Player characters in Obormot's Reign of Winter can come from a — quite literally — unlimited number and variety of backgrounds. Within the constraints described on the Characters page, a character's backstory is limited only by the players' imaginations.
On the other hand, that great variety of origins, and the change that each character undergoes when entering the world of the campaign, mean that a player character's background has relatively little game-mechanical effect on his or her abilities. The character's personality and goals, of course, will have a key role to play in the story, but these are not reflected in concrete "abilities" with associated game mechanics.
One aspect of a character's background is represented by game mechanics: the kind of world from which he or she hails. Each character receives whichever one of the following traits that the player and the DM feel is most appropriate to the character's backstory.
Traits
Origin: Magic World
You come from a world of wizards and dragons, where magic is an accepted part of life, strange monsters wander the less-civilized parts of the world, and mighty heroes are known to go on great adventures. You may have encountered these things in your life, or you may only know of them from the stories everyone hears. In any case, you have some basic knowledge of such fantastic elements of reality, and may make knowledge checks about them, with a bonus equal to 5 + your Intelligence modifier. (This applies only to general facts about magical creatures and phenomena, not details specific to particular worlds, places, or events.)
Origin: Science World
You come from a world where the natural sciences have been responsible for much technological and social progress, and where the fruits of those disciplines' labor — technology — are an inescapable part of life. You may or may not be educated in the sciences yourself; in any case, the advances in scientific knowledge that are responsible for your modern world have so permeated your society that you've picked up at least a few things. You have basic knowledge of natural phenomena; you can make knowledge checks about all related topics (which includes the domains of skills such as Engineering, Nature, and parts of others), with a bonus equal to 5 + your Intelligence modifer. (This applies only to general facts and principles to do with the natural world, not details specific to particular worlds or unique phenomena.)
Origin: Old World
In the realm from which you hail, people still tell stories of witches and mischievous sprites, of spirits, talking animals, shape-shifting sorcerers and heroes of legend. You may have heard such stories yourself, perhaps from your grandmother, from the local wise man, or from a traveling bard; or you may simply have absorbed them from your culture. In any case, you are familiar with these tales, and with the people and creatures that figure in them. You can make knowledge checks about all related topics (which includes fairy-tale creatures, magic, and places), with a bonus equal to 5 + your Intelligence modifier.
Origin: Far Traveler
You have been to many different places — countries, continents, or even worlds — and you've encountered many different cultures and ways of life. You've seen a variety of customs, traditions, and social norms, and have become adept at understanding, and adapting to, the local culture when arriving in a new place. When you encounter a new society, group, or cultural context, if you've had a chance to observe the locals for a short while, you can make a check with a bonus equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier to gain an understanding of key aspects of the local cultural and social norms, equivalent to having spent some days here and having questioned the inhabitants of the culture. (If you have ranks in Insight, you can add your ranks to this check. If you can't understand the local language, you make this check with a –5 penalty.)
