Some wanderers may not have grown up with a single place to call home. Their culture is a mix of many, allowing them to see things from different angles and perspectives. Always outsiders yet able to blend in with ease, such folks benefit from the wisdom of a wide range of peoples, customs, and places.

Characters raised as itinerants share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Blending In. You are used to blending into a new culture. You gain proficiency with the disguise kit.

Conscientious Socializer. The first time you interact with strangers in an unfamiliar land or region, you gain an expertise die to the first Charisma check you make. This trait does not work on groups if at least one person in a group knows you.

I Know Someone. You gain one additional connection, which you can choose from any background other than your own.

Many Cultures. You gain proficiency in Culture. In addition, choose Intelligence or Wisdom. Choose Intelligence or Wisdom. You gain an expertise die on ability checks using the chosen ability score that are made to understand the social customs of, interact with, or recall knowledge about individuals, objects, or environments associated with any culture or society you have been surrounded by for a month or longer. 

Motive and Reason. The reason why you have a home away from home tells a unique life story. Choose one of the following:

Homeland Seeker: Stories of a lost magical homeland are constantly on the minds of your community. Like many others, you have joined the effort to locate this place of legends. You gain proficiency in Arcana and History.

Labor Migrant: You, or your ancestors, came in search of honest work or because your skills were in demand. You are proficient with a set of artisan’s tools and one skill of your choice.

Shadow Exile: You left your country under mysterious circumstances. Are you a wanted criminal, a spy, or a self-exile? Only you know your motivation. You are proficient in Deception or Stealth. If you pick Stealth, once between rests you can make a Stealth check to replace a Perception check. If you pick Deception, once between rests you can make a Deception check to replace an Insight check.

Refugee: By great misfortune, you and many others left your homeland so that you might survive. You are proficient in Survival, and when in an urban environment can roll Survival checks when using Intimidation or Persuasion.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and three additional languages.

Great civilizations provide shelter and comfort. As empires and kingdoms grow and the corners of the map are filled in, the dangers and threats beyond the ever-expanding borders can seem more distant and irrelevant. Safety is assured, the next meal is never found wanting, and many living these sheltered existences do so confidently knowing that things will go on as normal, and that the days, weeks, and months will pass uneventfully to blur together into a humdrum life. 

Many in the heart of a nation live quite comfortably, and though there are always discrepancies in wealth and power even the near-destitute enjoy comforts and luxuries unheard of in distant colonies. Healing and schooling, relatively safe streets at night, a law and order that generally works for them rather than against them—all are taken for granted as a base living standard. 

In the largest empires where one can travel for weeks without seeing a border, much of what goes on in the outside world fades into myth. Great winged fire-breathing lizards? Such things would surely be too heavy to fly. Undead horrors? Simple fairy tales told to scare children into behaving. 

While humans are some of the most prolific empire builders, countless others hold the titles. There are dwarven holds so deep and vast that generations can live and die without seeing the sun, and elvish kingdoms so isolated from the outside world that even the multitudes of humanity have faded into myth. These pockets of safety and shelter can crop up anywhere there are strong forces and the determination to push danger outward, though those raised within are often woefully underprepared for what lies just outside their walls. 

Characters raised in the imperial culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Conscript. All subjects of the crown must register for the draft, but many go ahead and serve in the guard. You are proficient with light armor, spears, and light crossbows. 

Learned Teachers. Those at the safe center of empires often have privileged access to fine teachers and the opportunity to follow their interests. You know about the past, at least as told by your people. You gain proficiency in History and one other skill of your choice. 

Local Healers. Citizens at the heart of a nation often see more healers and clerics in a year than a remote villager sees in a lifetime, and your medical upkeep has made you resilient. Whenever your hit point maximum or one of your ability scores would be reduced, it is reduced by half as much instead (minimum 1). 

Languages. You can speak, read, sign, and write Common and one other language.

Some dwarves never settle in underground kingdoms. They live in surface communities, trading, learning, and creating. Known as hill dwarves, they are gregarious, friendly, and worldly. 

No dwarves are more social and artistic than hill dwarves; after all, it’s easier to sell your goods if people like you. While they don’t consider art to be creation in the same sense as crafting something from a forge, hill dwarves share a deep love for music, poetry, theater, and literature. Many a song or play about the rise and fall of mountain dwarf empires was actually written by troupes of hill dwarves. Their live-and-let-live attitude makes their caravans loud, flashy, and fun. 

