Black Sword Hack — Character Builder

faerie ORIGIN
Your character was born (roll a d20…)
1 … in the Seelie Court, as one of the Spring 
King's numerous children.
2 … in your kin's comfortable tower, before 
it got seized by a rival house.
3 … as a half-blood and raised in Trollheim.
4 … abandoned at the border of the mortal 
realm, and raised by farmers.
5 … under a hill, a thrall of the Unseelie 
Court.
6 … in a sacred glade guarded by unicorns.
7 … on the outskirts of Alfheim, living in 
harmony with a human community.
8 … from a rock, a tree, or a clear water 
spring.
9 … in a deep forest, raised by wild animal 
spirits.
10 … at the top of a mountain, from 
lightning and thunder.
11 … from the dreams (or nightmares) of 
humankind.
12 … in a magic flying castle, invisible to 
mortals.
13 … under the light and protection of the 
silver moon.
14 … as the child of a repenting unseelie.
15 … from the vicious howling winds of a 
winter night.
16 … in a realm beneath the waves, as a 
slave of the Ocean Queen.
17 … as the prophesied hero who would 
change the world forever.
18 … again after a hundred-year sleep, 
your mind entirely blank.
19 … the night fanatics burned down your 
ancestors' sacred grove.
20 … from a glowing crystal and cared for 
by an ageing knight.
FAERIE BACKGROUND
Note: every Faerie background is unique. Cha-
racters choose one Faerie background and two 
from another origin. Characters from other 
origins cannot choose Faerie backgrounds.
d6 Special abilities
1H Blossom breath [unique]: Roll Doom. 
Someone you breathe on must obey your 
orders if you succeed at a WIS test. It lasts 
for an hour or until violence or harm is 
involved. [CHA +1]
2H Earth-blooded [unique]: You have a 
regeneration Ud4 that you must roll an 
hour after taking damage (but only once 
regardless of the number of wounds taken 
since). It refreshes at sunset. [STR +1]
3H Moon child [unique]: Looking at the 
moon, you gain a feature of a noctur-
nal animal (one physical ability such as 
run like the wolf or fly as an owl) or the 
chosen beast's senses. Your physical form 
changes accordingly. (Your head turns 
into a bat's; your arms become wings.) 
Roll Doom. If your Doom die is depleted, 
your mind becomes the mind of the animal 
until moonrise. [WIS +1]
4H Sprite's step [unique]: You blink out of 
existence to avoid a danger or attack and 
reappear Nearby. Downgrade your Doom 
die. [DEX +1]
5H Underworld sense [unique]: You can 
feel air currents when underground and 
have a general idea of your surroundings 
when in total darkness. You can also smell 
precious metals. [INT +1]
6H Primal lifeforce [unique]: You have 
1 additional point of armour protection 
while not wearing metallic armour. Your 
unarmed damage is d6. [CON +1]
FAERIE WEAPONs - d10
1 Ironwood dagger - 2 Finely crafted hal-
berd* - 3 Dwarven steel axe - 4 Ancestral 
broadsword - 5 Adamantine sickle (*) - 6 
Faerie iron bastard sword (*) - 7 Silver 
horseman's bow* - 8 White oak jousting 
lance* - 9 Emerald-bladed axe - 10 Exotic 
weapon (roll on another background's 
table)
07
09

feudal ORIGIN
Your character was born (roll a d20)…
1 … in one of the castle's alcoves, as the 
bastard child of the local baron.
2 … in a loving family of honest farmers.
3 … in the slums of a big town.
4 … and left at the doors of an abbey, 
raised by monks or nuns.
5 … in the monarch's castle as heir to the 
throne.
6 … as a hostage from another noble house.
7 … on the road, among a traveling artists' 
company.
8 … a changeling. (You can choose one 
Faerie background.)
9 … as the seventh child of a noble family, 
unwanted and feared.
10 … the day your parents were hanged for 
poaching by the sheriff.
11 … hidden in the forest, in the camp of a 
band of rebels.
12 … among the flames of your burning 
keep, before your father fell defending the 
gate.
13 … raised by the village community, 
where no one mentioned your parents… ever.
14 … in a remote logger's hut, wolves 
howling in the shadows all around.
15 … in the countryside, as the middle-born 
of a large family.
16 … in a small town plagued by the Black 
Death.
17 … imprisoned in a lonely tower on a 
rocky island battered by the waves.
18 … as the illegitimate child of a high-
ranking church potentate.
19 … the night the queen was overthrown 
by her usurper brother.
20 … in exile in a foreign land, far from your 
native kingdom.
FEUDAL BACKGROUND
d6 Special abilities
1H Knighthood [unique]: You are a knight. 
In feudal realms, you test CHA with advan-
tage to get information from common folk 
and to interact with nobility. [CHA +1]
06
2H Strongman: You used to be a day labourer 
in a town or village. Get advantage on STR 
tests to bash, pull, carry, lift, and push. 
[STR +1]
3H Scholar: Roll Doom to get a useful 
and honest answer from the GM about 
the current situation. 
Justify this through your vast academic 
knowledge. [WIS +1]
4H Merchant: You test CHA with advantage 
to trade goods, information, or services and 
to detect lies. [INT +1]
5H Minstrel: During a short rest, when you 
sing and play an instrument, downgrade 
your Doom die. Everyone else raises their 
Doom die by one step (up to its maximum). 
[DEX +1]
6H Salt of the earth: You are pragmatic 
and down to earth. When in need of a 
mundane tool, roll Doom to find it in 
your bag. 
On a 1 or 2, you cannot use this background 
again until after a long rest. [CON +1]
FEUDAL WEAPONS - d10
1 Meteoric iron dagger - 2 Finely crafted 
crossbow* - 3 Damascus-style steel hal-
berd* - 4 Cold-iron broadsword 
5 Engraved bastard sword (*) - 6 Family 
Zweihander* - 7 Yew longbow* - 8 Black 
oak jousting lance* - 9 Flanged mace
10 Exotic weapon (roll on another back-
ground's table)

