Your Background
Where did you grow up, and what kind of environment shaped your early years? What is your heritage like—rich in traditions or perhaps more unconventional? How did you journey to this point in your life, facing the many trials and triumphs along the way? Do you worship a deity, and if you do, what is it about that divine figure that inspires you to have faith? Why are you setting out on an adventure now, at this pivotal moment in your life? These types of introspective questions are incredibly important for your character’s development and will play a significant role in how your character reacts and interacts with the world around them in the unfolding narrative.
There are many different and fascinating types of backgrounds your character can have in the realm of Fragment Skies. During the exciting process of character creation, you will choose one of these unique backgrounds for your character. This specific background will be instrumental in helping to determine how your character responds to various situations that may arise throughout your adventures. So, take your time, explore, and browse through all of your available options before settling on the one that truly resonates with you.
Having a backstory helps to build a connection to your character. It gives your character meaning and purpose. Without a backstory, you are just a random person wandering the world. If you have a backstory, you now have reason, you have incentive, and it helps the Game Master out when determining what direction to lead your character, and what your character may encounter. If you don’t have a backstory, the Game Master is limited. They can’t have you encounter an enemy from your past, because you have no past. They can’t introduce you to your family members, because you don’t have a family. They can’t let you find a relic from your hometown, because you didn’t grow up anywhere. Your backstory doesn’t have to be super detailed or a short novel. A single written page about where you grew up, what drove you to being an Adventurer, who you grew up with, and some information regarding your background is plenty and will make maneuvering your character much easier. Having a background will help you with developing a backstory by providing a premise to your character. Each one will provide you with questions to ask yourself regarding your character. Simply providing detailed answers to these questions will nearly finish your backstory. Anything else you add will be for flavor, and provide your Game Master with more options on how to incorporate things into your adventure.
You enjoy giving out of the goodness of your heart. Maybe you believe that giving is the secret to receiving. Maybe you just enjoy that feeling you get when you give something valuable to someone who needs it more than you. Or maybe it’s just what you have grown accustomed to doing to get rid of things you no longer want or have a need for. Whatever the case may be, you have become a fan of those who are less fortunate than yourself. Ask yourself, “Why do I enjoy giving my things to other people? Am I from a charitable family or household, and it’s just what I have gotten into the habit of doing? Do I give in order to make myself feel less guilty about something I may have done in the past?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Performance skill
Journeyman Kit
4d10+10 Skring
Charity
You have grown increasingly fond of tinkering over the years, and have become talented at creating things. At an early age, you used your motor skills to create simple things such as clocks and toys. As you grew in age, you advanced to more complex things such as weapons and armor, maybe even meddled in the way of alchemical concoctions or even technology. Whatever it may be, creating has become a valuable hobby for you, and it’s what you take pride in doing. Ask yourself, “What kind of things did I tinker around with at a young age? Is there something I enjoy making more than others? What got me interested in creating things? Were my parents blacksmiths or shop owners? Did I just pick it up as a hobby?”
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to one Creation skill of your choosing
Studies Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Creator
You have devoted yourself to a life of crime, taking what is not yours to get by, or beating people up to collect their stuff. This is what your life has become. Whether it be minor crimes, such as pick pocketing or mugging; or more serious crimes such as robbing high class residences or killing people for profit, a crime is still a crime. Maybe you like doing it. Maybe the thrill gets to you, maybe it’s the life you were raised into. Maybe you were sold into a gang of thieves, and this has been how you made your cut in the group. Ask yourself, “What got me involved in this life style?,” “Was I born into a family of thieves?”, “Was I orphaned and started stealing from people to make ends meet?”, “Do I like being a criminal?”, “Am I a violent type of criminal, or more opportunistic?”.