Hill dwarves frequently engage in fist fights to solve minor issues, and would much rather end the day with a black eye than risk making an enemy out of a friend. They don’t harbor grudges and don’t expect that others do so against them; curiously, other dwarves sometimes have trouble trusting hill dwarves because of their willingness to forgive and forget. 

Characters raised in the hill dwarf culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Community Magic. You know the friends cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast charm person once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast suggestion once per long rest . You don’t need material components for these spells, and when casting them your spellcasting ability is Charisma.

Friendly. You are proficient in either Deception or Persuasion. 

Wagoner. You are either proficient in either Animal Handling or with land vehicles. 

Ways of the Land. You are proficient in Survival and gain an expertise die on checks using it.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common, Dwarvish, and two additional languages. 

From seamless marble towers and brightly lit castles carved into mountainsides to modest cottages made grand with intricate style, high elf culture takes credit (sometimes incorrectly) for the magnificent architecture for which elves are known. Elvish architectural masterworks are remnants of a once vast high elf empire. While many such structures are maintained by high elves and those under their charge, far more lie abandoned, ruined, or claimed by invading forces. High elves live in the twilight of their golden age. 

Their past accomplishments bring high elves great pride that can manifest in arrogance, narcissism, and self-righteousness, but it can also become a drive towards intellectual leadership. Some high elves (and many of their followers) would love nothing more than to see themselves restored as world rulers. Others realize the new era calls for subtler forms of influence, and they entrench themselves in non-elf institutions to train outsiders in the ways of wisdom. For the sake of preserving ancient knowledge and guiding civilization, high elves (and those trained in their ways) often serve other groups as advisors, librarians, military officers, and teachers. Individual high elf adventurers often seek to recover or preserve some ancient treasure, and their tyrannical counterparts might usurp foreign institutions or consolidate power for a war of unification. 

Characters raised in high elf culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Cunning Diplomat. You can always choose to use Intelligence when making a Deception, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion check. 

High Elf Education. You are proficient in Culture and one additional skill of your choice. 

High Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with rapiers and longswords. 

Magical Versatility. You know a cantrip of your choice, which can be chosen from any spell list. Your spellcasting ability score for this cantrip is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (whichever is highest).

Language. You can speak, read, write, and sign in Common, Elvish, and one other language.

The godbound were raised among the faithful. Such communities vary from temples and monasteries to massive theocracies that span entire continents, their rulers either divine or the anointed representatives of greater entities. 

The nature of your faith community can vary by theology, structure, and goodwill, and the environment might be egalitarian or hierarchical. Most religious peoples strive towards virtue, but even they pose the risk of abuse, and at the heart of certain communities lies a dark secret or conspiracy the likes of which might shatter the faith of any follower. 

One’s religion of birth need not always be their religious identity. People leave their religious communities for reasons both good and ill—some faiths send trusted envoys on missions, and others are destroyed by stronger forces. Communities also exile or punish members who commit sins, though some are nurturing, caring cultures which emphasize the wellbeing of all. 

Characters raised in the godbound culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Bonus Connection. You have one additional connection, selected from the Acolyte background. 

Detect Faith. You are trained to detect even the most subtle indications of a person’s religious perspective. After you speak with a person for at least 1 minute, you can use an action to make either an Insight or Religion check opposed by their Deception check. On a success, you learn the following information about them:

• Whether they have a lower Wisdom score than yourself.
• Whether they are religious; if so, you also learn their faith.
• Whether they have class levels in the cleric or herald class. 

Devotion. You gain an expertise die on saving throws made to resist being charmed or frightened . 

Arts of Worship. You are proficient with your choice of either Performance, two musical instruments, or two artisan’s tools.

Religious Education. Your community is steeped in scripture, song, and storytelling. You are proficient in the Religion skill and know one cantrip of your choice from the cleric, druid, or herald spell list. Your spellcasting ability score for this cantrip is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (whichever is highest).

Siblings in Faith. You have advantage on checks made to socially interact with members of your current or former faith, such as when requesting services or gathering information.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign in Common and one other language.

In world-shaking catastrophes where magic, disasters, and monsters ran rampant, there were those that gritted their teeth and adapted to survive rather than flee their homes. Such cataclysms are now stories of a distant past, and descendants of the survivors continue to channel and embrace the unpredictability of the magical energies surrounding their ruined lands. 

Despite having lost most everything—sometimes more than once—these people remain optimistic. They are not bound by tradition and are the culture least likely to be obsessed with the glory of past kingdoms. 

