Bartender (5e Background)

Bartender

From Darkest Dungeon

You stand by a lot of the most famous scenes in all of stories and fantasy. Your establishment is the gathering, the crux, of many an adventure, the beginning of many a quest, and the meetings of many fates. That's right, you are the bartender. People, drunk or not, have often ended up before you, asking for succor from their troubles. Sometimes they ask for something less alcoholic. Those who fall under the spell of the ale and meads you churn out spew their secrets like gushing fountains to any ears willing to listen, and yours are usually the closest. Sometimes you do some things on the side, like slipping poison into someone's glass, or just also taking the role of chef as well. If you are the owner of a bar, it's pretty hard work.

When making a character with the bartender background, think outside the occupational aspect and more towards the implications. Bartenders are not always able to hold their liquors, but they can have a heck of a connoisseurs smell and taste for them. After mixing cocktails for so long, you may have a signature brew even. Aside from drinks though, you may have heard many a drunken secret and witnessed several conflicts erupt in a scenery of merriment. Perhaps you are familiar with the fancier scotch clubs where nobles drivel on about politics. Or maybe you've kept your head down as resistance leaders in a greasy pub talked about inciting a rebellion.

Bartenders are a dime in a dozen in the wide world. So long as people desire release from their awful realities, bartenders have obliged in exchange for coin and then some. You can easily find work in many places so long as there is some bar. If not, you could very easily start a business slinging drinks. Often sitting in the backdrop, bartenders are potential fonts of knowledge and the most interesting gossip. In a way you could be like a barber, but people visit the pub more than they visit the barber.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose 2 from: Perception, Sleight of hand, Performance, Persuasion, or Insight

Tool Proficiencies: Cook's utensils or brewer's supplies

Languages: One language of your choice

Equipment: Cook's utensils, or brewer's Supplies, a set of common clothes and a belt pouch of 10 gp

Place of Employment

Where was the last place you worked? Which previous establishment was the most notable? It could very well have been a place you once owned as the barkeep. The atmosphere of the bar could possibly determine what things you have seen and heard throughout your career, as well as what company may be familiar with you.

d4	Bar Type
1	A scandalous place of drunken sailors and gossip of murder and nautical conspiracies.
2	An ill-reputed rats' nest where leaders of the local gangs and mafia congregated to conduct illegal business.
3	A high-end bar where people clinked crystal glasses of cocktails and spoke of the higher caste politics.
4	The layman's bar where common man came for a cold one after a long day at work.

Feature: The Bar's Shadow

Perhaps it is your utterly innocent presence, but you rarely need to hide from people to hear in on what they talk about. This is particularly true when you have all your working tools out to show you are a real bartender. The bartender image has been cultivated into you, that even very important conversations not meant for average ears can be spoken near you. Underworld lords and powerful figures feel no threat from speaking liberally near you, discussing plans and such over your concoctions.

Suggested Characteristics

As a bartender, you don't have to act like a bystander even if everyone treats you like their servant. Maybe you're a real people person, able to befriend any patron. Or are you perhaps a silent watcher, or even an unfriendly server.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I don't talk unless spoken to.
2	I tend to buy the drinks at the table.
3	I never forget the face of those I've served.
4	People tell me I have a big mouth..
5	My first question is usually money-related.
6	I serve and that's it. You couldn't pay me for lip service.
7	Physical contact makes me uncomfortable.
8	Patrons deserve my utmost respect.

d6	Ideal
1	Money. There is a lot of things money will give me. (Neutral)
2	Secrets. I just like to hear the deepest darkest secrets of others. (Chaotic)
3	Perfection. I am pursuing the quest for the greatest brew. (Any)
4	Chaos. I sow discord through my drinks. (Evil)
5	Listener. I'm here for those who need a shoulder to lean on. (Good)
6	Employment. This is just a job, really, to survive. (Neutral)

d6	Bond
1	I feel a familial bond with the bar busters, wenches, and maids.
2	The patrons are easily friends.
3	In an environment like a bar, you never know what a true man's colors are.
4	I am searching for one particular patron who I served years ago...
5	I work to pay off a debt.
6	My relationships are means to an end.

d6	Flaw
1	My only concern is how much I get paid.
2	My relationships are ephemeral.
3	I cannot trust anyone for real.
4	I am easily beguiled by what I hear.
5	I like to leave the hard work to others.
6	I can appear cold to problems of others.

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