Lamia

Your pursuit of power has led you down a path entrenched in blood; yours, your enemies', and your many victims. With each sacrifice, you felt your own power grow and now can no longer satiate your hunger for a taste of being divine. Perhaps you wish to slay a divine entity and take its power for yourself. Or maybe you long to ascend to divinity and be counted amongst the pantheon of gods. Perhaps you simply seek to cut and and pull at the threads of the power and fate, inspiring only apocalyptic chaos. Whatever your desire, you know that you can't be stopped until you either succeed or are put to the blade.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Arcana, Deception, Sleight of Hand, or Perception

Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit, poisoner's kit

Equipment: A whetstone, An old divination card bearing your likeness, a set of 9 black Candles, and 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Characters in a horror-focused campaign might have distinct motivations and characteristics. Use the following tables to supplement your background’s suggested characteristics or to inspire those of your own design.

d12	Personality Trait
1	I had an encounter that I believe gives me a special affinity with a supernatural creature or event.
2	A signature piece of clothing or distinct weapon serves as an emblem of who I am.
3	I never accept that I’m out of my depth.
4	I must know the answer to every secret. No door remains unopened in my presence.
5	I let people underestimate me, revealing my full competency only to those close to me.
6	I compulsively seek to collect trophies of my travels and victories.
7	It doesn’t matter if the whole world’s against me. I’ll always do what I think is right.
8	I have morbid interests and a macabre aesthetic.
9	I have a personal ritual, mantra, or relaxation method I use to deal with stress.
10	Nothing is more important than life, and I never leave anyone in danger.
11	I’m quick to jump to extreme solutions. Why risk a lesser option not working?
12	I’m easily startled, but I’m not a coward.

d12	Ideal
1	Adrenaline. I’ve experienced such strangeness that now I feel alive only in extreme situations.
2	Balance. I strive to counter the deeds of someone for whom I feel responsible.
3	Bound. I’ve wronged someone and must work their will to avoid their curse.
4	Escape. I believe there is something beyond the world I know, and I need to find it.
5	Legacy. I must do something great so that I’m remembered, and my time is running out.
6	Misdirection. I work vigorously to keep others from realizing my flaws or misdeeds.
7	Obsession. I’ve lived this way for so long that I can’t imagine another way.
8	Obligation. I owe it to my people, faith, family, or teacher to continue a vaunted legacy.
9	Promise. My life is no longer my own. I must fulfill the dream of someone who’s gone.
10	Revelation. I need to know what lies beyond the mysteries of death, the world, or the Mists.
11	Sanctuary. I know the forces at work in the world and strive to create islands apart from them.
12	Truth. I care about the truth above all else, even if it doesn’t benefit anyone.

d12	Bond
1	I desperately need to get back to someone or someplace, but I lost them in the Mists.
2	Everything I do is in the service of a powerful master, one I must keep a secret from everyone.
3	I owe much to my vanished mentor. I seek to continue their work even as I search to find them.
4	I’ve seen great darkness, and I’m committed to being a light against it—the light of all lights.
5	Someone I love has become a monster, murderer, or other threat. It’s up to me to redeem them.
6	The world has been convinced of a terrible lie. It’s up to me to reveal the truth.
7	I deeply miss someone and am quick to adopt people who remind me of them.
8	A great evil dwells within me. I will fight against it and the world’s other evils for as long as I can.
9	I’m desperately seeking a cure to an affliction or a curse, either for someone close to me for myself.
10	Spirits are drawn to me. I do all I can to help them find peace.
11	I use my cunning mind to solve mysteries and find justice for those who’ve been wronged.
12	I lost someone I care about, but I still see them in guilty visions, recurring dreams, or as a spirit.

d12	Flaw
1	I believe doom follows me and that anyone who gets close to me will face a tragic end.
2	I’m convinced something is after me, appearing in mirrors, dreams, and places where no one could.
3	I’m especially superstitious and live life seeking to avoid bad luck, wicked spirits, or the Mists.
4	I’ve done unspeakable evil and will do anything to prevent others from finding out.
5	I am exceptionally credulous and believe any story or legend immediately.
6	I’m a skeptic and don’t believe in the power of rituals, religion, superstition, or spirits.
7	I know my future is written and that anything I do will lead to a prophesied end.
8	I need to find the best in everyone and everything, even when that means denying obvious malice.
9	I’ve seen the evil of a type of place—like forests, cities, or graveyards—and resist going there.
10	I’m exceptionally cautious, planning laboriously and devising countless contingencies.
11	I have a reputation for defeating a great evil, but that’s a lie and the wicked force knows.
12	I know the ends always justify the means and am quick to make sacrifices to attain my goals.