Hermit

Source: Player's Handbook (SCAR Version)

You lived in seclusion – either in a sheltered community such as a monastery, or entirely alone – for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from the clamor of society, you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the answers you were looking for.


NOTE: Some backgrounds have options to choose from. Please read carefully. You may not get every proficiency listed below, as some may be a choice between one or the other.

  • Stat Options (choose either +2 in one stat and +1 in another, OR +1 in all three): Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom
  • Skill Proficiencies (your choice of TWO): Medicine, Perception, or Religion
  • Tool Proficiencies: Your choice of one between Herbalism Kit, Scrimshander's Tools, or Woodworker's Tools.
  • Languages: Two Standard languages of choice.

  • Background Keepsake: Notes from your studies or prayers
  • Background Gold: 5gp.

Origin Feat

Origin Skill Focus

You gain a +1 to two different Skills you are proficient in.


Suggested Characteristics

Some hermits are well suited to a life of seclusion, whereas others chafe against it and long for company. Whether they embrace solitude or long to escape it, the solitary life shapes their attitudes and ideals. A few are driven slightly mad by their years apart from society.


Life of Seclusion

What was the reason for your isolation, and what changed to allow you to end your solitude? You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your seclusion, or you can choose to roll on the table below to determine the reason behind your seclusion.


1I was searching for spiritual enlightenment.
2I was partaking of communal living in accordance with the dictates of a religious order.
3I was exiled for a crime I didn't commit.
4I retreated from society after a life-altering event.
5I needed a quiet place to work on my art, literature, music, or manifesto.
6I needed to commune with nature, far from civilization.
7I was the caretaker of an ancient ruin or relic.
8I was a pilgrim in search of a person, place, or relic of spiritual significance.



Personality

Please select TWO from the list below.

d8 Personality Trait
1 I've been isolated for so long that I rarely speak- preferring gestures and the occasional grunt.
2 I am utterly serene- even in the face of disaster.
3 The leader of my community had something wise to say on every topic and I am eager to share that wisdom.
4 I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer.
5 I'm oblivious to etiquette and social expectations.
6 I connect everything that happens to me to a grand cosmic plan.
7 I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplation- becoming oblivious to my surroundings.
8 I am working on a grand philosophical theory and love sharing my ideas.

Ideal

Please select one from the list below.

d6 Ideal Trait
1 Greater Good. My gifts are meant to be shared with all- not used for my own benefit.
2 Logic. Emotions must not cloud our sense of what is right and true, or our logical thinking.
3 Free Thinking. Inquiry and curiosity are the pillars of progress.
4 Power. Solitude and contemplation are paths toward mystical or magical power.
5 Live and Let Live. Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble.
6 Self-Knowledge. If you know yourself- there's nothing left to know.

Bond

Please select one from the list below.

d6 Bond Trait
1 Nothing is more important than the other members of my hermitage- order- or association.
2 I entered seclusion to hide from the ones who might still be hunting me. I must someday confront them.
3 I'm still seeking the enlightenment I pursued in my seclusion and it still eludes me.
4 I entered seclusion because I loved someone I could not have.
5 Should my discovery come to light- it could bring ruin to the world.
6 My isolation gave me great insight into a great evil that only I can destroy.

Flaw

Please select one from the list below.

d6 Flaw Trait
1 Now that I've returned to the world- I enjoy its delights a little too much.
2 I harbor dark, bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell.
3 I am dogmatic in my thoughts and philosophy.
4 I let my need to win arguments overshadow friendships and harmony.
5 I'd risk too much to uncover a lost bit of knowledge.
6 I like keeping secrets and won't share them with anyone.