# Background; I became... *Source: Xanathar's Guide to Everything p. 64* **Acolyte** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^acolyte)` | dice: d6 | I became an acolyte because... | |----------|--------------------------------| | 1 | I ran away from home at an early age and found refuge in a temple. | | 2 | My family gave me to a temple, since they were unable or unwilling to care for me. | | 3 | I grew up in a household with strong religious convictions. Entering the service of one or more gods seemed natural. | | 4 | An impassioned sermon struck a chord deep in my soul and moved me to serve the faith. | | 5 | I followed a childhood friend, a respected acquaintance, or someone I loved into religious service. | | 6 | After encountering a true servant of the gods, I was so inspired that I immediately entered the service of a religious group. | ^acolyte **Charlatan** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^charlatan)` | dice: d6 | I became a charlatan because... | |----------|---------------------------------| | 1 | I was left to my own devices, and my knack for manipulating others helped me survive. | | 2 | I learned early on that people are gullible and easy to exploit. | | 3 | I often got in trouble, but I managed to talk my way out of it every time. | | 4 | I took up with a confidence artist, from whom I learned my craft. | | 5 | After a charlatan fleeced my family, I decided to learn the trade so I would never be fooled by such deception again. | | 6 | I was poor or I feared becoming poor, so I learned the tricks I needed to keep myself out of poverty. | ^charlatan **Criminal** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^criminal)` | dice: d6 | I became a criminal because... | |----------|--------------------------------| | 1 | I resented authority in my younger days and saw a life of crime as the best way to fight against tyranny and oppression. | | 2 | Necessity forced me to take up the life, since it was the only way I could survive. | | 3 | I fell in with a gang of reprobates and ne'er-do-wells, and I learned my specialty from them. | | 4 | A parent or relative taught me my criminal specialty to prepare me for the family business. | | 5 | I left home and found a place in a thieves' guild or some other criminal organization. | | 6 | I was always bored, so I turned to crime to pass the time and discovered I was quite good at it. | ^criminal **Entertainer** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^entertainer)` | dice: d6 | I became an entertainer because... | |----------|------------------------------------| | 1 | Members of my family made ends meet by performing, so it was fitting for me to follow their example. | | 2 | I always had a keen insight into other people, enough so that I could make them laugh or cry with my stories or songs. | | 3 | I ran away from home to follow a minstrel troupe. | | 4 | I saw a bard perform once, and I knew from that moment on what I was born to do. | | 5 | I earned coin by performing on street corners and eventually made a name for myself. | | 6 | A traveling entertainer took me in and taught me the trade. | ^entertainer **Folk Hero** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^folk-hero)` | dice: d6 | I became a folk hero because... | |----------|---------------------------------| | 1 | I learned what was right and wrong from my family. | | 2 | I was always enamored by tales of heroes and wished I could be something more than ordinary. | | 3 | I hated my mundane life, so when it was time for someone to step up and do the right thing, I took my chance. | | 4 | A parent or one of my relatives was an adventurer, and I was inspired by that person's courage. | | 5 | A mad old hermit spoke a prophecy when I was born, saying that I would accomplish great things. | | 6 | I have always stood up for those who are weaker than I am. | ^folk-hero **Guild Artisan** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^guild-artisan)` | dice: d6 | I became a guild artisan because... | |----------|-------------------------------------| | 1 | I was apprenticed to a master who taught me the guild's business. | | 2 | I helped a guild artisan keep a secret or complete a task, and in return I was taken on as an apprentice. | | 3 | One of my family members who belonged to the guild made a place for me. | | 4 | I was always good with my hands, so I took the opportunity to learn a trade. | | 5 | I wanted to get away from my home situation and start a new life. | | 6 | I learned the essentials of my craft from a mentor but had to join the guild to finish my training. | ^guild-artisan **Hermit** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^hermit)` | dice: d6 | I became a hermit because... | |----------|------------------------------| | 1 | My enemies ruined my reputation, and I fled to the wilds to avoid further disparagement. | | 