Details
- Abilities: Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma
- Skills: Animal Handling, Stealth
- Tool: Herbalism Kit
- Feat: Alert
Description
You have spent years living close to nature’s darker corners, tending to flocks of crows and learning their secrets. Your keen senses and quiet movements keep you alert to danger, while your calm demeanor helps you navigate tense encounters. Skilled in understanding animal behavior and moving unseen, you also possess a deep knowledge of herbs that aid both healing and survival.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Herbalism Kit, Traveler's Clothes, Bedroll, Waterskin, 5 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Scout and early warning
- Family: Wilderness
- Primary pillar: Exploration
- Secondary pillar: Downtime
- Themes: animal companionship, herbal remedies, stealthy movement, natural survival, keen senses
What this background is good for
Choose Crowkeeper if you want a character who turns animal companionship, herbal remedies, stealthy movement, natural survival, and keen senses into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Animal Handling and Stealth, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Wilderness background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Alert feat, Herbalism Kit, and Dexterity, Wisdom, and Charisma abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Silent Scout rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around animal companionship, herbal remedies, stealthy movement, natural survival, and keen senses.
- You are considering Rogue, Ranger, Druid, and Monk and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You have mastered silent movement and animal empathy, guarding secrets hidden in shadowed woods and wild places.
Table cues
- Describe animal reactions to the character’s presence.
- Note when herbal knowledge can aid healing or poisons.
- Highlight opportunities for stealth or alertness checks.
- Use environmental sounds to signal approaching danger.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Crowkeeper when the campaign benefits from scenes about animal companionship, herbal remedies, stealthy movement, natural survival, and keen senses. The Wilderness angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Animal Handling, Stealth, and Herbalism Kit can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: describe animal reactions to the character’s presence.