Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Soldier

Salutations, nerds! I’ve reached the Soldier background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and as quickly as the Sailor went I am just as sure this one is going to give me trouble. Bear with me and cross your fingers as I hope to come out of these expanded personal characteristics with a newfound appreciation for an archetype of 5E D&D character I seldom ever play.

Fluff like 5E D&D background characteristics is the game too

From the 5E D&D Basic Rules: Fleshing out your character’s personality — the array of traits, mannerisms, habits, beliefs, and flaws that give a person a unique identity — will help you bring him or her to life as you play the game. Four categories of characteristics are presented here: personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws. Beyond those categories, think about your character’s favorite words or phrases, tics and habitual gestures, vices and pet peeves, and whatever else you can imagine.

Technically inspiration in 5E D&D is presented as a rule Dungeon Masters can use as a reward for players who remain true to their characteristics. Even though these characteristics don’t include mechanical benefits along the same lines as most class features these components of characters are still a part of the game with implications during play.

“If you’ve got a copy of Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden you’ll find a whole bunch of character hooks and secrets in the introduction to inspire your characters’ motivation. Likewise resources like the Heroic Chronical in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount and This Is Your Life sections in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything can really help develop fun and intriguing ideas for motivation of your adventurers.“ — 5 Sources of Motivation for 5E D&D Adventurers

d8 — Personality Traits

1. I check corners whenever I enter a room — even when there’s nothing dangerous going on.
2. I always have suggestions about how to best coordinate an attack.
3. In my travels I’ve collected a lot of information on how other cultures do things.
4. My posture could be considered a little bit stiff, moreso when something has my full attention.
5. I’m always up at the same time every morning. My companions often call this time ridiculously early.
6. The idea of taking longer to bathe, or eating more than I feel I explicitly need, makes me uncomfortable.
7. I’ll always be the first to volunteer to stand watch so others can rest.
8. It takes me a long time to speak, but when I do it’s always important.

d6 — Ideal

1. Camaraderie. I’ll put my companions over anyone else, every time. (Any)
2. Glory. I fight to make a name for myself, like heroes of legend. (Any)
3. Normal Life. I’ll get back to it one day, and I fight to preserve it for others. (Good)
4. Violence. I joined the military because it was a socially acceptable way to hurt people. (Evil)
5. Conquest. If you aren’t moving up you’re going to get pushed down. (Evil)
6. Protection. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, if you can’t defend yourself then you have my shield. (Good)

d6 — Bond

1. I enlisted to escape the expectations of my family, years ago. Now, I adventure for the same reason.
2. I was caught in a whirlwind romance while I was serving abroad. I still mean to get back to that lover one day.
3. I’m still accustomed to a verbal shorthand I worked out with my comrades.
4. I have a fondness for a particular type of bird, which I worked with when I was in the service.
5. A friend I made on the field of battle fell to darkness. I’m trying to fetch them back from there.
6. I mean to make my name out here, and I charge into foolhardy situations in order to do so.

d6 — Flaw

1. I’m used to certain conduct on the field and my suggestions tend to come out as commands.
2. When strange and magical things start happening, this usually means something bad and I’m poised to fight because of it.
3. I get salty at the idea of any of my allies putting other people before our own group.
4. I have a good luck charm I refuse to fight without.
5. I fought in the name of a particular cause, and even though the conflict is over on the grand scale I still can’t help but view those who resemble the ones we fought against as the enemy.
6. I’ve been conditioned to view the value of a life as relative and it is easy for me to dehumanize an opponent.

For me, at least the suggested features in the book are always incredibly inspiring so hopefully you found something in all of this that’s inspired you as well. Let us know in the comments, connecting with us on Facebook or tweeting us @Nerdarchy. Feel free to comment or tweet me @Pyrosynthesis too and of course, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — Soldier is one of the background options for characters found in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook. A human soldier itself a Hero of the Nyxborn from Magic: The Gathering’s Theros: Beyond Death expansion creates another Soldier when it hits the battlefield and gets a buff whenever you target it with a spell. Heroic deeds inspire new heroes after all. Theros is one of the MTG settings officially represented in 5E D&D too, which we’ve explored quite a lot not to mention the free Plane Shift supplements, which includes the Ixalan setting. There’s also Curriculum of Chaos, the Strixhaven book we shared lots of details about after attending a press briefing. [Art by Victor Adame Minguez]

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