The Far Traveler Background in D&D 5e: A Guide to Bringing the Exotic into Your Game:
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Traveler Adventure is a compelling concept in Dungeons & Dragons; adventurers hail from all walks of life, each with their own background and story. Most intriguingly and evocatively, though, is the Far Traveler background of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. This background, introduced in Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, drops a character’s history into focus by casting their journey from far-off. Mystical lands to the realms so familiar in the campaign setting.
So whether your character:
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Originating from an unknown region or a distant continent or even another plane of existence. This Far Traveler background adds richness, depth, and many possibilities to your story.
In this article, we’ll explore more about the Far Traveler Background: what it is, and its features. How much roleplaying potential is involved, and how to best incorporate this background into your campaign? We will also look at the types of characters who would choose this background and what motivations would lead them out into the unknown.
What is a Far Traveler Background?
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The Far Traveler backgrounds are applied to characters from land-far. These defined borders of the setting are put forth by the campaign, and such lands could be inaccessible or unknown to most commoners; therefore, mysterious air surrounds the origin of the character. Far Travelers are beings from strange and foreign cultures who bring with them customs, languages, and beliefs that are unfamiliar. They are often pushed by curiosity, wanderlust, or a specific mission that has pushed them far from home.
The background Far Traveler is excellent for players who wish to create a character with an exotic background, full of unknowns that the Dungeon Master and player can explore together. It is also excellent for those who want to play someone who sees the world of the campaign through fresh eyes, finding wonder in what others consider ordinary.
Features of Far Traveler Background:
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Like all backgrounds in 5e, Far Traveler comes with a package of features that help shape both the potential of your character and that of his or her story.
Skill Proficiencies:
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Insight:
Experience traveling through unknown lands has made you skilled at reading people. Whether it is merchants, rulers, or other adventurers, you quickly understand their intentions and emotions.
Perception:
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Being a Far Traveler places upon one the perception of being constantly on alert to their surroundings. This ability imparts noticeability and alertness-you can’t fail to perceive even minute details or lower your guard when touring any place unfamiliar and new.
Tool Proficiency:
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Musical Instrument or Gaming Set:
Being a Far Traveler, you carry with you a piece of your homeland. Proficiency in a musical instrument or gaming set helps flesh out your cultural background by giving you a means to share stories, bond with others, or entertain fellow travelers on long journeys.
Languages:
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You learn one additional language of your choice. As a character from another country, you likely have learned several languages during your travels, so you can navigate your way when you visit areas of a particular country that you are not familiar with.
Materials:
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- Outfit of traveler’s clothes
- A memento from homeland – you can be carrying anything from a trinket to a painting as a reminder of where
- you were born and raised
- Purse with 10 gold pieces
- The souvenir is a concrete reminder of where you are from and also might give the players an idea of roleplaying or acting upon some story hooks.
Feature:
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The key feature of Far Traveler is All Eyes on You. This is because you are by all means from a faraway and unknown place, and people are bound to have an innate interest in knowing you. Something about your clothes, accent, or mannerisms marks you as different. The ordinary people in your surroundings are much more likely to take initiative and come to you for questions or interest. This can positively play out for you as you enter the inner circles of power relatively easily or become the town’s talk, gossip, and rumors surrounding you, which can bring new opportunities.
All Eyes on You:
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This feature can be a double-edged sword. While it helps you gain attention, it also means that you may attract unwanted notice from people who are suspicious or fearful of outsiders. It’s a powerful narrative tool that can drive both positive and negative interactions in the story.
Roleplaying a Far Traveler:
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Playing a Far Traveler offers plenty of room for creativity and storytelling in general. The beauty of this background is to embrace totally that your character is foreign and so different from everybody else around them. This can come through in various ways:
Your character can have customs:
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Beliefs, or habits that may seem weird or foreign in the campaign setting. They may come from a land where greetings require formal handshakes; they might even have religious practices that are weird, or taboo, in the campaign surroundings. Roll with these cultural peculiarities and make your character feel unique indeed.
For instance, a Far Traveler from a land of deserts may be shocked at the profligate use of water in conserving it to the extent that he can drink it without troubling to boil it in a temperate kingdom.. Or a Far Traveler from an island nation may be confused by the fear of oceans or people’s lack of acquaintance with maritime customs.
Awe and Wonder:
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There’s something fantastical about everyday things if you’re new to the region. People can find the weirdness of cities, technology, magic, or even everyday animals interesting. It gives you an opportunity for your character to stare avidly into things that the rest of the party feels mundane, which could lead to some really funny and heartwarming moments.
On the other hand, it could be that your character is completely oblivious to things that amaze people from other cultures, especially if those cultures are viewed as superior or more magical. This creates some interesting party dynamics.
Motivation and Backstory:
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Why has your character left their homeland?
What pushes them to discover the greater world? Those are the questions you will have to address in a roleplay as a Far Traveler. Perhaps it’s all about wanderlust or curiosity, but perhaps there’s something more personal or pressing.
Maybe your character is searching for a holy relic or was exiled from their homeland and now searches for a new home. Whatever it may be, it has to be a motivation for action and a decision for your character. The DM can use rich material for the campaign created with this kind of backstory; it gives your character a personal stake in the tale.
The Integration of the Far Traveler Background into the Campaign:
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Adding a Far Traveler background to a campaign allows the Dungeon Master to open up the world and integrate fresh cultures or locales. Of course, one does not have to flesh out an idea for the homeland that comes with the character when the campaign starts; instead, one may develop it together between the DM and the player as the story unfolds.
A Far Traveler party role is an interesting one:
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Having a Far Traveler in the party also offers an interesting story hook. An NPC may want to know about the character’s homeland out of curiosity or because they have some interest in that far-away region. The foreign origin of the character can be a source of tension, or alliance, depending on the political and social landscape of the campaign world.
