Charlatan Background 5e | DnD – 5th Edition D&d (2024)
Charlatan background 5e is the spice that was lacking from your gaming experience. If you wish to play a slightly shady character instead of a righteous one, charlatan 5e is all you’re looking for and more. The schemes and trickery would keep you on your toes and take you on an incredible rollercoaster ride.
Table of Contents
What is charlatan background 5e?
You are an expert in people, and that is what gets you ahead in the game. You can read them like an open book just after asking a few questions, which is your forte.
A small conversation with you can lead to them revealing intimate details to you, the same thing that the DM does for the Inheritor background.
Moreover, you aren’t hesitant in using it to your advantage. You have mastery in making people believe your words, even if they aren’t real because you say them with such certainty.
Using deception for your benefit doesn’t make you squirm, and it gets you out of bad situations. These tricks are a work of art according to you, but not everyone views it the same way.
Features
- Favourite schemes – Since you are passionate about your conning abilities, you’d have a special ruse you prefer using frequently unlike other D&D backgrounds. So choose one from the table below or roll a dice.
D6 | Scam |
---|---|
1. | I cheat at roulette. |
2. | I either forge documents or shave coins. |
3. | I manoeuvre into people’s lives to use their weaknesses against them and steal their fortune. |
4. | I change identities like clothes. |
5. | I like to deceit people on street corners. |
6. | I persuade people that useless junk is worth their money. |
- False identity 5e:- You have a second identity, which is well-established with forged documentation, life, disguises, and other such things required to create a brand new persona for you. Personal letters and official papers can also be replicated if they are acquainted with the handwriting.
You’re so skilled at disguise that not even a City Watch characteristic can be of any help in catching you.
5e Charlatan Suggested characteristics
Here are all the DnD 5e charlatan features that would tempt you into saying “this is the one.”
D8 | Personality traits |
---|---|
1. | I’m always in pursuit of someone as I fall in and out of love easily. |
2. | I have a record of cracking jokes at inappropriate times. |
3. | Flattery is my chosen trick to get things done. |
4. | I’m a born gambler and can’t let go of the chance to earn a profit. |
5. | I’m a compulsive liar and lie without any rhyme or reason. |
6. | Sarcasm and insults are my preferred weapons. |
7. | I keep holy symbols of various deities to invoke them in time of need. |
8. | I keep anything I see that might be valuable. |
Ideals Charlatan
D6 | Ideals |
---|---|
1. | Independence: I’m a free bird, and no one tells me what to do. (Chaotic) |
2. | Fairness: I never con those who can’t afford to lose a few coins. (Lawful) |
3. | Charity: I distribute the money I stole to the needy people. (Good) |
4. | Creativity: I never repeat the same ruse more than once. (Chaotic) |
5. | Friendship: Materialistic pleasure is temporary, but friendship is eternal. (Good) |
6. | Aspiration: I’m determined to turn my life around. (Any) |
Bonds Charlatan
D6 | Bonds |
---|---|
1. | I tricked a wrong person and try hard to avoid him from crossing my path or those I love even now. |
2. | I owe everything to my mentor, a horrible person who’s in jail somewhere. |
3. | I have a child out in the world somewhere, and I wish to make the world better for him or her. |
4. | I hail from a noble family and wish to reclaim my properties from those who stole it. |
5. | I’m concocting revenge from an influential person who killed someone I loved. |
6. | I scammed an innocent person and would spend my life trying to atone for this wrongful deed. |
Flaws Charlatan
D6 | Flaws |
---|---|
1. | I find pretty faces irresistible. |
2. | I’m always under debt because I spend money more than I earn. |
3. | I’m confident that no one can fool me the way I mislead others. |
4. | My greed would be the end of me as I don’t back down from a gamble. |
5. | I can’t help scamming the elite class. |
6. | I’m ashamed of admitting this, but I’d hide if the situation turns worse. |
5e Charlatan background Classes
D&D charlatan doesn’t back down from a challenge, and therefore, it offers you multiple classes under one backstory so that you can’t resist opting for this choice.
Barbarian Charlatan
A barbarian wants nothing more than a fine set of clothes, which is what this class extends. The world is your oyster; you can be a Duke of a made-up place or anyone you want. Your words are your most potent weapon, and you must always shield it.
