Starting Backgrounds

The many backgrounds found on this page are more like pregenerated characters than “classes”. They don’t represent all the kinds of adventurers that can be found in the Archipelago; they’re just a tasting menu. Feel free to tweak them for your table, to mix and match, or to invent new backgrounds entirely.

d44	Background
11	Reaver
12	Monster Hunter
13	Uncarved Mendicant
14	Farfarer
21	Thief
22	Bard
23	Acrobat
24	Rook
31	Wizard
32	Weatherworker
33	Hedge Witch
34	Field Alchemist
41	Chosen of the Sky Dancer
42	Chosen of the Fogweaver
43	Chosen of Ruin
44	Chosen of Thousand Branches

11. Reaver

Not necessarily a pirate. The Archipelago is a dangerous place, and there’s always a market for a soldier of fortune with a strong arm and a cool head. Or maybe you’re a pirate.

Skills:

• 3 Axe Fighting
• 2 Crossbow Fighting
• 2 Strength
• 2 Dodge
• 1 Climb
• 1 Swim
• 1 Seafaring
• 1 Tactics
• 1 War Stories

Possessions:

• Chain shirt (modest armour).
• A heavy-bladed axe, perfect for chopping either ropes or skulls.
• Crossbow and 20 bolts.

Special: Once per battle, you may resist physical harm without spending any Luck.

12. Monster Hunter

The Archipelago has no shortage of strange and magical beasts. It’s a brave soul who takes the first step into a place where regular folk fear to tread.

Skills:

• 3 Greatsword or Maul Fighting
• 2 Folklore
• 2 Strength
• 2 Dodge
• 1 Run
• 1 Climb
• 1 Knife Fighting
• 1 Awareness
• 1 Wilderness Survival

Possessions:

• Draped pelts of mysterious origin.
• A silvered knife and a knife of cold iron.
• Greatsword or Maul.

Special: When you encounter a creature you’ve never seen before, you can ask the GM to tell you one of its weaknesses, defenses, or special powers.

13. Uncarved Mendicant

A survivor of turmoil and destruction who has taken on the forlorn robe, owning nothing so that nothing may be taken from you. You are a living warning against striving and hubris.

Skills:

• 3 Unarmed Fighting
• 2 Strength
• 2 Dodge
• 2 Endurance
• 1 Second Sight
• 1 Begging
• 1 Leap
• 1 Run

Possessions:

• Simple robes.
• A walking stick.
• A begging bowl.

Special: When you face an armed opponent, being unarmed yourself doesn’t put you at a disadvantage. Your unarmed attacks inflict the damage of a club.

14. Farfarer

A restless wanderer of the Archipelago’s wild and distant places. The fire in your eyes is dimmed by cities and roads, and it can only be kindled by a vista that no other eye has seen.

Skills:

• 3 Bow Fighting
• 2 Sword Fighting
• 2 Animal Empathy
• 2 Wilderness Survival
• 1 Herbalism
• 1 Seafaring
• 1 Sneak
• 1 Swim
• 1 Climb

Possessions:

• Plain travelling clothes and a heavy leather cloak (light armour).
• Bow and 20 arrows.
• A scratched and scarred machete (damage as sword).
• A pouch of healing herbs (1d3 uses).

Special: You have a loyal and effective animal companion that watches your back and obeys your commands (mostly). They can assist you in combat, and inflict damage as a Small or Modest Beast.

21. Thief

Someone trained in the arts of stealing and sneaking, a craft that’s hard to come by honestly. Likely to have a questionable past they’d prefer was left uninvestigated.

Skills:

• 3 Sneak
• 2 Sling Fighting
• 2 Locks
• 2 Climb
• 1 Knife Fighting
• 1 Traps
• 1 Picking Pockets
• 1 Appraisal
• 1 Dodge

Possessions:

• Sling and stones.
• Lockpicks.
• Grappling hook.
• A handful of caltrops.
• Vial of powerful solvent (1d3 uses).
• An extra 1 supply.

Special: You get +1d when attacking a completely unaware enemy. If successful, automatically inflict the maximum damage for your weapon.

22. Bard

An entertainer and storyteller who wanders the Archipelago in search of a good tale. A good bard should be glib of tongue, light of heart, and fleet of foot.

Skills:

• 3 Music
• 2 Folklore
• 2 Appraisal
• 2 Charm
• 1 Knife Fighting
• 1 Disguise
• 1 People Reading
• 1 Run

Possessions:

• Colourful or well-travelled garb.
• A musical instrument of your choice.
• Parchment and writing supplies.

