Specific Variant for Entertainer from the Player's Handbook
Where some entertainers cultivate a wide array of skills and talents, you have leaned heavily on the art of expression upon the stage. Perhaps it is because of your good looks or a noticeable, natural charisma. Perhaps it is because you have a talent for voices and expression or a mastery of the precise sort of body mechanics that allow you convey deep emotions clearly, and with little effort. No matter why or how, you find it so easy to enthrall an audience and with your performances you entertain, educate, incite, or inspire with aplomb. Your words, your gestures, and your wit are your instruments. Your blocking your sheet music. Through a powerful performance and captivating or emotionally candid presence you demand the attention of those who wish to be entertained.
Where did you learn your craft? Did you attend some school for acting or join a troupe at an early age? Is it a natural talent that it seems you were simply born with? What plays have you taken part in and which ones were your favorites? Did you play the lead role? And what of the other actors you worked along side? Did you have a troupe? Was your theater troupe secretly a band of traveling thieves? Is this the reason you now find yourself an adventurer? Or did you work alone, joining performances where you could and now your new adventuring party is just your next “big role”?
Skill Proficiencies: Performance. Choose one from: Acrobatics, Deception, Persuasion, or Sleight of Hand.
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit. Choose one from: One Gaming set, One Musical Instrument, Weaver’s Tools, Land Vehicles, or Water Vehicles.
Languages: You may trade your additional Tool Proficiency pick for one Standard Language of your choice.
Equipment: A disguise kit, steel mirror, performance costume, travelers clothes, pouch with 15gp
On or off the stage, you are so practiced at emulating specific character archetypes—such as a beggar or a noble—that you may make a Charisma (Performance) check instead of a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check when attempting to pass yourself off as that sort of character, assuming you have the correct disguises or props. Additionally, during downtime you may attempt to find work in any town or city large enough to have a theater and can earn up to a Comfortable Lifestyle.
Naturally, many will expect Actors to be text book narcissists. Full of bombast and entirely self-absorbed, leading men and ladies can often acquire bad reputations. Other actors might be more serious minded and concerned only for their craft. They might find the prospect of fame to be foolish, even. A distraction from the real work upon the stage. Then there are the actors with a generous streak, who turn the profits of their art to donations for the homeless or hungry. Consider if its the fame or the art that drives your actor, and what they do with their pay once they have it.
| Personality Traits | |
| d8 | Personality Trait |
| 1 | I know that when I enter the room, the whole world stops for me. |
| 2 | I hope that my performances make others think about the world around them and strive for change. |
| 3 | Laughter and smiles are a balm for everyone's soul, so I do what I can to bring good cheer. |
| 4 | I am a hopeless romantic and am always looking for my leading lady (or man). |
| 5 | I simply must have all the newest fashions. I wouldn't be caught dead in something from last season. |
| 6 | When I am not on the stage I would prefer people didn't approach me… |
| 7 | “All the world is a stage and I am but an actor…” |
| 8 | When I'm not speaking or performing, I voraciously consume plays and poetry to enhance my repertoire. |
| Ideals | |
| d6 | Ideal |
| 1 | Beauty. Performance and art make the world a better place for everyone. (Good) |
| 2 | Vanity. I live for the admiration of others. And why shouldn’t they admire me? I should be the center of their tiny, miserable worlds. (Evil) |
| 3 | Tradition. The sharing of stories and legends is how we preserve and honor our pasts. (Lawful) |
| 4 | Confrontation. The dreary lives of the peasants and the comfortable ones of the nobility alike need a wake up call. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Inspiration. I hope that my art can spur others to create something beautiful in turn. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Honesty. There is no truer reflection of society than its art. (Any) |
| Bonds | |
| d6 | Bond |
| 1 | I had a true love who could not bear share me with an audience; I think about them constantly. |
| 2 | I hope to someday be known the world over for my wit and acting prowess. |
| 3 | The money I earn by performing goes to support my family (or a cause). |
| 4 | The troupe I work with most frequently is like a family to me. |
| 5 | There is another actor with whom I constantly compete for roles. I am determined to prove that I am the better thespian. |
| 6 | My former troupe disbanded after it was discovered they were stealing from towns we visited. So far I have escaped persecution. |
| Flaws | |
| d6 | Flaw |
| 1 | I’ll do anything to impress a beautiful face. |
| 2 | I work hard upon the stage, and I party harder once the deed is done. |
| 3 | I cannot help but mock those I deem too cocksure and this surely gets me into trouble. |
| 4 | I simply MUST boldly declare my plans to anyone who will listen, if only to increase the drama. |
| 5 | I become sullen and inconsolable if not the center of attention. |
| 6 | I am unreliable and make excuses for not showing up. |