Details
- Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution
- Skills: Athletics, Survival
- Tool: Navigator's Tools
- Feat: Tough
Description
You have spent your life braving the fury of the sea and sky, mastering the art of navigation and survival in the harshest conditions. Your endurance and strength have been tested by relentless storms, shaping you into a resilient soul who can endure physical hardship and guide others through treacherous waters with unshakable resolve.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Navigator's Tools, Traveler's Clothes, Backpack, Rations (5 days), Waterskin, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Frontline endurance
- Family: Maritime
- Primary pillar: Exploration
- Secondary pillar: Combat
- Themes: storm navigation, crew survival, sea endurance, harsh weather, physical resilience
What this background is good for
Choose Stormbound if you want a character who turns storm navigation, crew survival, sea endurance, harsh weather, and physical resilience 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 Maritime background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Tough feat, Navigator'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 Storm-Hardened Guide rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around storm navigation, crew survival, sea endurance, harsh weather, and physical resilience.
- You are considering Fighter, Ranger, Barbarian, and Cleric and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You have mastered survival through relentless storms, guiding others safely across treacherous seas with unshakable endurance.
Table cues
- Track weather changes and sea conditions closely.
- Highlight crew morale during storms.
- Use Athletics to overcome environmental hazards.
- Emphasize navigator’s role in travel decisions.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Stormbound when the campaign benefits from scenes about storm navigation, crew survival, sea endurance, harsh weather, and physical resilience. The Maritime angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Athletics, Survival, and Navigator's Tools can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: track weather changes and sea conditions closely.