Savage Land (5e Background)

Savage Land

The world and nature within it is a place of survival of the fittest. The best skills here are tested to their limit, and the strongest rise to the top, followed by the adaptable and the cunning. Savagery is to be expected, and words will earn few favors. You come from such a place. Unlike an outlander, who may dwell in more favorable circumstances, you come from a land so demanding that it would be folly to live alone, lest one has a death wish. Many people flock together to form clans of nomads or, if they were unscrupulous, bandits in order to survive. Within your clan, you have grown up in the harshest of locations and learned true survival.

When making a character of this background, consider your character's growth and place in their clan and the relation to the land. Many groups within the savage land are dedicated to strength to overwhelm opponents to their whim. Fighting for resources is common, and this is where the "savage" part becomes particularly brutal. However, not all who live in such unforgiving environments become barbarians. Some forge relations with others, however tenuous, to build cooperation and share resources for the betterment of both people. While rare, these more peaceful groups do exist. What sort of people do you come from? Why did you eventually leave them?

Savage lands are described by a myriad of factors. What is most important about all of them is the utter scarcity. You may come from a scorched land where predators better equipped than you prowl the land, or a place so cold that agriculture cannot hope to flourish. Due to these factors, those who hail from such lands have to be extremely smart about their resources, and be able to squeeze more from less. Most who come from savage lands are known to be frugal, and that is the reason.

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: One set of artisan’s tools and a musical instrument of your choice

Equipment: A small knife, a talisman or token of strength from your clan, a musical instrument, a tinderbox, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

Savage Origin

You came from a place which could be described as inhumane, almost like a prison made of nature, and you survived.

d6	Origin Land
1	I came from a place of blustering winds that blew away all topsoil.
2	My homeland was one of frigid temperatures, year round.
3	Fires commonly ravaged my people's home.
4	I originate from a place of sand and scorching sunlight.
5	My childhood consisted of crags and barren stone.
6	Floods commonly devastated where I used to live.

Feature: Survivor's Frugality

You know how to stretch things really well and make them last. Doing so makes you resourceful and can provide surprising results to others. For every level of lifestyle, you can stretch it to double the duration of the next lower lifestyle. For example, a modest lifestyle is 1 gp/day, and a poor lifestyle is 2sp/day. So so one modest lifestyle day is worth 5 poor ones. You can extend your resources to make the same amount of value go as far as 10 poor days.

Suggested Characteristics

The people of the Savage Land retain a mystical link to their homeland, even when they travel beyond its borders. Infused with a love of danger, they often show bravery and fierce determination no matter the odds. At the same time, they understand that—sooner rather than later—the spirit of the homeland will hunt them and kill them.

d4	Personality Trait
1	I do not seek death, but I do not flee its embrace.
2	I dislike spending time in civilization; it weakens me and dampens my instincts.
3	Possessions and wealth are temptations luring you to an unmarked grave.
4	Life tastes sweetest when something tries to kill me.

d4	Ideal
1	Might. Only the strongest deserve to live. (Evil)
2	Wanderlust. I go where I want to, when I want to. (Chaotic)
3	The Land. The spirit of the land guides my actions, even as it tests me. (Neutral)
4	Hunter. When I see my prey, it’s as good as dead.(Neutral)

d4	Bond
1	My family, by choice or by blood, are all I have left. I will not fail them.
2	The thrill of danger is more addictive than any civilized vice.
3	My clan banished me, and now I must earn my way back.
4	I collect songs, stories, and folklore to bring back to my people.

d4	Flaw
1	I live every day as if it were my last, and to hell with the consequences!
2	My kindness to strangers makes me an easy mark.
3	My entire village perished thanks to my cowardice.
4	I dislike trusting gods or their priests.

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