship easily, but when I do it is for life. (Any) |
| 5 | Live and Let Live. Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Retribution. Those that have wronged me in the past will suffer in the way that I have suffered. (Evil) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|
| 1 | I would do anything for the members of my nomadic community. |
| 2 | I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it. |
| 3 | I will bring down terrible wrath on the evildoers who destroyed my family. |
| 4 | I am on the run from a greater power than myself, and if I stop moving then they might find me. |
| 5 | I have been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question. |
| 6 | No one else should have to endure the hardships I've been through. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|
| 1 | I'll never fully trust anyone other than myself. |
| 2 | I turn tail when things look bad. |
| 3 | If there's a plan, I'll forget it. If I don't forget it, I'll ignore it. |
| 4 | I believe that my profession is the most important craft to pursue, above all other ideals. |
| 5 | I disdain the laws of other societies, and I have no compunctions against breaking them at a whim. |
| 6 | I am deeply mistrustful of the members and customs of other societies. |