Background Performer

Performer

You’ve spent your life dazzling audiences, making a name for yourself in local theaters, roadside performances, or even grand palaces. Whether you’re a singer, dancer, musician, or some other type of artist, your craft is your calling. Your life has been a series of stages, each one offering a different audience and a new set of challenges. But what caused you to leave the limelight and become an adventurer?

Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Persuasion

Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit and Musical Instrument

Languages: 1 of your choice (usually a language pertinent to your most frequent audiences).

Equipment: A musical instrument (one of your choice), a costume, a satchel containing chalk and charcoal for makeup, a small mirror, a collection of scripts or song lyrics, a pouch containing 25 gp.

Starting Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your class:

  • (a) any musical instrument
  • clothes, costume
  • chalk (1 piece)
  • mirror, steel

Feature: Crowd Pleaser

You have a knack for reading an audience and delivering exactly what they need to be entertained. During downtime, you can earn extra money from performances. In addition, you can usually find a place to perform in any settlement, gaining you and your party free but modest accommodations as long as you perform each night.

Suggested Characteristics

Performers are expressive and driven by the need to share their talents. They often have a strong sense of who they are but might also wrestle with the ephemeral nature of fame and the feeling that they are only as good as their last performance.

d8Personality Trait
d1I can't resist the spotlight; it's where I'm meant to be.
d2I constantly practice, always seeking perfection.
d3I'm always in character and find it hard to drop the act.
d4I'm good at mimicking voices and mannerisms of people I meet.
d5I’m very critical of other performers.
d6I love to improvise, in art as in life.
d7I believe my talent is a gift that must be shared with the world.
d8I'm nervous when I’m not able to perform for an extended period.
d6Ideal
d1Artistry. The world is in dire need of beauty and creativity. (Good)
d2Fame. One day, my name and my work will be known by all. (Any)
d3Expression. I perform to discover and express my true self. (Any)
d4Tradition. My art carries the weight of tradition and history. (Lawful)
d5Freedom. I perform because it's the ultimate form of freedom. (Chaotic)
d6Innovation. Art must always evolve and change, or it dies. (Chaotic)
d6Bond
d1I owe everything to my mentor and seek to make them proud.
d2My instrument is my most prized possession.
d3I perform to support my family or a cause important to me.
d4I’m deeply in love with someone from my past, and my performances are messages to them.
d5I’m engrossed in a long-standing rivalry with another performer.
d6I'm searching for a particular song, story, or piece of art that I believe holds great power.
d6Flaw
d1I'll do anything for a standing ovation, even risk my life.
d2I'm quick to take offense when criticized.
d3I believe no one else can do what I do, making me arrogant or dismissive of others.
d4I’m a perfectionist and stress over even minor mistakes.
d5I often pander to my audience, compromising my artistic integrity.
d6I'm scared that my talent will fade as I age, making me desperate to leave a lasting legacy.

Credits: Game Squire