Below are the unique backgrounds of Athas, each shaped by psionics, survival, and the brutal social hierarchy of the desert world.
Each background provides Ability Score adjustments, an Origin Feat, Proficiencies, Equipment options, and a feature that connects your story to the Tablelands.
You trained to master the Way at a psionic academy, learning mental focus and discipline to harness your inner will.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability.
Choose one:
todo: pridat feature
You are a creator of beauty in a world of dust — a craftsman, performer, or poet who risks punishment for forbidden literacy.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability.
Choose one:
You can read and write any language you can speak — a dangerous and outlawed skill on Athas.
You also maintain connections with underground communes and black‑market patrons for your art.
You live by story and song, performing for nobles, commoners, or the bloodthirsty crowds of the arenas.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Musician feat.)
Choose one:
Many bards are warriors who perform through combat.
You can always find a place to perform — whether in a tavern, court, circus, or arena — gaining modest lodging and meals.
Once a tracker for hire, you made your living chasing fugitives, slavers, and marks across the wastes.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Alert or Skilled.)
Choose one:
You maintain a network of contacts among the type of quarry you hunt, from bandits to corrupt nobles.
You have always had a way with people — teasing out desires and twisting trust for personal gain.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Skilled or Actor.)
Choose one:
You have an established second persona with documentation, contacts, and disguises, allowing you to assume it seamlessly.
You served in a court or bureaucracy, surviving intrigue and politics through charm and wit.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Skilled.)
Choose one:
You recognize noble hierarchies and government procedures.
Using this knowledge outside your home city may draw suspicion from Templars.
You are steeped in Athas’s underworld — theft, smuggling, or murder were a daily part of your life.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Alert.)
Choose one:
You have a reliable contact who passes messages and favors through criminal networks and caravans across Athas.
A scholar of ruins and lost ages, uncovering relics and secrets buried beneath the sands.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Alert or Skilled.)
Choose one:
Identify the builders and origins of ruins, determine architectural purpose, and appraise ancient art or relics accurately.
You are a desert merchant, carrying goods — and danger — between the isolated city‑states.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Crafter.)
Choose one:
You always know where to find merchants, buyers, and suppliers — even in regions hostile to outsiders.
House Agent: You are part of a major Merchant House, granting you safe lodging, food, and influence through your guild.
You lived the outlaw’s life, raiding caravans and fighting for every crumb of survival.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Alert or Savage Attacker.)
Choose one:
Recognize bandit symbols and tattoos, understand their hierarchies, and locate their hidden meeting places in settlements.
You lived alone or in isolation, surviving as an outcast of society — by choice or punishment.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Healer or Magic Initiate (Druid).)
Choose one:
Your hermitage led to a priceless discovery or truth — one that could change Athas itself.
Work with your DM to define it; this revelation should have story impact.
Prerequisite: Dul (Mul) Species
You were made in flesh‑vats to serve the Sorcerer‑Kings — a product of brutal experimentation.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Tough.)
Choose one:
Your brand marks you as property. You can blend unnoticed among slaves or laborers — but capture risks re‑enslavement.
Prerequisite: Thri‑Kreen Species
Born to a clutch, you define yourself by shared survival rather than possessions.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Alert.)
Choose one:
You can communicate basic emotions to insectoid creatures (hunger, danger, safety).
In groups, you instinctively assume a role (scout, defender, carrier) and become uneasy when isolated.
Prerequisite: Tarek or Half‑Giant Species
You shape your identity by emulating others, copying appearance and behavior to belong.
Increase one by +2 and another by +1, or increase all three by +1:
Wild Talent: You gain a latent psionic ability. (Alternative: Tavern Brawler or Musician.)
Choose one:
After 24 hours of observation, you can flawlessly mimic the slang, manners, and taboos of any culture, blending in as local hired muscle.