Plasmoids, the shape-shifting entities, bring a fluid and versatile presence to Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
Choosing the right background for your Plasmoid character can add layers of intrigue and adaptability to their backstory.
What Are Backgrounds in D&D 5e?
Backgrounds are more than simple stat boosts in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. They reveal where your character came from, why you became an adventurer, and your place in the world.
Before choosing your Background, ask yourself a few questions:
- What was I before I became an adventurer?
- Why did I stop doing what my Background explains and become an adventurer?
- Where did I get the money to buy my starting equipment?
- Where did I learn the skills used in my class?
- What’s different about me compared to others with the same Background?
Best Backgrounds for Plasmoids
5. Far Traveler
Skill Proficiencies – Perception, Insight
Tool Proficiencies – One musical instrument or gaming set you choose (most likely something native to your homeland)
Languages – Choose one
Equipment – Set of traveler’s clothes, one gaming set or musical instrument you’re proficient with, a small piece of jewelry worth 10GP in the style of your homeland’s craftsmanship, poorly wrought maps from your homeland depicting where you are in Faerûn, and a pouch with 5GP.
Why the Far Traveler?
Far Traveler gives you the All Eyes on You feature, marking you as foreign and garnering attention from everyone, including commoners, scholars, nobles, merchants, princes, and kings.
Without a disguise, Plasmoids stand out like sore thumbs, at times leaving folks from the Material Plane so stunned they cannot keep themselves contained for weeks, months, or even years after the sighting.
Although their appearance might be extraordinarily strange, it also serves as the perfect bait for important figureheads to come in contact with them.
4. Sage
Skill Proficiencies – History, Arcana
Tool Proficiencies – None
Languages – Two you choose
Equipment – A set of common clothes, a letter from a dead colleague posing a question you haven’t been able to answer, a bottle of ink, a small knife, a quill, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Sage?
Sages have the Researcher feature, allowing them to effortlessly recall information and lore.
If they do not know the information, they will know where to find it, such as in a university, scriptorium, or some other place of knowledge.
However, some knowledge is extremely difficult to obtain and can take a long time to unlock or force you to perform questionable actions.
Some Plasmoids use their fluid state to search for the secrets of the multiverse, fooling folk with their Shape Self and getting to areas previously unreachable with Amorphous.
If you want to find information or even have it retrieved, Plasmoids will do an exceptional job.
3. Entertainer
Skill Proficiencies – Performance, Acrobatics
Tool Proficiencies – One type of musical instrument and a Disguise kit
Languages – None
Equipment – One musical instrument you choose, a costume, the favor of an admirer (trinket, love letter, or lock of hair), and a pouch with 15GP.
Why the Entertainer?
Entertainers have the By Popular Demand feature, allowing them to perform in places like taverns or courts for free lodging and food.
This stay can be lengthened by performing for the owners every night, and with each performance, your fame with the locals will increase.
Plasmoids already bring attention to themselves because of their formless appearance, but when they start changing their shape, squeezing through small spaces, and splitting themselves, commoners tend to only want more.
2. Soldier
Skill Proficiencies – Intimidation, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies – Vehicles (land), One type of gaming set
Languages – None
Equipment – A trophy you took from a fallen enemy (a piece of a banner, dagger, or broken blade), a set of common clothes, a deck of cards or a set of bone dice, an insignia of rank, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Soldier?
Soldiers receive the Military Rank feature, allowing you to exert your rank and impose authority over soldiers lower than you.
This authority can grant you and your party access to fortresses, encampments, simple equipment, and horses.
Plasmoids may be formless, but that doesn’t mean they can’t perform well in battle. Their versatile Shape Self allows them to become a humanoid creature and, in turn, fight just like one if they’ve been trained.
1. Faceless
Skill Proficiencies – Intimidation, Deception
Tool Proficiencies – Disguise kit
Languages – Choose one
Equipment – A costume, a disguise kit, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Faceless?
Faceless characters have the Dual Personalities feature, where you have a persona that most of the world knows you by, even your fellow adventurers.
Everything about you is different than your true self, and once you wear your disguise, all similarities of your true self are hidden. Removing your disguise makes you unidentifiable as your disguise.
This means you can change your appearance between your personalities as you wish, one serving as your camouflage and the other to hide.
Note: If someone realizes the connection between your true self and your persona, your deception could lose its effectiveness.
Plasmoids already possess both the Amorphous and Shape Self abilities, so when combined with Faceless, you truly become the ultimate stealthy character.
That means you can conceal your identity, give yourself limbs, or fit through spaces as narrow as 1 inch with ease.
Final Thoughts
Backgrounds such as the Sage, Far Traveler, or Faceless can emphasize their mysterious origins and connection to the arcane, while the Soldier or Entertainer backgrounds can add intrigue and complexity to their character.
Choose a background that aligns with your Plasmoid’s personality and story, and delve into a campaign filled with enigmatic discoveries and surprising twists.