Born into a religious cult you never knew different. It wasn't a cult to you, it was your life, your people, and your way of being. From very young you were taught religious obedience and tribute to gods of darkness. Growing up you climbed up the ranks of your cult to become an acolyte or maybe a temple guard, but a sure trusted member of your community. Then one day everything changed. A day like no other, something drove you to peek inside the temple chambers during a time when only members of the high religious council were allowed. A disgusting ritual of arcane nature shattered your faith in one moment. Did you try to stop it? Were you too late? Or did you flee before they could discover you hiding in the shadows? One thing is certain, you can't go back.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Arcana, History, Religion, or Insight
- Languages: Choose two exotic language (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon)
- Equipment: A holy symbol, a set of common clothes, and one trinket of special significance (most likely associated with your bond).
Prior to witnessing the ritual sacrifice that shattered your faith, you lived in gleeful ignorance. Or did you? Was there ever a nagging feeling in the back of your mind? Maybe outside forces drove you to investigate corruption within the ranks of power in your village. Or did you meet someone that showed you a life you never knew of or thought possible? Whichever to be true, you will never forget.
| d10 | Lift of The Veil |
|---|---|
| 1 | A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people spared your life, and you don’t know why. |
| 2 | You were born under a dark star. You can feel it watching you, coldly and distantly. Sometimes it beckons you in the dead of night. |
| 3 | An apparition that has haunted your family for generations now haunts you. You don’t know what it wants, and it won’t leave you alone. |
| 4 | Your family has a history of practicing the dark arts. You dabbled once and felt something horrible clutch at your soul, whereupon you fled in terror. |
| 5 | An oni took your sibling one cold, dark night, and you were unable to stop it. |
| 6 | You were cursed with lycanthropy and later cured. You are now haunted by the innocents you slaughtered. |
| 7 | A hag kidnapped and raised you. You escaped, but the hag still has a magical hold over you and fills your mind with evil thoughts. |
| 8 | You opened an eldritch tome and saw things unfit for a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and images are burned into your psyche. |
| 9 | A fiend possessed you as a child. You were locked away but escaped. The fiend is still inside you, but now you try to keep it locked away. |
| 10 | You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams. |
Growing up you didn't know it but you were constantly surrounded by dark forces hiding within members of your community, teachers that deceived you into worshipping dark gods. Now you are familiar with the feeling of something malevolent being near, hiding in plain sight. What surprised you the most after fleeing your village was the fine line between good and evil in within those under divine influence. Creatures with great virtuous power, you see them too.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the list of characteristics under the Haunted One Background. Modify them as you see fit.
What drove you to peek behind the curtain of deception and eventually flee your cult? Will you seek answers? Will you plan revenge? Has a different divinity taken you as their champion against your old gods? Your bond will most likely be associated with your "Lift of The Veil" moment.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. |
| 2 | I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. |
| 3 | I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow I might die. |
| 4 | I live for the thrill of the hunt. |
| 5 | I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse. |
| 6 | I expect danger around every corner. |
| 7 | I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized. |
| 8 | I put no trust in divine beings. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good) |
| 2 | I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any) |
| 3 | I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good) |
| 4 | I have a dark calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful) |
| 6 | I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy. |
| 2 | I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent. |
| 3 | My torment drove away the person I love. I strive to win back the love I’ve lost. |
| 4 | A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions. |
| 5 | There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free. |
| 6 | I have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her). |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them. |
| 2 | I assume the worst in people. |
| 3 | I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones. |
| 4 | I have an addiction. |
| 5 | I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope. |
| 6 | I talk to spirits that no one else can see. |
Previous Versions
| Name | Date Modified | Views | Adds | Version | Actions |
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4/21/2020 2:32:51 AM
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816
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133
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Posted Aug 12, 2020I like this, and it looks well done, but the Feature Divine Insight is rather unclear on its benefit.
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Posted Aug 14, 2020When I made this, I saw Divine Insight as an RP based Divine Sense. The purpose of it isn't to be a quantifiable ability like a spell slot. If allowed by your DM, you should always be able to tell when a devil, demon, or celestial is near you. I think in my next revision I'll set a range for this ability and give color auras specifying the nature of the individuals in range. But no other limit. This is an ability available to you at all times as long as you are conscious, of sound mind, and without distraction.