Making a homebrew background

Homebrew · guide 5 of 11

Where a character comes from shapes who they are. A homebrew background lets your players start life somewhere that only exists in your world, like a lava-forge apprentice or a smuggler from the docks.

Start a new background

On your Build page, press Homebrew, choose the Backgrounds tab, and press New background.

The background

Give it a name, which can't be the name of an official background, and a description.

Ability score increases

In the 2024 rules, a character's ability score increases come from their background. So under Ability score increases, tick exactly three abilities. The player then puts plus two and plus one on them, or plus one on all three.

Proficiencies

Under Proficiencies, tick two skills, and choose a tool if it gives one.

Origin feat and gold

Then pick its Origin feat. That can be an official feat, or one of your own homebrew Origin feats. And set its starting gold. A homebrew background has no equipment kit yet, so in the character creator it gives that gold instead.

Anything else it changes

Anything else it changes, like a language or a sense, goes in the last box, so the app can work it out for you.

Save it

Choose where it comes from, and press Save. It's ready to pick in the character creator straight away, in every campaign you run.

That's a homebrew background. Every hero has a story, and now it can start in your world.