Background: Beastmaster

Half inspired by one of my favorite games, Darkest Dungeon, the Beastmaster is one of several backgrounds meant to give variety to those who wish to play as characters who had less fantastical backgrounds. I enjoy playing a character that has always been destined for greatness or who had some terrible adversity that made them strong. Sometimes, though, it is fun to play a person who just had a job and a paycheck.

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“The confused mutt licked at her face, not understanding the wavering of her voice. With great effort she brought the whistle to her lips as the muscles of each hound surrounding her tensed in anticipation. As she blew, her throat quivered as she choked back tears and she wondered, for a moment, if she had even given enough air to make a sound. She was answered as her loyal hounds perked their ears and charged faithfully into the enemy lines, bringing her a sense of pride for their courage in what would b their last fight.”

BEASTMASTER

A hawk gracefully glides high above the forest, searching for prey. It hones in on a target, diving down through the trees, snatching up a rodent and gliding to its perch on your arm. You run your fingers through the soft hair of a regal white horse’s mane, looking into its eyes and calming its fearful breath with nothing but your gaze. The howling of hounds echoes through the woods, followed shortly by bloodcurdling human screams. You smile from atop your horse, knowing your dogs have found their prey and that your master will be happy.

Whether traveling among the sprawling cities of the Sword Coast, the towers of Thay, or the deadly passages of The Underdark, Beastmasters can be found in nearly any culture. The beasts they train and the methods they employ vary as widely as the masters they serve. Sometimes they are people of some small power and influence, training and caring for the hunting animals of the nobility. Other times they are the dregs of society, living among the wretched animals they are tasked with controlling between hunts. And in certain places they are greatly feared, having unnatural sway over nightmare creatures used in unimaginable rituals.

Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Animal Handling, and Nature

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land)

Equipment: A custom saddle, a signal whistle, common clothes, a coin purse with 5gp.

FEATURE: LOYAL FRIEND

As an action, you may blow your signal whistle once per day to summon a loyal animal servant (of CR 1/4 or lower). The servant may be any tamable beast. It can understand and follow basic commands spoken by its master, as well as a maximum of three hand signals. The beast cannot communicate with its master beyond general needs and emotions (fear, happiness, hunger, etc) unless the master is capable of speaking with animals by some other means. The beast can travel up to one mile from its master and still find its way back. The beast cannot attack or take any aggressive actions during combat and will flee if attacked. The creature can be dismissed with an action. If dismissed, the creature can be summoned in the same way again the next day. If killed, the creature does not return. When not summoned, the creature is assumed to be nearby, never wishing to be very far from its master.

ALTERNATE FEATURE: SMELL OF FEAR

You have dealt so much with feral and wild beasts that you have learned to literally smell their fear and other emotional states. You can use Perception in place of any Insight rolls on both beasts and humanoids so long as you can smell them.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS

Beastmasters tend to be gruff and poorly mannered, having spent much of their time with animals. They usually know the beasts of the land as well as any Ranger or Druid, but don’t necessarily have the same respect for those beasts, sometimes seeing them as servants rather than companions. Beastmasters don’t tend to be good or evil, but are often heavily influenced by the noble family, army, or other powerful persons for which they worked.

SPECIALTY (d6)

1. Master of Horse - I tended to the horses of a noble house, taking great pride in my work.

2. Master of Hunt- I raised and disciplined the hunting dogs, rarely being shown appreciation.

3. Falconer- I accompanied skilled hunters and helped them to train and deploy their falcons.

4. Cowboy- I roamed the wide open plains, watching over roving herds of domesticated animals.

5. Circus Tamer- I awed audiences with my ability to bond with and control dangerous beasts.

6. Monster Tamer- I sought out the misshapen and foul things of the world in the hopes of domesticating them.

PERSONALITY TRAIT (d6)

1. People have always been hard for me to get along with.

2. I tend to sleep in the day and be more awake and aware at night.

3. I enjoy playing around and rough housing with friends and animals.

4. I am utterly intolerant of people who are cruel to animals.

5. I am very timid around nobility or people of authority.

6. I prefer to wander. Relationships and places grow stale and I want to move on fairly quickly.

IDEALS (d6)

1. Competition- We are all predator or prey. Act accordingly. (Evil)

2. Nature- There is a natural order to the world that we should not violate. (Lawful)

3. Might- Survival is what the strong do. Everyone else is just waiting for their turn to be meat. (Evil)

4. Fatalism- Plans are for people who think you get to choose when you die. (Chaotic)

5. Freedom- City walls protect, but they pen you in. The open fields and forests are where we are free.

6. Knowledge- Learning about the beasts of the land is how we can learn about ourselves. (Neutral)

BONDS (d6)

1. A person in the household I served often mistreated and abused me.

2. My loyal animal friend is my lifetime companion and more important to me than anything else in the world.

3. I have set out to tame as many of the wild monstrosities of the world as I can.

4. The famed beast in my homeland’s wood killed my father. I will take revenge, when I am strong enough.

5. I seek to restore the reputation and renown of my once legendary family of Beastmasters.

6. My personal saddle has great sentimental value to me, having been given to me by someone I care deeply for.

FLAWS (d6)

1. When honest means of making money fail, I quickly turn to the dishonest means.

2. When unfamiliar creatures smell me, they are sometimes enraged by the scent of all the animals on me.

3. I tend to stammer, mumble, or stutter when I am nervous.

4. I have no sense of direction and depend entirely on my animal companion for that.

5. When a person of high birth disrespects me, I want to get petty revenge on them.

6. I could only kill an animal in absolute self defense.

#DD5E #Backgrounds #jobs