Special: You can play an inspiring ballad that uplifts any friendly creatures that can hear and understand you. Roll against the risk that you can’t capture the muse. As long as you succeed, this counts as a setup action for as long as you keep playing. Your music can also counter the effects of magical songs and poetry.

23. Acrobat

Who can scramble up a tree, scale a mast, vault a wall, walk a tightrope? Maybe an entertainer, and maybe a second-story burglar. Either way, you’re light, fast, and fearless.

Skills:

• 3 Climb
• 2 Leap
• 2 Dodge
• 2 Balance
• 1 Knife Fighting
• 1 Awareness
• 1 Sneak
• 1 Tumble

Possessions:

• Loose and practical garments.
• A flexible staff and vaulting pole.
• A pouch of chalk for keeping your grip.
• Rope.

Special: When there’s a question about who goes first or who gets the spotlight, the answer is always you.

24. Rook

A rook is something between a scout and a spy, someone you can rely on to keep a low profile and gather intelligence.

Skills:

• 3 Disguise
• 2 Sneak
• 2 Awareness
• 2 Charm
• 1 Knife Fighting
• 1 People Reading
• 1 Climb
• 1 Run

Possessions:

• Plain and uninteresting garments.
• A costume change (decide what it looks like the first time you use it).
• A pair of boots with a hidden compartment.
• A spyglass.

Special: You tend to blend in. You get +1d when rolling to avoid drawing attention to yourself, and others get +1d when rolling to distract from you.

31. Wizard

Wizards are scholarly mages who devote themselves to the four arcane arts which they consider to be most elegant and profound: finding, binding, seeming, and conjuring.

Skills:

• 3 Spells of Finding
• 2 Spells of Binding
• 2 Spells of Seeming
• 1 Spells of Conjuring
• 1 Second Sight
• 1 Calligraphy
• 1 Dead Languages

Possessions:

• Outlandish robes or a scholarly outfit.
• A wizardly staff.
• A voluminous grammar filled with Runes of Power.
• A calligraphy brush and a pot of ink.

32. Weatherworker

Weatherworkers are working mages who command the wind, waves and sky. It’s by far the most profitable kind of magic; a good weatherworker is welcome anywhere.

Skills:

• 3 Spells of Wind
• 2 Spells of Water
• 2 Spells of Frost
• 1 Spells of Lightning
• 1 Astrology
• 1 Seafaring
• 1 Swim

Possessions:

• Practical sailor’s garb.
• A vellum scroll inscribed with the ritual of Weatherworking in waterproof ink.
• A weatherworking net of silver threads, for catching the breeze.
• An extra 2d6 ivory pieces.

33. Hedge Witch

A practitioner of folk magic, versed in the kind of practical charms and hexes that hermits and village wisdoms have been passing down to their apprentices for generations.

Skills:

• 2 Second Sight
• 2 Spells of Changing
• 2 Spells of Influence
• 2 Spells of Curing
• 1 Spells of Guidance
• 1 Herbalism
• 1 Folklore

Possessions:

• A hard-wearing woollen robe and a pointy hat.
• An enciphered grimoire that contains the ritual of Star Writing.
• A relationship of mutual respect with the elemental spirits of land and sea.
• Herbs to bring peaceful sleep (1d3 uses).

34. Field Alchemist

A wayward apprentice, unable or unwilling to pursue the secrets of alchemy in the confines of some master alchemist’s sterile laboratory. You must advance your craft by experimentation and field research instead.

Skills:

• 3 Alchemy
• 2 Steady Hands
• 2 Throwing
• 1 Herbalism
• 1 Healing
• 1 Smell
• 1 Run

Possessions:

• A good pair of boots and a flame-retardant apron.
• 20 instant matches made from sparkblossom sap.
• Alembics and other alchemical instruments, stowed in a bulky but portable trunk.
• Crumpled recipes for healing draught, sleeping draught and bottled wildfire.
• A healing draught.
• A sleeping draught.
• A bottle of wildfire.

41. Chosen of the Sky Dancer

One who has dedicated their life to the service of the Sky Dancer, who dwells within the moon and whirls between the stars. The oldest teacher of the islanders, she is the watcher in the sky, the gentle beacon who guides you safely home. She is the patron of sailors, leaders, teachers and students.

