@Never so much in #13thAge does exactly what it’s supposed to.

The escalation die and how healing works (players have it, monsters don’t) have left my teenager group with the constant belief they are going to die in at level encounters but they never do - though it has gotten really close.

For backgrounds take a look at this
https://pelgranepress.com/2021/02/28/13th-sage-how-to-create-an-adventure-using-a-pcs-background/

It’s good stuff
#TTRPG