Your second identity should be linked to the backdrop, for instance, it could be a con you started, but it got out of control, or it might be that fraudulent work is all you’re good at.
D6 | Personality traits |
---|---|
1. | I was born in ‘Waterdeep,’ and the whole tribal thing is a scheme. |
2. | People enjoy the robust barbarian look, and I relish in it as well. |
3. | I will compete with anyone, and I always ensure my win (even if I lose). |
4. | My loud mouth has got me in trouble more times than I can count. |
5. | Losing control out of anger to scare a few peasants out of their cash is my favourite ploy. |
6. | I’m as subtle as a rock. |
Bard Charlatan
Bards are meant to be excellent charlatans as it’s all about the performance and deceptive aspects of it. The liberty to choose your preferred scheme here is more than other classes. You’d be a natural at whatever you choose, but put thought into it.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I have lovers in every town and remember their names, mostly. |
2. | Music is the universal language, and tuba only sings lies. |
3. | I speak the truth only when it doesn’t matter. |
4. | I know every con in the book for all occasions. |
5. | I don’t have friends; I have colleagues. I keep people at arm’s length. |
6. | I never lie to my close friends. |
Cleric Charlatan
Cleric charlatans are those fraud holy men who create believable illusions for the audience. You might be wearing sacred symbols of different Gods in an attempt to please one of them.
You can choose any persona, from a wealthy merchant to an essential paladin. A significant dilemma in your case could be your faith or lack of it, but why do the Gods still favour you despite your blasphemy?
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I keep my magic a secret and relish in revealing God’s powers to novices. |
2. | My healings are overpriced but are your limbs worth nothing? |
3. | I have a ruse of taking off with the church’s money. |
4. | I’m unaware of any prayers or chants, but nobody has noticed so far. |
5. | I’m famous for healing plagues, although I might have been the reason behind them too. |
6. | You might not have heard of my God as he released only one book. |
Druid Charlatan
A druid’s love for nature might have been discovered during their childhood, but they would have soon learned that swindling people is more profitable than connecting with nature. Their shapeshifting abilities could come in handy while forging a false identity as well.
Or it could also be that they have spent the majority of their time in civilization, which forced them to turn to such schemes and tactics. Their persona could also be a way to take revenge from people for destroying nature.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I despise civilization, and therefore I contribute to its downfall. |
2. | I’m willing to help farmers during their crop fail, which happens whenever I’m in town. |
3. | My most fun con is where people believe a bear ate me. |
4, | I feel no sympathy for people who are a victim of my cons as it’s an “everyone for themselves,” kind of a world. |
5. | I choose to hide my connection to nature. |
6. | People rely on me for advice, so I just say anything and hope it works out. |
Fighter Charlatan
As a fighter, you could pose as someone from a noble backdrop and impress the ladies of the elite class or even fight duels. You could even choose to be a glamour boy by day and a fighter by night.
All in all, your second identity would be different from a martial artist. You can keep up the ruse for as long as you want because maybe you are escaping your past as a coward.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I’m a weakling at heart, but I’m a pro at lying. |
2. | I use my strengths to trick people of their money. |
3. | I might have been a bandit in the past, but no one’s aware of it. |
4. | My words can be as deadly as my sword. |
5. | I failed at my trick once, and it still bothers me. |
6. | I’m desperate to be famous and would do anything to get it. |
Monk Charlatan
A monk’s story is distinct from the rest of them as they didn’t learn the art of fighting from their monastery; instead, they inculcated the skills from street brawls. Your persona could take the shape of anyone, either an exotic lord or a wise man. Conning people as religious preachers has been an age-old trick.
You could also fool people by fighting a rigged duel wherein you are the winner every time. Use your strength of looking trustworthy to gain benefits.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I rigidly follow my routine in fear of revealing my true identity. |
2. | Drinking, fighting and sleeping are the only pleasures in my life. |
3. | A wise man once said, “A good life is one where you do as little as possible.” |
4. | I often use wise phrases and narrate an allegorical tale even if it’s irrelevant. |
5. | I enjoy being in the limelight and would do anything to stay there. |
6. | I might seem quiet, but I’m waiting for an opening to strike. |
Paladin Charlatan
The inherent charisma of Paladins is an added advantage for you as you can succeed in being anyone you want to be, even if it’s a superhero. You could be a righteous man, a noble playboy or a bringer of justice. For you, the sky is the limit.