Skills:

• 3 Proselytizing
• 2 Invoke the Sky Dancer
• 2 Staff Fighting
• 2 Healing
• 1 Spells of Curing
• 1 Spells of Guidance
• 1 History (or other knowledge skill)
• 1 Theology

Possessions:

• Religious vestments.
• Membership in the cult of the Sky Dancer.
• Herbs and bandages for healing.
• A sacred stave that symbolises wisdom and stability.
• Your holy symbol, the Lunar Wheel (counts as light armour when held aloft).

Special: You may hold your holy symbol aloft in both hands and Invoke the Sky Dancer to call forth pale, radiant starlight for as long as you hold it. If there are undead present, roll against the risk that your faith is weak.

If you succeed, they cower and retreat from you for 1d6 x 10 minutes. If you have any left over 6s at the end of the roll, you can spend them to banish or destroy one undead creature apiece. If you fail the roll, you may not attempt to turn this creature again.

42. Chosen of the Fogweaver

One who has dedicated their life to the service of the Fogweaver, who loves you more the more lost you become. The goddess of mystery and intuition, she scorns the pitiless light of day. The enshrouding fog at the edge of the world blurs boundaries and awakens the true heart. She is the patron of adventurers, wanderers, the aimless and the lost.

Skills:

• 3 Proselytizing
• 2 Invoke the Fogweaver
• 2 Spear Fighting
• 2 People Reading
• 1 Spells of Influence
• 1 Spells of Seeming
• 1 Secret Societies
• 1 Theology

Possessions:

• Religious vestments.
• Membership in the cult of the Fogweaver.
• A winged spear to pierce the veil of pretense.
• Your holy symbol, the Sightless Eye (counts as light armour when held aloft).

Special: You may hold your holy symbol aloft in both hands and Invoke the Fogweaver to call forth the enshrouding fog. Roll against the risk that your faith is weak; if you fail, you can’t try again today.

It takes about 10 minutes for the fog to descend, and it lasts for 1d6 hours. The closer you are to the ocean, the heavier the fog will be. Far inland, it’s a wispy mist that provides scant concealment. On the open ocean, it’s a freezing wall of impenetrable grey. You can use this power indoors or underground, but the fog won’t be able to reach you.

43. Chosen of Ruin

One who has dedicated their life to the service of Ruin, the toppler of towers and burner of forests. They are the flame that spreads hungry, the lightning that yearns to kiss earth, the gale that longs to caress your fragile ship. Ruin is the patron of firebrands, rabble-rousers and troublemakers - anyone who aims to misbehave.

Skills:

• 3 Proselytizing
• 2 Invoke Ruin
• 2 Mace Fighting
• 2 Rabble Rousing
• 1 Spells of Flame
• 1 Spells of Lightning
• 1 Disguise
• 1 Theology

Possessions:

• Religious vestments.
• Membership in the cult of Ruin.
• A heavy mace with which to smash edifices.
• Your holy symbol, the Sundered Tower (counts as light armour when held aloft).

Special: You may hold your holy symbol aloft in both hands and Invoke Ruin to withstand any heat or flame, no matter how intense. Roll against the risk that your faith is weak; if you fail, the flames will kiss your flesh after all. Otherwise, you are totally immune to heat and fire as long as you hold the symbol aloft.

44. Chosen of Thousand Branches

One who has dedicated their life to the service of Thousand Branches, the vast songborn with a mangrove heart. His resplendent foliage is an ever-branching crown of antlers that represents every path and fork a life might follow. Valuing agency and growth above all else, he denies those who embrace stagnation and detests those who fetter others.

Skills:

• 3 Proselytizing
• 2 Invoke Thousand Branches
• 2 Spear Fighting
• 2 Inspire
• 1 Spells of Guidance
• 1 Spells of Remembrance
• 1 Locks
• 1 Theology

Possessions:

• Religious vestments.
• Membership in the cult of Thousand Branches.
• A many-branched trident (damage as spear).
• Your holy symbol, the Forked Bough (counts as light armour when held aloft).
• A set of mangrove and iron lockpicks, consecrated only for freeing the fettered.

Special: You may hold your holy symbol aloft in both hands and Invoke Thousand Branches to amplify the effects of fortune and chance (both good and bad) for a time. Roll against the risk that your faith is weak; if you fail, you can’t try again today.

As long as you hold the symbol aloft, everyone in the area gets +1d whenever they Push their Luck. The risk and effect of all rolls is also increased by one step, so that the “default position” becomes great risk and great effect. Anything that relies on chance or probability becomes more erratic and unpredictable than usual, which may either be a hindrance or a help.