Details
- Abilities: Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma
- Skills: Deception, Investigation
- Tool: Calligrapher's Supplies
- Feat: Skilled
Description
You are a purveyor of words and secrets, skilled at weaving tales and uncovering hidden truths. Your sharp mind and silver tongue allow you to navigate social intrigues and decipher cryptic writings. Always prepared with pen and parchment, you move through courts and cities with a practiced ease, your presence commanding attention and your insights often turning the tide of conversation.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Calligrapher's Supplies, a fine set of traveler’s clothes, a small notebook, a bottle of ink, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Records and secrets
- Family: Courtly
- Primary pillar: Intrigue
- Secondary pillar: Social
- Themes: social intrigue, secret correspondence, coded messages, court politics, information brokering
What this background is good for
Choose Loremonger if you want a character who turns social intrigue, secret correspondence, coded messages, court politics, and information brokering into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Deception and Investigation, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Courtly background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Skilled feat, Calligrapher's Supplies, and Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Master of Secrets rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around social intrigue, secret correspondence, coded messages, court politics, and information brokering.
- You are considering Bard, Rogue, Wizard, and Warlock and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You navigate courts and cities with a silver tongue, trading secrets and stories that shift power quietly behind the scenes.
Table cues
- Identify who benefits from spreading rumors here.
- Spot coded messages in letters or books.
- Watch for subtle gestures signaling secret alliances.
- Note who controls access to private chambers.
- Listen for whispered conversations in crowded rooms.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Loremonger when the campaign benefits from scenes about social intrigue, secret correspondence, coded messages, court politics, and information brokering. The Courtly angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Deception, Investigation, and Calligrapher's Supplies can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: identify who benefits from spreading rumors here.