nomadic ORIGIN
Your character was born (roll a d20)…
1 … in your clan's camp by the bonfire and 
soothed by the songs of your people.
2 … in the back of a cart while crossing the 
grassy plains.
3 … in a circle of wagons, besieged by 
battle-crazed enemies.
4 … on top of a hill under a red moon, sur-
rounded by ghosts.
5 … in a caravanserai, surrounded by tra-
ders of exotic goods.
6 … on a ship on its way to the wealthy 
south, during a storm.
7 … in the wagon of the clan's seer, who 
feared an ill omen.
8 … in a swamp steamer led by toad men, 
your parents' slave masters.
9 … in the desert, at the gates of a sacred 
city, baptized by holy cantos.
10 … in the middle of a battlefield, among 
dead horses and dying riders.
11 … hidden in haunted ruins in the middle 
of nowhere, left alone.
12 … and immediately kidnapped by a rival 
clan to be held hostage.
13 … and left in a cradle drifting down a river.
14 … among the Iron Horde, trained to 
slaughter, burn, and plunder.
15 … bound to a wheel of pain, atoning for 
your parents' crimes.
16 … in slavery but raised as part of a noble 
family.
17 … in a hag's hut, during a witchcraft ritual.
18 … as the heir to a major clan leader in 
the Iron Horde.
19 … the night a comet fell near the clan's 
camp.
20 … in a caravan of undead seeking re-
demption and a mysterious well of life.
NOMADIC BACKGROUND
d6 Special abilities
1H Born in the saddle [unique]*: Get 
advantage to your STR and DEX tests when 
riding and either fighting or shooting 
(choose one!). [CON +1]
2H Tireless rider*: Unless in a stressful si-
tuation, you benefit from a short rest when 
riding a horse. [STR+1]
3H Hawkeye: Get advantage to your 
eyesight-based perception tests. [WIS+1]
4H Stargazing: You always know where 
north is and can navigate in the wilderness. 
[INT+1]
5H Master crafter: Once per day, spend 
a short rest crafting a mundane item, 
providing you have enough materials. 
The item is fragile (Ud6). [DEX+1]
6H Cunning trader: Get advantage on INT 
or CHA tests when evaluating goods or 
haggling. [CHA+1]
NOMADIC WEAPONS - d10
1 Silver-edged battleaxe* - 2 Net and 
trident 3 Ornate scimitar - 4 Red oak spear* 
5 Composite bow* - 6 Curved jade dagger
7 Bejeweled falchion* - 8 Engraved copper 
javelins - 9 Polished stone bolas - 10 Exotic 
weapon (roll on another background's 
table)

