Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion 5e
Your family name strikes fear and admiration in the hearts of the common folk - but that's got nothing to do with you. Songs and stories celebrating the adventuring exploits of your famous parent are widely known. Kids across the land grew up wishing they were you. But being the child of a famous adventurer wasn't all hugs and kisses.
You seldom saw your celebrity-adventurer parent, and when they were around, it was all about them and tales of slaying this demon or vanquishing that dragon. All too often, you'd be woken out of a sound sleep by someone standing outside your home screaming about the latest threat to the town, the region, or the world.
In the end, all you have to show for your lineage is your name. Most of the family's money went for consumables, from potions of healing and spell scrolls to copious amounts of dwarven ale. And everyone expects you to swing a sword or sling spells like your famous forebear, making it doubly hard for you to prove yourself.
Source: Acquisitions Incorporated
Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Performance
Languages: Two of your choice
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit
Equipment: A disguise kit, a set of fine clothes, and a belt pouch containing 30 gp
Feature
Name Dropping: You know and have met any number of powerful people across the land - and some of them might even remember you. You might be able to wrangle minor assistance from a major figure in the campaign, at the DM's discretion. Additionally, the common folk treat you with deference, and your heritage and the stories you tell might be good for a free meal or a place to sleep.
Suggested Characteristics
Scions of celebrity adventurers must deal with fame that's not theirs, wealth they didn't earn. and expectations they can never hope to meet. These hardships can have adverse effects, but those who cope with them can arrive at a decent attitude and a grounded worldview. Those who fail become bitter - or worse.
Celebrity Adventurer's Scion Personality Trait
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I will never get out of my famous parent's shadow, and no one else will ever understand this burden. |
| 2 | I've seen enough of the adventuring life to have realistic expectations and empathy for my peers. |
| 3 | Living up to my legacy will be difficult, but I'm going to do it. |
| 4 | I'm used to the very best in life, and that's a hard habit to break. |
| 5 | My parent taught me a sense of duty. I strive to uphold it, even when the odds are against me. |
| 6 | No one can fake a smile, a handshake, or an interested nod like I can. |
| 7 | I've been part of the adventuring life since I was old enough to walk. Let me explain a few things to you. |
| 8 | No risk is too great for the rewards of defeating my enemies … and taking their stuff. |
Celebrity Adventurer's Scion Ideals
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Power. The only way to get ahead in this world is to attain power and hold onto it with all your might. (Evil) |
| 2 | Peace. Those who can find or make peace in the chaotic world around them have everything. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Fame. I've seen what fame can bring. And I'll do anything to get all that for myself. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Training. Hard work, sacrifice, and training lead to success - and eventually to perfection. (Any) |
| 5 | Anonymity. I want to be successful. And alone. With lots of guards and wards between me and everyone else in the world. (Any) |
| 6 | Wisdom. Material wealth is an illusion. Wisdom is the real treasure. (Good) |
Celebrity Adventurer's Scion Bonds
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | While my parent was out adventuring, a servant raised me, and I care about that person more than anyone. |
| 2 | I consider every member of my parent's former adventuring party to be family. |
| 3 | Despite their absences, my famous parent was kind and generous. I love them and want to make them proud. |
| 4 | My parent once brought a cursed magic item home. It is my obsession. |
| 5 | My childhood home holds all my best memories, and its upkeep is my primary concern. |
| 6 | Growing up, I had an imaginary friend I could always count on. That friend is still with me. |
Celebrity Adventurer's Scion Flaws
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | You don't know what I'm going through. You never can. |
| 2 | You. Fetch my cloak. And maybe rub my feet for a while. |
| 3 | My comrades are brave, but I must defeat this threat alone to prove my worth. |
| 4 | Oh, yeah, that spell? Named after my parent's best friend. Let me tell you about them. |
| 5 | My best days are behind me. Ahead lies only toil, pain, and death. |
| 6 | You have to look out for yourself. No one else will. |
Should You Be a Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion?
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
The Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion hits the mark beautifully when trying to walk the line between a clear joke and a real character background; it's just sane enough that I could see a player coming up with it on their own, but not so serious that it’d be void of personality. It extends beyond just being a generic “Criminal” or “Priest”- you’re the child of a celebrity, and that comes with a lot of potential fun, and is encompassing enough that it can tell the story about what you’ve done up to this point in your adventuring career.
Feature: Name Dropping
Name Dropping fits in the category of feature where you’re going to have to work with your DM if you want it to do anything. If you go in blind without telling your DM your intended background before the first session you’re likely going to run into few to nobody leading social encounters respecting your parent’s prestige.
That being said, having this mark of excitement attached to you adds a difficult to quantify shift in what your character brings to the table. When you’re a celebrity, other celebrities may be more inclined to get friendly. Some people might see you as a nepo-baby, others an idol. This preconceived perception built into NPCs is a real ability that extends a lot further than the free lodging occasionally offered does.
It's no feat though. If you’re at a table where people are taking backgrounds that come with any feat, this is still going to feel like a non-feature, especially if you can just add the flavor for free.
Skills
Perception is the most commonly used skill in the game; getting it for free is excellent. Its the rare skill where multiple members of the party often want it. Getting it alongside Performance, a lesser used, but still useful Charisma skill sets you up for success should you play somebody attempting to be proactive in creating distractions or leading events.
Persuasion is majorly limited in its utility should you lack a strong Charisma modifier. You want a +5 in it to have your dance, song, or other show actually affect mood or draw meaningful attention. This limits the option to mainly classes like Warlock, Bard, and Sorcerer who may find they want to be the center of attention alongside already having a 16 in Charisma.
Other Proficiencies
On top of two stellar skills, you get the kit I rate highest: the disguise kit. This item and its proficiency actually come with useful abilities- being able to convincingly disguise as other creatures is a hand trick to have access to.
The bonus languages aren’t anything much, but getting two great skills and the best kit alongside an interesting, flavor-rich feature does make this background somewhat compelling.
Equipment
Alongside the proficiencies, you’re given the tools to use them in your equipment with it offering a disguise kit, fine clothing, and 30 gold. As far as backgrounds go, 30 gold is a ton of starting cash, and you’re getting all the tools you need to immediately use your disguise kit proficiency. While not a literal class or species feature, these items offer you a great starting point to kit yourself out with weapons and items that can have a big impact early on.
Bonus Tables
While it lacks any “new” tables, Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion offers four sample tables for your Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws. These lean into the Acquisitions Incorporated style; the best of them are silly (“No one can fake a smile, a handshake, or an interested nod like I can”), but there are some generic and boring options (“My parent taught me a sense of duty. I strive to uphold it, even when the odds are against me.”
All Together
Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion sets you up for success- you’re a child to a grand hero and have to live with the weight set upon you from a position that’s privileged, but different from an average noble. There is a ton of room to work within this space, and you’re given enough tools that you can thrive alongside other backgrounds out of the Player’s Handbook. Lined up against the Strixhaven or Dragonlance backgrounds will leave you wanting as far as background features go- no kit and skills can salvage that.
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