Details
- Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma
- Skills: Investigation, Persuasion
- Tool: Calligrapher's Supplies
- Feat: Alert
Description
You serve as a local arbiter of law and order, skilled at uncovering truths and swaying opinions. Your keen mind and commanding presence help you maintain peace and resolve disputes before they escalate. Ever watchful and alert, you anticipate threats and protect your community with a calm, measured authority, often recording proceedings with practiced precision.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Calligrapher's Supplies, Traveler's Clothes, Ink, Ink Pen, Pouch, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Scout and early warning
- Family: Courtly
- Primary pillar: Intrigue
- Secondary pillar: Social
- Themes: law enforcement, public disputes, legal documents, community order, investigations
What this background is good for
Choose Magistrate if you want a character who turns law enforcement, public disputes, legal documents, community order, and investigations into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Investigation and Persuasion, 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 Alert feat, Calligrapher's Supplies, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Reluctant Arbiter rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around law enforcement, public disputes, legal documents, community order, and investigations.
- You are considering Paladin, Cleric, Rogue, and Wizard and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You maintain peace and enforce the law with sharp intellect and unwavering vigilance in a restless community.
Table cues
- Identify who benefits from unrest
- Note subtle signs of deceit
- Observe body language during disputes
- Track changes in local laws
- Listen for whispered rumors
For Dungeon Masters
Use Magistrate when the campaign benefits from scenes about law enforcement, public disputes, legal documents, community order, and investigations. The Courtly angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Investigation, Persuasion, and Calligrapher's Supplies can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: identify who benefits from unrest.