In my somewhat biannual re-reading of the AD&D DMs Guide I was considering the oft-overlooked table called "Secondary Skills." This provides a background for your character for what they did before becoming a professional adventurer. The list itself is barely a skeleton; there is no elaboration as to what benefits the character may have from their former trade. While vague guidelines are provided, there is opportunity for so much more. Here is a rough attempt to flesh them out and make them a bit more useful in your game.
Player Backgrounds
For use with 1st Edition (ODD compatible)
When a player selects a class for a character, this class becomes the character's main profession. The character has followed this profession before the game starts. The character has done almost no other activities. The character starts at level 1.
But the character can also have some knowledge of ordinary skills. The character got this knowledge in two ways. First, the character learned it in early life. Second, the character learned it by accident during training for the main profession (for example, cleric training or fighter training).
Use the table below if your campaign includes backgrounds at this level of play. Use the table to give a background to a player character. You can also use the table to give a background to a henchman.
Give a background to a character in one of two ways:
- Select a background that matches your campaign setting.
- Roll on the table to select a background at random.
To find a background, roll on the table. If the dice show "TWO BACKGROUNDS," give the character a second, suitable background.
Each background below assumes that the character worked in this trade for many years before becoming an adventurer. Background bonuses add to class bonuses, except where the text says otherwise. For abilities with a percentage chance, treat the percentage as a base value. Adjust the percentage to fit the situation.
BACKGROUNDS TABLE
Armorer
Trained in the forging, fitting, and repair of armor, from leather jacks to plate.
- Can appraise the value and quality of armor on sight (90% accurate).
- May attempt field repairs to damaged armor given 1 hour and basic tools, restoring it to full protection.
- +1 to AC when wearing armor of their own make or maintenance (snug, well-fitted).
- 25% chance to identify the origin/make (dwarven, elven, regional smithwork) of a piece of armor.
Bowyer/Fletcher
A maker of bows and arrows, skilled in selecting wood, tillering staves, and fletching true shafts.
- +1 to hit with self-made bows (the weapon "fits" the archer).
- Can craft/repair bows and arrows given raw materials and time (1 short bow or 12 arrows per day).
- Can judge the quality, range, and pull-weight of any bow on sight.
- Ammunition crafted personally never suffers the -1 penalty for using "found" or scavenged arrows.
Farmer/Gardener
Raised working the soil, tending crops and livestock plots.
- Can determine soil quality and predict crop yield with a glance.
- Skilled at foraging edible wild plants; halves chance of accidental poisoning from unknown flora.
- +10% to survival-related checks when in cultivated or temperate terrain.
- Knows basic weather-reading from sky, wind, and animal behavior (as a weak predict weather, 1-mile radius, next 24 hours, 70% accurate).
Fisher (Netting)
Works nets, weirs, and seines to bring in the catch.
- Can cast and mend nets; guarantees a subsistence catch (enough to feed 6 people) after 2 hours' work near any fishable water, barring supernatural interference.
- +2 to any attack roll made using a net as a weapon.
- 80% chance to free self or others from entanglement (nets, webs, snares).
Forester
At home in the woods, trained to manage and read the deep forest.
- Moves through natural (non-magical) forest terrain without leaving a trail, 90% of the time.
- +10% to surprise rolls when in woodland.
- Can estimate age, health, and species of trees; identifies useful/dangerous woodland plants 75% of the time.
- Rarely gets lost in forested terrain (add +2 to any navigation check in such terrain).
Gambler
Lived by the cards, dice, and the turn of fortune in taverns and back rooms.
- Can detect cheating (loaded dice, marked cards, sleight of hand) 60% of the time.
- +10% reaction bonus in social encounters involving wagers, games, or barter of chance.
- Once per day, may re-roll one failed saving throw related to a game of chance or a bet gone wrong (Referee's discretion), taking the second result.
- Skilled at reading people; +1 to reaction rolls when sizing up a stranger's intentions.
Husbandman (Animal Husbandry)
Bred, raised, and cared for livestock — horses, cattle, sheep, and the like.
- Can judge the health, age, temperament, and value of any domestic animal at a glance.
- Animals tamed or trained personally gain +1 to loyalty/morale checks.
- Can treat sick or injured domestic animals as a healer treats a wound (restores 1d3 hp or cures minor animal ailments, once per animal per day).
- +15% to any check involving calming, gentling, or controlling a frightened or hostile domestic animal.
Hunter/Fisher (Hook and Line)
A patient provider, skilled with rod, line, and the hunter's stalk.
- Guarantees subsistence food for self plus 3 others per day spent hunting/fishing in viable terrain (90% in good terrain, 50% in poor).
- +1 to hit with thrown or missile weapons against animals specifically (not against sapient foes).
- Can track game 60% of the time in wilderness terrain.
- Skilled at remaining motionless and quiet; +10% to surprise when lying in wait.
Jeweler/Lapidary
Trained eye and steady hand for gems, precious metals, and fine detail work.
- Can appraise the value of gems and jewelry (90% accurate, identifies fakes 75% of the time).
- Keen eyesight grants +1 to find secret compartments, traps, or hidden inscriptions on small objects.
- Skilled at fine handwork; bonus to any task requiring delicate manipulation (disarming small mechanisms, engraving, etc.) at Referee's discretion.
Leather Worker/Tanner
Cures hides and crafts them into goods, from boots to armor.
- Can appraise the quality and value of leather goods and hides on sight.
- May craft or repair leather armor and goods given materials and time (leather armor repaired to full in 1 hour).
- 50% chance to identify the creature a hide or leather item came from.
- Leather goods made personally are more durable: +5% to saves vs. normal wear, rot, and breakage.
Limner/Painter
An artist trained in portraiture, illumination, and pigment work.
