Here are some backgrounds for various sorts of games. All text here licensed CC-BY-NC-SA.
You were trained in the grim arts of ending life. A trade that is half entertainer, half killer, you have notable charisma and convictions to show your cause. You are not necessarily trained in combat, but have the physicality and anatomical knowledge to win a fight.
You begin with an execution weapon and a way of concealing your face. You are skilled in parley, leading a crowd, and raw strength. You must work to keep your identity concealed, lest you become harassed by those who would oppose your work.
You are an expert in magical and chemical concoctions. You may have an eyebrow burned off, but you have inventions that could strike fear into the hearts of crowds and kings. You are a master of munitions and a trader of transformative tinctures.
Start with a potion of your chosen effect, and some elegant clothes. You are skilled in alchemical research, intimidation, and natural sciences. Your potion is violatile, and you must keep it delicately handled to prevent magical mishaps.
A trader in all things valuable. You have traveled far and wide across major cities, learning languages and mercantile law. You might be an upstanding and wealthy employer, or a seedy black market dealer.
Start with a valuable item of your choice, and an item of jewelry. You are skilled in negotiation, logistics, and appraisal. You may need to keep a low profile to protect your wealth and business.
A mender and healer, at a price. You have studied in the apprenticeship of another physician to learn the many facts of the profession. You have met and tended many people in your time in the job.
Start with medical equipment, and proof of your profession. You are skilled in dexterity, anatomical knowledge, and memorization. You aren’t very good in a fight.
You served the law at one point. You dealt with many varied types of people, and kept them in line, as well as possible. You might have worked on behalf of those in need, or been exploitative.
Start with a mundane weapon of your choice, and a uniform. You have skills in fighting, perception, and leadership. You have vendettas sworn against you.
You hail from kingdoms deep underground, where miners toil. You have been trained in your classical arts: metalwork and gemcraft. You find the outside world strange and unusual.
Start with a blacksmith’s tools and some crafting raw materials of your choice. You have skills in architectural design, metalwork, and underground navigation. You are afraid of heights.
The natural competitor of the guard. You know back alleys, shortcuts, and hiding places among even plain walls. Your victims might be the rich of the rich, or the common man.
Start with thieves’ tools and a fair bit of cash. You have skills in acrobatics, evasion, and finding a place to hide away. You have a bounty out on your head.
You have lived an ascetic life. You are intimately familiar with your faith, yourself, and your fellow ascetics. You may have under one of the many esoteric traditions of the world.
Start with holy robes and book. You are erudite, unshakeably calm, and blessed. You are unknowledgeable about the outside world.
You are a lithe combatant, skilled in the bluff and dance of one-on-one combat. You have earned a reputation through your artistry, and perhaps some wealth as well. You must hold yourself with great discipline to be such a dangerous foe.
Start with a weapon of your choice, and a heraldic jewelry piece. You are physically quick, mentally sharp, and sensorially perceptive. You struggle to care for other people.
Strength is your life. You can lift, shove, push, wrench, bend, and break. Everyone who sees you knows you can do these things.
Start with tightly-fitting clothes and a steel ball. You are stronger than anyone you might meet, ever. You cannot fit through most doorways.
You have lived in the woods for a lot of your life. You can tread silently through dense underbrush, and spot a flash of movement hundreds of yards away. No one can see you when you stand still.
Start with an accurate ranged weapon and a hunting knife. You are silent and nearly invisible when still, and never miss a shot. You have trouble talking to people.