Summary
When it comes to character creation inDungeons & Dragons, selecting a background for your character is often overlooked. Of course, you choose this background at first level, meaning that, sometimes, it’s hard to tell how well this background will work out at higher levels. Plus, backgrounds are never going to fully break your character build.
However, as an expert player, there are still some backgrounds that are going to suit you better than others. Roleplay and character concept should come into play, but if you’re looking for the best backgrounds for high-level, expert Dungeons & Dragons players, look no further than this list.
Key Feature
Ear to the Ground
This background is best suited for a campaign set on the Sword Coast, but can be ported over to any campaign with your Dungeon Master’s permission. With this background, you gain proficiency with thieves' tools, which is always great, in addition to two skills between Deception, Insight, Persuasion, and Stealth, making this a great background for rogues.
Additionally, this background’s key feature, Ear to the Ground, allows you to easily contact people from the criminal underworld or even members of high society. You are well-connected, which makes this background ideal for political or palace intrigue-based campaigns.
Down Low
Many of the best backgrounds are hidden, tucked awayinside specific adventure modules, mainly because they’re well-suited to that adventure. However, with the right tweaks, a lot of these backgrounds can be brought into any other campaign setting. The smuggler background from Ghosts of Saltmarsh is one such background.
Similar to the urban bounty hunter background, the smuggler’s Down Low feature allows you to get in contact with a network of smugglers who can help you out of a tight situation. This feature is, of course, at your DM’s discretion, but even without this feature, the proficiency with water vehicles is immensely helpful if you’re playing in an aquatic setting.
Fortune’s Favor
This background takes after a lot of other backgrounds from the 2024 Player’s Handbook, and borrows from other feats as well. In actuality, there’s nothing new about this background in terms of its feature, Fortune’s Favor. However, what makes this background unique and great for expert players is its flexibility.
When you choose this background, you can choose to take on either the Lucky, Magic Initiate, or Skilled feat, gaining the benefits of said feat. This means that, should you want the skill proficiencies that come with this background (Insight, Persuasion), but the feat of another, you can tailor this background to your needs and character concept.
Scion of the Outer Planes Feat
Technically speaking, this feat should be reserved for a Planescape-based campaign just because it has so much to dowith extraplanar adventuring. However, with some tweaks, you’re able to port it over to other campaigns. Or, you can also talk to your DM about working out exactly why your character has left Sigil and ventured to the Material Plane.
Either way, when you take this background, you gain resistance to a certain type of damage based on an association you have with an outer plane, as well as a free cantrip. Additionally, you gain an extra skill proficiency based on which Sigil Faction you belong to, as well as a key to a portal. If you’re playing in Sigil or playing in a campaign that’s likely to plane-jump, this is a great background.
I’ll Patch It
Similar to the smuggler background, the shipwright background from Ghosts of Saltmarsh definitely works best in the module. But if you’re playing in a campaign where water vehicles are essential, you should talk to your DM about porting this over to a non-Saltmarsh-based adventure.
The key feature this background boasts is called ‘I’ll Patch it,’ in which players can prepare water vehicles more easily than others, provided that they have access to the proper materials. In this way, you may actually physically restore HP to your water vessel equal to five times your proficiency modifier. However, you can only do this once until the vessel is pulled ashore.
Wildspace Adaptation
This background is great in a Spelljammer-based campaign, but can also work if your party has spent any time traveling through Wildspace itself or even the Astral Sea. With this background in tow, you gain proficiency with space vehicles, Navigator’s Tools, Athletics, and Survival.
Additionally, you gain the Tough feat fromthe Player’s Handbook, with some modifications. Besides the normal features associated with Tough, you have also learned how to adapt to zero gravity. This is best for journeys through Wildspace, in which zero gravity can impose disadvantage on melee attack rolls.
Official Inquiry
While this background technically comes from the Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft module, it is one of the most easily adaptable backgrounds on this list. The core conceit behind this background is that you were influenced at a young age by a mysterious, unresolved case, which has led you to try to unravel mysteries wherever you go.
Besides gaining proficiency with both disguise kits and thieves' tools, you also get the feature known as Official Inquiry. With this feature, you are much more likely to gain access to an individual or place that is connected to a crime you are investigating. Once again, using this feature is at your DM’s discretion, but more often than not, you might be able to get to places that other characters can’t.
Historical Knowledge
This next background comes from the Tomb of Annihilation module, but can also be easily adapted to other campaigns. This background is best suited for an exploration-based campaign or for tables that doa lot of dungeon crawls. This is because, in addition to your proficiency with Cartographer’s Tools, you also get a feature known as Historical Knowledge.
This feature allows you to determine the purpose and origin of any ruin or dungeon you enter, as well as who constructed it. you’re able to also more easily appraise the value of treasure, meaning if your party is often looting their way through various dungeons, having you as part of their composition will be well worth it in the end.
Divine Contact
This background, which comes from Spelljammer, is far more about roleplay opportunities for expert players than it is about optimization, but it’s still worth looking at. With this background, you gain proficiency with Insight and Religion, as well as a feature known as longevity, meaning, because of your time spent in the Astral Sea, you are actually 20d6 years older than you look.
Additionally, you gain access to the Magic Initiate feat (you must choose from the cleric spell list), and more importantly, you have crossed paths with a deity of some kind in the Astral Sea. This contact had a profound impact on you and can make for a fantastically unique backstory that is sure to surprise even your DM.
Library Access
This last background is best if you find yourself playing in a lore-heavy, puzzle-based campaign. This background won’t help you much in terms of optimization or combat, but it will if your party is trying to contend with high-level creatures and needs as much lore as they can get their hands on.
With this background, you gain access to a feature known as Library Access, which allows you free and easy access to most libraries in your campaign setting. You also get preferential treatment, meaning you’ll be able to circumvent a lot of extra red tape that other characters have to deal with.
