Details
- Abilities: Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma
- Skills: Deception, Investigation
- Tool: Calligrapher's Supplies
- Feat: Skilled
Description
You thrive in gathering and weaving information, using your keen intellect and charm to uncover hidden truths and manipulate conversations. Skilled at deception and investigation, you craft compelling narratives with a practiced hand. Your dexterity aids in subtle tasks, while your careful scriptwork reflects a meticulous mind. You move through social and shadowed circles alike, always ready to exploit a secret or forge a new story.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Calligrapher's Supplies, a 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: Urban
- Primary pillar: Intrigue
- Secondary pillar: Social
- Themes: information brokering, forged documents, social manipulation, secret meetings, shadowy contacts
What this background is good for
Choose Stringer if you want a character who turns information brokering, forged documents, social manipulation, secret meetings, and shadowy contacts 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 Urban 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 Forger rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around information brokering, forged documents, social manipulation, secret meetings, and shadowy contacts.
- You are considering Rogue, Bard, Wizard, and Warlock and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You navigate city shadows and social circles, weaving truths and lies to control what others believe and reveal.
Table cues
- Identify who controls information flow in the city.
- Notice subtle changes in social behavior during conversations.
- Track who carries unusual documents or writing tools.
- Observe secretive meetings in shadowed urban areas.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Stringer when the campaign benefits from scenes about information brokering, forged documents, social manipulation, secret meetings, and shadowy contacts. The Urban 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 controls information flow in the city.