Backgrounds
Backgrounds describe who a character was before adventuring—training, environment, and formative experience. In the 2024 rules, backgrounds grant skill proficiencies, tool or language proficiencies, starting equipment, and an Origin Feat. Ability scores are assigned independently.
The backgrounds listed here summarize options drawn from the Player’s Handbook, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, and Cthulhu by Torchlight. DMs may allow additional backgrounds that fit the tone of Mundus Atrox.
Common Backgrounds
| Background | Theme / Focus | Common Institutions |
|---|---|---|
| Acolyte | Religious service, doctrine, ritual | Silos, Urbs |
| Artisan | Skilled craft, guild training | Mines, Urbs |
| Charlatan | Deception, disguise, false identities | Urbs |
| Criminal | Underworld ties, illicit trade (includes Spy) | Urbs |
| Entertainer | Performance, public presence (includes Gladiator) | Urbs |
| Farmer | Seasonal labor, food production | Silos |
| Guard | Civic defense, patrol duty | Urbs |
| Hermit | Isolation, hidden knowledge | Castelas, Wilderness |
| Merchant | Trade, negotiation, logistics | Urbs |
| Noble | Status, education, authority | Castelas, Urbs |
| Sage | Scholarship, research, lore | Castelas, Urbs |
| Sailor | Seafaring, navigation | Urbs |
| Soldier | Military service, discipline | Castelas, Urbs |
| Urchin | Survival, street life | Urbs |
Expanded Backgrounds (Optional)
These backgrounds are commonly allowed when using expanded sources.
| Background | Theme / Focus | Common Institutions |
|---|---|---|
| Artificer Initiate | Experimental craft, prototype work (includes guild engineers and forge adepts) | Mines, Silos |
| House Agent | Corporate loyalty, faction service (Eberron) | Urbs |
| Investigator | Inquiry, deduction, truth-seeking | Urbs |
| Researcher | Field study, archival work | Castelas, Urbs |
| Smuggler | Covert transport, evasion | Urbs |
| Urban Bounty Hunter | Tracking, contracts, enforcement (includes city enforcers and licensed hunters) | Urbs |
Cthulhu by Torchlight Backgrounds
These backgrounds emphasize investigation, psychological strain, and encounters with the unknown. They are particularly suitable for campaigns involving Blight, Collapse, or forbidden knowledge.
| Background | Theme / Focus | Common Institutions |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Institutional knowledge, research | Castelas, Urbs |
| Antiquarian | Ancient artifacts, forbidden relics | Ruins, Silos |
| Detective | Deduction, interrogation | Urbs |
| Journalist | Investigation, exposure, truth | Urbs |
| Occult Scholar | Esoteric texts, dangerous lore | Silos, Urbs |
| Physician | Trauma, anatomy, care under stress | Silos, Urbs |
| Veteran | Lingering scars, wartime secrets | Silos, Urbs |
Origin Feats (2024 Rule)
Each background grants an Origin Feat chosen from those appropriate to its theme (such as Alert, Crafter, Healer, Skilled, or Tough). The exact feat selection is determined by the background entry or by the DM for custom backgrounds.
Using Backgrounds in Mundus Atrox
Backgrounds in Mundus Atrox are often tied to:
- seasonal survival (Summerday labor, Winternight refuge)
- service to Urbs, Mines, or Silos
- exposure to Blight, Mana Burn, or Collapse
- long-term institutional roles rather than short-term jobs
DMs are encouraged to adapt or combine backgrounds to reflect the realities of life on Mundus.
Institution tags describe where a background most commonly develops; they do not restrict where a character may begin play.