Earthling

backgrounds. Community homebrew from D&D Wiki.

0 0 0

Earthling

You are from Earth. This Earth. Somehow- through magic, time-space anomalies, advanced VR technology, a severe concussion or coma, really bad drugs, or some other circumstance, you are not on Earth any more. Maybe you don't even know how you got here. You are now in some other land- a world strongly reminiscent of fantasy fiction. Here, the world is permanently frozen in medieval technology, magic is real, and the wilderness teems with vicious monsters of supernatural origin. How did you get here, anyway? Was there a purpose, or was it an accident? What time period and place on Earth are you from? What did you do before you were sent to this other world? Do you have any relevant experiences which might help you here, or are you a totally unprepared suburbanite? Did you leave any family beh
Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: One artisan's tools or musical instrument relevant to your past lifestyle
Languages: None
Equipment: Exotic fine clothes, a jacket, a trinket from your home world, 1 day's rations, (A packaged snack) and 10 exotic coins.

Feature: Appearance of Nobility

You are from Earth. This Earth. Somehow- through magic, time-space anomalies, advanced VR technology, a severe concussion or coma, really bad drugs, or some other circumstance, you are not on Earth any more. Maybe you don't even know how you got here. You are now in some other land- a world strongly reminiscent of fantasy fiction. Here, the world is permanently frozen in medieval technology, magic is real, and the wilderness teems with vicious monsters of supernatural origin. How did you get here, anyway? Was there a purpose, or was it an accident? What time period and place on Earth are you from? What did you do before you were sent to this other world? Do you have any relevant experiences which might help you here, or are you a totally unprepared suburbanite? Did you leave any family behind? Do you want to go back, or is this a new lease on life for you? How do you feel about the supernatural? Once you arrived, why did you pursue a lifestyle of adventuring? A staple of classic and pulp fantasy fiction, the transition to another world is a technique of granting the work a vague sense of legitimacy by connecting it to reality, if even in the most tenuous of ways. In particular, the Barsoom (John Carter of Mars) and Amtor series were a direct source of inspiration for even the earliest versions of D&D, and the D&D cartoon series hinged on this trope as a premise! Other examples include TRON, Monster Rancher, Sword Art Online, Digimon, Vision of Escaflowne, Inuyasha, Th

Suggested Characteristics

Personality Traits (d8)

1ew, Ew, EW, EW, EW, EW! Everything is dirty, everything stinks, and everyone is sick!
2I use all kinds of modern slang and idioms when I speak to people.
3I have an irrational lack of fear of monsters.
4I genuinely believe that this is all some sort of dream or hallucination.
5I feel the need to speak slowly and use simple words, as I talk down to these sheep-sacrificing primitives.
6I am constantly excited and eager to see new people, places, and things.

Ideals (d6)

1Postmodernism. Theoretical social and legal equality for all persons of apparently equal potential! (Lawful)
2Industrialization. Why not make magic machines which can make magic items on a large scale production basis, then undercut the competition and corner the market? (Neutral)
3Anarchism. Monarchy is merely tyranny's excuse. Rule by the people would ensure justice for the people. (Chaotic)
4Anachronism. What do you mean you've never heard of AC/DC?! (Neutral)
5Subjugation. A world teeming with ignorant, uneducated primitives? I could become like a god... (Evil)
6Pragmatism. The elimination and prevention of suffering will always lead to the greatest good. (Good)

Bonds (d6)

1The things I have with me are everything I have and everything I am.
2I must get back to Earth at whatever cost.
3I must figure out where I am now and embrace this new world.
4I look like a otherworldly wizard to the people here and I must uphold that assumption.
5I must act like I belong here.
6I just want to be me and maybe be free.

Flaws (d6)

1I often fail to realize that social and cultural norms from Earth were very recent and unusual customs, even in my own time, and I have difficulty imagining a world without them.
2I am very easily tricked by con-artists using types of scams I've never encountered before.
3I have great difficulty recognizing and respecting the social hierarchy.
4My ideas of morality and ethics do not match their very literal manifestations in this world.
5I am woefully underprepared for the reality of the supernatural, (Magic, monsters, corporeal undead, deities manifest, etc.) and exposure to it is akin to a mild form of trauma for me.
6I lived in a prosperous and enlightened time, and am not equipped to handle regular exposure to violence, death, famine, plague, pestilence, or abject injustice.


D&D Wiki Homebrew

This content was imported from D&D Wiki. It has not been vetted for game balance. Use with DM discretion.

Source: D&D Wiki - Earthling (5e Background)

Licensed under GNU Free Documentation License 1.3.

Comments (0)

User-Generated Content: Bubblybards is an independent, fan-run community platform. Content is created by users and we are not responsible for third-party intellectual property. If you believe content violates your copyright, please report it.

D&D 5e SRD Attribution: This site uses content from the D&D 5th Edition Systems Reference Document 5.1 by Wizards of the Coast, available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Bubblybards is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast.