Miner

You have spent most of your life excavating the minerals that allows civilization to thrive. Without your work and expertise, soldiers wouldn’t have swords and the teamsters wouldn’t have horse shoes. In the dim lights of tight tunnels, you might have mined iron, mithril, and gemstones, or you may have worked in the salt mines to provide flavor for the food of nobles.

More so than most, you are used to danger. You saw many of your friends crushed when the mines caved in. Sometimes you could hear them shouting for help, but by the time you could safely clear away the debris they had suffocated or starved. You’ve crawled out of the mines only to find greater dangers.

Proficiencies

Skills: Investigation, Survival
Tools: Mining tools
Languages: Undercommon
Equipment: A set of common clothes, a light hammer, miner’s tools, and 2 small topaz gems worth 10 gp each.

Feature: Underground Navigation

You grew up digging tunnels, exploring caves, and learning the mysteries of the places. It is nearly impossible for you to get lost underground. You can naturally sense the slope of a cavern or mine shaft telling if it goes up or down. Your sense of smell is attuned to the smell of fresh or stagnant air. The twists and turns of underground passages cannot disorient you. While you may not always know exactly where you are, you can always find your way back.

Suggested Characteristics

Hard, pitiless work makes miners. While others studied in the safety of temples or academies, you were digging into the earth trying to earn the money needed to feed your family. Whatever events forced you to leave the mines behind, you’ll always carry the hard lessons learned in mineshafts with you.

d8	Personality Trait
1	Working in the mines taught me one thing. There’s no place for slackers. Everyone has to do their part.
2	The solution to most problems is a strong arm, not tricks or magic.
3	Don’t hurry. Bring in the timbers and prop up the shaft before you dig that next tunnel.
4	Danger is all around us. and when there’s a cave in, sometimes we don’t have a choice but to let people die.
5	I’m a worker, not a thinker. I prefer to follow the orders of others who know how to lead.
6	The common people suffer so the rich have their luxuries. Maybe it’s time to change that.
7	I’ve spent so much time underground that I have forgotten the niceties of life.
8	I left a poor miner, but I’ll return with enough gold to buy every mine in the kingdom!

d6	Ideal
1	Companionship. No one has excavated a mine alone. Only by working together can we accomplish great things.
2	Patience. I don’t get frustrated easily. I’ve dug enough mine shafts that led to nothing to know that not every attempt will lead to success.
3	Hard Work. I don’t look for shortcuts. I do the job right the first time.
4	Never Quit. I’ve seen dwarven miners smash through the hardest stone. If they can do it, then so can I!
5	Sacrifice. Some must suffer so that others may thrive.
6	Improvement. The most beautiful diamonds require the steady hand of a jeweler to make it shine.

d6	Bond
1	I will return to mines a hero and prove everyone wrong.
2	I’ve seen too many people die, and I won’t let another companion die because of my inaction.
3	I will get revenge on the foreman who caused my brother’s death!
4	I’ve seen horrors in the deep mines, and someone has to protect the rest of the world from them.
5	I have debts that I can never repay, but I’ll do my best!
6	I will always stand against tyranny whether it’s a slave trader or a king!

d6	Flaw
1	The desire to acquire more gold, more gems, and more wealth drives you to go further and dig deeper often without regard for the safety of yourself or others.
2	You saw something in the deep tunnels. Something terrible. You don’t want to go back.
3	Tight places terrify you and nothing will ever convince you to go down into the mines again.
4	Life is hard, and if you can’t keep up with me, you’ll get left behind.
5	You are completely reckless. You might as well have fun before death comes knocking at your door.
6	You are far too curious for your own good and that’s gotten you into trouble more often than you’d like to admit.