[Nota: fino a ulteriore correzione da parte terzi sono bloccato con i lavori sulla tesi di laurea; dato che i prossimi saranno giorni di fuoco, perciò, anticipo a oggi un lavoro che in altre condizioni avrei pubblicato fra uno o due giorni]
EXPANDED SKILL LISTS FOR EXISTING BACKGROUNDS
As seen in the Sword Coast Adventurers' Handbook preview, incoming backgrounds will give to players the possibility to choose two skills for their characters among a brief list of four. This simple tweak makes all the background system much more flexible and interesting, and it is shame that it was not implemented in Player's Handbook.
Here is my personal list of expanded skills for the existing backgrounds.
(Come si è visto nelle anticipazioni dello Sword Coast Adventurer's Handbook, i futuri background daranno ai giocatori la possibilità di scegliere due abilità per il proprio personaggio da una lista di quattro. Questa semplice modifica rende tutto il sistema dei background più interessante e flessibile, ed è un peccato che non sia stata implementata nel Player's Handbook.
Questa è la mia lista personale di abilità estese per i background esistenti.)
- Acolyte: Choose two from Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion.
Some acolytes use to heal the sick even without the blessings of magic, and a good priest is, above all, a good jugde of men.
(Alcuni accoliti sono abituati a guarire i malati anche senza le benedizioni della magia, e un buon prete è, in primo luogo, un buon conoscitore degli uomini.)
- Charlatan: Choose two form Deception, Insight, Perform, and Sleight of Hand.
A successful schemer knows how to play the right scam to the right target; after all, he is a performer whose specialty are lies and guile.
(Un ingannatore di successo sa come mettere in atto la truffa giusta per ogni vittima; dopotutto, è un'intrattenitore la cui specialità sono menzogne e astuzia.)
- Criminal: Choose two form Deception, Intimidation, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.
Some criminals are skilled pickpockets, while others are simple brigands with no cunning at all, but deadly and intimidating weapons.
(Alcuni criminali sono abili borseggiatori, mentre altri sono semplici briganti senza alcuna astuzia ma armi letali e intimidatorie.)
In the wide world of entertainers there are animal trainers as well as good prestidigitators, whose skills double in the not so noble art of theft.
(Nel vasto mondo degli intrattenitori ci sono addestratori di animali come bravi prestigiatori, le cui abilità possono essere impiegate nella non tanto nobile arte del furto.)
- Folk Hero: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Persuasion, and Survival.
It is usually the “strong guy” that the villagers would trust with their life, and a good folk hero should know how to handle a mob.
(Solitamente, gli abitanti del villaggio saranno portati ad affidare la propria vita al "tipo tosto", e un eroe popolare che si rispetti deve saper gestire una folla.)
- Guild Artisan: Choose two from History, Insight, Perception, and Persuasion.
The craftiest members of a guild are politicians as much as artisans, with a deep knowledge of the history of their organization and city, while others gain a keen eye from the constant practice of their art.
I più scaltri fra i membri di una gilda sono tanto dei politici quanto degli artigiani, e conoscono a fondo la storia della loro organizzazione e città, mentre altri mantengono gli occhi allenati con la pratica costante della loro arte.
- Hermit: Choose two from Arcana, Medicine, Religion, and Survival.
Variant within the variant: substitute Arcana or Religion with Nature.
The reasons that would push a man to a life of seclusion are as varied as the lore he would meditate on; and every loner hermit must provide to his own needs in the wilderness.
(Le ragioni che possono spingere un uomo a una vita di isolamento sono varie tanto quanto la sapienza su cui potrebbe meditare; e ad ogni buon conto ogni eremita solitario deve provvedere a se stesso nelle terre selvagge.)
- Noble: Choose two from Deception, History, Intimidation,and Persuasion.
Some nobles dislike the fine art of diplomacy, trusting their title to scare every opposition; however, the vilest of the highborn are the deceitful and schemer ones.
Alcuni nobili non amano la fine arte della diplomazia, affidandosi al proprio titolo per spaventare ogni oppositore; tuttavia, i più nefasti degli aristocratici sono quelli che tessono intrighi e complotti.
