Most living beings have parents, develop their personalities through age and eventually mature. You were not. Either by an inexplicable phenomenon of nature or by an artificial confluence of powers, you have been created as an imprint of several memories, ideas and personalities.
Since you were born you knew your tastes, wants, and distastes. You have since sprung into action, never wasting a moment to enjoy your existence or apply your skills. You know you are not long for this world, as such your time is precious and wasting it doing something you do not enjoy is the worst sin to your existence.
- Skill Proficiencies: Two of your choice that fits your memories and/or predispositions.
- Tool Proficiencies: Any one tool of your choice, likely something related to your memories.
- Languages: Any one standard language, likely something related to your imprinted memories.
- Equipment: Set of common clothes
As a manifestation of the past and present you know of locations you have never visited. You start with a Hidden Trasure feature and two additional features. Roll a d4 two times or choose two different features from the table below. Alternatively, you can give one of these features for a additional Hidden Treasure feature.
If you want some inspiration you can read other backgrounds features and modify them to fit this one. A Stolen Skill feature could be a replica of the Adept Linguist feature from the Anthropologist background, while an I Know a Guy feature could be the same as a Criminal Contact feature from the Criminal background.
| d4 | Echoes of the Past |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unwilling Confidant |
| 2 | I Know a Guy |
| 3 | Made a Living |
| 4 | Stolen Skill |
You remember the location of a long forgotten valuable object worth 10gp. It could be a forgotten heirloom from a lost family or the hidden treasure of an imprisoned brigand. You do not know who, why, when or how the object ended up there, but you have found some funds to start your new life. This could be a religious statuette, or a golden pendant, its up to you to decide. Picking this feature a second time allows you to know the location of a second valuable. It is important to remember though, that even if you don’t care where this valuable comes from others may find it infuriating when the lost relic of their god is sold in the black market, or a family heirloom is found in the hands of their enemy.
Feature: Stolen Skill
Memories from other’s lives have embedded themselves into your consciousness. You have discovered you have a special talent for one specific task. Be it scamming others or learning to communicate with people that speak a different language, you have a knack for it. Picking this feature again allows you to gain another talent, whether it is in a specific criminal activity or skills for surviving in the wilds.
Feature: I know a guy
Since your birth you have had the knowledge of a specific person, organization or set of codes that allow you to get the information you require. You know one person or organization that can help you in your quest of finding information. If it is an organization you know the set of codes and signs, they use to identify themselves, but no one in that organization knows who you are. Picking this feature again allows you to have a second source of information for a different specialized field.
Feature: Made a living
You have memories of working a job before and how they treated you. You know how to find a job in a specific field in a city. Be it an entertainer, mercenary, or smith you know the necessary skills, who to talk and where to lodge. Outside adventures you can find work to live a comfortable lifestyle. If your work requires you to be part of a guild, you can apply for membership and know some people who would be more lenient in your evaluation. If you pick this feature again, you can more easily gather rumors and make connections. However, some guilds do not take kindly to those who swear multiple allegiances.
Feature: Unwilling Confidant
You have knowledge most consider valuable, not from your own effort or life experience, but from someone else’s. This knowledge can be the life trauma of a haunted individual to the scholarly research of a long dead sage. Whether it is in architecture or some forbidden truth of the world you know one specific thing. If people learn you have this knowledge, they might come looking for you, to consult you on that topic or to silence you. Picking this feature again allows you to know something else about the world, from the secret streets in a city where you can hide and escape to the existence of a hag living in the nearby forest.
Suggested Characteristics
As a psychic construct your memories are an amalgamation of different things. You range from chaotic to lawful in extremes as well as evil and good. True neutrality is a hard prospect but possible.
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