Packmate

Lommán’s Bonanza of Backgrounds: Packmate

“We be of one blood, ye and I,’ said Mowgli, giving the words the Bear accent which all the Hunting People use.”
-Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

Adult Material

The following material contains sexual content, and may not be appropriate for all groups and/or players. Please do not use this material in a game without approval from the GM as well as the other players.

Playtest Version

This material is still in the process of being playtested. It is fully usable as written, but may be refined or changed in later versions. As always, this content should only be used with GM permission.

You were raised by wild animals. Several kinds of animals, in fact. You learned the ways of nature and the complex social relations within it. Most importantly you learned that a group of animals together is mightier than even the largest predator or strongest elephant. You aren’t necessarily a leader but you know how to be extremely valuable to the groups you are part of, either by cunning or teamwork. When you eventually found the world of humanoid folk, much of it was disorienting, but the social lessons you learned are still surprisingly applicable.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit
Languages: Sylvan
Equipment: A dagger, a tinderbox, an herbalism kit, a belt made from vines, and a pouch containing semi-precious stones worth 5 gp.

Native Environment

Choose the type of biome you grew up in or roll on the following table. Decide the types of animals you regularly interacted with accordingly.

d10	Native Environment
1	Jungle
2	Savanna
3	Swamp
4	Highlands
5	Seashore
6	Chaparral
7	Desert
8	Steppe
9	Plains
10	Mountains

Feature: The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack

When in a wilderness area with living animal life and a climate in which you are comfortable nude or in only simple fur cloaks or the like, you can commune with animals in the area well enough to ascertain if there are ruins, dungeons, or habitations nearby, as well as a rough description of the type of creatures that dwell there. Furthermore, in such regions you can always find shelter sufficient to provide yourself with a modest lifestyle.

Suggested Characteristics

You’re not the biggest or most powerful thing in nature, but you’re a social animal and groups can achieve what individuals cannot. What kinds of animals did you grow up interacting with? What social dynamic did you hold with the animals around you and how has that affected your habits and personality? Do you try to maintain contact with particular kinds of animals or are you busy exploring social interactions with the two-legged kinds you’ve more recently met?

d8	Personality Trait
1	I am honest to the point of rudeness, seeing no value in disguising the truth as I see it.
2	Solitude is bad. “Alone” means “vulnerable.”
3	I tend to default to the social conventions and etiquette of animals instead of people.
4	I rarely speak with words unless it is something important.
5	I am proud to have thrived without civilization and am not interested in changing my way of life, though I use its tools and knowledge. Animals won’t forsake an advantage after all.
6	I collect odds and ends, but not to keep. You never know what shiny thing a bird will want to trade for.
7	I don’t hesitate to do a dirty job when it needs to be done.
8	I may be smaller than ferocious beasts, but with boldness and confidence even a wren may make prey where eagles dare not perch.

d6	Ideal
1	Cooperation. Ape alone, weak. Apes together, strong.
2	Cunning. I must outsmart your enemies, for there will always be something larger or fiercer out there.
3	Freedom. A pack with one member captured is like a wolf with one leg in a snare.
4	Nature. I serve the interests of the wild places when no one else speaks for them.
5	Wanderlust. It is a shame to just stay in one place and never see the variety the natural world has to offer.
6	Comfort. What is the point of life if you and your friends aren’t enjoying at least each other’s company?

d6	Bond
1	Another humanoid saved my life at an unexpected moment, I want to learn their ways now, in addition to my animal family’s.
2	Fear makes creatures unpredictable and dangerous to themselves and others. My pack must be sheltered from it.
3	A supernatural creature drove the animal life out of the region my found family once lived in and I seek the power to slay it and return the natural balance.
4	I must always take some time to appreciate the natural world around me, lest I lose track of the lessons that made me who I am.
5	I will do anything and give anything for those I consider my pack. I would be nothing without them.
6	I found a group of people who fight to protect the wilds, and I try to support their efforts whenever I can.

d6	Flaw
1	I take it as a threat if someone stares at me too intently for too long.
2	I am usually on edge in urban areas. They are too crowded and busy.
3	I am bad with money, since I didn’t grow up with the concept.
4	I had a bad experience inside some old Elven ruins and I try to avoid such places if possible.
5	Even when bold action is required I have difficulty making leadership decisions without consulting those I trust.
6	I am unfamiliar with the use of social graces and friendliness to conceal ill intentions and am prone to falling for them even when I would be vigilant to other sinister plots.

Legal Appendix

NOTICE OF OPEN GAME CONTENT
This product includes Open Game Content that may only be used under and in terms of the Open Game License Version 1.0a

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DESIGNATION OF OPEN GAME CONTENT
All material in this document following the Playtest Version sidebar and prior to the Legal Appendix that is not otherwise designated as Product Identity is Open Game Content.

LICENSE

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System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

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