Miner (5e Background)

Miner

Mining is dirty and dangerous, but it’s a job that must be done. You are one of these workers. Where was your first mine? What did you mine? Have you ever been in a workplace accident? Why did you leave?

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Investigation

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land) or mason's tools

Languages: Dwarvish

Equipment: A miner's pick, a shovel, mason's tools, a set of common clothes, a canary in a cage, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

Specialization

Not all mining sites are made equal. Consider where you found work most commonly in the past.

d6	Specialization
1	Quarry. You worked in an open-pit mine to extract rocks such as chalk, marble, limestone, clay, coal, slate or sandstone.
2	Blast. You used explosives (serpentine powder, or magic) to displace chunks in mountainsides or to create tunnels in hard rock.
3	Placer. You dredged streams using a pan, rocker box or a dredging boat. This method finds particles of gold, platinum, diamond or other precious metals and gems.
4	Shaft. You worked dangerous vertical shafts to mine deep veins of coal or ore. Access may have simple used a ladder and pulley, or a larger mine cage.
5	Drift. You worked tunnels that were cut horizontally into rock, following seams of coal or ore, supported by the use of mine carts.
6	Cavern. You explored natural caverns to extract crystals such as selenite, quartz, sulphur or halite.

Feature: Miner's Eye

You know the best ways to drain water out of shafts and tunnels, supporting weak tunnels, and process ores using cupellation. You can also find work and housing in most mountainous towns.

Suggested Characteristics

Due to the dangerous monotony of their every day lives, miners tend to be gruff realists.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I cheat at games of chance.
2	Sometimes I pretend to be uneducated to avoid uninteresting conversation.
3	I will always be ready to help my friends.
4	I believe it's better not to do something than to do it badly.
5	I am used to the dark
6	I am always looking for the next big break.
7	I am very quiet, and tend to fade into the background.
8	I am always covered in soot

d6	Ideal
1	charity. I came from a poor village. The proceeds from my work go towards making life better there. (good)
2	allies. I’m committed to my comrades, not to ideals. (Neutral)
3	honesty. There's no good pretending to be something I'm not. (Lawful)
4	safety There is no point in doing something if innocent lives are lost. (Good)
5	Brutal Practicality. Bury a fish or bury a man, just get the job done. (Evil)
6	enjoyment I love making things go boom! (Chaotic)

d6	Bond
1	Love is fleeting, rock and minerals last forever.
2	I share an empathy with every race and creature that digs and mines.
3	I want to make life better for miners.
4	I once found an artifact belonging to a lost civilization and want to learn more.
5	I love shiny things
6	One of my friends died in a mining accident, I will not let that happen again.

d6	Flaw
1	I can be clumsy, sometimes fumbling with complicated equipment.
2	I am afraid of wild beasts.
3	I panic in large cities and usually try to avoid them.
4	My inexperience with local customs and traditions often gets me into trouble.
5	I like the thrill of danger so much that I live life recklessly.
6	I can be lazy and sleepy, sneaking off to take naps when work can wait.

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