TEXT: Forged Betwixt Steam and Sorcery
  — Iron Kingdoms’ Character Backgrounds
  When creating a character for use within the Iron Kingdoms, a Player may select one of the following
  Backgrounds to represent her character’s childhood and upbringing, prior to the apprenticeship or other
  training that was to eventually result in the character’s profession (Class).
  Each Background is detailed in the following manner:
  Title: The name of the Background.
  Description: A brief overview of the Background. Although this generic description is provided, it is
  down to the Player to describe the specifics of her Character's childhood within the Background.
  Feats: Several feats associated with the Background. These are important in limiting the Backgrounds
  available to any given character, as detailed below. A player may only select a Background for her
  character in the event that at least one of the character’s chosen starting feats, matches at least one of
  those noted in the Background’s writeup.
  For Example: Brian is creating a human Rogue, ready to play in Matt’s WitchFire campaign. He
  chooses two feats at 1st-level, one for being a 1st-level character, plus one for being human. He selects
  Alertness and Dodge. Looking over the Feats associated with each Background, he can select any
  Background that has Alertness or Dodge listed, such as Cabin Child, Cleaner, Factory Child, Frontier
  Child, and so on.
  Skills: Two Skills associated with the Background. If character qualifies for the Background, or if the
  Player rolls it randomly (see below), her Character starts the game with these two skills as bonus class
  skills. If the character already possesses these skills as class skills, they instead gain a +5 circumstance
  bonus to each of these skills once per day. This bonus reflects their prior experience giving them an
  edge that a normal person would not have. If the character has one of the skills as a class skill, but not
  the other, she applies the +5 circumstance bonus to the first, and takes the latter as a class skill.
  Although some Backgrounds are obvious choices for certain Classes, such as Street Urchin for a Rogue
  character, it is entirely possible for a character’s Background to be unrelated to their Class. Many
  adventurers enter certain Classes because they found their initial upbringing did not suit them well,
  because they wanted to better themselves, or seek excitement, wealth, and opportunity.
  Players are usually free to select from any of the Backgrounds their character qualifies for, but some
  DMs may wish Players to roll for a completely random Background, using 1d20, and ignoring any Feat
  requirements if doing so. If this option is chosen, it is best explained by noting that individuals cannot
  choose the life into which they are born, and again, this fact can be a major reason why the character
  chose to enter a given Class, and go adventuring.
  Character Backgrounds
  1. Cabin Child
  You spent most of your childhood aboard ship, be it a river-going barge, or ocean-going steam vessel.
  Whether aiding your family, or serving a rugged ship’s captain as a menial servant, it was a tough life,
  but it gave you a taste for freedom.
  Feats: Alertness, Endurance
  Skills: Profession (boater or sailor), Swim
  2. Charge of the Church
  Either raised as the child of a member of an Iron Kingdoms’ priesthood, or raised in an orphanage run
  by the Church of Morrow, your childhood involved little save prayer, devotions, and study.
  Feats: Iron Will
  Skills: Knowledge (religion), Speak Language (Caspian)
  
  3. Chimney Sweep
  The urban dwellings of the Iron Kingdoms are heated by coal. Often clogged with soot, the narrow
  chimneys could be most effectively cleaned by a child such as yourself, though the adult employing
  you seldom gave you more than the most paltry of payments for this filthy and hazardous labor.
  Feats: Endurance, Great Fortitude
  Skills: Climb, Escape Artist
  4. Craftsman's Assistant
  Assisting in the family trade, or performing minor and laborious tasks as a precursor to a full
  apprenticeship, you spent your childhood hard at work with a craftsman such as a carpenter,
  blacksmith, jeweler, or member of any number of other professions.
  Feats: Endurance, any appropriate Armor or Weapon Proficiency (if assisting Armorer, Fletcher, or
  Weaponsmith)
  Skills: Appraise, Craft (choice)
  5. Errand Runner
  A general dogsbody, you ran errands for whoever was willing to tip you a copper piece, carrying
  messages, running out to acquire needed materials and items, making minor deliveries, or offering
  minor menial assistance when really needed.
  Feats: Endurance, Run
  Skills: Knowledge (local), Spot
  6. Factory Child
  The Iron Kingdoms are on the brink of an Industrial Revolution, and you are one of the unfortunate
  individuals to be trodden underfoot by the changes. You work in the dangerous confines of a mill,
  steam-powered factory, or smelter, darting amid the hazardous machinery to aid the adults and clear
  problems the larger grownups cannot easily reach.
  Feats: Alertness, Dodge
  Skills: Balance, Disable Device
  7. Farmhand
  Up at the cock’s crow, and to bed at sunset, you worked in the rural community, assisting your family
  or a local farmer, in the running of the farm. Cleaning barns, slopping out the pigs, and undertaking all
  the other minor, often unpleasant tasks, that the farmer didn’t want to devote time to, was your life.
  Feats: Endurance, Toughness
  Skills: Handle Animal, Profession (farmer)
  8. Frontier Child
  You grew up beyond the relative civility of the farmsteads that surround the cities of the Iron
  Kingdoms, doing what you could to ensure the survival of the rugged, isolated wilderness settlement
  your family called “home”, be it the swamps outside Corvis, or any other inhospitable terrain.
  Feats: Alertness, Endurance
  Skills: Knowledge (nature), Wilderness Lore
  9. Healer’s Assistant
  Whether working with a local apothecary in one of the Iron Kingdoms’ urban settlements, or aiding a
  backwoods’ herbalist, you were often set to gathering ingredients, and stirring and boiling mixtures.
  Feats: Alertness
  Skills: Heal, Profession (apothecary or herbalist)
  10. Merchant’s Assistant
  
