Your parents were dragon slayers, they killed many dragons and amassed a huge fortune. The last dragon they killed before they found out they were pregnant with you laid a curse from Tiamat upon them.
Your mother dies in childbirth, You father takes care of you for 4 years afterwards and gets weaker everyday then dies. For they did not understand that you were cursed. You wander to places near your home but always return back to it. You don't have to eat because the energy you consume from the life you touch feeds you, but you do need water so you stay near your home that's by the stream. You began to hate yourself because when you touched wildlife it dies. Grass withers under your bare feet and trees loses it's leaves when you touch it.
After 6 years of being alone, a wandering wizard stumbles upon you. He stays with you to study you. The first 4 years he stays with you he teaches you how to read and write and to speak properly several languages. He is also enthralled with a treasure trove that your parents had collected from the dragons they slayed. You find that with a barrier between your skin and other living beings, like gloves for your hands, you will not take their energy. You begin to dress head to toe with clothing no matter the weather. You found that you needed to eat if you did not absorb energy, and became like every other being.
When you turn 15 the wizard teaches you how to harness the energy and use it as magic. He teaches you basic things and how to defend yourself. You began to learn what animals that you can touch lightly and not kill them, and greater the body contact the more energy you pull from them. The wizard is impressed by how much energy you can store but you learn very slowly how to use it.
Four more years go by, the wizard decides to leave because he cannot obtain any more information from You and your treasure trove. You let him take whatever he wants and he goes on his way. You are still left with a massive fortune but no magical items. He said this was the price for teaching you. You later find he swindled you.
You begin searching for more answers on your curse and how to lift it or at least control it. You meet many people and some who just want to kill because of your parents. You have killed people too protect yourself but have become biter about everything.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Arcana, Investigation, Insight, Perception, or Survival
- Languages: Choose two, one of which is exotic. (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon)
- Equipment: A monster hunter’s pack, a set of common clothes, and one trinket of special significance (choose one or roll on the Gothic Trinkets table after this background). Also gain a set of common clothes, Money Pouch with 5000 Gold and 1 sp.
Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one tragedy. Now you feel a darkness threatening to consume you, and you fear there may be no hope of escape. Choose a harrowing event that haunts you, or roll one on the Harrowing Events table.
| d8 | Harrowing Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | You killed a man by accident with your curse when getting into a fight with to him. |
| 2 | You lose control of your magic and destroy an entire village. |
| 3 | Every person you have killed by absorbing their energy haunts you afterwards. |
| 4 | People who hated your parents are hunting you down to end your family line. |
| 5 | You killed someone with your touch and loved it. |
| 6 | You had a lover who you killed because you went to far and you didn't know how to control your curse. |
| 7 | You tried to kill yourself by not eating and not absorbing energy an d became ravenous, you began to absorb every bit of energy you could touch. You happen to be near a village and killed everyone in it. |
| 8 | You where captured by a magical entity and was used for your powers. You where tortured constantly until you broke. You eventually got away but still fear being caught again and train to get stronger. |
Those who look into your eyes can see that you have faced unimaginable horror and that you are no stranger to darkness. Though they might fear you, commoners will extend you every courtesy and do their utmost to help you. Unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them, they will even take up arms to fight alongside you, should you find yourself facing an enemy alone.
Spell List
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | absorb elements |
Suggested Characteristics
You have learned to live with the terror that haunts you. You are a survivor, who can be very protective of those who bring light into your darkened life.
| 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 can't be loved because I can't touch. |
| 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. |
You take the life force / energy of all living beings you touch with your skin. This energy can sustain you and can be used as magic. But you must touch living beings to obtain this energy. Smaller beings like the mouse die almost instantly upon your touch. Where is larger beings such as humans can take days to years upon constant contact. When your emotions surge you can take more energy quickly.
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