Steal My Idea: Your Background in Stats: Discover your Homestead and the trials you faced according to your highest and lowest stats (also quickly make NPC backgrounds)

[Part of the Gollicking Collective]

If you grew up among thieves and struggled to find each meal, you’d have different priorities and knowledge than the child of a profitable cult leader on the outskirts of society. And your stats would reflect that.

These charts show you where you grew up and the unfortunate circumstances in that environment that helped shape you. This is not who you are now. These are events and conditions that you grew up with. How you accepted or fought against them decides who you are now.

This is meant for inspiration for players and DMs when crafting NPCs. If any of the origins inspire you, then use them. This is a method to find a set environment for a character to grow up within without you having to choose. After all, none of us get to select where we grow up. We simply choose what we do with the lessons we learned.

Growing up, where did you live?

Take your highest stat and select one homestead listed underneath it. Or roll a d6 to choose a random one.

Strength

1. On a mountain.

2. In a prosperous hunting village.

3. In a city.

4. In bondage.

5. In a military-run installation.

6. In the extreme wilderness (possibly raised by animals)

Dexterity

1. By the ocean.

2. In the slums.

3. In a rural village.

4. A resourceful hunting village.

5. In the streets.

6. Aboard a ship.

Constitution

1. In a mining town.

2. As a nomad.

3. In a boarding school.

4. In an extremely cold environment.

5. In a city experiencing an economic boom.

6. Among an underground society.

Intelligence

1. Among an invading force.

2. In a fringe society that favored knowledge above all else.

3. In a palace.

4. In the constant shadow of a brilliant person.

5. In a boarding school.

6. In another plane.

Wisdom

1. As a servant to a religious organization.

2. In a criminal organization.

3. In a place defending their home from invaders.

4. As the heir to an influential religious order.

5. Around animals (farm, sea, forest, etc.).

6. In the shop or lab where you were built.

Charisma

1. On a floating city.

2. In an entertainment troupe.

3. In a cult.

4. Among royalty.

5. The squire to a traveling knight.

6. As the body double for a more important child.

Growing up, certain talents and skills helped you thrive…

Match this to your highest and then you second highest stat to learn what helped you growing up.

Strength

Dexterity: Climbing and balance were as important as breathing.You learned to get around quickly.

Constitution: You knew how to find what you needed or who to threaten when you could not.

Intelligence: Knowledge let you know where to go in the city, and a strong arm protected you when you got that wrong.

Wisdom: When in slavery or servitude, a combination of strength and discernment allowed you to survive.

Charisma: Propaganda, political manipulation, and the justification of force were as common as your mother’s milk.

Dexterity

Strength: You could swim before you could walk.

Constitution: Quick hands kept you alive and well fed.

Intelligence: Helping to provide for your family was the only thing more important than knowledge.

Wisdom: You didn’t have the most, but you made the most out of it.

Charisma: Deft hands and the right words meant the difference between walking away and limping.

Constitution

Strength: Life was hard, but you were harder.

Dexterity: Changing landscapes and unknown hazards never slowed you down.

Intelligence: You were well educated and even more well fed.

Wisdom: A strong body and a keen awareness marked the living from the dead.

Charisma: People flocked to your homeland, and your family knew how to capitalize on the rapid growth

Intelligence

Strength: When outsmarting your enemies didn’t work, you knew you needed to out muscle them.

Dexterity: Snappy retorts and a thirst for knowledge defined your homeland.

Constitution: The finest tutors and most accommodating surroundings made you intelligent and hearty.

Wisdom: They could never be outsmarted, but that didn’t stop you from trying.

Charisma: Books helped you learn about the world, but charm and appeal helped you learn about people.

Wisdom

Strength: Strength of body and faith were equally important.

Dexterity: You quickly learned who to trust and how to get away from those you didn’t.

Constitution: Your family knew the land better than the invaders, and they exploited every bit of that insight to keep them back.

Intelligence: You never had the chance to experience true combat, but you were tasked with learning much more.

Charisma: A combination of memory, reading body language, and going with your gut let you know whom your allies were.

Charisma

Strength: Everyone still questions you about living in such an exotic and treacherous place.

Dexterity: A tight-knit group of people who knew how to perform showed you the art of tempering expectations, social ingenuity, and misdirection.

Constitution: Those around you always believed, and no matter how scarce it seemed, resources were always available.

Intelligence: You learned that a good ruler must be smart, but to get the people’s hearts, you must win them over with your personality.

Wisdom: Anywhere you could find animals, you were happy to be among them.

Growing up, something always held you back…

Find the headlining stat that matches your lowest stat. Then find your second lowest stat directly below it to learn of your homestead.

Strength

Dexterity: You were always terribly clumsy and uncoordinated.

Constitution: Malnourishment took its toll on your body.

Intelligence: When you needed physical strength or knowledge, you learned who to ask.

Wisdom: People close to you had a bad temper, and it taught you to bottle your feelings inside.

Charisma: Given your environment, physical exertion and socializing with those around you held an equal amount of appeal. None.

Dexterity

Strength: You learned raw strength and finesse were not as effective as manipulating people.

Constitution: A deformity limited your physical abilities.

Intelligence: Your mind was always as sharp as your reflexes…

Wisdom: Repeated injuries hindered your finesse and your ability to trust.

Charisma: Being graceful and well-spoken were not as important as being effective.

Constitution

Strength: A lack of resources was a constant problem.

Dexterity: You were sickly, no matter what you tried.

Intelligence: You were overworked, never getting proper time to rest or learn.

Wisdom: You were gullible and consistently taken advantage of.

Charisma: War constantly tore your home apart, and you suffered from want and had trouble trusting others.

Intelligence

Strength: When you need to know something or get something done, you have to ask.

Dexterity: Those book pages were always so fragile. You learn by doing.

Constitution: Finding your next meal took up the time you could have used to learn.

Wisdom: You were convinced you did not need to learn.

Charisma: Physical prowess was always more reliable than your wit and tongue.

Wisdom

Strength: Repeated injuries made you overly cautious, and your weakened body reinforced that fear.

Dexterity: A delicate touch, metaphorically and literally, was considered a weakness.

Constitution: You have no gut to rely on, mentally and physically.

Intelligence: Constant daydreaming has clouded your awareness.

Charisma: You might not be dumb, but you have no gut instinct.

Charisma

Strength: You were reserved and antisocial, never engaging with anyone else.

Dexterity: You were consistently threatened by predators.

Constitution: You overcompensate and it makes people like you less.

Intelligence: You grew up with a tight group, and you don’t know how to communicate properly to people who don’t think like that.

Wisdom: You were practical; art and subjective thinking are nearly foreign to you.

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