5.1 - Background Rules

Background Rules

Background answers what your character did before adventuring. ItV4.0 isdoes not create or replace backgrounds. Use the v4.0background sourcerules ofalready startingselected for the campaign.

Choose One Native Background System

Campaign Rules What You Gain 2014-style D&D 5e The background's listed skills, tools or languages, equipment, and narrative feature. Use the campaign's normal ability-score increases.generation. 2024-style D&D 5e The background's listed ability-score options, Origin feat, skills, tool, and equipment. Existing Hiraeth background Exactly the benefits on that background's live BookStack page, interpreted through the campaign's selected edition. Campaign custom background The benefits allowed by the campaign's normal background-building rule.

BackgroundNo BenefitsDouble-Dipping

Each background provides:

• ThreeDo listednot abilitytake scores.

Two skill proficiencies. One tool proficiency. Starting equipment. One narrative background feature.

Increase one listed ability by 2 and another listed ability by 1, or increase all three by 1. No score can exceed 20 from this step.

Custom Background

With GM approval:

Choose three ability scores. Choose two skills. Choose one tool. Choose equipment comparable toboth a listed background. Write one narrative access feature comparable to those in the catalog.

A narrative2014 background feature shouldand finda ordinary2024 information,Origin lodging,feat work,unless recognition,the orcampaign institutionalgives access.both Itto shouldevery character.

Do not directly modify attacks, Armor Class, damage, saving throws, or spell slots.

Official Background Conversion

An official or existing Hiraeth background can replace a v4.0 background. Follow the compatibility page so the character receives only one set oftake ability-score increases from v4.0; it grants none.

Do not take a second set of skills, tools, languages, or equipment from this chapter. Culture and onlyancestry oneknacks remain separate because they grant narrow language or story access, not another profession package.

Ability Scores

Your ability-score increases come from whichever character-creation method the campaign uses. If a 2014-style background featuredoes not assign ability scores, that does not cause v4.0 to assign them. Use the same rule used by every other character in that campaign.

Customizing a Background

If the campaign permits custom backgrounds, follow that edition's or Origincampaign's feat.native customization procedure. Culture can inspire the background's story, but never supplies extra mechanical selections.