Hermit background suggestion dump thread

[Specter]

Seeing the recent thread about the Hermit, I thought it would be a good idea to lay some ideas for DMs out there. Feel free to contribute! Just remember, background features aren't supposed to give statistical or combat advantages.

NATURAL SOLACE
In your wanderings, you have found a natural sanctum, hidden away in the wild. Only you know the directions to this place, and you can't be tracked or magically perceived in it.

BODILY STABILITY
You have discovered the secret to unnaturally long life. You are treated as being 30 years younger for the purposes of determining the effects of age on your body. This can't reduce you to the minimum adult age for your race.

ASTRONOMICAL NAVIGATION
You have learned how to attune yourself to the stars to measure time. You can keep precise track of time (in seconds, minutes and hours) even while engaged in other activities, and you always know how much time is left until the sunrise or sunset.

[TundraBuccaneer]

Tongue of nature
You gained the insight to communicate with the spirits of the land(the ones you make familiars of or lesser), you may ask them questions such as if someone has passed through this area or where a safe camping site is (spirits might send you to a *humanoid* camp or direct you to the inside of a tree).

Satisfied hunger
You have found out a way that gives you the ability to live without food. You no longer need to eat but you will gain weight rapidly if you don't, until you start eating again.

[Baptor]

Here's one I did for a player, might be too intense for some.

Planar Rift
You have discovered a complex mathematical equation that allows you to mentally open a planar rift 1/long rest that allows you to Plane Shift as the spell. However, you have little if no control over the rift and must make an Intelligence check DC 15. If you succeed, you choose which plane you are sent to. If you fail, you are sent to a random plane or a plane of the DM's choice.

Lots of fun with this one. :)

[lunaticfringe]

It's not Real
You are aware that you are a fictional character living in a fictional world created for the entertainment of some sort of primate. You have Advantage on saving throws against fear effects (Halfling Bravery trait).

[Arkhios]

Seeing the recent thread about the Hermit, I thought it would be a good idea to lay some ideas for DMs out there. Feel free to contribute! Just remember, background features aren't supposed to give statistical or combat advantages.

NATURAL SOLACE
In your wanderings, you have found a natural sanctum, hidden away in the wild. Only you know the directions to this place, and you can't be tracked in it.

BODILY STABILITY
You have discovered the secret to unnaturally long life. You are treated as being 30 years younger for the purposes of determining the effects of age on your body.

ASTRONOMICAL NAVIGATION
You have learned how to attune yourself to the stars to measure time. You can keep precise track of time (in seconds, minutes and hours) even while engaged in other activities, and you always know how much time is left until the sunrise or sunset.

While in essence this is a cool idea, I think it's got a slight problem. What if a said hermit was less than 30 years old? Wouldn't he or she be at fetus stage at best? :D

[Asmotherion]

It's not Real
You are aware that you are a fictional character living in a fictional world created for the entertainment of some sort of primate. You have Advantage on saving throws against fear effects (Halfling Bravery trait).

Somehow, this made me think of Deadpool.

"The power to break the fourth wall".

-You have learned how to keep your mouth shut. Nobody can force you to talk, be it by torture or otherwise

-You have learned the secret of an ancient civilisation's magic technologies. Compared to that, the magic used by spellcasters of today, seems primitive to you.

-You have learned to tell with pinpoint accuracy if some plant, animal or mushroom is edible or poisonous. This does not help you with artificially poisoned food however.

-By being isolated for a long time in a non-Eucledean plane fundamentally diferent than your homeplane for a long time, you have grown to understand Beholders better. You have advantage in Persuation and Deception rolls towards Beholders and Mind Flayers, but suffer disadvantage to the same skills towards creatures of a lower intelligence, such as Trolls and Orcs, because your logic is too complicated for them.

-Secluded in the ruins of an ancient artificer's workhouse, you found the recipie for one magic item of rare value or lower. If you gather the component listed by your DM you would be able to reproduce it in a week's worth of downtime activity were you would work on it 8 hours per day. Your DM may (or may not) give you more recipies as you adventure

[Hrugner]

-You've discovered a method of preserving good berries. It renders them fairly intoxicating, you can produce one free alcoholic healing potion per week.
-You've discovered a method of casting spells without somatic components simply by yelling out the name of the spell really loudly.
-You've discovered a secret 8th day of the week that only those with animal intelligence experience. By drinking yourself stupid on Saturday night you get a free day of downtime as if on a noble's budget as you walk in and out of the wealthiest establishments. Your day ends if you try anything clever or succeed a intelligence based check.
-You discovered a new non-terrestrial elemental force. You can convert spells to this force but have no idea what it really is, immunities, vulnerabilities and resistances are rolled randomly the first time you attack a new target with a spell using this element. The DM can make this non-random whenever he likes and the rule becomes set in stone based on the criteria explained by the DM.
-You tried to become a warlock or cleric but your patron is very very lazy. They don't grant you any powers, but you can ask them to help out in super natural social situations. They put in a good word for you and you can hobnob above your class when it comes to outsiders gaining advantage on persuasion checks against outsiders.

