Details
- Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution
- Skills: Athletics, Survival
- Tool: Cartographer's Tools
- Feat: Tough
Description
You are a hardy and resourceful individual skilled in navigating the chaos of war. Trained to endure harsh conditions and rapid movement, you excel at carrying messages and supplies through battle lines. Your keen awareness and physical resilience help you survive dangerous terrain and hostile encounters, while your knowledge of maps and routes ensures you never lose your way in the fog of war.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) backpack, bedroll, waterskin, rations (1 day), Cartographer's Tools, 8 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Frontline endurance
- Family: Military
- Primary pillar: Combat
- Secondary pillar: Exploration
- Themes: battlefield navigation, message delivery, endurance under fire, map reading, supply runs
What this background is good for
Choose Siege Runner if you want a character who turns battlefield navigation, message delivery, endurance under fire, map reading, and supply runs into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Athletics and Survival, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Military background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Tough feat, Cartographer's Tools, and Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Reluctant Courier rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around battlefield navigation, message delivery, endurance under fire, map reading, and supply runs.
- You are considering Fighter, Rogue, Ranger, and Barbarian and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You specialize in running vital messages and supplies through war-torn lands, surviving hostile terrain and enemy lines with endurance and skill.
Table cues
- Track enemy patrol patterns carefully.
- Use maps to find hidden or safer routes.
- Notice signs of recent skirmishes nearby.
- Monitor weather changes affecting terrain.
- Observe supply lines and their vulnerabilities.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Siege Runner when the campaign benefits from scenes about battlefield navigation, message delivery, endurance under fire, map reading, and supply runs. The Military angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Athletics, Survival, and Cartographer's Tools can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: track enemy patrol patterns carefully.