The upcoming The Wild Beyond the Witchlight campaign for Dungeons & Dragons is adding two new backgrounds to the game: Feylost and Witchlight Hand. These new backgrounds will help tie characters to the Feywild, which is a central part of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, and D&D as a whole. For those interested in checking them out, here's everything to know.
[Warning: Spoilers for The Wild Beyond the Witchlight are below.]
The Feywild is the plane where faeries and similar nature spirits reside. The D&D campaign worlds exist on the Prime Material Plane, which shares its space with the Feywild and Shadowfell. The close proximity between these planes means that it's easier for characters to travel to the Feywild than it is for other planes. By the same token, many residents of the Feywild are able to visit the Prime Material Plane in Dungeons & Dragons.
There are several races in the 5e Player's Handbook that are tied to the Feywild, as elves are deeply connected to the plane. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight allows players to cement their connection to the Feywild even further, however. This is done by using a background that is tied to traveling to the land of the fey.
D&D players can break out their Changeling: The Lost sourcebooks, as the Feylost background is all about escapees from the Feywild. There are many myths about fey stealing children away from their parents, and this is one possible fate of the Feylost. As a child, they somehow accidentally ended up in the plane of the Feywild, only to escape back to their home plane as an adult. They gain Deception and Survival skill proficiencies, as well as becoming proficient in a musical instrument. Feylost also gain an additional language (Elvish, Gnomish, Goblin, or Sylvan), and their body is changed in some minor way, representing their time surrounded by the chaotic magic of the Feywild. The special trait of the Feylost is Feywild Visitor, where the character can be visited by a spirit from the Feywild in their sleep.
The Feylost background offers numerous opportunities for creative character backgrounds. Players who love dark backgrounds can come up with all kinds of nightmarish scenarios that took place during their character's time in the Feywild. The Feylost background also offers something a bit different from the standard occupations that make up many of the offerings in the Player's Handbook. Surviving in the Feywild is also a good explanation for the power source of a Wild Magic Sorcerer, as their body could be changed by the arcane atmosphere of the plane, affecting them in a similar manner to radiation.
The Witchlight Hand background is directly tied to the events of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, as the characters previously worked for the Witchlight Carnival. They eventually lost interest in the daily grind of the circus and decided to seek their own fortune. Witchlight Hands know an additional language of their choice, and they gain skill proficiencies in Performance and Sleight of Hand, as well as proficiency in disguise kit or a musical instrument. The unique feature of the Witchlight Hand is Carnival Fixture, which lets them stay at the Witchlight Carnival for free.
The fact that the Witchlight Hand is so closely tied to the Witchlight Carnival means that it's not quite as appealing outside of the campaign, but at least gives those who have played the newest Dungeons & Dragons campaign a bedrock from which to build their character. Most players don't go into detail about all of their character's associates before they became an adventurer, but Witchlight Hand players can use the NPCs in the campaign as part of their own story. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is out now.
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