[Ruslan]

While in essence this is a cool idea, I think it's got a slight problem. What if a said hermit was less than 30 years old? Wouldn't he or she be at fetus stage at best? :DI wonder what would the hermit be if he was 29 years and 3 months old ...

Anyway, easily changed into "You are treated as being 30 years younger (but not less than the minimal adult age for your race) for the purposes ...etc".

Here's my contribution:

"You have discovered gods are not real. Clerics are just a Wisdom-based Sorcerer variant with a different spell list." (What is the use of that? Not sure yet. But it sounds interesting)

[Specter]

While in essence this is a cool idea, I think it's got a slight problem. What if a said hermit was less than 30 years old? Wouldn't he or she be at fetus stage at best? :D

Fixed that.

[bardo]

You lived in seclusion in a swamp for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from society you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the connections you were looking for.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Performance.
Tool Proficiencies: Musical Instrument (banjo).
Languages: French.
Equipment: A bicycle and a cup of tea from a recognizable manufacturer.

Feature: Ridiculous Optimism. Your passion and enthusiasm can be contagiousness. Once per long rest you can yell in a high-pitched voice while flailing your arms granting you advantage on any charisma checks related to following one's dreams.

Suggested Characteristics

Personality Trait: Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
Ideal: Friendship: With good friends you can't lose (Lawful).
Bond: The show must go on.
Flaw: Uncontrollable attraction to pigs in tight dresses.

Oh you said Hermit.... Sorry, sorry, I thought you said Kermit background. Never mind.

Bardo.

[Specter]

You lived in seclusion in a swamp for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from society you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the connections you were looking for.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Performance.
Tool Proficiencies: Musical Instrument (banjo).
Languages: French.
Equipment: A bicycle and a cup of tea from a recognizable manufacturer.

Feature: Ridiculous Optimism. Your passion and enthusiasm can be contagiousness. Once per long rest you can yell in a high-pitched voice while flailing your arms granting you advantage on any charisma checks related to following one's dreams.

Suggested Characteristics

Personality Trait: Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
Ideal: Friendship: With good friends you can't lose (Lawful).
Bond: The show must go on.
Flaw: Uncontrollable attraction to pigs in tight dresses.

Oh you said Hermit.... Sorry, sorry, I thought you said Kermit background. Never mind.

Bardo.

Hah! Good one.

[Discord]

So reading through Volo's Guide to Monsters, in the Cloud Giant section, it mentions how the method of building Cloud Castles has long been forgotten. If I ever get a chance to place SKT, and my DM is okay with it, totally I would play a class with the Hermit background and they made the Discovery of how to build those Ancient Cloud Castles that float across the sky.

[Tanarii]

I hate the Hermit background, because of Discovery. I've eliminated it in my campaigns, because as written it's not supposed to provide any mechanical or in-game benefit to the character. It's just supposed to make the character the central Special Snowflake / Mary Sue of the campaign, by plugging him directly into a central plot of the campaign.

[Beleriphon]

I hate the Hermit background, because of Discovery. I've eliminated it in my campaigns, because as written it's not supposed to provide any mechanical or in-game benefit to the character. It's just supposed to make the character the central Special Snowflake / Mary Sue of the campaign, by plugging him directly into a central plot of the campaign.

I don't think it is, its supposed to present an interesting character hook that the DM is supposed to work with the player to create. The DM can ignore it, or use, just like any other part of the character background.

[Joe the Rat]

...or to drop a particular bit of knowledge that will be useful later
...or give them more potion recipes, if they can take the time to brew them
...or an understanding of the husbandry of Owlbears
...or justify particular build selections, like the Healer Feat and the ability to speak Giant (met a giant hermit, learned the language, studied ancient medical techniques), or Magic Initiate on your Fighter (quiet meditation and reading too many manhwa).

You see snowflakes, I see plot devices.

[tieren]

My hernit discovered a rare herb that cured blindness but left the character very hungry for the next hour or so.

[Kurt Kurageous]

You lived in seclusion in a swamp for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from society you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the connections you were looking for.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Performance.
Tool Proficiencies: Musical Instrument (banjo).
Languages: French.
Equipment: A bicycle and a cup of tea from a recognizable manufacturer.

Feature: Ridiculous Optimism. Your passion and enthusiasm can be contagiousness. Once per long rest you can yell in a high-pitched voice while flailing your arms granting you advantage on any charisma checks related to following one's dreams.

Suggested Characteristics

Personality Trait: Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
Ideal: Friendship: With good friends you can't lose (Lawful).
Bond: The show must go on.
Flaw: Uncontrollable attraction to pigs in tight dresses.

Oh you said Hermit.... Sorry, sorry, I thought you said Kermit background. Never mind.

Bardo.

LULZ or kek, depends.