Details
- Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma
- Skills: Investigation, Persuasion
- Tool: Calligrapher's Supplies
- Feat: Skilled
Description
You are skilled in keeping records and balancing accounts, trusted to manage valuable information and mediate disputes with tact. Your keen mind and persuasive manner help you uncover hidden details and negotiate agreements. Often called upon to verify facts or settle scores, you carry tools of your trade to produce clear, precise documents that stand up to scrutiny.
Equipment
Choose A or B: (A) Calligrapher's Supplies, Traveler's Clothes, Ink, Ink Pen, Parchment, 10 GP; or (B) 50 GP
At a glance
- Table role: Records and secrets
- Family: Mercantile
- Primary pillar: Intrigue
- Secondary pillar: Social
- Themes: record keeping, dispute mediation, contract negotiation, financial intrigue, information brokerage
What this background is good for
Choose Tallyman if you want a character who turns record keeping, dispute mediation, contract negotiation, financial intrigue, and information brokerage into usable table momentum. Its skill package points toward Investigation and Persuasion, so the background naturally rewards players who ask questions, notice patterns, and act on practical details. As a Mercantile background, it gives the character a clear place in the world instead of just a mechanical bonus. The Skilled feat, Calligrapher's Supplies, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma abilities help define how this character contributes before initiative is rolled.
Play this if...
- You want to play a Cunning Negotiator rather than a generic adventurer.
- You want scenes built around record keeping, dispute mediation, contract negotiation, financial intrigue, and information brokerage.
- You are considering Rogue, Bard, Wizard, and Cleric and want the background to support that identity.
How to play this background
You navigate complex social and financial webs, balancing accounts and settling disputes with precision and tact.
Table cues
- Track who benefits from each recorded transaction.
- Notice subtle changes in written agreements.
- Observe reactions when facts are questioned.
- Identify who controls access to vital documents.
For Dungeon Masters
Use Tallyman when the campaign benefits from scenes about record keeping, dispute mediation, contract negotiation, financial intrigue, and information brokerage. The Mercantile angle gives you a quick way to attach NPCs, locations, favors, and complications to the character. Build scenes where Investigation, Persuasion, and Calligrapher's Supplies can reveal information, open a route, or change how an NPC reacts. A simple recurring cue: track who benefits from each recorded transaction.