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==Overview==
Each background ability is grouped into a type with similar abilities. Each of the studies represents a collection of book knowledge, for example, while each artisan background ability represents training in tools and the ability to create. Though they are grouped into types for conceptual and mechanical reasons, each background ability must be acquired separately. The individual background abilities follow the general rules presented here as well the any special rules associated with their type.
Each individual background ability possessed by a character has a grade associated with it that indicates how well the character can perform at it. This grade determines whether or not you need to make a check to complete a particular task, what your bonus on the check is, and how much more or less you can expect to earn should you work in the field during your downtime. The grade is generally advanced through the investment of downtime and an attribute check, though exceptions for higher leveled characters exist.
==Types==
==Grades==
====Uninitiated====
Any field in which you have no experience or training is one in which you are considered uninitiated. Most creatures in the world are uninitiated in a given profession, and do not possess a grade. They have no training and very little experience with a profession, and pretty much fail at any serious attempt. They may make checks for the background ability on a case by case basis as approved by the DM. These checks often come with a -5 penalty and take twice as long.
====Grade I====
Grade I often goes by other names, including "apprentice" and "hobbyist", and represents an extremely minor level of training and ability in the field. This level of skill is not particularly impressive and can be acquired by most people enough time on their hands, but it is actual familiarity in the background ability. Creatures with this level of ability have some formal training or a fair amount of experience, but aren't consistent or skilled enough to be considered a full practitioner in their field.
They may make checks against for the background ability with a +0 bonus, and occasionally succeed at common tasks.
====Grade II====
Grade II is also referred to as "journeyman" or “professional” grade, and represents a completed training and generally competent level of ability in the field. Most of the creatures in the world who work in a background day in and day out have this level of skill. Their work is consistently acceptable, as would be expected of someone who possesses both experience and a full course of training.
They may make checks for the background ability with a +10 bonus, and almost never fail at common tasks.
====Grade III====
Grade III is the master grade. These are those individuals with exceptional skill, and are often those who have dedicated themselves single-mindedly to their field. Their work is consistently exceptional or masterwork quality.
They may make checks for the background ability with a +20 bonus, and almost never fail at difficult tasks.
====Grade IV====
A character with Grade IV in a background ability is a grand master and at the pinnacle of the ability. Individuals who achieve this grade are extremely rare. Their work is near flawless, often being a work of art in addition to masterwork.
They receive a +30 bonus to checks made for the background ability, and almost never fail at any task within their field.
===Advancing Grades With Time===
Advancing a background ability to the next grade requires two things: time and a successful attribute check at the end of that time investment. The time required is a multiple of the base training time of the background ability, with higher grades taking a substantially longer time to reach than lower grades. The attribute check also becomes more difficult as the grade increases and the field becomes more demanding. The attribute required varies by background ability, but in general crafts and proficiencies have an associated physical attribute, while languages, studies, and occupations have an associated mental attribute. Because the lists vary by game, these associations should be determined through discussion with your DM.
If an attribute check is failed, it may be retried one time after putting in additional training time. If this retry is also failed, you may not advance the background skill to the next grade. You have reached the peak of your ability with the background ability, and the simple investment of even more time will not cause you to noticeably improve.
The following table indicates the base training multipliers for grade training and retry investments as well as the attribute check DCs.
{| class="zebra d20" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;" width="900px"
! align=left | Attempted Grade !! align=left | Training Time Multiplier !! align=left | Retry Time Multiplier !! align=left | Attribute Check DC
|-
| align=left | I || 1x || 1x || 10
|-
| align=left | II || 2x || 1x || 16
|-
| align=left | III || 5x || 2x || 19
|-
| align=left | IV || 10x || 5x || 22
|}
{{Underbar|I can't be a Grade II Chef?
|These rules are designed to provide a hit and miss nature to background abilities. There are some things that some people just don't get, and as a result they don't get to be great at them. And while it is random and somewhat unfair to simply deny people some background abilities in this way, it's not a particularly large problem because the game is not about these things. You being a poor cook even though you gave it your all doesn't get in the way of you being an adventurer, so the parts where this isn't as fair don't make a large impact in a game.
