Two medieval backgrounds for Markwald

My previous post proposed (mostly) disassociating stat modifiers with race, and linking them (more tightly) with background. To that end, I presented a list of backgrounds I use in the Markwald campaign I just kicked off and the stat adjustments that would accompany each one. Two of the backgrounds I referenced do not appear in any official WotC publications, or in the Players' Guide to Lukomorye (my other project), so I present them here.

The first - Plague Doctor, is a background I designed shortly after the appearance of 5e rules, but in the last year, it has suddenly become highly topical (for obvious reasons). Of the new party of six in the Markwald campaign, there are two plague doctors, so it's a variant that should attract wide player interest.

The second - the Augur - seemed like an interesting background with good role-playing potential for a medieval setting. It's not exactly "new", and I am highly cognizant of the recent controversy concerning the Vistani in the Ravenloft setting - one that gives a designer a certain amount of pause. But I thought it was worth a try, especially since, as I have pointed out elsewhere, Ravenloft has far deeper problems with perpetuating racial and political stereotypes that simply its take on the Romani people, but that people will continue to play and enjoy the setting anyway.

So with this in mind...

Plague Doctor Background

You received some training as a physician, but were thrust into the front lines of fighting a deadly plague epidemic that struck at your city with some regularity. Every day, you went forth to do battle against the pox, armed with your scalpel, your leeches, and your caduceus, and protected by your full-length dark robe, brimmed hat, and a waxed mask with glass eyes and a beak containing spices that is supposed to serve as a filter against the “bad air” generated by the disease. As you were employed by your city, you had to take an oath of service that required you to follow a physician’s code, and you had to treat everyone – the rich as well as the poor. But you also had to learn how to navigate the city’s bureaucracy, how to stay (relatively) safe and sane, and how to make sure you got paid. Since you knew the majority of your patients were going to die regardless of what you do, you and your fellow plague doctors developed a unique outlook on life that combined self-interest, altruism, fatalism, and a quaint egalitarianism born of the fact that the plague recognized no social distinctions.

Optional: Background Ability Modifiers: +1 CON, +1 INT

Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Nature 

Tool Proficiencies: Chirurgeon’s tools 

Equipment: A set chirurgeon’s tools, a plague doctor’s leather outfit (including mask), a vial of live leeches (or frogs), a caduceus (usable as a spell focus), and a pouch containing 10 gp.

Feature: The Grim Reaper’s Herald

 If you are sighted on the streets of a city dressed in your plague doctor’s regalia, people are likely to assume the worst. You may be able to clear the streets, and perhaps to enter restricted places if you make a believable claim you are there to treat a plague victim. You are also one of the few people who can legally handle corpses and perform autopsies.

d8 Personality Trait 

1. You take your work and oath seriously, and would like to be treated as an authoritative professional
2. You know that your profession is a mere fraud, and this colors your outlook on life in general 
3. You are not above lifting a few valuables here and there – their owners are probably not long for this world, and won’t need them anyway 
4. You use your position to befriend rich people you treat – it might come in handy 
5. You know a few secrets and scandals involving your city’s administration 
6. Your patients have an unusually high healing rate (and you’re not sure why) 
7. You believe yourself invulnerable to the Plague, and other things as well 
8. You think you have insight into the meaning of the Plague, and invent various apocalyptic theories on this score 

 d6 Ideal 

1. Bon Vivant. Enjoy yourself – it’s later than you think (Chaotic) 
2. Salvation. I work to save people, and by doing so, perhaps make myself worthy of being saved as well. (Good) 
3. Rules. If you don’t follow proper protocol, things would be even worse (Lawful) 
4. Judgment. I have the power to decide who lives and dies – as I should (Evil) 
5. Fate. We have no control over the forces that govern life and death (but we might glimpse signs of Destiny if we look) (Neutral) 
6. Aspiration. I work hard to make a difference (and a name for myself) (Any) 

 d6 Bond 

1. I have lost my whole family to the plague, and don’t know why I was spared 
2. I saved the life of a patient with very little influence, and this person now follows me around and showers me with attention 
3. I have recently learned of a miraculous cure (but it is hard to get) 
4. I don’t like it when the powerful put on airs – the great and the lowly stand equal before Death 
5. My master had high expectations for me as a physician, but in becoming a mere plague doctor, I have failed him 
6. If you want to get results, take your oath seriously, and do everything by the book 

 d6 Flaw 

1. Sometimes it is better to put people out of their misery 
2. I have a compulsion to use my position to enrich myself and my family 
3. I have become a thrill seeker, and like to tempt Death 
4. There are definitely scapegoats to blame for the Plague and other things going wrong 
5. I’m jealous of others’ skill and accomplishments, and look for ways to make them mine 
6. I dabble in divination, perhaps a little too much