  Whether working at a stall in the local market, traveling with goods from locale to locale, or helping
  your family or master in a store, your childhood was spent observing the deal and bargain, and the
  acquisition of profit.
  Feats: Alertness
  Skills: Appraise, Bluff
  11. Privileged Child
  One of the fortunate few to be born to a family of wealth and status, you were raised to be well-
  mannered and educated, and to rigidly adhere to your family’s standards and expectations of conduct
  and decorum.
  Feats: any appropriate Martial Weapon Proficiency
  Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
  12. Serving Child
  A menial servant, or the child of a servant, you labored in the steading of a wealthier family or
  establishment, cleaning, tidying, washing vegetables, and performing other chores, in exchange for a
  roof over your head, some food, and some clothing.
  Feats: Dodge, Endurance
  Skills: Listen, Search
  13. Shepherd
  Whether watching over sheep, goats, cattle, or any other livestock, you spent many of yours childhood
  hours either on your own, or with another shepherd, maintaining constant vigil for the depredations of
  wild beasts and monsters.
  Feats: Alertness, Endurance
  Skills: Handle Animal, Spot
  14. Slave
  Either captured or born into slavery, your childhood was abysmal, a constant struggle to survive the
  labors you were forced to endure, and avoid whatever punishments your taskmaster saw fit to inflict
  upon you. You either escaped, earned your freedom, or were freed.
  Feats: Dodge, Endurance
  Skills: Hide, Listen
  15. Squire
  For whatever reason, you became a noble’s personal assistant and valet, cleaning and caring for their
  possessions, looking after their mount, and performing any other duties as required, in exchange for
  which you were given food, lodgings, clothing, and possibly even some tuition.
  Feats: Endurance, any appropriate Martial Weapon Proficiency
  Skills: Handle Animal, Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
  16. Stablehand
  Working for an inn or wealthy establishment or household, you spent your childhood grooming, caring
  for, and stabling the mounts of visitors, sleeping in the hay of the stable yourself.
  Feats: Alertness, Endurance
  Skills: Handle Animal, Ride
  
  17. Street Urchin
  You grew up rough on the streets, child of an uncaring or criminal family, or an orphan that slipped
  through the net. The streets were a cutthroat and dangerous environment, even for a child, and only by
  begging and pick pocketing did you manage to survive.
  Feats: Dodge, Run
  Skills: Bluff, Pick Pocket
  18. Wanderer
  Adopted by, or born to, a family of wanderers, such as adventurers or gypsies, entertainers such as
  bards, outdoorsmen such as rangers, or vagabonds such as bandits, your childhood was spent on the
  move, the landscape a constant change.
  Feats: Alertness, Endurance
  Skills: Handle Animal, Perform (choice)
  19. Warrior Born
  Born into a family of soldiers, mercenaries, watchmen, militia, or raiders, you engaged in a great deal
  of rough and tumble, and learned to look after yourself.
  Feats: any Armor or Shield proficiency, any appropriate Martial Weapon proficiency
  Skills: Handle Animal, Heal
  20. Wizard's Assistant
  You performed chores for a local spellcaster, usually in preparation for an apprenticeship, stirring
  alchemical mixtures, keeping the habitation clean, tending the spellcaster’s familiar, and performing
  any other minor tasks the spellcaster decided to give you.
  Feats: Dodge
  Skills: Concentration, Knowledge (arcana)
  Special Thanks: Special thanks to the IK mailing list for its support and help, and especially Wil
  Upchurch, Robert Baxter, Gil Fischel, Browserspirit, and the Privateer Press crew for their input and
  ideas.
  "Iron Kingdoms" material such as stories, character, place and monster names that originate with
  Privateer Press are copyright 2001Privateer Press LLC, and may be used in independent works for non-
  profit purposes only.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Iron Kingdoms/IK - Character Backgrounds.pdf