Details
- Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Charisma
- Skills: Athletics, Intimidation
- Tool: Smith's Tools
- Feat: Tough
Description
You serve as the steadfast bearer of your company’s standard, rallying allies and intimidating foes alike. Your presence on the field bolsters morale and inspires courage, even under the harshest conditions. Hardened by constant battle and trained in smithing, you endure physical hardships and wield your strength to protect your comrades and uphold your company’s honor.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Smith's Tools, a Traveler's Clothes, a Backpack, a Bedroll, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Frontline endurance
- Family: Military
- Primary pillar: Combat
- Secondary pillar: Downtime
- Themes: unit cohesion, battlefield morale, weapon maintenance, physical endurance, leadership presence
What this background is good for
Choose Company Standard-Bearer if you want a character who turns unit cohesion, battlefield morale, weapon maintenance, physical endurance, and leadership presence into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Athletics and Intimidation, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Military background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Tough feat, Smith's Tools, and Strength, Constitution, and Charisma abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Steadfast Protector rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around unit cohesion, battlefield morale, weapon maintenance, physical endurance, and leadership presence.
- You are considering Fighter, Paladin, Barbarian, and Cleric and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You carry your company’s standard into battle, inspiring allies and intimidating foes with unyielding strength and resolve.
Table cues
- Track morale shifts when the standard-bearer acts
- Note who respects or resents the standard-bearer
- Highlight weapon and armor maintenance moments
- Use intimidation to influence battlefield control
- Show physical endurance tests under pressure
For Dungeon Masters
Use Company Standard-Bearer when the campaign benefits from scenes about unit cohesion, battlefield morale, weapon maintenance, physical endurance, and leadership presence. The Military angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Athletics, Intimidation, and Smith's Tools can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: track morale shifts when the standard-bearer acts.