D6 | Personality traits |
---|---|
1. | I’m arrogant and would only respond to my full name. |
2. | I care about people, but I care about gold as well. |
3. | I’m often guilty for what I’m doing, but I can’t stop lying. |
4. | My sense of justice is getting what I want. |
5. | I’m scared of children and hate it when their mothers make me kiss them. |
6. | The only way to worship God is to enforce their wishes in any way. |
Ranger Charlatan
There isn’t much in this class, but you can add more elements to this character instead of limiting it to combat and exploration. You can either be a bounty hunter or a con artist who uses their beast companion to help out. Focus on why and how you took this road less travelled.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I con people for the rush of it. |
2. | I maintain a tally of my successes and failures. |
3. | I’m incapable of going past a guard or authority figure without fooling them. |
4. | I love tricking people. |
5. | I frequently lie about my past and have forgotten the real one. |
6. | Each town means a new identity. |
Rogue Charlatan
The skills of a rogue and a charlatan aren’t much different; therefore, you can choose this option only for the false identity feature it offers. Your persona should be dependent on your campaign solely.
Being a maid can also be useful. You can even mould the story in a way that you are skilful because of being a charlatan. What if your identity as a charlatan is a ruse?
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I love inventing new tricks and scams. |
2. | I’m alert at all times as you never know when you become a target. |
3. | People who can see through my façade are the ones I respect. |
4. | I have a lover in every town so that I have a place to stay. |
5. | A small lie of mine has turned into something big. People believe I’m an Archmage. |
6. | I have hidden small stashes of coins and tools throughout the city. |
Sorcerer Charlatan
A sorcerer and a charlatan are like two sides of the same coin. You can use your prowess as a sorcerer to advance your schemes as a charlatan. Your charm and magic would leave people swooning without realizing their missing coins. Your false identity could also keep your powers a secret to escape the eyes of witch hunters.
Your ambition to enrol in a prestigious mage college could also be fulfilled by posing as a powerful wizard. Numerous options are open for you to choose from. Take a pick.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I love to boast and don’t leave any opportunity to do so. |
2. | I might be clueless as to what I’m doing, but I can still explain it in great detail. |
3. | I’m afraid of my magic and already have a plan to cover it up. |
4. | I’ll go to any extent to get ahead in the world.I’ll go to any extent to get ahead in the world. |
5. | My demands are simple: give me your gold or die. |
6. | At times I like to see how far I can dominate people without magic. |
Warlock Charlatan
Your patron’s agenda can be the key element in this class as he might have proposed a pact to you while you were in prison for conning people. A fresh start is in your cards with this backstory.
Your second persona could be to lead an everyday life while secretly pursuing your patron’s motives. A sage 5e or a cult leader are good ideas for your character.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | My patron thinks he has the upper hand on me, but he’s a part of a long con. |
2. | I lie so often that I forget what’s true. |
3. | I always speak the truth, but people prefer lies. |
4. | I’ll do anything to secure my power. |
5. | People are easy to mould like clay. |
6. | I live by one motto: I deserve more. |
Wizard Charlatan
Wizards might not be alluring or excellent with words, but the DnD charlatan backdrop can change the archetype they are pushed into. Their intellect is their primary weapon, and their skills to lie, make an excellent pair. Acquiring gold wouldn’t be a task for you as your magical powers can get you anywhere, anytime.
D6 | Personality Traits |
---|---|
1. | I grab every chance to spread my brand. |
2. | I’m confident that my work is helping people after all miracles are expensive. |
3. | The pursuit of knowledge might require twisting the truth. |
4. | I don’t care about the consequence of my actions to acquire power. |
5. | I’m escaping those who believe my tonics are poisonous. |
6. | I’m confident that there is a way to unveil the secrets of the world, but these laymen don’t trust my wisdom. |
Conclusion
Didn’t the charlatan background 5e, tingle your urge to venture on an exciting virtual journey? You can be whoever you want to be, no restrictions and that is the charm of charlatan 5e. It goes beyond your expectations and provides an out of the world experience.