Details
- Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Wisdom
- Skills: Athletics, Perception
- Tool: Smith's Tools
- Feat: Tough
Description
You have spent your life guarding sacred sites and enduring harsh conditions, your body hardened by relentless trials. Your keen eyes miss little, and your strength allows you to protect what matters most. Known for your resilience and unwavering vigilance, you stand as a bulwark against danger, ready to face threats with steadfast determination and the tools of your craft at hand.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Smith's Tools, a Traveler's Clothes, a Bedroll, a Waterskin, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Frontline endurance
- Family: Wilderness
- Primary pillar: Combat
- Secondary pillar: Exploration
- Themes: sacred site protection, endurance trials, vigilant watch, smithing craft, harsh environments
What this background is good for
Choose Sunwarden if you want a character who turns sacred site protection, endurance trials, vigilant watch, smithing craft, and harsh environments into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Athletics and Perception, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Wilderness background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Tough feat, Smith's Tools, and Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Steadfast Protector rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around sacred site protection, endurance trials, vigilant watch, smithing craft, and harsh environments.
- You are considering Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, and Cleric and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You stand as a steadfast guardian, hardened by trials and skilled in smithing, protecting sacred places from unseen threats.
Table cues
- Describe the sacred site’s harsh environment
- Note the character’s smithing tools in use
- Highlight moments of vigilance and endurance
- Show tension between peace and necessary violence
For Dungeon Masters
Use Sunwarden when the campaign benefits from scenes about sacred site protection, endurance trials, vigilant watch, smithing craft, and harsh environments. The Wilderness angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Athletics, Perception, and Smith's Tools can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: describe the sacred site’s harsh environment.