Rival Intern 5e
You were an intern at a rival of Acquisitions Incorporated, and you gained a healthy respect for not just the job and the franchising opportunities. but for the ruthless and efficient way Acquisitions Incorporated goes about its business. Why deal with the rest, when you can work for the best?
Perhaps the rival did not treat you as well as you were hoping, or you washed out of that organization. Maybe you hope to leverage the knowledge you gained there for an advantage at Acquisitions Incorporated. Either way, you're now bringing your talents to the company, ready to put your skills to use.
Source: Acquisitions Incorporated
Skill Proficiencies: History, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan's tools
Languages: Any one of your choice
Equipment: One set of artisan's tools, a ledger from your previous employer containing a small piece of useful information, a set of fine clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp
Feature
Inside Informant: You have connections to your previous employer or other groups you dealt with during your previous employment. You can communicate with your contacts, gaining information at the DM's discretion.
Suggested Characteristics
If you were happy with your previous internship. the parting of ways might have been amicable. If not, it might have involved armed guards removing you from the premises. If you were passed over at your previous position, it might have left you a blend of seething rage, practiced nonchalance, and keen knowledge of where the bodies are buried (perhaps literally).
Rival Intern Personality Trait
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | My previous employer didn't respect me, and now I'll do whatever I can to gain respect. |
| 2 | The job is important, but the relationships I forge with my coworkers are even more so. |
| 3 | The job is everything to me. Who needs relaxation, hobbies, and a social life? |
| 4 | I know I'm not the best and brightest, but if I put my best self forward, I can overcome anything. |
| 5 | My former boss was an idiot. So was my boss before that. And before that. I'm sure those were all coincidences. |
| 6 | This company is so much better than my previous one. It will always be the best until they stop paying me. |
| 7 | I know this dagger belongs to the company, but I'm sure they won't miss it. Or this flask. Or this armor. |
| 8 | It's only a matter of time before I'll be upper management. I just have to kiss up to my superiors and kick down those beneath me. |
Rival Intern Ideals
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Advancement. Money and power can be gained more easily within an organization. I plan to gain as much as possible. (Evil) |
| 2 | Structure. Life goes much more smoothly when you follow the rules and work within a system. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Uncertainty. The more chaos that swirls around me, the more opportunities I can find to profit. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Justice. I can't stand people being treated unjustly. I do whatever it takes to stop injustice and those who flout the law. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Pleasure. What's the use of working hard and making money if you can't enjoy the finer things in life? (Any) |
| 6 | Power. Money is fine, but real power means never having to say you're sorry. (Evil) |
Rival Intern Bonds
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a family member in need. I consider them in everything I do. |
| 2 | My peers keep me grounded. |
| 3 | My past mistakes cost someone else dearly. I have to rectify that. |
| 4 | A childhood mentor put me on my current path. If I succeed, I want to repay that mentor in some way. |
| 5 | I value an oath of loyalty I took to a group of friends over everything else in my life. |
| 6 | Although I don't get along well with people, my pet means the world to me. |
Rival Intern Flaws
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I know what's best. Trust me. |
| 2 | Flaw? I have no flaws. I'm perfect. |
| 3 | My loyalties are … fluid. |
| 4 | If anything goes wrong, it must be someone else's fault. Let me explain that in detail. |
| 5 | There's right and there's wrong, and there's no gray area in between. |
| 6 | Our superiors might not like what you're doing. I'm going to have to put that in my report. |
Should You Be a Rival Intern?
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
Rival Intern is the background most tied to the Acquisition Incorporated; if you like the flavor and themes, you basically need to be dealing with the adventuring companies and other logistics of Acquisitions Incorporated. If you are in the setting, though, this background has potential to set your character up as an integral player in the plot.
Feature: Inside Informant
Inside Informant has close to no text once it's run its course. You’ll get a plot hook at best, and after that, unless a rival company is the primary antagonist, will have no value.
In the situation where you are from the big bad corporation your party is actively and consistently competing with, this suddenly becomes incredibly fun. You’re an asset the other team lost, which will put you in the middle of drama. Your character’s core backstory would be a major part of the campaign and you are an indispensable part of the team for your insider knowledge.
If anyone in the group is taking a Background that offers a feat, this is going to feel substantially worse, as it's a non-feature by comparison.
Skills
History as a skill primarily acts as a way for the DM to dump their World Building information on you. Almost no campaign progresses consistently forward with regular History checks. Its challenging to make the past relevant to the now in a way that Investigation, Perception, or clever puzzle solving can’t solve.
Investigation at least comes up regularly and has a decent amount of benefits when it comes to locating useful objects or noticing details.
Other Proficiencies
Proficiency with any artisan’s tools of your choice can develop some fun little abilities, especially alongside the expanded rules in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. It doesn’t replace a real feature, though, so its not a compelling reason to take this Background.
Equipment
You start with the artisan’s tools you picked alongside some fancy clothes and a note. That note needs to be important, and if it is, it can spur the initial adventure. That’s a fantastic place for starting equipment to be as it can tie your character to the core narrative. If that isn’t coming up, it's worthless.
Bonus Tables
The one element of this background I think that shines brightest is the tables. The Personality Traits frame this as a modern day employee placed in the fantasy world of D&D, with silly little options like “The job is everything to me. Who needs relaxation, hobbies, and a social life?” and “The company is so much better than my previous one. It will always be the best until the stop paying me.”
Each of these tables actually adds unique and thought out elements that paint a new kind of character. I’d highly recommend taking and using these alongside backgrounds with more meat on their bones. Some still are generic like “There’s right and there’s wrong, and there’s no gray area in between”, but the majority add spice to your sheet everyone around the table will feel is fresh for a typical adventurer.
All Together
This is the kind of background I’d borrow from and implant for free on other backgrounds. The table features ideas have a lot of fun in them, but they don’t impact your ability to act in the world. Unless you’re actively playing against a rival adventuring company, you probably should stay clear of this option, even in favor of basic Player’s Handbook options.
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