15 more backgrounds, updated for you to use in D&D 2024
Backgrounds got some significant changes in D&D 2024 making them more important to character creation. You still get the usual starting equipment, skills and tool proficiencies, but now you also have your ability score increase that used to be associated with your species tied to your background. You also get an origin feat with your background too.
The new Player’s Handbook gave us 16 backgrounds to play with, but this doesn’t even include all the 2014 Player’s Handbook backgrounds, let alone updating backgrounds for settings like Planescape, Spelljammer and everything else.
Thankfully, we are allowed to customise old backgrounds to update them for the new rules. In this article, I’ve updated a bunch of 2014 backgrounds in line with the 2024 rules for something nice and balanced, which hopefully, allows for a bit more variety than every martial taking the farmer background! This means adding in things like ability score increases, origin feats, removing known languages, some tool proficiencies and tools to coincide with proficiencies for those where that’s been omitted.
Feel free to use these in your own games or customise them as you see fit. Just make sure you talk to your DM first as these aren’t official D&D releases, even if they’re based on the 2014 versions.
Updated backgrounds
Folk Hero
Source book: Player’s Handbook (2014)
Ability scores: Strength, dexterity, charisma
Origin feat: Lucky
Skill proficiencies: Animal handling, survival
Tool proficiency: One type of artisan’s tools, land vehicles
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A set of artisan’s tools, shovel, iron pot, common clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Gladiator
Source book: Player’s Handbook (2014)
Ability scores: Strength, dexterity, charisma
Origin feat: Savage attacker
Skill proficiencies: Acrobatics, performance
Tool proficiency: Disguise kit
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Disguise kit, trident or net, the favour of an admirer, a costume, pouch with 15gp or (B) 50gp
Knight
Source book: Player’s Handbook (2014)
Ability scores: Strength, constitution, charisma
Origin feat: Tough
Skill proficiencies: History, persuasion
Tool proficiency: One type of gaming set
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A gaming set, fine clothes, signet ring, scroll of pedigree, purse with 25gp or (B) 50gp
Outlander
Source book: Player’s Handbook (2014)
Ability scores: Strength, constitution, wisdom
Origin feat: Alert
Skill proficiencies: Athletics, survival
Tool proficiency: One type of musical instrument
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A musical instrument, staff, hunting trap, trophy from an animal you killed, travellers clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Pirate
Source book: Player’s Handbook (2014)
Ability scores: Strength, dexterity, constitution
Origin feat: Tavern brawler
Skill proficiencies: Athletics, perception
Tool proficiency: Navigator’s tools, water vehicles
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Navigator’s tools, belaying pin, 50ft of silk rope, lucky charm, common clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Urchin
Source book: Player’s Handbook (2014)
Ability scores: Dexterity, constitution, charisma
Origin feat: Skilled
Skill proficiencies: Sleight of hand, stealth
Tool proficiency: Disguise kit, thieves’ tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Disguise kit, thieves’ tools, small knife, city map, pet mouse, token to remember parents, common clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Archaeologist
Source book: Tomb of Annihilation
Ability scores: Dexterity, intelligence, wisdom
Origin feat: Magic initiate (cleric)
Skill proficiencies: History, survival
Tool proficiency: Cartographer’s tools or navigator’s tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A wooden case contianing a map to a ruin or dungeon, bullseye lantern, miner’s pick, traveller’s clothes, shovel, 2 person tent, trinket, pouch containing 25gp or (B) 50gp
Urban bounty hunter
Source book: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Ability scores: Strength, dexterity, charisma
Origin feat: Tough
Skill proficiencies: Choose 2 from deception, insight, persuasion and stealth
Tool proficiency: Gaming set and thieves’ tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A gaming set, thieves’ tools, a set of clothes appropriate to your duties and a pouch containing 20gp or (B) 50gp
Gate warden
Source book: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
Ability scores: Constitution, wisdom, charisma
Origin feat: Alert
Skill proficiencies: Persuasion, survival
Tool proficiency: Cartographer’s tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Cartographer’s tools, ring of keys to unknown locks, blank book, ink pen or quill, bottle of black ink, traveller’ clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Planar philosopher
Source book: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
Ability scores: Intelligence, wisdom, charisma
Origin feat: Magic initiate (wizard)
Skill proficiencies: Arcana, insight
Tool proficiency: Calligrapher’s supplies
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Calligrapher’s supplies, portal key, manifesto of your guiding philosophy, common clothes in your faction style, pouch with 10gp from different worlds and planes or (B) 50gp
Astral drifter
Source book: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
Ability scores: Dexterity, intelligence, wisdom
Origin feat: Alert
Skill proficiencies: Insight, religion
Tool proficiency: Navigator’s tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Navigator’s tools, traveller’s clothes, diary, ink pen, bottle of ink, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Wildspacer
Source book: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
Ability scores: Strength, constitution, wisdom
Origin feat: Tough
Skill proficiencies: Athletics, survival
Tool proficiency: Carpenter’s tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Carpenter’s tools, belaying pin, traveller’s clothes, grappling hook, 50ft of hempen rope, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Investigator
Source book: Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Ability scores: Dexterity, intelligence, wisdom
Origin feat: Skilled
Skill proficiencies: Choose 2 from among insight, investigation and perception
Tool proficiency: Disguise kit, thieves’ tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Disguise kit, thieves’ tools, magnifying glass, evidence from a past case, a set of common clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Knight of Solamnia
Source book: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Ability scores: Strength, constitution, charisma
Origin feat: Tough
Skill proficiencies: Athletics, survival
Tool proficiency: Smith’s tools
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) An insignia of rank, deck of cards, common clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Mage of High Sorcery
Source book: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Ability score: Constitution, Intelligence, charisma
Origin feat: Magic initiate (wizard)
Skill proficiencies: Arcana, history
Tool proficiency: Calligrapher’s supplies
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Bottle of coloured ink, ink pen, common clothes, pouch with 10gp or (B) 50gp
Do you have any backgrounds you’d like to see updated for D&D 2024? Let me know in the comments below.
Spotlight on D&D 2024
All the latest updates on what’s changing with the 2024 rules revision.
