Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Criminal

Salutations, nerds! As per the continuing rules of alphabetical order today I’m writing about more suggested characteristics for the criminal background in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. From small time pickpockets to hired muscle hopefully you find something here that works for you. When you look at the background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook there are a number of background characteristics suggested for you to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying and in this series I’m creating some additional personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws for you to play with on the off chance you’ve burned through all of those and are interested in some new ones.

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. Even if things look grim — even if I’ve been caught red handed — I will continue to joke like I have everything under control.
2. I already have plans to spend the gold I haven’t made yet.
3. I blaspheme easily, invoking the various parts of the various gods.
4. Any intoxicants that would cloud my judgment are a liability and to be avoided at all costs.
5. I’ve hand stitched hidden pockets into the insides of all of my clothing. This doesn’t mean I’m good at sewing.
6. I read a lot in my spare time, a spattering of different things, and I’ve heard all of the astonished “You can read?” jokes.
7. Left to my own devices I’m a morning person.
8. Whenever I find my face on a wanted poster my first response is to criticize the likeness. They never get the nose right!

d6 — Ideals

1. Survival. I’ll live to fight another day. (Neutral)
2. Revenge. No one ever gets the chance to cross me twice. (Evil)
3. Wealth. I measure my success by the metric of how much coin I’ve accumulated. (Neutral)
4. Improvement. I’m not a common thief. I’m an amazing one. (Neutral)
5. Reputation. Even small things can cast a long shadow and a long shadow can solve most of my problems before they start. (Lawful)
6. Faith. There’s a god who takes care of thieves. I know my luck will hold out as long as I keep sight of this. (Lawful)

d6 — Bonds

1. My old guild mates would kill me for abandoning them if they could.
2. No one knows I was once an undercover agent of the crown. Everyone who knew this is dead and now I languish under the weight of past crimes. Someday I will get my old life back.
3. There’s a well known bard I follow the work of closely and I will die on the hill of whether or not they are the best one.
4. I had a lover who betrayed me to save their own skin and I barely dodged going to jail over it.
5. My family is alive and well. They think I went to the city to become a merchant.
6. There’s a bigger fish that used to push me around and I’ve still got plans to get them back for it.

d6 — Flaws

1. I keep a running list in my head of everyone’s weaknesses as I see them, just in case.
2. Everyone has a price for which they will compromise everything they stand for. Mine can be measured in gold.
3. I’m not the sharpest knife in the back, but I don’t know this.
4. I can’t resist taking in strays and I know I’m going to get a hard look the next time I show up with another cat in my arms.
5. If I sneeze, it must mean I’m dying.
6. I can’t resist a gamble.

For me at least the suggested characteristics in the 5E D&D PHB are always incredibly inspiring so hopefully you found something in all of this to inspired your characters as well. Feel free to comment or tweet me @Pyrosynthesis and of course, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — Criminal is one of the background options for characters found in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]