Still, if it's really important for your character to be a professional chef or a master planar sage you can simply elect to invest a skill point into the background ability temporarily, assuming you have sufficient level. It's a bit of a power hit, but worth it for many people. This option is described later next.}}
==Checks==
Background checks are made when attempting to complete a task associated with your background ability. The basic mechanic of the check is to roll 1d20 + your Grade bonus + your key attribute bonus, and compare that value to the task DC. Task DCs are determined by your DM, and are expected to follow the guidelines below.
{| class="zebra d20" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align: left;" width="900px"
! align="left" | Task Difficulty || Examples || DC
|-
| align="left" | Standard || General knowledge in the field, standard item creation, task a practitioner in training might be able to complete || 10-15
|-
| align="left" | Challenging || Specialized knowledge in the field, masterwork item creation, task a competent practitioner in training might be able to complete || 20-25
|-
| align="left" | Exacting || Rare or obscure knowledge in the field, flawless item creation, task a master practitioner in training might be able to complete || 30
|}
When two practitioners of a background ability have a competition, the checks are simply opposed. While generally the higher check wins, if a 3rd party is judging the affair other biases and bribes may need to be taken into account.
{{Underbar|Background checks and published skill DCs
|The bonuses given here are largely compatible with the DCs of published knowledge, craft, profession, and perform checks. So if you don't want to change the DC in a published adventure or an SRD task, you don't have to. Grand masters will succeed almost always without rolling in these cases, but this is intentional as they can do that in most cases relevant to their field.}}
==Advancement by Skill Point==
Skill points from class levels may be used to acquire Grades in a skill without spending the requisite training time or passing an advancement check, with some limitations. No more than 4 skill points may be invested in this way at any given time, and no more than 2 per character level. Any skill points invested in a background skill are refunded to the creature when they gain two levels or after a period of time equal to the normal investment time for the grade that was acquired, whichever comes first. The refunded skill points may be invested in skills as normal at that time, or in additional background abilities if the creature has not already met the background ability investment limtes for their level.
The following table below shows how far a background skill is advanced when a skill point is spent based on the value of that skill point. As the skill points of higher level characters are more valuable, higher level characters may advance to higher grades or skip some entirely when investing their skill points in background abilities.
{| class="zebra d20" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align: left;" width="900px"
! rowspan="2" | Level or CR !! colspan="4" | Starting Grade
|-
! Uninitiated || Grade I || Grade II || Grade III
|-
| 1 || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2 || Grade I || — || — || —
|-
| 3 || Grade I || Grade II || — || —
|-
| 4 || Grade II || Grade II || Grade III || —
|-
| 5 || Grade II || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV
|-
| 6 || Grade II || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV
|-
| 7 || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 8 || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 9 || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 10 || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 11+ || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV
|}
{{Sidebar|Immediate Interrupt Acquisition
|Acquisition in the middle of the story is traditionally accompanied by a phrase along the lines of “I was waiting to surprise you guys, but I’ve been training in that for a while now”. It is a straightforward ret-con of the past, and an acceptable one because the gain is accounted for by the initial reduction in character power and the chance that it won't actually be used.}}A character may withhold 1 skill point from assignment to a skill or background ability if they wish, spending the point in the middle of the game to instantly benefit from them. While this assignment is generally done in a background skill, it may also be used for any skill which is not currently at its rank maximum. If assigned to a background ability the skill point is refunded as normal after the time investment is completed, at which time it may again remain in holding so long as the character does not have another skill point in holding already. If the character gains a level before assigning this skill point, they must spend all newly acquired skill point as part of the normal level up process.
order tweaks
These background abilities could just be hand-waved away or left for the players and DM to discuss at the table when they come up, and are in many games, but this is a pretty unsatisfying solution for a lot of players. So instead we break them away from the level and class system to provide them for those games that want them without asking players to sacrifice their level based benefits in exchange. The rules below will help you determine what sort of background things you can practice, how good you are at them, and how you can acquire new ones.
==Overview==
Each background ability is grouped into a type with similar abilities. Each of the studies represents a collection of book knowledge, for example, while each artisan background ability represents training in tools and the ability to create. Though they are grouped into types for conceptual and mechanical reasons, each background ability must be acquired separately. The individual background abilities follow the general rules presented here as well the any special rules associated with their type.
