Sewer Dweller (5e Background)

Sewer Dweller

Sewers get a bad rep. They're meant to keep the city clean, aren't they? For as long as you can remember, you've called the complex system of tunnels and pipes hiding below the ground your home. Sure, it may have taken a while to get used to the smell and the harsh environment, but you've made your mark here. Scavenging for food and knick-knacks is easy, and you can't count the number of times you've had to get yourself out of particularly sticky situations. Regardless of what the above-grounders may think, you've grown proud of your habitation. What brought you here? Why choose to leave now?

Skill Proficiencies: Survival and one of the following: Stealth, Athletics, or Perception

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (water).

Languages: You know Undercommon.

Equipment: A handmade map of your home sewers, a set of common clothes, a hooded lantern, a bar of soap, a trinket you found abandoned in the tunnels, and a pouch containing 10 gp.

Life in the Tunnels

What brought you to life among the sewage? Before you came above ground to go on your great adventure, something kept you below, in the dark and the dank. Whether or not it was of your own volition, the sewers were your home for a long time. You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your underground life. You can also choose from the table below or roll randomly.

d6	Life in the Tunnels
1	Following Tradition: Your people live in the sewers naturally, and have lived there for ages.
2	Running Away: You were escaping responsibility above ground, and figured that the sewers would the best hiding place.
3	City Worker: It was your job to work in and clean up the sewers, enough so that you began to feel at home among the waste.
4	Exiled: You didn't necessarily want to be left in the acrid sewers, but you had to remain there as a punishment.
5	Lost: It's quite simple; one day, you fell in and never managed to make your way back out!
6	Just Having a Good Time: The sewers are chock-full of abandoned trinkets, rare bugs and fish, and stunning graffiti. Why wouldn't you want to stay there?

Feature: Navigational Mind

Sewers are complex networks, and it's easy to lose your way. Not for you, though--you had to learn pretty quickly how to maneuver the labyrinthine tunnel systems, and now understand them better than any above-grounder could hope for. When traveling, you know exactly which paths you've already taken and can prevent your party from going around in circles, and never have to worry about having one of those "Wait, did they say left or right?" moments. In addition, if your party needs a quick and secret escape route, you can sneak them into the sewers and find a way out when necessary.

Alternate Feature: Indifferent to the Icky

It's no secret that the sewers are a nasty place for new visitors. Beyond being full of waste, very little fresh air gets in, and any smells are trapped for days. But you know that already! After years of being surrounded by stench, you've developed a resistance, and are relatively unaffected by even the foulest of smells. Almost any traditionally gross thing that people can think of, you've probably seen something worse.

Suggested Characteristics

Sewer dwellers are used to life underground and rarely leave their homes, if at all. Living below the surface shapes how one sees the world, and affects how they interact with other people, regardless of whether or not the other people share their lifestyle. Whatever was keeping them down there for so long is likely to stick with them long after they leave.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I'm always looking around for lost items to add to my stash.
2	I will always defend the lower aspects of life, especially when people look down upon them.
3	Being above ground is mesmerizing, and I'm entranced by all the things I see.
4	I don't ask for much; I'm used to having whatever's left behind instead of the nicer things.
5	I'm more comfortable in dark, cool environments than bright and sunny ones.
6	I'm not disturbed by traditionally gross things, and can stomach most of what others find repulsive.
7	I love sharing personal anecdotes of interesting things that happened to me in my time below ground.
8	I'm not exactly book smart, but I'm definitely street smart--or should I say sewer smart?

d6	Ideal
1	Helpfulness. Not everyone is as used to the sewers as I am, and it's my job to help them find their way. (Good)
2	Anger. The above-grounders have had it far too good for far too long, and deserve to feel what it's like among the scum. (Evil)
3	Satisfaction. I don't need anything more than the sewers, this life is more than enough for me. (Neutral)
4	Aspiration. Leaving these sewers is the only way for me to forge myself a better life. (Any)
5	Adaptation. You never know what's going to happen or what you're going to find in these tunnels, so you may as well go with the flow. (Chaotic)
6	Nature. Even sewers have their own vibrant ecosystem, and I respect the plant and animal life cultivating there. (Lawful)

d6	Bond
1	No matter where I find myself in my travels, the sewers will always be my true home.
2	I keep every abandoned trinket I come across and come up with stories for how it came into the tunnels.
3	I've met a lot of interesting characters below ground, and I'm fond of all the faces I've come across.
4	The plant and fish life in the sewers is beautiful, and I would do anything to protect their natural balance.
5	Despite staying underground for so long, there is someone or something on the surface I hold dear to my heart.
6	I could leave this city any time I wanted, but I love it too much to abandon it.

d6	Flaw
1	I don't care when I smell bad or am covered in waste, and I just expect everyone else to get used to it.
2	When I find something interesting in the water, I refuse to find the owner and return it.
3	I don't trust people who don't come from my home sewer or other underground systems.
4	I'm too afraid to return to the surface, because I don't remember what it's like.
5	I'm ashamed to admit that I prefer the filth of the sewers to cleaner environments.
6	I abandoned my old life to live underground, and don't plan on returning anytime soon.

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(0 votes)

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