Bonuses:
+2 modifier to your Lock Picking, and Sleight of Hand skills
Mischief Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Criminal
You thrive on the intrigue of solving mysteries. You may have been a private investigator of your home town, someone who likes solving puzzles, or maybe someone who simply loves reading a good mystery novel. You enjoy problem solving and like to jump ahead of the group, when everyone else seems stumped. Ask yourself, “Why do I like solving problems?,” “Did I encounter a complicated conundrum when I was young, and enjoyed the thrill of that ‘aha’ moment?”, “Did I utilize my adept problem solving in what I did for a living?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Investigation skill
Investigators Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Detective
You have spent most of your free time in a temple worshiping a deity; have been taught their ways, and how to serve them. You trust your deity with your life, and believe that they will show you the way to safety and success. If you choose to take the Disciple background, you must choose a deity of which you have been worshipping for most of your life. Ask yourself, “how did I come to worshipping this deity?”, “Why is my faith in this deity so strong?”, “What is my reason for leaving the temple?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Religion skill
Studies Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Disciple
You are looked up to by many people for assisting them with a great task. Perhaps you scared off a pack of wolves to protect the towns livestock. Maybe there was an individual who had been menacing the town until you finally stood up to them and defeated them, chasing them off. Or maybe there was a murderer running amuck until you sought them out and put them away. Whatever you did, you have earned the respect of many people who now call you a “Hero”, showering you with gifts and praise, perhaps even writing a song or two about you. Ask yourself, “What did I do to earn this title of ‘Hero’?”, “Did I fake my way into this title or accidentally do the right thing that ended up saving many lives?”, “Did I let this title go to my head, and make me cocky about it?”, “Did I wear this title humbly?”, “Do I resent the attention this title gives me?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Intimidation skill
Survival Kit
5d12+12 Skring
Hero
You were born into a rich and powerful family, having access to nearly anything you wanted. Maybe one of your parents is a member of the high council of your town or city. Maybe you were born into royalty, being a Prince or a Princess of your kingdom. Or maybe you just happen to be in a family that owns a large and successful shop or Inn. There are many reasons why you could have been highborn. Think it out carefully. Ask yourself, “Do I enjoy the lifestyle I am in?”, “Am I bothered by the responsibility that comes with my title?”, “Do I ever wonder what it’s like for those who live below me?”, “Do I have any kind of respect for the ‘lesser’ folk or do I look down on them for being less than myself?”, “What kind of title do I and/or my family hold?”, “What is causing me to leave this life to go adventuring?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Persuasion skill
Journeyman Kit
4d20+20
Highborn
The history of the world has enraptured your interest and driven you into studying lore and legend of everything you encounter. You have likely spent days upon days in libraries, meddling through history books to learn everything you can about your current query.
If you choose to take the Historian background, you may choose something to fixate your studies on. This will tie directly into your backstory. Sure, you study history, but what caught your attention the most? Discuss this with your Game Master to come up with what your fixation will be. Throughout game play, any time something is brought up relating to your fixation, you will innately know about it without having to make a history skill check. “What brought you into such an intense interest in history?” “Did your family approve?” “How did you learn the things you did?” “Was there a local library?” “Maybe you left town for long periods of time to go out and learn things”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your History skill
Studies Kit
4d10+10 Skring
Historian
You have come into something valuable just by existing. Maybe a rich great uncle passed away leaving you with a large amount of money. Maybe your father disappeared leaving you with a powerful set of armor that had been in the family for generations. Maybe your family perished in a skyship crash, leaving you with their humble abode. Or maybe, as a death wish, your grandmother left you a box that had not been opened for generations that contains a legendary glyph of power. Whatever it is, it is yours for the taking, without even having to try. What you choose to do with it is completely up to you.
*When choosing what it is that you inherited, work directly with your Game Master to come up with something appropriate. Whatever it is that you inherited will also be added to your starting gear in addition to your Background bonuses.
Ask yourself, “What did I inherit, how did I inherit it, and from whom did it previously belong to?”, “Does a great responsibility come with what I inherited?”, “Do I even truly care that I inherited it?”, “Am I happy or sad that the previous owner perished?”, “How important to me was the person who I inherited this from?”.
Bonuses:
*Inheritance
Journeyman Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Inheritor
You were born into the lower end of society, perhaps as a slave or a peasant. Homelessness is not something beyond the realm of someone who is Lowborn. This category of people often falls off the radar of society, and are forgotten by the world. They are of little to no wealth, can’t often bathe, over-appreciate money, and often align themselves into the realm of thievery to help keep themselves fed and nourished. Fortunately, this lifestyle often comes with useful connections to the underground, and unparalleled mapping of the city. Ask yourself, “What caused me to become Lowborn? Was I born into it, or did something happen that forced me into it?”, “Am I embarrassed about being on the lower end of society, or do I embrace it?”, “What about being Lowborn caused me to take on the adventuring path that I have chosen?”, “How did I hone my abilities allowing me to do the things that I can do?”.
