Wild Beyond the Witchlight Brings D&D Backgrounds to Vibrant Life

Despite a lack of snazzy features and potent powers a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character’s background represents perhaps the most impactful part of their creation. Whenever I create a character their background is something I put a lot of thought into because it’s such an important part of their identity. Background illustrates who the character was prior to taking steps on the road to adventure. Wild Beyond the Witchlight introduces two new backgrounds for 5E D&D characters perfect for the newest campaign adventure. Let’s get into it.

5E D&D background as a powerful resource

Like countless other nerds over the past 10 years I’ve played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. A lot. Thank goodness for the Live Another Life mod. If I had to hear Ralof say, “Hey, you. Finally awake,” one more time I swear…

Anyway during my most recent excursion there I wanted to play a miner and blacksmith — that’s all. No Dragonborn destiny, civil war, vampire apocalypse or so forth and instead just a regular dude looking to work the land and craft legendary items with the fruits of their own labor. This fresh Redguard character awoke inside Dead Man’s Drink in Falkreath and stumbled over to Lod’s House to get started. The nord blacksmith there taught me a few things, I crafted a helmet and a dagger and I was off to the mines. Embershard if I recall correct.

“Your character’s background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world.” — 5E D&D Player’s Handbook chapter 4: Personality and Background

I’ve been playing this character for a bit now and of course their journey went far afield from simple mining and forging. Learning the secrets of stalhrim required quite a bit more power than a dude with no armor and a rusty pickaxe could bring to bear. But throughout all this character’s adventures I always cleave to the original concept. Miners in trouble? He’s on the way. A new material to forge? Tell me what ancient evil he’s got to defeat to learn the secrets. He even dual wields Ancient Nordic Pickaxes he enchanted himself!

This brings me around to the new 5E D&D backgrounds in Wild Beyond the Witchlight. As one of the core modular components of the system a background can not only form the foundation for a character but also enrich a campaign setting. Both the Feylost and Witchlight Hand backgrounds illustrate this wonderfully. Whereas the PHB provides an excellent selection of broadly applicable archetypes like nobles, artisans and soldiers I appreciate whenever game content includes unique backgrounds for characters to establish closer connections with the setting.

Feylost

Anytime there’s a connection for characters to anything extraplanar I’m all in. Some of the material in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything establishes these sorts of connections too and in the case of Feylost they live their younger lives in the Feywild for any number of reasons. Returning to the Material Plane changes them. A part of them remains in the Feywild while a bit of that place stays with them too.

I like the pair of Deception and Survival proficiencies, which speak to the character’s time back on the Material Plane where the haunting memory of the Feywild leaves them feeling sort of isolated I suppose, and somewhat mistrustful. They also learn a musical instrument and one of four appropriately fey languages. Feylost start with a musical instrument, traveler’s clothes, 8 gp and three trinkets. Trinkets are fantastic. I always ask players to roll for them in my games and they almost always come up in an interesting way during adventures.

Like all the best 5E D&D character options this includes several tables to add unique flair for characters. Feylost gain a Fey Mark, which is a sign of their time in the Feywild like eyes swirling with iridescent colors, skin that sparkles in the moonlight or an animal tail of some variety. There’s also a wonderful gift for Dungeon Masters in the form of a Feywild Visitor. This spirit visits the character during times of deep rest for all sorts of reasons.

Finally, the Feylost feature Feywild Connection could not be more perfectly suited to an adventure taking place in that whimsical realm. Denizens of the Feywild consider Feylost characters one of their own and so are more inclined to aid such characters.

Witchlight Hand

Do you want to play a magical carnie? Because if so this is the 5E D&D background for you. A background cannot get more on brand than for a character who worked directly within the centerpiece for the entire campaign. Working behind the scenes for a carnival that travels to different worlds sounds pretty incredible to me. Where do I sign up?

I interpret the Performance proficiency as the skill to jump into any position needed at any given time during carnival festivities. One day you’re operating a ride, the next day guessing visitors ages and weights, then perhaps entertaining crowds with song, dance or another expressive art form after that — Witchlight Hands have proficiency with a musical instrument too. Sleight of Hand might be as often used to break down and set up the carnival as the occasional light fingered pilfering of passersby on the thoroughfare. Times like these may call for the character’s disguise kit proficiency.

A Witchlight Hand’s close connection to the carnival persists long after they take up the adventuring life. A Carnival Companion represents a special friendship these characters cultivated during their stint and offer DMs another avenue for engaging players. Perhaps this companion is an old and cantankerous Witchlight Hand or even a harmless, magical wisp of light.

The Witchlight Hand’s Carnival Fixture feature (try saying that five times fast) mimics similar background features like the acolyte and folk hero, which provide reasonable accommodations at appropriate places. In this case the Witchlight Carnival itself provides food and shelter.

*Featured image — The arrival of the Witchlight Carnival is a highly anticipated event. [Witchlight Carnival by Katerina Ladon]

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