DM Fraust: Night Below's page

As described in the 13th Age core book Backgrounds are very personalized and unique and flavorful. While I like what they intended with all that, I see a lot of pitfalls in letting players just come up with anything as a background, especially in a group made of complete strangers online. So, I'm using the list of suggestions out of the core book as an actual list of Backgrounds, with the caveat that if you want a skillset that isn't present you can discuss it with me and we'll likely add it in.

Also, in the interest of rewarding player creativity you have the option to re-flavor any/all of the backgrounds you pick from that list.

For example, Tim and Becky are both making characters. Tim a rogue, Becky a bard. Tim's rogue is something of a second story man, not afraid to do a little parkour action getting from one building to the open window of another. Becky's bard is a street performer from Santa Cora, so not only does she make her way through life tumbling for an audience, she has done so in a city with a monotheistic church that reaches all the way up into the clouds.

Tim might be satisfied with just putting down Acrobat as a background and calling it good. Sure, he'll have Burglar, and maybe a third as well, but we're just going to focus on Acrobat at the moment. This way it would cover various situations like swinging from a sign post to a window seal, or tightroping from one building to another.

Becky on the other hand puts down Santa Coran Street Tumbler. Same basic idea, she can pull off some gymnastic tricks, but she also knows a little about those who worship the gods of light.

Now, you might be thinking Tim is getting the short end of the stick here, and you're not far off. For one, I would like to eventually see all the Backgrounds on everyone's sheet get a little bit of flavor. No, you don't have to start off with flavored up Backgrounds, and no it won't cost you any experience points or anything like that. When you feel inspiration hit, let me know and I'll go over it with you, and we're good.

For two, Becky's put just a little more thought into her Background than Tim, and I think that warrants something of a reward. She took the time to read a little about the setting, and possibly even added to it (I don't think I've read anything about Santa Cora being known for its street performers, but now we have the possibility), so yes, she gets to do a little more with her Background than if she'd left it at Acrobat.

Whenever able, I'm going to hand wave the expenditure of money. You guys come to a tavern and pay for rooms, you don't need to mark gold off your character sheet. Buy drinks for everyone at the table? That's fine. Buy drinks for everyone in the common room? That's fine too. Your actions will always have consequences, so buying the house a round will likely earn you some good will with most patrons, and might get you robbed when you step out to see a wall about a puddle. But I'm not here to play Accountants and Auditors.

Some times I will tell you outright you can't afford something. You'll start a scene dead broke, having drank up last adventure's haul, or donated it to your church, or gave it to beggars, or had your purse cut, or whatever. I promise my intent with things like this are to make an interesting story. There's going to be times where we start a scene right after a big haul and you guys are carrying chests of riches back to town.

If you have a hard time wrapping your head around this, I want you to think about two things. First, think of your favorite TV show or movie or book, and the various adventures that happen therein. How much of that revolved around specific amounts? On Firefly, the crew of Serenity were always dead broke, and things were breaking on the ship, and they were scrambling to make sure they got paid for the job they just got double crossed on. Was there ever reference to specifically how much a part cost? Or how much they were getting paid for a job?

Second, as a GM I'm giving up a ton of control by letting the players create the setting with me, and as you'll see in game you get to fill in a lot of the blanks. I'm going to ask you what's guarding the great McGuffin Diamond you've been sent to find, or I'm going to ask you why you're out in the Haunted-Ashell-Wood late at night...and you'll get to help me make the story. To be honest, as someone who's played pretty traditional games for the past twenty some odd years, that's terrifying. But that's what we're going to do. So I expect you can give up some control on how freely you spend your coin to A) keep the story going and B) make a story worth caring about.

Mandatory
"Bold text with quotation marks for speech." Said the GM.
"ALL CAPS FOR SHOUTING!" Screamed the GM.
Italics for thought. Thought the GM.
Bolded italics for telepathy. Said the GM, in your mind.
Blue text is for out of character and mechanical use.

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