Forsaken characters are forced to grow up quickly. They often get married after short courtships and form big families—most of them are nonmonogamous. However, they are still relatively suspicious of outsiders. After all, no matter how bright the future might be the bitter sting of grief lasts a lifetime. 

Characters raised in the forsaken culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Fleet of Foot. Your Speed increases by 5 feet. 

Eat Like a Bird. You grew used to eating very little. You can go a number of days equal to half your Constitution modifier without suffering any fatigue from lack of Supply.

Improvised Tools. During a long rest, when you have access to raw materials you can jury-rig an improvised tool kit. If you roll a 1 while making a check using the improvised tools or the next time you take a long rest , they break. 

Pack Rat. You can carry your whole house on your back. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity. 

Roll With the Punches. After you fail an ability check, you have advantage on your next ability check. You can’t use this trait again until after you finish a short or long rest . 

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common, and two additional languages.

The forgotten folx are even more secretive than the notoriously reclusive forest gnomes. These communities almost always share a strong, familial bond with each other, even those they aren’t related to. Entire villages raise children communally, provide for each other, and survive primarily by bartering craft goods. These settlements have a lot of love to give and are more than happy to take in wanderers or adventurers who stumble across their homes. Because of their open and caring nature, it is not uncommon for relationships among forgotten folx to include multiple partners—of all genders and heritages. 

Most who leave this culture do so to become merchants and provide their crafts and talents to more people, or out of a desire to see the “real” world. It is common for young adults to be encouraged to go on a sort of sabbatical to experience life outside of the community, bringing back new technologies and goods upon their return. 

Characters raised in the forgotten folx culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Eyes Everywhere. Thanks to your experience supervising children, you have a knack for keeping track of your companions. As long as an ally is within 60 feet of you, you always know their general location even if you cannot see or otherwise sense them. This effect is blocked by 1 foot of lead or iron and magical effects like the nondetection spell. 

It Takes a Village. You can use the Help action as a bonus action. Additionally, when you do so, the range at which you can Help an ally increases to 15 feet. Once per long rest when you Help an ally, in addition to granting advantage you may also choose for your ally to gain an expertise die . 

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common, Gnomish, and one other language. 

Forest gnomes live close to nature. They are not often seen, for they dwell in small, hidden villages in deep woodland. Most forest gnomes are shy and feel more comfortable around animals than they do humans, dwarves, and other peoples—indeed, many never leave their village.

Forest gnome villages are comfortable and usually house around a hundred members. These villages are very well-hidden with homes located within trees, and many people walk close by forest gnome communities without realizing it. Such settlements are carefully built so as not to damage the local environment, carved in ways which do as little harm as possible. These gnomes gather nuts and berries, tend to the forest, and care for the wildlife with which they live in harmony. Forest gnomes live an idyllic lifestyle, and often devote themselves to artistic pursuits and creative crafts. 

These diminutive folks enjoy illusions, and incorporate figments into their lives on a daily basis. They enjoy changing their appearance, and use illusion magic to do so frequently. 

Characters raised in the forest gnome culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Artistic Pursuits. You have proficiency in one type of artisans’ tools of your choice. 

Natural Illusionist. You can cast disguise self once per long rest. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast blur once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast major image once per long rest. You don’t need material components for these spells, and when casting them your spellcasting ability is Intelligence or Wisdom (whichever is higher).

Small Beast Speech. You have an innate ability to communicate simple thoughts and ideas with beasts of size Small or smaller.

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and Gnomish. 

These elvish people are the most accustomed to life in the Dreaming—what some call the Feywild. Some people say eladrin are the most ancient lineage of elves with the closest blood link to other faeries, while others claim that the elves expanded into the Dreaming and were there transformed. Settlements of eladrin empires (and the ruins thereof) can be found scattered all across the Faerie Realm, and some appear in the Material Plane where the boundary between worlds is thin.

Life in eladrin cities and villages is lively, even spectacular. Fey creatures of all stripes can find a place in the eladrin capitals, from quickling couriers to fortune-telling hags lurking in dark alleys. Even non-fey mortals can be found in eladrin settlements, such as foundlings, wanderers, and those stolen from their cribs as babies and replaced by changelings. In keeping with the kaleidoscopic politics of the Faerie Courts, eladrin settlements have feasts and celebrations many times a week, for ancient holidays, obscure political observances, and seemingly random birthdays of innumerable villagers and enchanted creatures. 

