Details
- Abilities: Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom
- Skills: Insight, Survival
- Tool: Herbalism Kit
- Feat: Tough
Description
You have fled your homeland, escaping turmoil and hardship to seek safety elsewhere. Life on the road has honed your endurance and awareness, making you cautious and resilient. You’ve learned to read people’s intentions and survive in harsh environments, often relying on natural remedies to heal wounds and ailments. Though wary, you carry a quiet strength born of hardship and perseverance.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) a Traveler's Clothes, a Blanket, an Herbalism Kit, a Waterskin, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Frontline endurance
- Family: Travel
- Primary pillar: Exploration
- Secondary pillar: Combat
- Themes: escaping danger, survival skills, natural remedies, displaced communities, endurance tests
What this background is good for
Choose Refugee if you want a character who turns escaping danger, survival skills, natural remedies, displaced communities, and endurance tests into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Insight and Survival, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Travel background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Tough feat, Herbalism Kit, and Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Haunted Survivor rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around escaping danger, survival skills, natural remedies, displaced communities, and endurance tests.
- You are considering Ranger, Fighter, Druid, and Rogue and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
Forced to flee their homeland, the refugee relies on resilience and keen insight to survive hostile lands and uncertain allies.
Table cues
- Track local refugee groups and their leaders.
- Note signs of recent conflict or displacement.
- Identify natural resources useful for survival.
- Watch for hostile or sympathetic locals.
- Use herbal remedies to treat wounds discreetly.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Refugee when the campaign benefits from scenes about escaping danger, survival skills, natural remedies, displaced communities, and endurance tests. The Travel angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Insight, Survival, and Herbalism Kit can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: track local refugee groups and their leaders.