Anthropologist 5e
You have always been fascinated by other cultures, from the most ancient and primeval lost lands to the most modern civilizations. By studying other cultures' customs, philosophies, laws, rituals, religious beliefs, languages, and art, you have learned how tribes, empires, and all forms of society in between craft their own destinies and doom. This knowledge came to you not only through books and scrolls, but also through firsthand observation – by visiting far-flung settlements and exploring local histories and customs.
Source: Tomb of Annihilation
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A leather-bound diary, a bottle of ink, an ink pen, a set of traveler's clothes, one trinket of special significance, and a pouch containing 10gp
Features
Cultural Chameleon: Before becoming an adventurer, you spent much of your adult life away from your homeland, living among people different from your kin. You came to understand these foreign cultures and the ways of their people, who eventually treated you as one of their own. One culture had more of an influence on you than any other, shaping your beliefs and customs. Choose a race whose culture you've adopted.
Adept Linguist: You can communicate with humanoids who don't speak any language you know. You must observe the humanoids interacting with one another for at least 1 day, after which you learn a handful of important words, expressions, and gestures – enough to communicate on a rudimentary level.
Suggested Characteristics
Anthropologists leave behind the societies into which they were born to discover what life ls like in other parts of the world. They seek to see how other races and civilizations survive – or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a lost tribe, or the truth about an ancient empire's downfall.
Anthropologist Personality Trait
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I prefer the company of those who aren't like me, including people of other races. |
| 2 | I'm a stickler when it comes to observing proper etiquette and local customs. |
| 3 | I would rather observe than meddle. |
| 4 | By living among violent people, I have become desensitized to violence. |
| 5 | I would risk life and limb to discover a new culture or unravel the secrets of a dead one. |
| 6 | When I arrive at a new settlement for the first time, I must learn all its customs. |
Anthropologist Ideals
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery. I want to be the first person to discover a lost culture. (Any) |
| 2 | Distance. One must not interfere with the affairs of another culture – even one in need of aid. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Knowledge. By understanding other races and cultures, we learn to understand ourselves. (Any) |
| 4 | Power. Common people crave strong leadership, and I do my utmost to provide it. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Protection. I must do everything possible to save a society facing extinction. (Good) |
| 6 | Indifferent. Life is cruel. What's the point in saving people if they're going to die anyway? (Chaotic) |
Anthropologist Bonds
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My mentor gave me a journal filled with lore and wisdom. Losing it would devastate me. |
| 2 | Having lived among the people of a primeval tribe or clan, I long to return and see how they are faring. |
| 3 | Years ago, tragedy struck the members of an isolated society I befriended, and I will honor them. |
| 4 | I want to learn more about a particular humanoid culture that fascinates me. |
| 5 | I seek to avenge a clan, tribe, kingdom, or empire that was wiped out. |
| 6 | I have a trinket that I believe is the key to finding a long-lost society. |
Anthropologist Flaws
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | Boats make me seasick. |
| 2 | I talk to myself, and I don't make friends easily. |
| 3 | I believe that I'm intellectually superior to people from other cultures and have much to teach them. |
| 4 | I've picked up some unpleasant habits living among races such as goblins, lizardfolk, or orcs. |
| 5 | I complain about everything. |
| 6 | I wear a tribal mask and never take it off. |
Should You Be An Anthropologist?
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
Tomb of Annihilation not only introduced an all-star adventure centered in Chult, it brought with it two backgrounds: Anthropologist and Archaeologist. Anthropologist does exactly what it says on the tin: you’re a person who studies people. This is the kind of background you take when you know interfacing with a wide range of diverse cultures is going to be an integral part of the game. Fitting for the setting it was printed in!
Features: Cultural Chameleon and Adept Linguist
Cultural Chameleon lets you adopt a culture of a species different from your own. Neat, sure, but ultimately not a compelling feature. This is fluff that sets you up to have diverse opinions and understandings of the world.
Adept Linguist is about as good as a language-based ability gets; you can spend a day with people you don’t share a language with to be able to communicate with them. I’m not particularly high on learning a handful of languages. This is closer to a long ritual cast time Tongues; you don’t just speak one or two niche languages, but ALL languages at a basic level given the time.
While many campaigns will never need this kind of effect, if you’re diving into ancient societies wildly different from your characters, I genuinely think this can be handy. It makes you the defacto translator- you could be the face of the party, or you could be their right hand in negotiations!
Skills
Insight fits perfectly here; your entire history is studying various cultures, inspecting closely why people do what they do. That skill comes up fairly often in social encounters, making it relatively handy.
Religion, on the other hand, is far less likely to have a substantial impact on your game. It can be a tool when delving into ancient temples to give you hints about divine traps or offer you a tool to quickly adapt to a cultural norm to avoid offending some creatures, but I wouldn’t expect to use it more than a handful of times per campaign.
Other Proficiencies
Two languages somehow is more pointless here than normal thanks to Adept Linguist. Thematically, it makes sense, but why can’t this option get navigator’s tools, or some kind of artisan’s tools proficiency to coincide with their deep cultural understandings? Artisanry is integral to many real-life cultures- it being absent here I find baffling.
Equipment
A journal and ink will be useful. Having a book and something to write with opens up note-taking and leaving- it lets you communicate information silently and efficiently. Having it baked into your equipment can inspire some creative uses for it. The special trinket also can be a fun flavorful expansion of your backstory- if only they gave us a small trinket table for bonus inspiration.
Bonus Tables
They hit these out of the park- there are two or three personality traits, ideals, or bonds that I find generic, and even those fit well alongside the archetype. “I have a trinket that I believe is the key to finding a long-lost society” is a DM goldmine, and simple flaws like “I believe that I’m intellectually superior to people from other cultures and have much to teach them” is ripe for comedy and conflict. These are a highlight of the option to me.
All Together
While still paling in comparison to backgrounds that offer feats, Anthropologist is a big step up from the average Player’s Handbook option. Acolyte gets the same skill proficiencies and similar equipment in terms of utility. The background tables and difference a feature like Linguist makes takes an option lacking any reason for consideration and pushes to be a genuine option for specific settings.
If you want to be the cultural translator for a group diving into the unknown that’s going to be full of different kinds of peoples and cultures, I’d absolutely recommend this.
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