Bonuses:
+3 modifier to your Stealth and Deception skills
Mischief Kit
1d4+2 Skring
Lowborn
Whether it be money, jewels, buttons, pins, ancient artifacts, Draemon teeth, severed fingers, finding captain Siegfried’s buried treasure, killing a certain person, etc., you are obsessed with something. Whatever you are obsessed with has you hooked. You have likely spent the majority of your life pining over it, plotting how to get it, hoarding it like a crazy person; whatever the case may be. It’s almost like a drug to you. You need it. You have to have it, and you will do almost anything you can do to obtain it. Maybe it’s in relation to some childhood trauma. Maybe something in you, sort of clicked when you first encountered it that made you want it more than anything in the world. Ask yourself, “What am I obsessed with?”, “Why am I so obsessed with it?”, “How have I gone about collecting it thus far?”, “To what end will I go to obtain it?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Insight skills
Mischief Kit
2d6+6 Skring
Obsessive
Yargh! The life of a Pirate is the way of life. You have sailed the seas for most of your life, hunting for treasure and destroying those who get in your way. It is likely that you drink a lot in your spare time. It is also likely that you have built up a fair amount of bravery after everything you have seen and been through. You might have seen some terrifying sea monsters during your time out on the water. Probably gotten into a few drunken pub fights, too. The life of a Pirate is a treacherous one, but one full of adventure and that sweet sweet booty. Following the Pirate background, you will have a +10 bonuses on all skill checks made to man or pilot either a boat on the water OR a skyship, depending on what kind of pirate you were. Ask yourself, “What got me into the Pirates life?”, “Was my ship and crew well known?”, “What happened that lead me away from that lifestyle to lead me into being a plain ol’ adventurer instead of being a Pirate?”, “Was there a specific treasure we were hunting for, but never found?”, “Was there any myths or legends that I heard about that made me fear or want to explore a certain place?”.
Bonuses:
Increase your Base Constitution Feature by 1
Survival Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Pirate
Learning is something you enjoy. Even at a young age, you found it easy to just pick up a book and begin reading, just to acquire whatever knowledge or wisdom might come from it. You may have likely grown up with a family who was well read, or maybe in an area where many stories were told; perhaps by travelers or people who have lived through many adventures, and have much wisdom to share. You are well versed in knowledge, and likely enjoy sharing this knowledge with others. Ask yourself, “What about learning do I enjoy?”, “Did I use this knowledge to make a living?”, “Did my parents make sure I was well read at a young age?”, “Was I just born very intelligent?”, “What methods did I go about to ensure I kept up on my learning?”.
Bonuses:
+2 modifier to any 2 of the following skills; Geography, History, Mystic, or Religion
Studies Kit
4d10+10 Skring
Scholar
You find joy in tricking people, using sleight of hand and a keen mind to misdirect people from your true intensions. A life of dishonesty has led you down this path, and you may have come to like it.
If you choose to take the Trickster background, you must decide what form of trickery you have become adept at. Have you mastered the use of sleight of hand, or have you just learned to confuse people with a silver tongue.
Ask yourself, “What brought me down this path?”, “Do I enjoy doing this, or have I just grown into it?”, “Is this how I make it by from day to day?”, “How many enemies have I made from swindling people?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Deception, Persuasion, or Sleight of Hand skill
Mischief Kit
3d10+10 Skring
Trickster
Your whole life, you have wanted to set out and explore the world. You are curious about new places, and in a way, desperate to see new sights. You have little fear of going head long into a dangerous place for the simple fact that, “This is new!”. Though you have wanted to see the world, it is likely that the opportunity to do so has not yet presented itself. Afterall, traveling can be dangerous and expensive. You might have looked at maps and read books and come up with an idea of places you want to see, maybe even gone as far as writing up a guide of how to get where you want to go. Ask yourself, “Where have I wanted to go most in my life, and how did I learn about it?”, “Did my family travel alot when I was young?”, “Does my desire to explore stem from being cooped up in a small town my whole life?”, “Why do I want to see the world?”, “Have I plotted out how to get to certain places?”.
Bonuses:
+4 modifier to your Geography skill
Journeyman Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Wanderlust
Fighting is in your blood. It always has been, and always will be. You are a true born warrior, and have become very strong in the ways of combat. Whether it be with a sword and shield, archery, hand to hand combat, or through the use of fire-arms, a warrior is still a warrior. Ask yourself, “what about battle do I enjoy the most?”, “Why am I so good at fighting?”, “Was I trained at an earlier age, or did this talent just fall unto me naturally?”, “Am I from a family or group of warriors, and trained a special way that makes me better than most?”.
Bonuses:
+1 modifier to your Battle Caliber
Survival Kit
3d8+8 Skring
Warrior
As untamed as a person can be, you were born in the wilds, away from civilization. Might even be that you were raised by apes, and can barely speak, let alone read or write. Maybe you were raised in a tribe. Maybe you were exiled at some point, and forced to live in the wild. Your village may have been destroyed and burned to the ground while you narrowly escaped with your life, and you were forced to learn how to fend for yourself. There are numerous different scenarios, but they all lead to you being uncultured, and unfamiliar with the ways of society. Ask yourself, “Was I born into this life style, or was I forced into it?”, “How well have I adapted to living like this?”, “Have I been this way for a long time?”, “How well did I learn to speak, if at all?”, “Was I taught to abide by a certain code in accordance to a tribe I was part of?”.
Bonuses:
+3 modifier to your Wilderness and Sneak Attack skills
Survival Kit
1d4+2 Skring