2 | I am comfortable with being isolated, as I seek inner peace. | | 3 | I never liked the people I called my friends, so it was easy for me to strike out on my own. | | 4 | I felt compelled to forsake my past, but did so with great reluctance, and sometimes I regret making that decision. | | 5 | I lost everything-my home, my family, my friends. Going it alone was all I could do. | | 6 | Society's decadence disgusted me, so I decided to leave it behind. | ^hermit **Noble** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^noble)` | dice: d6 | I became a noble because... | |----------|-----------------------------| | 1 | I come from an old and storied family, and it fell to me to preserve the family name. | | 2 | My family has been disgraced, and I intend to clear our name. | | 3 | My family recently came by its title, and that elevation thrust us into a new and strange world. | | 4 | My family has a title, but none of my ancestors have distinguished themselves since we gained it. | | 5 | My family is filled with remarkable people. I hope to live up to their example. | | 6 | I hope to increase my family's power and influence. | ^noble **Outlander** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^outlander)` | dice: d6 | I became an outlander because... | |----------|----------------------------------| | 1 | I spent a lot of time in the wilderness as a youngster, and I came to love that way of life. | | 2 | From a young age, I couldn't abide the stink of the cities and preferred to spend my time in nature. | | 3 | I came to understand the darkness that lurks in the wilds, and I vowed to combat it. | | 4 | My people lived on the edges of civilization, and I learned the methods of survival from my family. | | 5 | After a tragedy I retreated to the wilderness, leaving my old life behind. | | 6 | My family moved away from civilization, and I learned to adapt to my new environment. | ^outlander **Sage** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^sage)` | dice: d6 | I became a sage because... | |----------|----------------------------| | 1 | I was naturally curious, so I packed up and went to a university to learn more about the world. | | 2 | My mentor's teachings opened my mind to new possibilities in that field of study. | | 3 | I was always an avid reader, and I learned much about my favorite topic on my own. | | 4 | I discovered an old library and pored over the texts I found there. That experience awakened a hunger for more knowledge. | | 5 | I impressed a wizard who told me I was squandering my talents and should seek out an education to take advantage of my gifts. | | 6 | One of my parents or a relative gave me a basic education that whetted my appetite, and I left home to build on what I had learned. | ^sage **Sailor** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^sailor)` | dice: d6 | I became a sailor because... | |----------|------------------------------| | 1 | I was press-ganged by pirates and forced to serve on their ship until I finally escaped. | | 2 | I wanted to see the world, so I signed on as a deck-hand for a merchant ship. | | 3 | One of my relatives was a sailor who took me to sea. | | 4 | I needed to escape my community quickly, so I stowed away on a ship. When the crew found me, I was forced to work for my passage. | | 5 | Reavers attacked my community, so I found refuge on a ship until I could seek vengeance. | | 6 | I had few prospects where I was living, so I left to find my fortune elsewhere. | ^sailor **Soldier** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^soldier)` | dice: d6 | I became a soldier because... | |----------|-------------------------------| | 1 | I joined the militia to help protect my community from monsters. | | 2 | A relative of mine was a soldier, and I wanted to carry on the family tradition. | | 3 | The local lord forced me to enlist in the army. | | 4 | War ravaged my homeland while I was growing up. Fighting was the only life I ever knew. | | 5 | I wanted fame and fortune, so I joined a mercenary company, selling my sword to the highest bidder. | | 6 | Invaders attacked my homeland. It was my duty to take up arms in defense of my people. | ^soldier **Urchin** `dice: [](background-i-became.md#^urchin)` | dice: d6 | I became an urchin because... | |----------|-------------------------------| | 1 | Wanderlust caused me to leave my family to see the world. I look after myself. | | 2 | I ran away from a bad situation at home and made my own way in the world. | | 3 | Monsters wiped out my village, and I was the sole survivor. I had to find a way to survive. | | 4 | A notorious thief looked after me and other orphans, and we spied and stole to earn our keep. | | 5 | One day I woke up on the streets, alone and hungry, with no memory of my early childhood. | | 6 | My parents died, leaving no one to look after me. I raised myself. | ^urchin