Foregrounds a Character Option

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 ccording to the Player’s Handbook, back-
A grounds reveal where a character came
from, how it became an adventurer, its story
origin. But what about since then? The life your
character lives as it progresses is reflected in
its new abilities (measured through levels that
act as a proxy), collected gear, possessions, and
relationships; but are there other ways to
reflect how those experiences change your
character in measurable ways? If a character
routinely adventured on a ship, couldn’t it now
be considered a marine? If a character spent
several levels hacking away at orcs, doesn’t it
make sense that they’ve learned something?
Foregrounds are a reflection of what the char-
acter has done in the recent past. These rules
provide a structure for that concept in the form
of Foregrounds.
Obtaining Foregrounds. Granting Fore-
grounds is largely up to the DM but since this is
a reflection of recent experiences, the author
recommends one become available at level 5
and second becoming available at level 11. A
maximum of 2 Foreground features are recom-
mended.
Replacing Features. With DM permission,
when a character gains a level, it may replace
any one Foreground feature with another.
Feature Restrictions. Foreground features
typically do not provide a direct combat advan-
tage.
Feature Structure
A feature is simply a reflection of how the char-
acter’s recent adventuring experiences have
altered the character. The Foreground feature
is added to the character’s features and traits (if
using D&D Beyond, it could be structured by
the as a feat and added to the character). The
author recommends designing Foreground fea-
tures in one of three ways:
Using Existing Features
This method simply takes an existing Back-
ground feature. The Background’s ‘Feature’
section is used as a Foreground feature. These
features should already be pretty well balanced
and require minimal DM oversight.
Example 1. If a character spends several
adventures on a ship at sea, it may be granted
the ‘Ship’s Passage’ feature from the sailor
background, the ‘Steady’ feature from the
marine background, or perhaps the ‘Bad Repu-
tation’ feature from the pirate background.
Example 2. If a character spends a signifi-
cant amount of downtime crafting wares, it may
be granted the ‘Guild Membership’ feature
from the Guild Artisan / Guild Merchant Back-
ground.
Using Existing Traits
This method uses an existing low-level subclass
trait, perhaps with minimal alterations.
Example 1. If a character spends several
adventures in the woods, it may be granted the
‘Natural Explorer’ Ranger trait for forests.
Example 2. If a character spends several
adventures fighting orcs, it may be granted a
portion of the ‘Favored Enemy’ Ranger trait
that provides the character advantage on Wis-
dom (Survival) checks to track orcs, as well as
on Intelligence checks to recall information
about them.
Creating From Scratch
This method requires the most DM oversight
and involves creating the feature from scratch.
Example 1. If a character spends several
adventures prominently featuring spellcasters
as opponents or allies, it may be granted the
ability to cast the prestidigitation cantrip once
per short rest. This does not provide the char-
acter with the Spellcasting feature.
Example 2. If a character spends several
adventures stabilizing allies with a healer’s kit,
it may use readily available resources (such as
a torn shirt sleeve) in lieu of a healer’s kit.
Training (Supplement rule)
The following can supplement the training rules in
XGE.
On The Job Training. Once at level 5 and again at
level 11, a character may use its prior adventuring
experience with a language, tool, or weapon to
shorten training by five workweeks. (Example: if a
character spent several adventures around elves, it
may train to learn the elvish language in an acceler-
ated time frame.)