Last Updated on October 23, 2023
In D&D 5e, backgrounds help connect your character to the world around them. They also give some nice perks in the form of proficiencies and special unique features. We’ve compiled every playable background in 5e for you to search through.
All Backgrounds in DnD 5e
Source Book Acronym Quick Reference
The source column in the table above holds acronyms for each source book. Below are the various acronyms with their associated source book.
- PHB – Player’s Handbook
- ToA – Tomb of Annihilation
- MOoT – Mythical Odyssey of Theros
- SAiS – Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
- WBtW – Wild Beyond the Witchlight
- GGtR – Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica
- EGtW – Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
- ERftLW – Eberron: Rising from the Last War
- SCaG – Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
- GoS – Ghosts of Saltmarsh
- AI – Acquisitions Incorporated
- DSotDQ – Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
- SaCoC – Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
- BGDiA – Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
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As a kid, I was often told to get my head out of the clouds and to stop living in a fantasy world. That never really jived with me, so I decided to make a living out of games, stories, and all sorts of fantastical works. Now, as an adult, I aspire to remind people that sometimes a little bit of fantasy is all you need when life gets to be too much.