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Fisherman in Dungeons & Dragons 5e

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Fisherman

Credit: Mark S. Cookman
You were born in a small coastal village. You were raised with a strong work ethic and learned as a child that hard work does not guarantee success. You were taught the craft of your father and his father before; you learned how to take a bounty from the sea. The work was both demanding and exhausting, but you became quite skilled at it. An occurrence on a recent voyage has put you off this career and you have decided to seek your fortunes elsewhere.   After choosing this background, you must work with the Dungeon Master to determine what kind of a fisherman you were. Do you use nets or traps? Do you fish with poles from a small boat or with large hooks and nets from a two-masted ship? Do you hunt the mighty whalefish with sharpened harpoons? You must also work out with the DM where in the world you have sailed while plying your trade.

Skill Proficiencies Athletics and your choice of either Nature or Survival
Tool Proficiencies Fisherman's Tools, Vehicles (Water)
Equipment A fishing net, fishing tackle, a crab/lobster trap, or a harpoon (as appropriate), a cargo hook, an oilskin cloak or coat, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gold.

Features

Experienced Angler
You are an expert at reading coastal terrain. You can easily determine where the shallow sections are, as well as where the big lagoons or large ship anchorages might be. More importantly you are familiar with the fish that inhabit these areas and how to catch them. You can provide enough fish to feed yourself and five other people as long as the area has not been fished out. You can easily tell if something is disturbing the natural balance with the fish in a given area, but cannot necessarily identify the cause.

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