PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Monster Hunter Custom Background



BW600
2015-08-24, 04:10 PM
Monster Hunter
You are an experienced hunter of monstrosities and beasts, killing those creatures that would threaten civilisation. You may be lauded by the common people as a hero and a saviour, or you may prefer to be unknown, striking out at the creatures that pillage from the shadows. You may even be shunned by society, feared for your gifts that protect them. Why have you taken it upon yourself to kill these beasts? Was your home town destroyed by one, or did you simply wish for the thrill of the hunt? Maybe the position is a high-ranking one in your tribe or society, and you have been training for it your entire life. There are even those who are only in it for the wealth that the pelts of some beasts can give.
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit
Language Proficiencies: One of your choice.
Equipment: A hunting trap, a herbalism kit, a two-person tent, a trophy from an exotic beast that you have slain, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.

Feature: Hunter’s Companions – You have friends and contacts in a kind of guild for those who hunt monsters. As a result, you know where to find safe houses in the wild, which have beds and a fully-stocked bar. There are often other monster hunters in these houses, who will give company and rumours but little else. Most monster hunters are only connected through a common trade, not a brotherly feeling.

Suggested Characteristics: Monster hunters tend to be socially different from others in civilisation. Some may be egotistical, the slaying of powerful beasts going to their heads. Others are withdrawn and sullen, so used to the wild that the hustle and bustle of civilisation disturbs them. Still others are stoic and single-minded, killing monsters for the good of others, but finding it hard to converse with them.

d8 Personality Traits
1 I often find myself mimicking the sounds and characteristics of animals and monstrosities alike, consciously or not.
2 If you cannot keep up with me on a hunt, then you are only as good as bait for my prey
3 I am usually a solitary hunter, and am not used to fighting with others.
4 Although I may kill beasts, I feel a strong connection to the natural world, and will seek vengeance on those that damage it without good cause.
5 I’m not in this for the glory or the thrill; I just want to protect people.
6 I feel far more at home in the forests and woods than in the towns and cities.
7 I’m always willing to lend a helping hand.
8 Whilst hunting, it is always beneficial to be part of a pack.

d6 Ideals
1 Justice. I strike down the monsters that would kill innocents. (Good)
2 Ecology. I take only what is needed to quell threats and subsist. Desiring more invites ruin. (Lawful)
3 Freedom. There is nothing I love more than the freedom of the hunt. Nobody can take that from me. (Chaotic)
4 Profiteer. The pay is good and the hunt is enjoyable - I could ask for no more. (Neutral)
5 Power. With every slain beast, I gain more power to smite any who stand in my way. (Evil)
6 Glory. These monsters are my path to fame. (Any)

d6 Bond
1 The beasts I hunt maraud and terrorize my homelands, and I cannot rest until they've all been cut down.
2 I owe all my skills to my mentor, and it is for him/her that I continue in this work.
3 My family were killed by one of these beasts, and I seek revenge for their deaths.
4 My hunter allies are as friend and family to me as my own flesh and blood, and I will never abandon them.
5 I do what I do to protect the weak and innocent.
6 My family come from noble lineage. I seek to reclaim that title.

d6 Flaw
1 I cannot tolerate the presence of other hunters, spending more time trying to hinder them than hunting on my own.
2 I often claim enemies as mine to kill, and will grow anger if they are slain by another.
3 The quirks inherited from my time in the wild have left me virtually unable to socialize with civilized peoples.
4 I am slow to trust people who are different from me.
5 I’d rather spend the rest of my days in an otyugh’s lair than admit when I’m wrong.
6 I have little respect for those who, unlike me, aren’t slayers of beasts.


Feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated

Ziegander
2015-08-24, 05:03 PM
Very cool, I dig it.

ZenBear
2015-08-24, 05:25 PM
Very cool! Only change I would make is to take away the bonus language. Not all monster hunters are going to bother learning a new language, especially the anti-social ones. Common would almost certainly suffice for the average hunter.

Ziegander
2015-08-24, 09:45 PM
Ah, yes, I agree with ZenBear. I hadn't even noticed the bonus language on my first read. No need for it, it seems balanced against other backgrounds already without it. I would take it on tons of characters.

BW600
2015-08-25, 05:25 AM
True, it doesn't fit with the anti-social ones. Should I replace it with proficiency in vehicles (land)?

Brimstone
2017-07-14, 04:21 PM
I like the Athletics and Survival. But wouldn't Arcane, History or Religion work as well? Seeing as they would know some information about what they hunt?

SirBellias
2017-07-14, 07:33 PM
I like the Athletics and Survival. But wouldn't Arcane, History or Religion work as well? Seeing as they would know some information about what they hunt?

While that is true, but I feel that Athletics and Survival are more core skills for the idea. Not all Monster Hunters hunt Undead, for instance.

I'd allow you to pick one of those in my game instead, but as a default set up the two original skills make the most sense, is what I think I'm trying to say.

As for the replacement for the language, I could see having a choice between some sort of Artisan's Tools as a helpful thing for long treks through the wilderness. They have to do their own cooking, more than likely, and a Monster Hunter Chef strikes me as a fun character to play.

zeek0
2017-07-14, 10:49 PM
I like the bonus language proficiency. Sure, there's anti-social hunters. But at their core, it seems that these hunters are rootless, are travellers. A traveller necessarily picks up languages, even if they aren't fluent. They need to trade, to negotiate, to interrogate, to ask for directions.

Strider knew elvish, and he was isolated in the wilds. I think that a bonus language is very appropriate.

JohnFJoestar
2018-05-30, 12:29 AM
Can't wait to try this background out, hoping to use it in my next campaign, seems really fun!