Multiple Backgrounds

[Dreneht]

Can a character take multiple backgrounds?

Please provide sources for either yes or no.

[mgshamster]

What do you mean by that? Do you mean features and proficiencies, or just additional traits, or both?

From a story perspective, you can only have one background. You're only one person. A single person can't have more than one background - their background is just their life lived up to that point!

As far as the rules go, your background can be whatever you want it to be, however diverse you want it to be, but no matter hot many different ways you've lived your life, you only get the following mechanical benefits:

One Background Feature
Two Skill Proficiencies
Two of (Language or Tool) Proficiencies
Starting Equipment (If you're not using the option rule to spend your starting money in chapter 5).

It doesn't really matter how many traits, bonds, flaws, and ideals you have - those are really just roleplaying tools. Although you should have at least one of each. The book recommends two traits and one of each of the others.

This is all from page 125 of the PHB, under customizing a background.

[Slipperychicken]

Just the one. In all places, it refers to "your character's background" in the singular. Also, logically speaking, a character can only have one background.


If you're asking because you're a GM whose player is trying to take multiple backgrounds at once, just tell him no, and that it's a final decision.

[Godshoe]

From point of rules and mechanic that give you bonuses you can have only one background.

But biography of your character could be as deep and complicated as you wish. So you can mix and combine storyline points in any madly ways within your lore and DM allows.

[Hrugner]

It could make for an interesting race trait for something very long lived, or that reincarnates similar to the pathfinder Samsaran.

But, as to the actual question, the backgrounds listed in the book and elsewhere are example backgrounds. If your background would include two of the example backgrounds, you'd have a different single background based on those two.

[Gastronomie]

The power level of the characters need not be equal, but the rules for character creation should be.

If your player's character has a complex backstory, let him create a homebrew background that's in-between the multiple "backgrounds" he has - one that's created using the rules in the PHB.

[mgshamster]

The power level of the characters need not be equal, but the rules for character creation should be.

If your player's character has a complex backstory, let him create a homebrew background that's in-between the multiple "backgrounds" he has - one that's created using the rules in the PHB.

This is a good idea. And if you want to make your own custom background feature to match, check out "How to Design Background Features," found in my signature.

[WereRabbitz]

Lots of backgrounds in the PHB, and more in SCAG, and even more on their website and you can create your own I remember seeing something on how to make your own custom backgrounds thought it was in a UA post maybe can't remember.

anyway Multiple backgrounds would be weird, better to make a custom one which is all fine and dandy.

Just don't let them over benefit from background bonuses.

Doesn't want someone to mix Hermit, Soldier, and Folk Hero and get all the skill bonuses/languages that each provide as that would make them a little over powered in the skill/language department devaluing other classes.

Giving them many languages would devalue classes like Knowledge Cleric

Extra skills would devalue Bards/Rogues who part of their class is to be versatile with their skills.