Augur Background

You belong to a nomadic nation that has recently arrived from the East. Your people are usually on the move from town to town, moving about in carts or wagons, and occasionally, setting up an encampment known as a tabor. Belonging to the nation is a question of possessing the ‘augur spirit’ which is made manifest in following Augur customs – purity laws, respect for elders, and the worship of the Godhead through the feminine principle. Those who violate these customs or demonstrate no capacity to live in accordance to them are regarded as gadjo – outsiders; having two Augur parents is no guarantee of membership. Conversely, outsiders may be easily integrated into a group if they are regarded as having an Augur spirit. 

 Most people belonging to settled society are gadjo, and they regard the Augurs with a mixture of disgust and wonderment. They are perceived as godless, larcenous, and libertine, but at the same time, many gadjo secretly admire the freedom that accompanies the itinerant Augur lifestyle, enjoy Augur musical performance, dance, and outfits (especially at weddings and fairs), and consult Augur fortunetellers (hence, the origin of the group’s designation for outsiders). Not infrequently, the Augurs’ distinct lifestyle serves as a pretext for scapegoating: they are blamed for a variety of sins, from child theft to spreading the Plague, and expelled from towns, or sometimes murdered. They also have a reputation for pronouncing frightful curses against anyone they don’t like. 

The Augurs speak a distinct language called Val, which is made up of many loan words picked up from people they have encountered on their travels. They are encouraged to display their talents – whether musical, magical, or martial – freely, to the outside world, if they truly possess them. Some Augurs find the tight social regulation within their bands, or heavy-handed rule by self-styled Augur ‘barons’ or ‘kings’ onerous, and they break away to seek their own way in the world.

Optional: Background Ability Modifiers: +1 DEX, +1 CHA

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Performance 

Language Proficiencies: Val, plus an extra language of your choice 

Tool Proficiencies: Gaming Set or Musical Instrument (choose) 

Equipment: Travelers’ clothes, travel bag, bedroll, mess kit, a charm (roll on the Trinkets table), and a belt pouch containing 10 g.p.

Feature: Tabor Refuge 

You are aware of the names and rough locations of various Augur bands, and can solicit hospitality for you and your companions as long as you have not been branded a gadjo. You will also be sheltered by them if you have fallen afoul of local magnates or officials.

d8 Personality Trait 

1. I have no compunction about lying to a gadjo 
2. I meticulously follow all Augur customs and purity laws 
3. Wherever I am, I always take note of all valuables, as well as exits 
4. I am drawn to the open road, and don’t like staying in the same place for too long 
5. I spout off people’s fortunes off the top of my head (whether I have any real talent for fortunetelling or not) 
6.  I never forgive a slight – anyone disrespecting me will pay, sooner or later 
7. I have one or more superstitions and objects or rituals I use to ward off bad luck 
8. When I want something (or someone), I pursue the object of my desire at all costs 

d6 Ideal 

1. Tradition. Following the laws and customs of our people is the only thing that keeps us safe. (Lawful) 
2. Devotion. Regardless of the formal religion I follow, I strive to connect to the cosmic feminine energy. (Good) 
3. Independence. I strive to follow my heart in all matters. (Chaotic) 
4.  Change. The world is in flux, and we must change with it. (Chaotic) 
5. Fate. Whatever happens, we cannot escape our destiny. (Neutral) 
6. Aspiration. I owe it to myself and my intimates to develop my talents to the fullest. (Any) 

d6 Bond 

1. I have been expelled by my band of Augurs, and will do anything to get taken back 
2. I’m in love with a gadjo, and will pursue them to the ends of the earth 
3. I’m accused of a crime (which I may or may not have committed) against my band, my baron, or gadjo authorities 
4. I’m bound to my instrument – it has a soul, and must express itself through me 
5. I have a vendetta against someone, and must get my revenge 
6. Somewhere I have a child, and I must ensure that they have a good life 

d6 Flaw 

1. I have a problem with authority 
2. I’m inordinately drawn to pleasures of the flesh 
3. I’m a thrill seeker who likes to tempt Death 
4. I like to collect “souvenirs” from people I meet and places I visit 
5. I’m rather liberal in uttering curses 
6. My temper won’t allow me to let an offense go unanswered

Post Scriptum

The Sage can be kept more or less as is (per PHB), but the name should be changed to Learned Doctor, and instead of common clothes, the equipment list would include a scholars' gown, hat and hood, all of which would mark him/her as a member of the ecclesiastical estate. The speciality could include law, medicine, theology, as well as philosophy and its various magical branches (Theurgy, Alchemy, Angelology, Astrology, Goetia, Evocation, and Cabbalism). Necromantia is outlawed, but one might have received training in it if they knew where to look. 

