All the backgrounds and what they provide all in one place.
Backgrounds provide a bit more context to your character and some of the skills they’ve developed. Not all fighters come from a soldering background, some are nobles earmarked for leadership, others are farmers pressed into military service. Likewise, an urchin might learn magic just as well as a scholar. Your background provides some context to where you’ve come from.
But it’s not just about your backstory. There are mechanical benefits to your background too (though they’re not huge). In fact, the tricky part about picking a background is just how many of them there are and making sure you pick a background with synergy with the rest of your build.
I’ve often found it difficult to find all the important parts of a background in one easy to read list. The main reason for writing this article is simply to give you exactly that; a list of every background in D&D 5e 2014 in an easy to read table that tells you which proficiencies and languages you gain with each background.
What to consider when choosing a background
There’s not a lot to it really. Your background is a less crucial part of your character build (though still useful), but you do gain skill and tool proficiencies as well as languages and starting equipment and gold. You’ll want to make sure you pick up proficiencies that your build needs. Perhaps you’re playing a charisma build and will be the party face, but don’t have proficiency with deception, then your background can help here.
I’d look at what skills fit your build and what additional skills the party needs. You may want to leave knowledge skills to the party wizard who already has a great intelligence, unless you lack an intelligence class, in which case, you may want to cover some of these if no one else has. It’s good to have a decent spread of skills throughout the party so that you can cover a range of situations and everyone has a chance to shine.
If you’re playing the updated rules, the backgrounds for D&D 2024 have become much more important, tying ability score increases and origin feats to them.
All backgrounds for D&D 5e 2014
| Name | Skill proficiencies | Tool proficiencies | Languages | Gold | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acolyte | Insight, religion | None | 2 of your choice | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Anthropologist | Insight, religion | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Tomb of Annihilation |
| Archaeologist | History, survival | Cartographer’s or navigator’s tools | 1 of your choice | 25 | Tomb of Annihilation |
| Astral drifter | Insight, religion | None | 2 of your choice (celestial or gith recommended) | 10 | Spelljamer: Adventures in Space |
| Athlete | Acrobatics, athletics | Vehicles (land) | 1 of your choice | 10 | Mythic Odysseys of Theros |
| Azorius functionary | Insight, intimidation | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Boros legionnaire | Athletics, intimidation | 1 type of gaming set | 1 of celestial, draconic, goblin or minotaur | 2 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Charlatan | Deception, sleight of hand | Disguise kit, forgery kit | None | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| City Watch | Athletics, insight | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Clan crafter | History, insight | One type of artisan’s tools | Dwarvish or one other | 5 (and a gem worth 10) | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Cloistered scholar | History, one of arcana, nature or religion | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Courtier | Insight, persuasion | None | 2 of your choice | 5 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Criminal | Deception, stealth | One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools | None | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Dimir operative | Deception, stealth | Disguise kit | 1 of your choice | Varies | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Entertainer | Acrobatics, performance | Disguise kit, one type of musical instrument | None | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Faceless | Deception, intimidation | Disguise kit | 1 of your choice | 10 | Baldur’s Gate – Descent into Avernus |
| Faction agent | Insight and one intelligence, wisdom or charisma skill | None | 2 of your choice | 15 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Far traveler | Insight, perception | 1 type of musical instrument or gaming set | 1 of your choice | 5 and jewelry worth 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Feylost | Deception, survival | 1 type of musical instrument | 1 of Elvish, Gnomish, Goblin or Sylvan | 8 | The Wild Beyond the Witchlight |
| Fisher | History, survival | None | 1 of your choice | 10 | Ghosts of Saltmarsh |
| Folk hero | Animal handling, survival | One type of artisan’s tools, vehicle (land) | None | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Gate warden | Persuasion, survival | None | 2 of your choice (abyssal, celestial or infernal recommended) | 10 | Planescape – Adventures in the Multiverse |
| Giant foundling | Intimidation, survival | None | Giant and 1 other | 10 | Bigby Presents – Glory of the Giants |
| Gladiator | Acrobatics, performance | Disguise kit, 1 type of musical instrument | None | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Golgari agent | Nature, survival | Poisoner’s kit | 1 of elvish, giant or kraul | 10 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Gruul anarch | Animal handling, athletics | Herbalism kit | 1 of draconic, giant, goblin or sylvan | 10 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Guild artisan | Insight, persuasion | 1 type of artisan’s tools | 1 of your choice | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Guild merchant | Insight, persuasion | 1 type of artisan’s tools | 1 of your choice | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Haunted one | 2 of arcana, investigation, religion or survival | None | 2 with one being an exotic language (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan or Undercommon) | 1sp | Curse of Strahd |
| Hermit | Medicine, religion | Herbalism kit | 1 of your choice | 5 | Player’s Handbook |
| House agent | Investigation, persuasion | 2 from the House Tool Proficiencies table | None | 20 | Eberron – Rising from the Last War |
