Background: Battle Born

You were born, bred, and trained for combat. From the earliest age, you learned how to fight, how to kill, and how to survive. You survived the most intense, brutal, and extreme training imaginable, all aimed at one purpose: to turn you into a war machine. Whether your parents willingly gave you over to the war masters upon your birth, or you were sold as a slave into the legion, your life has never been your own until now. When creating a battle-born, collaborate with your GM to create a suitable organization, order, or cult responsible for raising and training you. You may have belonged to a religious group, the king’s secret army, a slave master who sells his soldiers to the highest bidder, or a military unit controlled by a secret society of mages. As a battle-born, you fought and killed those who you were told were your enemies, but you almost never understood the reasons or the cause. In designing your backstory, consider a few questions. Do you know who your parents or family were? Do you know where you came from, and if so, where? Who was the most influential of your trainers? Did this instructor treat you and your fellow soldiers with strict discipline or harsh cruelty? Describe the worst battle you fought in, and come up with a few details about the other soldiers who fought and died at your side. Beyond your experiences during training and your early battles, you should also consider how and why your character earned (or took) his freedom. Did you fulfill an oath or contract of service, were you discharged due to wounds or trauma, or perhaps one day you simply grew tired of the killing and deserted? The method of your discharge from service offers a few hints as to whether your character is wanted as a deserter, a fugitive, or a war criminal. Now that your life encompasses more than endless warfare, how well are you adjusting to “civilian” life? What gaps do you suffer in your social skills and etiquette? How do you handle unusual situations and interactions, especially those where violence is the wrong solution? Are you awkward and withdrawn, or are you boisterous and outgoing? Answering these questions helps not only build your backstory, but also helps enrich the campaign as a whole. Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools Languages: One of your choice Equipment: An iron collar identifying your unit and designation, a memento taken from a vanquished foe (an ear, a rank insignia, a necklace, or a shred of a banner), a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp Feature: Combat Sense You grew up on the field of battle, and as a result you possess the exceptional ability to assess the surrounding terrain in the blink of an eye. Before combat begins, if you have a round to study the local landscape you instinctively understand the best places to locate cover, you identify difficult terrain, and you can make a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot difficult-to-see potential hazards, such as quicksand, thin ice, and camouflaged pits. You also notice the best, most tactically appropriate ambush sites. Suggested Characteristics With rare exception, battle-born live and die having never tasted freedom or independence. They spend their lives from birth until death as virtual slaves as part of a tightly interwoven brotherhood (or sisterhood). As a result, most battle-born tend to obey orders instinctively, seldom questioning the reasons behind a command. The combination of brutal training, indoctrination into the battle-born way of life, and a constant diet of combat leaves the typical battleborn intensely loyal, obedient to a fault, unflinchingly brave, and a complete and total child when it comes to social graces. Most battle-born never have the chance to adapt to the civilian lifestyle, and those who do earn such a chance often find it difficult to fit in. D8 Personality Trait 1 I detest soft living and a lull in the action; it makes me agitated and cranky.
2 I approach every situation as if combat were imminent. 3 Humor is a difficult concept for me to understand. 4 Death and I are old friends. Its approach brings me no fear, but it makes me reckless.
5 I once strangled a monster with my bare hands to save my comrades, and I won’t hesitate to do the same for my new allies. 6 Crowds make me nervous, and my hand never strays far from my weapon. 7 After a life devoid of freedom, I want to experience every sight, smell, and sound for myself. 8 Lying is an art that eludes me, and I prefer to tell the blunt truth at all times. D6 Ideal 1 Loyalty. You dedicate your life to your shield‐ mates, and you never abandon them. (Lawful) 2 Freedom. My days of following orders blindly are over. I’ll never accept servitude again. (Chaotic) 3 Justice. I want to liberate all slaves, making certain no one ever experiences what I’ve experienced. (Good) 4 Duty. Our job is to obey our superiors and carry out their orders‐‐do not question those who command us. (Lawful) 5 Might. I will use my skills and my strength to wring what I want out of life, and damn the costs. (Evil) 6 Independence. I fight for my comrades, but I no longer fight for anyone else’s cause. (Neutral) D6 Bond 1 One day, I will find my family and learn about why they gave me away.
2 I seek to serve a worthy cause, to fight for my beliefs, and to make a true difference in the world. 3 Those who imprison and enslave others must be punished, regardless of the cost. 4 Everything I do is in service to my comrades. They are my family and my world. 5 A monster devastated my former unit, and I have sworn vengeance against it. 6 During my time as a warrior, I committed terrible deeds. If I am to know peace, I must atone for those sins.

D6 Flaw 1 I’m hopelessly awkward in social situations; I often say the wrong thing at the worst time. 2 Violence and conflict are how I solve challenges. I am the hammer, and every problem I see is a nail.
3 Expressing myself often proves difficult, and I tend to keep to myself. 4 When I see a nobleman or a slaver, I want to choke the life from their miserable bodies. 5 If you’ve never fought and bled in combat, your opinions are worthless. 6 I can’t get enough of life’s indulgences, pleasures, and vices. So much to experience, and so little time!