DeserterThe Last War mobilized huge numbers of soldiers, which the

nations hurled against each other in seemingly endless

waves. By the end of the war, Breland, Cyre, and Thrane had

passed laws requiring their able-bodied citizens to serve in

the military. Sometimes, though, soldiers were less than

willing to serve their country—because of pacifist principles,

a rejection of the reasons for the war, simple conflict with a

commanding officer, or sheer cowardice.

For whatever reason, you decided that being a soldier was

not your true calling, and you fled to some place where the

law of your home country couldn't reach you—perhaps

Throneport, Q'barra, or even distant Stormreach.

You're a criminal, though your principal crime was refusing

to kill any more. You've spent years on the run, and you're

accustomed to keeping a low profile, avoiding attention, and

slipping away from trouble when it comes looking for you.

You're constantly looking over your shoulder, afraid of what

you might see there.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics and your choice of either

Deception, Insight or Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land) or vehicles (water), one

gaming set

Equipment: A bedroll, signal whistle, whetstone, a set of

common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp.

Feature: On the Look OutYou are constantly aware of the possibilities of a bounty

hunter being on your tail. As such you always know where to

go in a city or town to remain inconspicuous. Most

importantly you know the kinds of people to talk to to gather

information, whether it be down by the docks, or in the

seedier areas of town, but you always manage to find those

that have the most rumors about who is in town and what

they are up to.

Suggested CharacteristicsLike many veterans, you're haunted by whatever it is that

made you flee the army. Were you witness to one too many

battlefields choked with corpses? Were you subjected to

constant abuse, even torture, at the hands of your sergeant?

Were you pushed into military service by the theocratic

fanatics of Thrane, forced to serve a faith that wasn't your

own? Or were you just outside Cyre on the Day of Mourning?

Something bad must have happened to you to make you

choose a life on the run in favor of a military career.

1d20 Personality Trait

1 I hum the same tune when nervous or unsure.

2 I don't pay attention to the risks in a situation. Nevertell me the odds.

3 I face problems head-on. A simple direct solution isthe best path to success.

4 I have a crude sense of humor.

5 I always have plan for when things go wrong.

6 I can stare down a hellhound without flinching.

7 I'm haunted by memories of war. I can't get theimages of violence out of my mind.

8 I've lost too many friends, and I'm slow to make newones.

9 I journey for the company of compatriots of mychoosing.

10 Combating monsters is all I know how to do after alifetime of military training.

11 Unfairness and injustice are intolerable. Whenever Iwitness them, I feel compelled to act or speak out.

12 I hate to stay in one place for very long.

13 I keep my weapons and armor meticulouslymaintained.

14 I like to have a contingency plan for every mission.

15 I can't help letting people know where I've been.

16 I am always calm, no matter what the situation. Inever raise my voice or let my emotions control me.

17 I speak mostly in cryptic phrases.

18 It is calming to live a simply with few possessions.

19 I do not lie and hate being lied to.

20 All I think about is saving lives, or lives that havebeen lost.

d10 Ideal

1 Second Chance A new world of discovery andadventure awaits. (Any)

2 Flexibility. Stay fluid and think on your feet. (Chaotic)

3 Survival. Fulfilling your destiny means living to see it atall cost. (Evil)

4 Hope. The future holds much that is positive. (Good)

5 Community. Those you travel with are your family.(Lawful)

6 Peace. Ideals aren't worth killing for or going to warfor. (Neutral)

7 People. I'm loyal to my friends, not to any ideals, andeveryone else can take a trip down to Khyber for all Icare. (Neutral)

8 Aspiration. I'm going to prove that I'm worthy of abetter life. (Any)

9 Freedom. Never let others dictate the terms of yourexistence. (Chaotic)

10 Self-Sacrifice. My job is to save the lives of otherpeople, even at the expense of my own. (Good)

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d12 Bonds

1 I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,unlike those that I fought with.

2 I'm guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeemmyself for it.

3 I'll never forget the how my company massacredthose innoence civilians.

4 My honor is my life, that is why I had to flee theservice.

5 Someone saved my life on the battlefield. To this day,I will never leave a friend behind.

6 Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.

7 Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made.That will never happen again.

8 I can never settle down in one place. The authoritiesmight find me if I do.

9 Though I had no choice, I lament having to leave myloved one(s) behind. I hope to see them again oneday.

10 I am eternally grateful to someone who helped me getaway from the military and the war.

11 I am and always have been a pacifist lives are meantto be saved not taken.

12 My freedom is my most precious possession. I'llnever let anyone take it from me again.

d12 Flaws

1 I have little respect for anyone who is not a provenwarrior.

2 I made a terrible mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistakesecret.

3 I'm obsessed with being seen as a new man, free frommy war torn past.

4 My hatred of unlawful authorities is blind andunreasoning.

5 The monstrous enemy we faced in battle still leavesme quivering with fear.

6 I am cautious and guarded—wary of others whomight harm me, steal from me, or betray my trust.

7 I hate to admit it and will hate myself for it, but I'll runand preserve my own hide if the going gets tough.

8 No one can know that I deserted my country duringthe war.

9 I take foolish risks because I think I am going to becaught by the authorities at any time.

10 No matter what I do, it's never good enough.

11 Nobody knows the hell I’ve seen, so stop whining.

12 I'm actually really lazy and don't like doing work,instead I exploit people at every turn.

Credits & ChangelogLast updated on Mar 3rd, 2017

The basics of this background appear in Forge of War. Ifleshed this out in to a 5E background inflating the tables

since in my party these are some of the funnest things about

backgrounds so I wanted to provide these, and in an expanded

format.

This was put together by Freewolf (/u/Freewolf). and posted

to my Homebrew site for my D&D 5E campaign set in

Eberron.

Praise be the master for creating The Homebrewery.

Version 1.1Made few minor tweaks to the background.

Version 1.0Original version.

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