| Inheritor | Survival and 1 of arcana, history or religion | 1 gaming set or musical instrument | 1 of your choice | 15 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Investigator (SCAG) | Athletics, insight | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Investigator (VRGR) | 2 from insight, investigation or perception | Disguise kit, thieves’ tools | None | 10 | Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft |
| Izzet engineer | Arcana, investigation | 1 type of artisan’s tools | 1 of draconic, goblin or vedalken | 5 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Knight | History, persuasion | 1 type of gaming set | 1 of your choice | 25 | Player’s Handbook |
| Knight of Solamnia | Athletics, survival | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen |
| Knight of the order | Persuasion and 1 of arcana, history, nature or religion | 1 type of gaming set or musical instrument | 1 of your choice | 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Lorehold student | History, religion | None | 2 of your choice | 15 | Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos |
| Mage of high sorcery | Arcana, history | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen |
| Marine | Athletics, survival | Vehicles (land & water) | None | 10 | Ghosts of Saltmarsh |
| Mercenary veteran | Athletics, persuasion | 1 type of gaming set, vehicles (land) | None | 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Noble | History, persuasion | 1 type of gaming set | 1 of your choice | 25 | Player’s Handbook |
| Orzhiv representative | Intimidation, religion | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Outlander | Athletics, survival | 1 type of musical instrument | 1 of your choice | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Pirate | Athletics, perception | Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water) | None | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Planar philosopher | Arcana, 1 skill associated with your faction or 1 of your choice | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Planescape – Adventures in the Multiverse |
| Prismari student | Acrobatics, performance | 1 type of musical instrument or artisan’s tools | 1 of your choice | 10 | Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos |
| Quandrix student | Arcana, nature | 1 type of artisan’s tools | 1 of your choice | 15 | Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos |
| Rakdos cultist | Acrobatics, performance | 1 type of musical instrument | 1 of abyssal or giant | 10 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Rewarded | Insight, persuasion | 1 type of gaming set | 1 of your choice | 18 | The Book of Many Things |
| Ruined | Stealth, survival | 1 type of gaming set | 1 of your choice | 13 | The Book of Many Things |
| Rune carver | History, perception | 1 type of artisan’s tools | Giant | 10 | Bigby Presents – Glory of the Giants |
| Sage | Arcana, history | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Sailor | Athletics, perception | Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water) | None | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Selesnya initiate | Nature, persuasion | 1 type of artisan’s tools or musical instrument | 1 of elvish, Loxodon or sylvan | 5 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Shipwright | History, perception | Carpenter’s tools, vehicles (water) | None | 10 | Ghosts of Saltmarsh |
| Silverquill student | Intimidation, persuasion | None | 2 of your choice | 15 | Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos |
| Simic scientist | Arcana, medicine | None | 2 of your choice | 10 | Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica |
| Smuggler | Athletics, deception | Vehicles (water) | None | 15 | Ghosts of Saltmarsh |
| Soldier | Athletics, intimidation | 1 type of gaming set, vehicles (land) | None | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Spy | Deception, stealth | 1 type of gaming set, thieves’ tools | None | 15 | Player’s Handbook |
| Urban bounty hunter | 2 from deception, insight, persuasion and stealth | 2 from 1 type of gaming set, 1 musical instrument, and thieves’ tools | None | 20 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Urchin | Sleight of hand, stealth | Disguise kit, thieves’ tools | None | 10 | Player’s Handbook |
| Uthgardt tribe members | Athletics, survival | 1 type of musical instrument or artisan’s tools | 1 of your choice | 10 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Waterdhavian noble | History, persuasion | 1 type of gaming set or musical instrument | 1 of your choice | 20 | Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide |
| Wildspacer | Athletics, survival | Navigator’s tools, vehicles (space) | None | None | Spelljamer: Adventures in Space |
| Witchlight hand | Performance, sleight of hand | Disguise kit or 1 type of musical instrument | 1 of your choice | 8 | The Wild Beyond the Witchlight |
| Witherbloom student | Nature, survival | Herbalism kit | 1 of your choice | 15 | Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos |
Which backgrounds are best?
There’s not necessarily a best background as it depends mostly on the proficiencies you need, but some backgrounds do have complimentary or more useful skills. For example, 2 charisma skills like deception and persuasion (which you can pick up from the urban bounty hunter) will work well for a charisma class. Some parties may lack a rogue, in which case, a bard, ranger or other dexterity class might want to grab urchin or criminal for a bunch of roguish proficiencies.
Some backgrounds also offer a choice of different proficiencies like the urban bounty hunter or planar philosopher making these quite flexible options.
Some backgrounds are more difficult to use as they provide skills that rarely both work on the same build. For instance, the witherbloom student gets nature and survival, but no build really invests in intelligence and wisdom. Athlete not only mixes dexterity and strength skills (which usually don’t go well together unless you’re a barbarian) but it also provides athletics and acrobatics which crossover an awful lot meaning it’s usually best just to take one.
Otherwise, the best backgrounds are simply those that best fit your character and their build.
