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Message: <blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 4314757" data-attributes="member: 12377">Overview<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Everybody starts with 2 free background skills of their choice.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">These can be whatever you want, as long as they are useless crap, like baking pies or subsistence farming or being the son of a duke.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Most of the time, background skills just provide a +2 bonus to some other, more useful skill.</li> </ul>Background SkillsA background skill is an area of expertise or domain of knowledge that isn't very useful to an adventurer and isn't represented by the skills listed in the PHB.  They represent the ordinary, everyday talents and interests of characters.Whenever you make a skill check or ability check, if you have a relevant background skill, you get a background bonus (+2 to a skill check or +5 to an ability check).  The DM decides whether or not a particular background skill applies; some checks might actually require a particular background skill (for example, forging a sword might be a Strength check that requires a background skill of blacksmithing or weaponsmithing to even attempt).  If multiple background skills apply, the bonuses do not stack.Each character starts with a background skill relating to their race or homeland (for example, dwarves start with a "Dwarf Knowledge" background skill, while humans from the kingdom of Merubia start with a "Merubia Knowledge" background skill).  In addition, each character can select two additional background skills representing their upbringing, hobbies, or pre-adventuring career (see the list below for ideas).Sample Background SkillsCrafting:  armorsmith, baker, boyer, carpenter, chandler, fletcher, haberdasher, leatherworker, tailor, weaponsmithProfession:  accountant, bartender, clerk, farmer, horse trainer, lawyer, mercenary, merchant, sailor, scribe, teacherSocial Groups or Status:  noble etiquette, heraldry, military procedures, traditions of a particular tribe or ethnic groupPerformance:  dancing, juggling, singing, percussion instruments, poetry recital, stringed instruments, wind instrumentsArt:  composition, painting, sculpture, writingDomestics:  cleaning, cooking, gardening, sewing, mendingArea Knowledge:  a single city, town, stretch of countryside, small kingdom, particular astral domain or feywild realm, or any region that is sufficiently smaller than the area in which the campaign takes place (for example, if your campaign takes place in the Dalelands, then you could not have Dalelands Knowledge as a background skill; but if your campaign spans the entire Forgotten Realms, of which the Dalelands are a small part, then Dalelands Knowledge may be appropriate)Other:  feel free to come up with whatever background skills are appropriate to your characterAdvanced Uses for Background SkillsEarn a ProfitIf your background skill is one which can be used to make a profit, you can make skill checks to try to earn a living.  Each week that you practice your craft, you can spend 10sp on materials and other expenses, and then make a background skill check.  You earn 1sp per point of your result (so if your result is less than 10, you actually lost money this week).  If you want, you can instead spend 15gp on materials and expenses, and earn 1gp per point of your result (but you must make this decision before making your background skill check).  Or, if you're really good, you can spend 20pp and earn 1pp per point of your result.  You can Take 10 on the check if you are earning sp, but not if you are earning gp or pp -- high-stakes industries are a bit more volatile than everyday enterprises.A week of work is roughly 8 hours a day on the job for most of a 7-day week -- possibly more or less for some jobs, but always too much time to have any left over for adventuring.  If you're in a hurry, or are highly skilled, you can attempt a week's worth of work in 1 day, but the materials cost is the same as it would be for 1 week, and you take a -5 penalty on your check.  Your trade may have additional requirements to be profitable -- for example, a merchant needs a market to buy and sell goods, and won't earn any money in an uninhabited wasteland.  A sailor needs to spend some time sailing, etc.Crafting ItemsIf your background skill relates to crafting items, you can make a check to produce an item or repair a broken item.  This requires time and materials, as well as appropriate tools and facilities.Tools and Facilities:  Smithing requires a forge, alchemy requires a lab, shipbuilding requires a shipyard, etc.  If you don't have the right equipment, the task takes twice as long and you get a -2 penalty on the check.Materials:  The raw materials for crafting cost as much as the market price of the item (margins are tight these days...).  If you're only repairing a broken item, the raw materials cost is 1/5 the market price.  If your crafting fails, you can re-use the same raw materials (unless you are crafting in a hurry; see below).If you're short on materials, or trying to make a profit, use the "Earn a Profit" rules, above, to create your raw materials; any profits you earn become raw materials that you can use in your crafting.Time:  The DM decides how long it takes to craft an item, using the table below as a guideline.  If you're in a hurry, you can get the task done in half the time, but you take a -5 penalty on your check, and if you fail, you ruin half your raw materials due to carelessness.[code][u]Object (Example)                                                      DC / Time[/u]Simple object (candle, arrow, rope)                                   10 / A few hoursTypical object (sword, wagon, clothing)                               15 / A few daysComplicated object (plate armor, sailboat, clockwork)                 20 / A few weeksEspecially large object (building, ship, large quantity of weapons)   +0 /  x 5Especially fine object (masterwork armor, jewelry, mansion)           +5 /  x 5Repairs repairing a broken item                                       +0 /  x 1/5[/code]Making the Check:  Make an ability check (with a +5 bonus for an appropriate background skill; some types of crafting may be done "untrained," such as simple repairs).  The DM decides the check DC, using the table above as a guideline.  If you succeed, you craft or repair the item.  If you fail, you may try again using the same raw materials (unless you're in a hurry, in which case half the raw materials are destroyed).  You can Take 10 on the check unless you're taking penalties on your check (for insufficient tools, being in a hurry, or other hindrances).If you have mastered the Enchant Magic Items ritual, you can use these rules to craft any magic item that you would be capable of enchanting.  This winds up having the same cost as just performing the ritual, but allows you to use raw materials instead of alchemical reagents, and may be more appropriate to low-magic campaigns.FeatsBACKGROUND SKILL FOCUSBenefit:  Your background bonus when making a check for which a background skill applies increases to +3 for skill checks and +8 for ability checks.BACKGROUND SKILL TRAININGBenefit:  You are trained in three additional background skills.Special:  You can select this feat multiple times, adding three new background skills each time.MASTER CRAFTSMANPrerequisite:  At least one background skill that allows you to craft items, level 4.Benefit:  Crafting non-magical items using one of your background skills (not "untrained" crafting) takes half as much time and raw materials.  You can craft magic items appropriate to your background skills as though you had the Enchant Magic Items ritual, but at the normal time and cost.</blockquote>

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