Each individual background ability possessed by a character has a grade associated with it that indicates how well the character can perform at it. This grade determines whether or not you need to make a check to complete a particular task, what your bonus on the check is, and how much more or less you can expect to earn should you work in the field during your downtime. The grade is generally advanced through the investment of downtime and an attribute check, though exceptions for higher leveled characters exist.
==Grades==
===Grade Descriptions===
====Uninitiated====
Any field in which you have no experience or training is one in which you are considered uninitiated. Most creatures in the world are uninitiated in a given profession, and do not possess a grade. They have no training and very little experience with a profession, and pretty much fail at any serious attempt. They may make checks for the background ability on a case by case basis as approved by the DM. These checks often come with a -5 penalty and take twice as long.
====Grade I====
Grade I often goes by other names, including "apprentice" and "hobbyist", and represents an extremely minor level of training and ability in the field. This level of skill is not particularly impressive and can be acquired by most people enough time on their hands, but it is actual familiarity in the background ability. Creatures with this level of ability have some formal training or a fair amount of experience, but aren't consistent or skilled enough to be considered a full practitioner in their field.
They may make checks against for the background ability with a +0 bonus, and occasionally succeed at common tasks.
====Grade II====
Grade II is also referred to as "journeyman" or “professional” grade, and represents a completed training and generally competent level of ability in the field. Most of the creatures in the world who work in a background day in and day out have this level of skill. Their work is consistently acceptable, as would be expected of someone who possesses both experience and a full course of training.
They may make checks for the background ability with a +10 bonus, and almost never fail at common tasks.
====Grade III====
Grade III is the master grade. These are those individuals with exceptional skill, and are often those who have dedicated themselves single-mindedly to their field. Their work is consistently exceptional or masterwork quality.
They may make checks for the background ability with a +20 bonus, and almost never fail at difficult tasks.
====Grade IV====
A character with Grade IV in a background ability is a grand master and at the pinnacle of the ability. Individuals who achieve this grade are extremely rare. Their work is near flawless, often being a work of art in addition to masterwork.
They receive a +30 bonus to checks made for the background ability, and almost never fail at any task within their field.
===Advancing Grades With Time===
Advancing a background ability to the next grade requires two things: time and a successful attribute check at the end of that time investment. The time required is a multiple of the base training time of the background ability, with higher grades taking a substantially longer time to reach than lower grades. The attribute check also becomes more difficult as the grade increases and the field becomes more demanding. The attribute required varies by background ability, but in general crafts and proficiencies have an associated physical attribute, while languages, studies, and occupations have an associated mental attribute. Because the lists vary by game, these associations should be determined through discussion with your DM.
If an attribute check is failed, it may be retried one time after putting in additional training time. If this retry is also failed, you may not advance the background skill to the next grade. You have reached the peak of your ability with the background ability, and the simple investment of even more time will not cause you to noticeably improve.
The following table indicates the base training multipliers for grade training and retry investments as well as the attribute check DCs.
{| class="zebra d20" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;" width="900px"
! align=left | Attempted Grade !! align=left | Training Time Multiplier !! align=left | Retry Time Multiplier !! align=left | Attribute Check DC
|-
| align=left | I || 1x || 1x || 10
|-
| align=left | II || 2x || 1x || 16
|-
| align=left | III || 5x || 2x || 19
|-
| align=left | IV || 10x || 5x || 22
|}
{{Underbar|I can't be a Grade II Chef?
|These rules are designed to provide a hit and miss nature to background abilities. There are some things that some people just don't get, and as a result they don't get to be great at them. And while it is random and somewhat unfair to simply deny people some background abilities in this way, it's not a particularly large problem because the game is not about these things. You being a poor cook even though you gave it your all doesn't get in the way of you being an adventurer, so the parts where this isn't as fair don't make a large impact in a game.
Still, if it's really important for your character to be a professional chef or a master planar sage you can simply elect to invest a skill point into the background ability temporarily, assuming you have sufficient level. It's a bit of a power hit, but worth it for many people. This option is described later next.}}
===Advancing Grades With Skill Points===
Skill points from class levels may be used to acquire Grades in a skill without spending the requisite training time or passing an advancement check, with some limitations. No more than 4 skill points may be invested in this way at any given time, and no more than 2 per character level. Any skill points invested in a background skill are refunded to the creature when they gain two levels or after a period of time equal to the normal investment time for the grade that was acquired, whichever comes first. The refunded skill points may be invested in skills as normal at that time, or in additional background abilities if the creature has not already met the background ability investment limts for their level.