Race modifiers disaggregation and Background

As I return to blogging (and playing), I want to offer a proposal in light of the forthcoming Tasha's Cauldron of Everything volume (due out from Wizards in November).

I admit I haven't delved into the discussion very deeply, though I have read through the sneak preview. But one of the main changes in the new book is a variant for disaggregating racial ability modifiers to allow more flexibility of character design (which is also a reaffirmation of WotC's new stated commitment to combating racial stereotypes). The point is to allow every elf, dwarf and orc to be different - choose whatever adjustments best suit your character needs.

The affirmation that people are different no matter what race or species they belong to is laudable enough, but it's not the key issue I want to address here. There is, however, the question of minimaxers seizing on the new openness to give their dwarf wizard an intelligence modifier (and an armor proficiency to boot), which gives pause to some GMs on account of likely abuse. This is also a serious matter, though to me, the more important issue is not one of power maximization as such, but buffet-style character builds that are increasingly disconnected from the setting in which they are to operate.

The other day, I had a brief conversation about this with a friend, who speculated that the retreat from racial bonuses will give greater weight to Backgrounds. I found that appealing, because arguably the main function of Backgrounds is to imbricate characters more tightly to a social structure (and ultimately, to a setting). For that reason, I thought that the idea of giving stat modifiers to specific Backgrounds would reinforce its importance as a game feature. This is not to say that all hermits, for example, are the same, any more than all orcs are the same. But Backgrounds are at least somewhat closer to occupations, which shape how a person turns out (or, in mechanical terms, shape a character's stats).

What I settled on trying out is to give two out of three positive stat modifiers over to Backgrounds, and leave the third with races (to allow for a modicum of physiological or social differences to remain - if all you want are the bonuses, why worry about races at all?).

So I came up with a system of Background stat adjustments that give +1 to two different abilities. In a later post, I will present a proposal for race design where each race will have only +1 to an individual attribute, so as to fit with the Background adjustment here without breaking the game. I am proposing these adjustments for character design in my Markwald setting (see the previous post), which I just inaugurated for play last week. So my list will not contain every single officially published 5e background, but it will the ones I find suitable for our own game (i.e. most of them).

List of Backgrounds by official name (with Markwald or Lukomorye variant names in parentheses):

Players' Handbook

Acolyte (Attendant): +1 WIS, +1 CHA
Charlatan (Mountebank): +1 INT, +1 CHA
Criminal (Ruffian): +1 STR, +1 DEX
Entertainer (Trouper): +1 DEX, +1 CHA
Guild Artisan (Artificer): +1 DEX, +1 WIS (for most), or, +1 STR, +1 WIS (for smiths,                 masons, carpenters, shipwrights, etc. Also for Clan Crafters from the Sword Coast Guide).
Hermit (Ascetic): +1 WIS, +1 CON
Noble (Boyar): +1 INT, +1 CHA (+1 STR, +1 CHA for warrior types, Knights of the Order           from the Sword Coast Guide, etc.)
Outlander (Heathen): +1 CON, +1 WIS
Sage (Learned Doctor; Scribe): +1 INT, +1 WIS (also for Cloistered Scholar from the                     Sword Coast Guide).
Sailor (Mariner); +1 STR, +1 WIS (also for Fishers from Ghosts of Saltmarsh).
Soldier (Person-at-arms): +1 STR, +1 DEX (also for City Watch, Mercenary veteran from             Sword Coast Guide).

Sword Coast Guide

Far Traveler (Foreigner): +1 WIS, +1 INT

Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Smuggler: +1 DEX, +1 WIS

Lukomorye

Courtier: +1 INT, +1 CHA
Healer: +1 INT, +1 WIS
Merchant: +1 INT, +1 CHA
Nomad: +1 CON, +1 WIS
Peasant: +1 CON, +1 WIS
Urban Laborer: +1 STR, +1 CON 

Vagabond: +1 WIS, +1 CHA

Markwald

Augur: +1 DEX, +1 CHA
Plague Doctor: +1 CON, +1 INT

I plan to follow this post by a detailed writeup of the two unique Markwald backgrounds, and the (partly reconceptualized) player races that are supposed to balance character design in conjunction with the above Background adjustments.