Zaunite (5e Background)

This page may resemble content endorsed by, sponsored by, and/or affiliated with the League of Legends franchise, and/or include content directly affiliated with and/or owned by Riot Games. D&D Wiki neither claims nor implies any rights to League of Legends copyrights, trademarks, or logos, nor any owned by Riot Games. This site is for non profit use only. Furthermore, the following content is a derivative work that falls under, and the use of which is protected by, the Fair Use designation of US Copyright and Trademark Law. We ask you to please add the {{needsadmin}} template if there is a violation to this disclaimer within this page.

Zaunite

Crest of the City of Iron and Glass

You hail from the smoggy canyons and valleys that compose the Sunken City of Zaun. Despite the toxic runoff and wanton technological development and debauchery, people survive here, as have you. You have walked the dark and narrow ways to deal in the newest chemical highs. The fumes from the broken pipes have filled your lungs your whole life. Despite the eternal smoggy twilight, Zaun sports a vibrant culture that coexists with the wealthy Piltover, the overcity. The two exchange technological prowess through dark and illegal channels, further fueling unfettered developments of Zaun. Dangerous research and willing particpants take place behind closed doors of the so-called slums. Piltover's undesirables are tossed into Zaun, including chemical waste. Yet, this shows no sign of slowing any zaunite down.

As a resident of Zaun, you probably have a really hardy body that is long accustomed to poisons, drugs, and all sorts of insidious chemicals that have accumulated throughout the city's polluted lifespan. But, most importantly, you have spent your lifetime around the dark side of technology. Even if it is passive exposure, you know about technology and its various possible illegal uses from what the city has offered. Chemtech, hextech, and various mechanical augments have exchanged hands in the black markets of Zaun. Perhaps you know of them, and have partaken of their activities yourself. After all, this sort of business is one of the only ways to make a living under the sky of Zaun Gray.

When making a character of this background, consider how they subsist in Zaun. Do you deal with illegal chemtech, maybe funneling it to the stupid, stuck-up pilties above? Perhaps you do grotesque research. This could have gotten you expelled from the echelons above, but that sort of depravity is commonplace down here. Maybe you were a victim of such research yourself, and lost your previous life to wanton "progress." There are more normal lives here that remain twisted nonetheless. Many a crafter of chemtech, or even underground hextech, will find themselves exploited by wealthy Piltover elite for their brains. Scrambling for survival, the resilient zaunites are the hardiest bunch.

Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Investigation

Tool Proficiencies: Artificer's Tools

Languages: Thieves Cant

Equipment: A set of traveler's clothes, a zaunite designed trinket, and a belt pouch with 15 gp.

Specialization: Zaun's Dark Side

All zaunites, one way or another, deal with something illicit in the city. There's simply very little room for people to survive in any other way in the polluted city. There are law enforcement agents, but even they are viable to be corrupted and as lawless as the criminals they pursue. So, what did you do to make ends meet and keep your belly fed?

d8	Specialization
1	Tech Thief. You steal valuables and sell them off to the highest bidder.
2	Black Marketeer. You exchange illegal goods and substances through dark alleyways and secretive hands.
3	Mad Scientist. A good deal of Piltover's worst and most vindictive minds are exiled to Zaun to act out their darkest experiments.
4	Dark Engineer. Some people find the legalities of scientific development irrelevant. They develop dangerous and unstable creations in Zaun.
5	Experiment. "Those who should not be" are poor souls who have been erased in the city's dark dealings, becoming faceless vagabonds of the city.
6	Material Hunter. People often scour Zaun to get materials, even kidnapping them if necessary, and provide them to the mad inventors who conduct the horrid tests.
7	Crooked Cop. There are wardens of Zaun that try to keep the peace. But the city's taint has a tight grip on them. Many survive off bribes rather than a salary.
8	Pandemonium. Those twisted beyond repair by the darkness of the city become legendary loose cannons. They strike fear into the hearts of many and laugh in the face of the law, doing as they please and wreaking havoc as they go.

Feature: Sunken City Spawn

You know the secret patterns and flow to the Sunken City like the back of your hand. You can find passages through the undercity sprawl and dark alleys that outsiders know nothing of, along with safe spots and havens from prying eyes. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.

Alternate Feature: Shadow Contacts

You have a reliable and trustworthy connection to the underworld dealings of Zaun. You know the secret signage, language quirks, and common rendezvous points where the illicit dealings occur. This can be an area of the black market, a collective of illicit experimenters, or other shady sorts of Zaun.

Suggested Characteristics

While the city of Zaun seems like one without hope, there are plenty of industrious, resilient individuals who keep the city alive, Zaun and Piltover both. People of Zaun create a lot of rich technology that benefits Piltover, with few of their own impoverished population seeing the fruits of their labor. This sort of injustice is liable to twist any heart towards illegality.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I can always be found tinkering with something.
2	I don't like to talk a lot. I prefer to act.
3	I always have a curious thought in my head.
4	I hate to throw anything away. It could be useful later!
5	I like to observe everything closely and learn before I act.
6	I prefer to do things my way, no matter what anyone says.
7	Violence, I find, is the fastest solution to any problem.
8	I like to be optimistic about even bad situations.

d6	Ideal
1	Restoration. I want to bring Zaun to the forefront and show it to be the city of ingenuity it can be! (Good)
2	Scavenger. It would be foolish to try and change this city. All that matters is I have food on the table. (Chaotic)
3	Knowledge. There are secrets that cannot be discovered without the lawlessness possible here. I will know everything. (Neutral)
4	Order. There remains a hierarchy, which must be enforced so that we do not undermine the law, even in this stinking hole. (Lawful)
5	Profit. Money is king here, where we can't do a thing without fighting like dogs. And I plan to be top dog. (Neutral)
6	Chaos. There are no rules here or anywhere! (Chaotic)

d6	Bond
1	I have a family in the city that need me.
2	I always held a flame for someone in Piltover, despite our differences.
3	The crime family is all I got. We watch over each other.
4	People only let us down. The only one I can rely on is myself.
5	The city's ways took my family from me.
6	I despise the overcity for exploiting us.

d6	Flaw
1	I fail to think about anyone but myself.
2	I never think before I leap.
3	My pursuit is all that matters. Emotions and morals are irrelevant.
4	I have developed an addiction to hurting others.
5	I will do just about anything underhanded for money.
6	I have no guts to do things myself.

5.00

(one vote)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Backgrounds