Eladrin and other folk in their midst learn a handful of ways to traverse the gap between the visible world and the invisible world. There are certain “fey gates” in natural sites and ancient ruins which function as doors between the worlds, and with decades of exposure some eladrin learn the unlikely geometry of the Faerie Realm and the boundaries between planes. After years of passing through the fey gates, eladrin folk master the sensing of planar ripples—even the most subtle ones caused by their own heartbeat. From there, hopping between worlds becomes as easy as skipping rope. 

Eladrin have a reputation for being arrogant and capricious. Part of that is true: even kindly eladrin usually take pride in their high status, but the best eladrin can be just as benevolent and noble as the most pure-hearted fairy. Still, vindictive faeries and their eladrin envoys are known to repay slights with cruel and unusual curses; wise mortals stay on their guard until an eladrin’s motive is clear. 

 Characters raised in the eladrin culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Eladrin Weapon Training. You have proficiency with longswords and rapiers. 

Fey Sublimation. Your time in the Faerie Realm has suffused your being with its very energy. In addition to being humanoid, you also have the fey creature type. 

Invocation of the Eladrin Lords. Hierarchies among the fey often deploy pact magic and a ripple of that power is available to all eladrin subjects. You know one cantrip from Table: Eladrin Invocations, based on the aspect of nature you wish to manifest or that of your liege.

Your selected aspect also imparts minor changes of your choice to your appearance, such as to your eye and hair color, skin tone, or even the color of your clothing. At the end of a long rest , you can change your selected aspect. Your spellcasting ability for this cantrip is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (whichever is highest). 

Knowledge of the Faerie Courts. You are proficient in one of the following skills: Arcana, Culture, Deception, History, Insight, Persuasion, Survival. 

Twilight Step. You have learned how to skip out of the Material Plane, fly through the Plane of Faerie, and land back in your native realm. You can forego your movement on your turn to teleport 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you have used this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest. 

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign in Common, Elvish, and Sylvan. 

Eladrin Invocations  

• Autumn: resistance
• Hiding: minor illusion
• Respite: mending
• Rot: chill touch
• Spring: druidcraft
• Stars: dancing lights
• Storm: shocking grasp
• Summer: produce flame
• Toxicity: pestilence
• Winter: ray of frost

Dragonbound clans live under the direct rule of a dragon; in the case of dragonborn characters, that dragon will usually be their progenitor dragon. Whether that dragon is malevolent or benign, the clan exists to serve it. Living under a kind and wise dragon can be a safe and joyful upbringing, though one of strict control. Life under a cruel dragon can be fraught with the uncertainty of survival, scrounging off what a dragonic overlord deems a servant worthy of. Dragonbound living can often be comfortable or even enjoyable, but it is not living for oneself. Whether their chains are literal or metaphorical, dragonbound live at their master’s whims. Thankfully those whims often involve directives and missions that range far and wide, endeavors that expose dragonbound to countless viewpoints and quite often plant the seeds of sedition. 

Characters raised in the dragonbound culture share a variety of traits in common with one another. 

Draconic Diplomacy. You’ve been well trained in the sometimes difficult art of draconic etiquette and protocols. You gain an expertise die on Charisma checks made to influence dragon creatures. 

Dragonbound Teachings. You know one cantrip of your choice from the cleric or wizard spell lists. Your spellcasting ability for this cantrip is Intelligence or Wisdom (whichever is highest). 

Progenitor’s Boon. Members of dragonbound clans overseen by their progenitors usually enjoy the benefits of their progenitor’s boon. Choose one of the following: 

Chromatic Dragon’s Boon: Chromatic dragons raise their warriors to shock and terrify their enemies. You can cast fear without the need for material components once per long rest. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is Charisma. Until you reach 5th level, the area of this casting of the spell is limited to a 15-foot cone.

Essence Dragon’s Boon: Essence Dragons ensure that their guardians can easily commune with the land and the spirits within. You know the druidcraft cantrip. In addition, your diplomatic understanding extends towards the creatures of the land and the spirits within it. You gain an expertise die on Charisma checks made to influence beast and celestial creatures. 

Gem Dragon’s Boon: Gem dragons ensure their agents’ missions go undetected by bestowing upon them subterfuge magic. You know the message cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast illusory script once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast invisibility once per long rest. You don’t need material components for these spells, and when casting them your spellcasting ability is Intelligence or Charisma (whichever is highest). 

Metallic Dragon’s Boon: Metallic dragons let their pupils study vast repositories of knowledge. Choose a skill from among Arcana, History, Medicine, Nature, or Religion. You have proficiency with the chosen skill and you gain an expertise die on ability checks you make that uses that skill. 

Languages. You can speak, read, write, and sign Common and Draconic.