Outside of Time

Through some slightly inscrutable means, you have been transported into the future.  It is likely that anyone you knew from your old time has either forgotten about you, or died of old age.  You're not completely sure of the mechanics that made this happen, and you don't think you can get back - so how do you make do in an era different from your own?  What can you do to bring yourself up to speed without losing what made you "you?"  Those who find themselves Outside of Time struggle with the incongruity of their lives before and after they were taken and removed.  This temporal displacement has allowed for some exciting new opportunities, but a sense of being lost in a society that looks so close to home, but nowhere near the same.

 

Work with your DM to determine just how far in the past you have come from, and what major parts of your identity, culture, or beliefs are no longer in sync with the world around you.  How traumatic was this event for you?  Do you want this to be a source of drama for your character, or one of comedy?  Was your displacement a source of news and mystery in the past, or did a precious few even notice that you were gone?

Skill Proficiencies: Outside of Time Characters have Proficiency in History (a.k.a. "Current Events") and Arcana (personal experience, shall we say).

Languages: One setting-appropriate dead or "ancient" language of your choice.

Equipment: A set of outdated common clothes, a mundane magic item that has lost its power, and 10gp of "antique" coins.

Suggested Characteristics

Your personality is shaped by your old life just as much as it is shaped by your displacement.  Your adjustments to the new context in which you find yourself will be a constant source of tension, at least until you feel that you are finally adjusted.  To others, you may seem old fashioned or simply strange, while you may feel like the only normal person in a world that just isn't quite right.

d6	Personality Trait
1	I had a reputation in my previous time for being a daydreamer, as if I was never fully "there."
2	I feared certain kinds of progress, seeing them as potentially apocalyptic if unchecked.
3	I had always wanted to start my life over before my jaunt through time.
4	In my previous life, I was a skilled professional, and my work was in high demand.
5	I had an old-fashioned way about me, even in my old time. People used to joke that I was "born in the wrong year."
6	I am a sentimental sort, and like to carry tokens of affection meant for my loved ones.

d6	Ideal
1	Rebuilding. No use crying over spilt milk, time to start anew!
2	Preservation. I can't let the past be forgotten.
3	Understanding. How much has changed in between then and now?
4	Growth. Maybe I can help prevent the mistakes of my former time.
5	Influence. With my knowledge of the past, I can shape the future.
6	Yearning. My desire to get back home supersedes almost every other feeling.

d6	Bond
1	I know that descendants of my family are still alive somewhere.
2	I become immensely excited when I find a connection to my old life.
3	A revelation about the old world is always just on the tip of my mind.
4	An old debt attached to my name is still somehow on the books.
5	I have knowledge of an obscure crafting technique that has been lost to time.
6	There is an open offer for a scholar to document my life, in order to preserve my knowledge.

d6	Flaw
1	I have struggled to adjust to this time, and get defensive when people notice.
2	I am easily distracted by "new" things, to the point of it hampering my other work.
3	I can get lost in bouts of melancholy when thinking about home.
4	Some of the phrases or actions I regularly use are out of date and very offensive to some.
5	I have a habit of referring to things by their old names, confusing others.
6	I like to reference my friends from my prior time, annoying the people who I am around now.