Expanded Character Backgrounds

Feats and Abilities for Common Character Backgrounds

plus: Variant Races & Lineages

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Bonus Feats and Abilities

These backgrounds are intended as options for characters in games where the DM allows similar feat-granting backgrounds from supplemental settings and material such as Strixhaven and the Book of Many Things. It is highly recommended that either all characters in a campaign gain the benefits of such backgrounds or else no characters do.

You may select a feat as a background feature only if you meet all prerequisites for that feat at first level.

Expanded Acolyte

You have the features of the Acolyte background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Charitable Mission

You gain the Healer feat

Expanded Charlatan

You have the features of the Charlatan background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Master of Deception

You gain the Actor feat

Expanded City Watch

You have the features of the City Watch background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Crowd Control

You gain proficiency with clubs and the Savage Attacker feat

Expanded Cloistered Scholar

You have the features of the Cloistered Scholar background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Scholarly Research

Gain one of the following:

The Ritual Caster feat. Your spellcasting ability for the spells gained from this feat can be Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Choose any 4 spells from one class's spell list of level 5 or lower. Those spells are always class spells for you. Additionally, your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma ability score increases by 1.

Expanded Criminal

You have the features of the Criminal background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Underworld Talents

You gain the Dungeon Delver feat

Expanded Criminal (Spy)

You have the features of the Criminal (Spy) background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Hidden in the Shadows

You gain the Skulker feat

Expanded Entertainer

You have the features of the Entertainer background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Legendary Instrument

Begin the game with an uncommon Instrument of the Bards. It can be attuned to you even if you are not a Bard. It cannot be used by anyone to cast spells of a level above half your character level (round up).

Expanded Entertainer (Gladiator)

You have the features of the Entertainer (Gladiator) background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Bloody Show

Gain proficiency with nets and a martial weapon of your choice as well as the Great Weapon Master or Martial Adept feat

Expanded Faction Agent

You have the features of the Faction Agent background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Faction Property

Begin the game with an uncommon magic weapon or piece of armor.

Expanded Far Traveler

You have the features of the Far Traveler background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Sure of Foot

You gain the Mobile feat

Expanded Folk Hero

You have the features of the Folk Hero background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Paragon

Gain one of the following:

The Inspiring Leader feat
The Tavern Brawler and Grappler feats. You do not gain any increases to your ability scores from these feats.

Expanded Guild Artisan

You have the features of the Guild Artisan background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Master Status

Gain the Skill Expert feat from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Expanded Guild Artisan (Guild Merchant)

You have the features of the Guild Artisan (Guild Merchant) background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Inventory

Begin the game with four consumable common magic items or two consumable uncommon magic items of your choice.

Expanded Hermit

You have the features of the Hermit background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Strange Inspiration

You gain the Eldritch Adept or Metamagic Adept feat from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Expanded Inheritor

You have the features of the Inheritor background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Family Heirloom

Begin the game with an uncommon magic ring, rod, or wondrous item. It cannot be used by anyone to cast spells of a level above half your character level (round up).

Expanded Investigator

You have the features of the Investigator background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Sleuth

You gain the Observant or Keen Mind feats. You may also choose to take both feats, but gain no increase to your ability scores from them if you do.

Expanded Mercenary Veteran

You have the features of the Mercenary Veteran background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Battle Scars

You gain the Tough feat

Expanded Noble

You have the features of the Noble background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Undeserving

You gain the Lucky feat

Expanded Noble (Knight)

You have the features of the Noble (Knight) background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Heavy Cavalry

Gain proficiency with lances and one of the following

Mounted Combatant feat or the Charge feat
The Medium Armor Master, Heavy Armor Master, or Shield Master feat

Expanded Outlander

You have the features of the Outlander background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Nomad Archery

The Sharpshooter feat

Expanded Sage

You have the features of the Sage background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Magical Scholarship

Gain one of the following:

The Magic Initiate feat. Your spellcasting ability for the spells gained with this feat can be Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You may cast the 1st level spell gained from Magic Initiate with your own spell slots, if you have any.
Begin the game with an uncommon wand or staff. It cannot be used by anyone to cast spells of a level above half your character level (round up).

Expanded Sage / Soldier (War Mage)

You have the features of the Sage or of the Soldier background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Battlefield Magic

You gain one of the following:

The Spell Sniper feat. You may pick Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as your spellcasting ability for spells gained with this feat.
The Combat Caster feat

Expanded Sailor

You have the features of the Sailor background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Sea Legs

You gain swimming and climbing speeds equal to your walking speed.

Expanded Sailor (Pirate)

You have the features of the Sailor (Pirate) background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Swashbuckling

You gain the Defensive Duelist or Dual Wielder feat.

Expanded Soldier

You have the features of the Soldier background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Drill

You gain one of the following:

Proficiency with light armor, shields, and two weapons of your choice (possibly including firearms if they are allowed in your campaign)
The Fighting Initiate, Sentinel, or Polearm Master feat

Expanded Urban Bounty Hunter

You have the features of the Urban Bounty Hunter background from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Quarry

Gain the Mage Slayer feat

Expanded Urchin

You have the features of the Urchin background from the Player's Handbook, you also receive the following additional feature:

Feature: Hard Knock Life

Gain the Resilient feat. You may apply the +1 ability score increase from this feat to any ability score.

On Feats & Starting Ability Scores

It is the opinion of the author that character creation options should not add a +3 or greater increase to base ability scores. Such a boon (for instance, taking the Custom Lineage race along with a +1 ability score increase feat) can overwhelm other available choices and make character creation one dimensional for players who desire to play powerful characters.

The author suggests the following house rule: If a combination of options chosen at character creation would increase an ability score more than 2 above its base value, instead apply the further increase to a different score, which must also not increase more than 2 above its starting value.

If the DM desires for starting scores of 18 to be available in their game, the author suggests that a base score of 16 be available for a point buy outlay of 12 points. This combined with a +2 cap on ability score increases allows a large variety of characters to have an optimal primary ability score.

Bonus: Variant Lineages

You may make the following changes to your racial abilities, either as an unusual member of your kind or as a new race built off the mechanics of an existing one. New races can additionally change size, appearance, and humanoid subtype

Unusual Talents

When selecting a race / lineage that would not otherwise receive a racial feat, you may replace all of the ability score increases from that race and any subraces with a single +1 to one ability score and take a feat of your choice.

Variant Innate Magic

You may replace a race feature that grants the ability to cast one or more spells of first level or higher without using a spell slot, including other parts of the feature such as cantrips with a similar feature of a different race or sub-race that allows such casting. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells and you may use your spell slots (if any) to cast them.

Variant Flight

You may replace (or the DM may insist you replace) a racial flight speed with the following: *Whenever you fall, if you are not incapacitated or restrained, you may travel 2 feet horizontally for every 1 foot fallen, and you take damage as if you had fallen only 1/4 the distance. Upon reaching level 6, you gain the flight speed from your race.

Variant Racial Abilities

In addition to the substitutions allowed by Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, darkvision or any feature that grants damage resistance, advantage on a save, condition immunity, proficiency with armor, a movement speed other than walking, or a cantrip can be exchanged for one of the following:

A cantrip of your choice, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting bonus for this cantrip.
Damage resistance to a form of damage that is not piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning
Immunity to one of charmed, sleep, poisoned, or fear. Additionally you gain advantage on saving throws to resist spells or other effects that would impose the condition.
Proficiency with light armor
A climbing or swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Darkvision or double the range of existing darkvision.

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