Traits and backgrounds

Thieves World introduced the idea of backgrounds for characters, and as a spontaneous hack I carried these over into Pathfinder. The Pathfinder advanced players guide includes the option of character traits, and this is an attempt to bridge the two systems.

In addition to starting feats (potentially 1+1+1), characters are assigned three traits- one from the Pathfinder Adv PHB, and two from Thieves World. As the game progresses it may be possible to acquire additional traits as story awards – tbd.

The Adv PHB trats are divided into 5 categories i.e.

• Basic – which are subdivided into Faith, Combat, Faith, Magic and Social all of which look fine as listed.
• Campaign – needs expanding but favoured son / daughter, black sheep and outlander (i.e. not from Sanctuary) all work well
• Race – to be adapted as players choose to play non-human races i.e. the desert elf character
• Regional – could use some of these, although they are to an extent covered by the TW backgrounds below.
• Religion – perhaps look to develop a faith characteristic for each character as the game progresses e.g. secret Dylarean cultist masquerading as the follower of the obscure Cirdonian goddess Heqt.

The Thieves World backgrounds are listed below, and I’ve adapted the ones in use, to remind myself to flesh these out into story seeds at a later date. They are divided into cultural backgrounds and character backgrounds. If you want the details go buy the books.

Cultural Backgrounds

• Adralean (Gaz)
• Aurveshan
• Bandaran (Gaz)
• Banmalts and Cleeans (Gaz)
• Black Haired Barbarians (Gaz)
• Cadis - less detailed
• Caronnese
• Cidonian
• Enlibar - lost cities thereof deep in the Great Wastes
• Firaqan (Gaz)
• Half Beysib – unlikely to be relevant in current campaign cycle
• Ilbarsi - less detailed
• Ilsigi
• Irrune – unlikely to be relevant in current campaign cycle, or maybe as a Barbarian background
• Mrsevadan
• Nighter – or Downwinders pre flood
• Nisibisi
• Raggah
• Rankan
• S’Danzo
• Sherranpip - less detailed
• Sumese (Gaz)
• Thyrisis - less detailed
• Twandan
• Velosian (Gaz)
• Yenized - less detailed
• Visalam (Gaz)
• Wrigglie

Character backgrounds

• Academic
• Acolyte
• Adventurer
• Apprentice
• Aristocrat
• Armiger (Gaz)
• Athlete (Gaz)
• Bandit
• Beggar
• Bureaucrat
• Constable
• Courtier
• Criminal
• Dancer (Gaz)
• Dyareelan cultist – you have been born of blood and madness and indoctrinated into the insidious cult of Dyareela from an early age. Snatched from the streets and trained to serve the Mother of Chaos, whose purposes are unfathomable and to the mortal mind insane. Whether you have given your soul to the hermaphroditic goddess is tbd but you have been forever changed by your experiences. Cultists are assigned on of the following roles;
• Bruiser
• Honey
• Watcher – you gain +1 trait bonus to Perception checks. Role of the watcher is diverse but the 1st task is to seek the signs of the great manifestation.
• Entertainer
• Entrepreneur
• Farmer
• Healer
• Herder
• Hunter
• Laborer
• Merchant
• Mortician (Gaz)
• Nomad
• Outcast (Gaz)
• Prizefighter
• Prostitute
• Sailor
• Slave
• Soldier
• Spy (Gaz)