- Can produce a recognizable likeness of any person or scene seen, useful for "wanted" bills, records, or gifts.
- Keen observational eye grants +1 to notice details in a painting, mural, or visual clue that others overlook.
- Can identify the school, era, or origin of a painting or illuminated manuscript 60% of the time.
- Can mix pigments and prepare inks/paints from natural materials.
Mason/Carpenter
A builder in stone or timber, trained to raise walls and structures that last.
- Can assess the structural soundness of a building, wall, or bridge, spotting weak points 75% of the time.
- Can identify recently disturbed stonework, false walls, or hidden doors in worked stone/wood 20% of the time (in addition to standard search).
- Can construct or repair simple structures (doors, barricades, scaffolding) with available materials.
- +1 to checks to force, brace, or shore up a failing structure.
Miner
Spent years underground, cutting through rock in search of ore and stone.
- Can judge the stability of tunnels, caverns, and mine shafts, sensing imminent collapse 70% of the time.
- Base 15% chance to detect slope, depth, and direction underground (as the dwarven racial ability, though weaker).
- Skilled with pick and shovel; digs at double the normal rate of an untrained laborer.
- Can identify valuable ore veins and common minerals on sight.
Navigator (Fresh or Salt Water)
Trained to read stars, currents, and charts to bring a vessel safely to port.
- Can plot and hold a course, reducing chance of becoming lost at sea/river by 50%.
- Can determine approximate location using stars, sun, and landmarks (weather permitting), 80% accurate.
- Skilled with charts and instruments (astrolabe, compass, lead line); can produce or read a navigational map.
- +1 to any reaction/survival roll during a shipwreck or storm at sea due to steady, practiced calm.
Sailor (Fresh or Salt)
A hand before the mast, skilled in rigging, knots, and shipboard life.
- Climbs rigging and ropes with no chance of falling under normal conditions; 90% under adverse conditions (storm, combat).
- Can tie/untie any knot instantly, including under duress; +2 to escape bonds or rigging-based traps.
- +1 to hit in shipboard combat (boarding actions, deck fighting) due to familiarity with footing on a moving vessel.
- Knows common sailor's cant and gestures, useful for silent communication aboard ship.
Shipwright (Boats or Ships)
A builder of watercraft, from simple skiffs to seagoing ships.
- Can assess the seaworthiness of any vessel at a glance, spotting rot, poor construction, or sabotage 75% of the time.
- Can oversee or perform repairs to a damaged vessel, restoring seaworthiness given time and materials.
- Knows the approximate value, cargo capacity, and crew requirements of any watercraft on sight.
- +10% to checks related to keeping a damaged ship afloat.
Tailor/Weaver
Skilled with needle, thread, and loom, crafting and mending cloth and clothing.
- Can appraise the value and quality of cloth goods and clothing (identifies fine/foreign fabrics 70% of the time).
- Can craft or repair cloth goods, disguises, and padded/quilted armor given materials and time.
- +10% to disguise checks involving altered or well-fitted clothing.
- Keen eye for detail; may notice a hidden pocket, forged seam, or concealed item in clothing 20% of the time beyond normal search.
Teamster/Freighter
Drove wagons and pack trains over long roads, managing cargo and beasts of burden.
- Can handle draft animals and wagons with expertise; +2 to control a team in dangerous conditions (panic, bad terrain, combat).
- Knows how to properly load and balance cargo, reducing chance of losses/spoilage by half on overland journeys.
- Familiar with trade roads; 50% chance to know general terrain, waypoints, and dangers along a well-traveled route.
- Can perform running repairs on wagons/carts given basic tools.
Trader/Barterer
Made a living buying low and selling high, with a sharp head for value and deal-making.
- +10% reaction bonus in any negotiation, haggling, or buying/selling situation.
- Can appraise the general market value of common trade goods (not gems or magic) with 85% accuracy.
- Knows current/regional price fluctuations for common goods 60% of the time (Referee's call on setting).
- Skilled at spotting a bad deal or an outright swindle, 50% chance to notice before committing.
Trapper/Furrier
Lived off the land setting snares and lines, and preparing pelts for market.
- Can set snares/traps that guarantee a catch of small game 60% of the time per night, in viable terrain.
- Can skin and prepare a hide/pelt without damaging its value, and appraise furs at market rate.
- +10% to avoid or detect natural traps, deadfalls, and snares (own trade turned to caution).
- Can track animals through disturbed terrain and identify species from tracks 60% of the time.
Woodworker/Cabinetmaker
A craftsman of fine furniture, chests, and detailed joinery.
- Can appraise the value and craftsmanship of wooden furniture and objects on sight.
- Skilled at detecting false bottoms, hidden compartments, or trick joinery in wooden furniture/chests, 25% chance beyond normal search.
- Can craft or repair wooden items and simple mechanisms (locks, boxes, tool handles) given materials and time.
- +1 to disarm/rig traps built into wooden furniture or fixtures, owing to familiarity with joinery and mechanisms.
Summary
Backgrounds work together with class abilities. They do not replace class abilities. For example, a fighter with a Trapper background is still a fighter first.
The Referee can rule that a character may take only one background. This represents a life at one trade before the character became an adventurer.
When you use backgrounds, you must create and judge situations where the background abilities apply. In general, a background gives a character these abilities:
- The character can judge the value and condition of certain items.
- The character can find food.
- The character can make small repairs.
- The character can make simple items.
For example, a character with an armorer background can do these things:
- Judge the quality of normal armor.
- Repair minor damage to weapons and armor.
- Make certain simple weapons.
To find the exact limits of a background, do this: think like a person with that background. Select a background that you know something about. Decide what a person with this background could do in real life. Use this as a guide. Compare this to the abilities of other character backgrounds.
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