Where does Tough live?

There's no fixed habitat for Tough; the bestiary tags it as appearing anywhere.

Tough

· · CR Unknown

Tough at CR 1/2 is logged as a medium humanoid; alignment neutral. AC 12, 5 hit dice, 30-ft speed. Habitat: any. Speaks common. Notable trait: Pack Tactics — The tough has Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the tough's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the. Sourced from Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).

Stat Block

Challenge Rating: Unknown
Type: —
Size: —
Alignment: —
Speed: —
Habitats: Any
Sources: Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)

Ecology

Toughs work as caravan guards, frontier protection, pit-fight ringers, and freelance muscle for merchants too small to retain professional soldiers. They lack the urban network of thugs and the discipline of regular soldiery, occupying the rural niche where someone with a hammer and the willingness to use it can find steady seasonal work. Most toughs travel between jobs, summer with one employer and winter with another, and maintain reputations through word-of-mouth networks at frontier inns where prospective patrons interview candidates over cheap ale.

Behaviour

A tough projects steady reliability rather than menace. They show up on time, take orders without sulking, and follow through on the violence promised in the contract. Most toughs maintain a personal code: no harming children, no robbing the body, no work against family. These rules vary individually but are rarely negotiable. Toughs grow attached to employers who treat them well and stay loyal beyond strictly contractual terms, which is why a small merchant with three loyal toughs often outlasts richer rivals with rotating mercenary corps that switch sides for better offers.

Origin

The tough archetype emerged from frontier life where official protection didn't exist and farmers, merchants, and small landowners needed muscle they could afford. Many toughs are former soldiers discharged after wars, indentured servants who completed their terms, or strong-backed sons of farmers whose land couldn't support all the children. The work pays modestly, kills frequently, and rarely produces wealth, but it offers the dignity of skilled labor in a world where unskilled labor is grim. Most toughs would prefer to be farmers, given the choice.

Any