Details
- Abilities: Constitution, Wisdom, Charisma
- Skills: Medicine, Religion
- Tool: Herbalism Kit
- Feat: Healer
Description
You have spent much of your life tending to the dead, guiding souls and maintaining sacred burial grounds. Your presence commands respect, and your calm demeanor comforts those in mourning. Skilled in healing and versed in religious rites, you carry the wisdom of life and death alike. Your knowledge of herbs and remedies aids both the living and the departed.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Herbalism Kit, Traveler's Clothes, Blanket, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Support and recovery
- Family: Religious
- Primary pillar: Downtime
- Secondary pillar: Exploration
- Themes: burial rites, spiritual guidance, herbal remedies, mourning rituals, life and death
What this background is good for
Choose Gravebound if you want a character who turns burial rites, spiritual guidance, herbal remedies, mourning rituals, and life and death into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Medicine and Religion, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Religious background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Healer feat, Herbalism Kit, and Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Soul Shepherd rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around burial rites, spiritual guidance, herbal remedies, mourning rituals, and life and death.
- You are considering Cleric, Druid, Paladin, and Rogue and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You guide souls and tend sacred burial grounds, blending healing arts with the mysteries of death and the afterlife.
Table cues
- Identify local burial customs and sacred sites.
- Track rumors of disturbed graves or restless spirits.
- Note NPCs mourning or seeking healing.
- Observe herbal ingredients and remedies carried.
- Watch for signs of spiritual rituals or ceremonies.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Gravebound when the campaign benefits from scenes about burial rites, spiritual guidance, herbal remedies, mourning rituals, and life and death. The Religious angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Medicine, Religion, and Herbalism Kit can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: identify local burial customs and sacred sites.