PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Displaced (5e background)



Kishigane
2020-11-23, 12:44 AM
I wanted some advice for a background I made for 5e.

Displaced

You don’t belong in this world. You come from an alien realm where magic doesn’t exist, technology is far more advanced, and the adventures you now face used to be confined only to fiction. You don’t know why you were brought here, but you are trying to make the best of a perplexing situation.

Consider how long you have been here, and how you have managed to procure the powers associated with your class since arriving. Have you been stuck here for years, learning the art of some class as a way to survive? Did you appear not only in an unfamiliar place but also in an unfamiliar body, maybe of some inhuman race that doesn’t exist in your own world, which comes with instinctual powers and talents that you’re still learning to command? Also think about your previous life, what skills it would have taught you, and how those now apply to your new life.



Background Features
Skill Proficiencies: Choose any 2 except for Arcana, History, or Religion
Tool Proficiencies: Choose any 1 of the following: any artisan’s tools besides Alchemist’s Supplies, any musical instrument, or any gaming set
Equipment: A mobile phone with 0% battery, a wallet with a dozen banknotes of a currency not accepted in this world, a ring of keys, a set of strange clothes, and a pouch of 10 GP.

Feature: Modern Knowledge
While you came into this unfamiliar world without a copper piece to your name, the advanced knowledge you brought with you has given you something of value to offer. You are well-versed in a field that is farther advanced in your original world than the world you are in now. It could be medicine, mathematics, engineering, craftsmanship, or anything else that makes sense for your character.

In order to secure a life for yourself, you contributed this knowledge to some organization that it was relevant to. For example, you might have taught a university the secrets of calculus, or instructed a blacksmith’s guild in how to make a stronger steel. The organization considers themselves indebted to you for your contribution, and are willing to support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle. They consider you a member of their organization, although you may have to pay monthly dues to gain the full benefits of membership.

This anachronistic knowledge that you’ve introduced may cause a disruption in the world and its balance of power. Discuss with your DM what impact your knowledge has on the world now that it has been introduced, if any.

”I’ve Read the Handbook!”
Because Displaced characters are implied to have come from modern-day Earth, there’s a chance that they may have played Dungeons & Dragons as a game. This could potentially serve as a way to justify how the character knows things about game mechanics and monsters that would otherwise seem like metagaming. Make sure the DM is comfortable with your character having this sort of knowledge in-game before characterizing them that way.

Suggested Characteristics
Displaced characters are strangers in a strange land, stuck in a place where everything they thought was fictional is now real. They might see this as a call of action to become a protagonist like in all the stories they grew up with, or they may only care about making it out of these adventures alive. Either way, they are defined by a culture that those around them can’t come close to relating to.

Personality Traits
1: I’m taking this predicament as a chance to reinvent myself into a better, stronger person.
2: I have trouble pronouncing all these weird fantasy names.
3: Back home I was nobody, so I’m amazed whenever I pull off something crazy and heroic.
4: When someone asks me where I’m from, I tell the truth. They never believe me.
5: I frequently make pop culture references that no one else understands.
6: I channel my favorite fictional hero in battle to give myself courage.
7: Since I’m clearly the protagonist of a light novel, I frequently flirt with the natives in an effort to get my harem started.
8: I hate camping.

Ideals
1: Heroism. Now that I have the power to be a hero, I want to use it for good. (GOOD)
2: Fun. While I’m here, might as well explore and go on crazy adventures. (CHAOTIC)
3: Domination. With my modern mind and technology, I could bring this barbaric world to its knees. (EVIL)
4: Discovery. The mysteries of this new world never cease to amaze me. (ANY)
5: Progression. This place has some backwards attitudes and political systems, and I intend to bring everyone up to my modern standards. (LAWFUL)
6: Safety. I simply don’t want to die. (NEUTRAL)

Bonds
1: I will do whatever it takes to get back home.
2: I try my best to be a representative for my world that my people could be proud of.
3: Magic fascinates me, and I want to understand how it works, maybe even scientifically.
4: I want to build a life for myself that is as comfortable as what I used to have.
5: The friends I’ve made in this world mean more to me than the ones I had back home.
6: I owe my life to the kind people who took me in after I arrived in this world.

Flaws
1: I cower in the face of real danger.
2: I’m convinced that I’m delusional, and that nothing I do in this world really matters.
3: I don’t know how to research anything without the help of the internet.
4: I make up stories about who I am and where I’m from to avoid questioning, and I’ve lost track of my lies.
5: My survival instincts leave much to be desired.
6: I haven’t adjusted to the lower standard of living in this world well, and I’m easily won over by the promise of luxuries.

P. G. Macer
2020-11-23, 05:05 PM
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an exact, nearly word-for-word copy of this background in the Backgrounds Omnibus Homebrew document on r/UnearthedArcana. If you aren’t aware of it, I suggest you look up the PDF in r/UnearthedArcana’s Curated List.

Kishigane
2020-11-24, 01:20 PM
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an exact, nearly word-for-word copy of this background in the Backgrounds Omnibus Homebrew document on r/UnearthedArcana. If you aren’t aware of it, I suggest you look up the PDF in r/UnearthedArcana’s Curated List.

I'm not familiar with that subreddit. What a coincidence~