The following table below shows how far a background skill is advanced when a skill point is spent based on the value of that skill point. As the skill points of higher level characters are more valuable, higher level characters may advance to higher grades or skip some entirely when investing their skill points in background abilities.
{| class="zebra d20" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align: left;" width="900px"
! rowspan="2" | Level or CR !! colspan="4" | Starting Grade
|-
! Uninitiated || Grade I || Grade II || Grade III
|-
| 1 || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2 || Grade I || — || — || —
|-
| 3 || Grade I || Grade II || — || —
|-
| 4 || Grade II || Grade II || Grade III || —
|-
| 5 || Grade II || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV
|-
| 6 || Grade II || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV
|-
| 7 || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 8 || Grade III || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 9 || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 10 || Grade III || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV
|-
| 11+ || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV || Grade IV
|}
A character may withhold 1 skill point from assignment to a skill or background ability if they wish, spending the point in the middle of the game to instantly benefit from them. While this assignment is generally done in a background skill, it may also be used for any skill which is not currently at its rank maximum. If assigned to a background ability the skill point is refunded as normal after the time investment is completed, at which time it may again remain in holding so long as the character does not have another skill point in holding already. If the character gains a level before assigning this skill point, they must spend all newly acquired skill point as part of the normal level up process.
{{Underbar|Immediate Interrupt Acquisition
|Acquisition in the middle of the story is traditionally accompanied by a phrase along the lines of “I was waiting to surprise you guys, but I’ve been training in that for a while now”. It is a straightforward ret-con of the past, and an acceptable one because the gain is accounted for by the initial reduction in character power and the chance that it won't actually be used.}}
==Checks==
Background checks are made when attempting to complete a task associated with your background ability. The basic mechanic of the check is to roll 1d20 + your Grade bonus + your key attribute bonus, and compare that value to the task DC. Task DCs are determined by your DM, and are expected to follow the guidelines below.
{| class="zebra d20" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align: left;" width="900px"
! align="left" | Task Difficulty || Examples || DC
|-
| align="left" | Standard || General knowledge in the field, standard item creation, task a practitioner in training might be able to complete || 10-15
|-
| align="left" | Challenging || Specialized knowledge in the field, masterwork item creation, task a competent practitioner in training might be able to complete || 20-25
|-
| align="left" | Exacting || Rare or obscure knowledge in the field, flawless item creation, task a master practitioner in training might be able to complete || 30
|}
When two practitioners of a background ability have a competition, the checks are simply opposed. While generally the higher check wins, if a 3rd party is judging the affair other biases and bribes may need to be taken into account.
{{Underbar|Background checks and published skill DCs
|The bonuses given here are largely compatible with the DCs of published knowledge, craft, profession, and perform checks. So if you don't want to change the DC in a published adventure or an SRD task, you don't have to. Grand masters will succeed almost always without rolling in these cases, but this is intentional as they can do that in most cases relevant to their field.}}
==Types==
There are five types of background abilities: crafts, languages, occupations, proficiencies, and studies.
{{Underbar|Why Aren’t These Skills?
But a more compelling reason than the mechanical concerns is the story one. If these background abilities are tied to level in the same way as the other skills are then they are also tied to combat ability (the alternative, where levels are not a measure of combat ability but of some other thing is not considered here, because so much of the rest of the game assumes combat is the function of level or CR). Tying them to level means that sages with incredibly specialized knowledge never need protection or bodyguards, master crafters can not be kidnapped and held against their will, and every exquisitely trained butler also knows kung fu because they all must possess sufficient levels to qualify for their level of skill in a background ability. It is a straightforward reduction in the amount of stories that can be told, and we don’t get any new stories in exchange. By breaking these background abilities away from character level or CR, you can have both helpless sage and powerful sage stories as you need them for your games.}}
===Craft===
*Nobility and royalty (Specializations: By culture and/or country)
*Religion (Specialization: By pantheon or deity)
==Starting Characters==
===Bonus Languages===
For each bonus language that a character is entitled to, they may select a language from the list and gain Grade II competency in that language. They must select spoken and written languages separately, however. If they desire, they may sacrifice a Grade II language to gain 2 langauges at Grade I, or to promote and existing Grade II language to Grade III.