otherworldly ORIGIN
Your character was born (roll a d20…)
1 … on the astral plane, guided by the 
ghosts of long dead champions of Law, 
Chaos, or Balance.
2 … after dying a hero in a cosmic battle, 
which gives you nightmares to this day.
3 ... from a shaft of light that fell at the 
centre of an alien-looking cromlech.
4 ... near an obsidian gate with mirror-poli-
shed alloy doors, in the middle of a windswept 
plain.
5 … as the human incarnation of a runic 
weapon that was destroyed.
6 ... on the steps of a demon-flanked portal, 
in the depths of a cave.
7 … among the ruins of the Fortress of the 
Balance in the aftermath of Chaos' victory.
8 ... after an unspeakable ritual performed 
by a hermit wizard in a grim tower.
9 … mere hours ago, without any idea of 
where you are from and no memories of 
what brought you here.
10 ... in a misty swamp, haunted by the 
wraiths of those whose cosmic cause was 
betrayed.
11 … from the will and word of a mysterious 
cosmic entity.
12 ... on a flying ship crewed by a disgraced 
queen and her faceless companions.
13 … in a distant future, right before the 
Armageddon.
14 … in a floating castle appearing above 
the ruins of a forgotten city once every 
century.
15 … in another sphere, manifesting in the 
mundane world by crashing from the sky, 
naked.
16 … in the depths of a perilous jungle, where 
you were raised by an old monkey-like 
shaman.
17 … as a mechanical construct powered by 
far-future technology.
18 ... inside an antediluvian machine found 
in the laboratory of a lost complex, deep in 
the mountains.
19 … from the earth's core, crawling out of a 
volcano, right before a cataclysmic eruption.
20 … deep in the primal forest, surrounded 
by nature spirits and wild animals.
OTHERWORLDLY BACKGROUND 
d6 Special abilities
1H Supernatural polyglot [unique]: You can 
speak, read, and write any (non-extinct) lan-
guage you encounter like a native. [CHA+1]
2H Cosmic bond: Choose a gift (Law, Chaos, 
or Balance). You must roll Doom whenever 
acting against that principle or alignment. 
Become Doomed this way,you lose the 
gift. [CON+1]
3H Wisdom of a thousand lives: You can 
often tell what the short-term consequence 
of an action will be. Once per day, roll Doom 
and reroll a failed attribute test. [WIS+1]
4H Traveller: Once per session, declare 
you've already been in the place you are 
now visiting. You know the ins and outs of 
the area. [INT+1]
5H Clock worker: You gain advantage 
on DEX or INT tests to identify or repair 
twisted science devices. [DEX+1]
6H Unearthly heritage: Your skin is a 
strange texture or colour. Halve all damage 
05
from supernatural sources. [STR+1]
OTHERWORLDLY WEAPONS - d10
1 Twin-bladed short sword - 2 Black steel 
claws - 3 Alloy quarterstaff* - 4 Serrated 
chitin falchion* - 5 Folding longbow* - 6 
Thrice-forged katana (*) - 7 Two-handed 
copper scimitar* - 8 Wrist crossbow - 9 
Engraved obsidian spear* - 10 Exotic 
weapon (roll on another background's 
table)

PRIMITIVE ORIGIN
Your character was born (roll a d20…)
1 … at the top of an icy peak, during a 
violent storm.
2 … hidden in a giant beast's lair, while your 
mother was hunted by an enemy tribe.
3 … on a trail, while your siblings were 
fighting off wolves with torches and knives.
4 … in a dark and haunted cave, at the bot-
tom of shattered mountains.
5 … in a prisoners' camp, after your tribe 
lost a battle against imperial legions.
6 … in a dark forest, near an abomination's 
lair, next to your siblings' dead bodies.
7 … in a remote glade, under the mighty 
roots of a sacred tree.
8 … in a sacred stone circle during a 
ceremony dedicated to the wild hunt.
9 … under a tent among snow-covered 
rocky hills, during a blizzard.
10 … in the arms of the earth goddess, in 
the dreamlands.
11 … in the ashes of your village, after a 
bloody raid by foreign mercenaries.
12 … in the heat of the spring equinox fires; 
some say you have demon blood.
13 … in the spirit realm, among the souls of 
your ancestors.
14 … in the smoking ruins of a keep in the 
borderlands, after your tribe conquered it.
15 … in an enemy tribe's village, where your 
parents were held hostage.
16 … in the warmth of your hearth, 
surrounded by your tribe and family.
17 … in your family hut, in a village, 
atop giant trees.
18 … the day after your mother was exiled 
for sorcerous crimes.
19 … the night your father was executed for 
betraying the tribe.
20 … among the cheers of the whole tribe, 
as the chieftain's firstborn.
PRIMITIVE BACKGROUND
d6 Special abilities
1H Bones of the ancestors [unique]: Once 
per session, spend a short rest to contact 
your ancestors. Ask 1d3 yes or no questions 
about the situation at hand. [CHA+1] 
2H Wilds runner: Choose a type of envi-
ronment (forest, swamps, tundra…). Gain 
advantage on your DEX tests related to this 
environment. [CON+1] 
3H Seer of the wilds: Choose a specific envi-
ronment (forest, swamps, tundra…). Gain 
advantage on your INT tests related to this 
environment. [WIS+1] 
04
4H Sixth sense: You can sense danger. Gain 
advantage on your DEX tests to avoid imme-
diate danger or ambushes. [INT+1] 
5H War paints: Spend a long rest ritually 
decorating your body in fearsome designs. 
Gain advantage on the first STR check of 
every fight until dawn. [DEX+1] 
6H War cry: Your war cry brings fear to the 
heart of your enemies. Test CHA. A success 
means you and your allies act before your 
foes. [STR+1]
PRIMITIVE WEAPONS - d10
1 Carved ivory dagger - 2 Sharp flint axe 
3 Fire hardened spear* - 4 Teeth-studded 
club - 5 Short bone bow - 6 Polished stone 
mace - 7 Two handed iron slicer* - 8 Blow-
gun and poisoned darts - 9 Engraved ebony 
javelin - 10 Exotic weapon (roll on another 
background's table)