- Outlander: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Stealth, and Survival.
Outlanders are sometimes the finest herders in the land, as their animals are their only trusted companions; some outlanders simply prefer to hide themselves and disappear while a treat rises.
(Gli stranieri che abitano nelle terre selvagge sono spesso i migliori addestratori, dato che i loro animali sono gli unici compagni su cui possano fare affidamento; altri stranieri invece preferiscono nascondersi e scomparire davanti al pericolo.)
- Sage: Choose two from Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion.
Every field of knowledge is like an open book for a true scholar, as he has surely read countless tomes about the subject.
Ogni ambito di conoscenza è come un libro aperto per un vero studioso, dato che ha probabilmente letto innumerevoli tomi sull'argomento.
- Sailor: Choose two from Atheltics, Deception, Perception, and Survival.
Never trust a sailor, they say; however, a good sailor must learn to trust himself as he ventures the largest and most dangerous unexplored wilderness in the world: the sea.
(Mai fidarsi delle promesse di un marinaio; ma un buon marinaio deve poter fare affidamento su se stesso quando viaggia nella più vasta e pericolosa zona inesplorata del mondo: il mare.)
- Soldier: Choose two from Athetlics, Intimidation, Survival, and Medicine.
Variant within the variant: substitute one of those four skills with a skill based on the soldier specialty: Diplomacy for Officer, Stealth for Scout, and Animal Handle for Cavalry.
Every soldier should be able to tend to his own wounds if he intends to remain a living soldier, and in the worst scenario he must provide to himself without any provision.
(Ogni soldato deve essere in grado di occuparsi delle proprie ferite se intende rimanere un soldato vivo, e nei casi peggiori deve provvedere a sé anche senza alcuna provvigione.)
- Urchin: Choose two from Insight, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.
For every innocent urchin with wide puppy eyes there is a cynical rascal-to be, already versed in the dephts of human squalor as life forced him to avoid its threats.
(Per ogni orfanello innocente con gli occhi da cucciolo c'è una futura cinica canaglia, esperta delle profondità dello squallore umano da che la vita l'ha costretta a eludere i suoi pericoli.)
WHEN TRAINING MATTERS: EXTRA BACKGROUNDS
Using this variant rule, PC could possess more backgrounds, gaining the associated skills, proficiencies, equipment and features as they invest coherent time and money in order to obtain and practice a new profession. Those extra backgrounds are called careers.
(Usando questa regola variante, i PG possono avere più di un background, ottenendo le abilità, le competenze, l'equipaggiamento e la capacità associati investendo tempo e denaro adeguati in modo da ottenere e praticare una nuova professione. Questi background extra sono chiamati carriere.)
In order to obtain a new career, a character must dedicate himself to an intense downtime activity that costs him 1000 gp and takes 500 days to complete. He must first acquire new capabilities, then practice them so long that the new profession becomes like a second nature for him.
Variant within the variant: you could rule that new careers can be obtained only after level 5, 11 and 17, as the character enters a new power tier. You could also rule that the new careers gained at those levels cost him no downtime activity. It is up to you and your campaign.
Note: the urchin career is apparently unsuited for one who is not an orphan or who's a child no more. However, an adventurer still could spend his time among the lowest, desperate souls that live in a big city. His money thus is not spent to find a trainer or to buy a title, but rather given away in order to maintain a facade of poverty.
Note: you could rule that some careers, such as the noble, could be acquired only after the character makes something in game that makes it consistent for him to pursue those new career, for example becoming a full-fledged noble before training as one.
Note: given the length of time required to obtain a new career, some campaigns could prevent the PC for pursuing a new one at all. However, when the pace of drama and history requires it, a new free career could be a very good gift to reward the characters with.
After the time spent in this downtime activity, the character gains the skill and tool proficiencies, as well as the equipment and feature, that are associated with the background that he pursued as a career. Those new capabilities do non substitute his existing ones.
The character can also decide to swap one or more of his traits, ideals, bonds and flaws with those of his new career, as the time spent doing something new as doubtless changed his views.