Imagine, if you will; you live a life well lived in a normal, unexceptional world. Maybe this world was perfectly ordinary, featuring day-to-day monotonous office jobs and a thoroughly depressing home life. Every day feels like a chore to go through, with life seeming more like a checklist to go through than a perilous adventure.
Until now.
Maybe you collapsed at work from sheer exhaustion, had suddenly collided with a vehicle, walked into an enchanted wardrobe, or been rendered comatose from flying debris during a tornado. Whatever the reason, your life as you knew it had come to an unexpected end. Luckily, you had been miraculously approached by a divine (or divine-adjacent) entity that specializes in presiding over these types of affairs. This entity, through a gesture of kindness or ulterior motives, provided you a second chance at life. And thus, here you are, waking up in a fantasy world.
- Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Perception
- Tool Proficiencies: Any gaming set of your choice, likely something relevant to your original life
- Languages: Any two of your choice
- Equipment: One set of traveler’s clothes, any one musical instrument or gaming set you are proficient with, poorly wrought maps from your homeland that depict where you are in Faerûn, a small piece of jewelry worth 10 gp in the style of your homeland’s craftsmanship, and a pouch containing 5 gp
Isekais are an unusual request. Divine (or divine-adjacent) entities rarely venture into other worlds, and typically choose to instead pluck their chosen from their afterlife at the moment of their passing. Often, this leads to a lot of flattery and inflated egos on the side of the Isekai’d, as many who have been chosen by this divine entity live seemingly ordinary lives. This has caused many of those who’ve been magically transported to other worlds to do odd things, such as attempting to take the world over or focusing on killing nothing but slime molds for three-hundred years.
The following chart gives a few selections of possible ex-lives you might’ve had before transitioning to your new life, although you are always welcome to improvise.
| d6 | Ex-Lives |
|---|---|
| 1 | Degenerate |
| 2 | Farmer |
| 3 | Office Worker |
| 4 | Student |
| 5 | Addict |
| 6 | Wanderer |
Your out-of-touch mannerisms and air of experience grants you the ability to use the information and skills you’ve learned in your previous life during your adventuring career. Although you often earn curious looks and glances by passerby due to your unusual behavior, you’re still very effective when it comes to what you’re good at.
Depending on your character’s personal history, you may have a particular set of skills that you’ve sharpened over the years. Being transported to this fantasy world means that you’ve been given the opportunity to truly let your skills flourish. You can double your Proficiency bonus for a skill check once per day, represented by you channeling your experience from your previous life. You have one use of this ability that replenishes whenever you take a Long Rest.
Suggested Characteristics
These are the suggested characteristics for Isekai.
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am extremely polite, even in the face of certain death. |
| 2 | I don’t see the reason in connecting with other people. |
| 3 | I have a complexity addiction. I can stop at any time, but first… |
| 4 | I am the best at everything I do, even if reality proves otherwise. |
| 5 | Every day spent living is a god’s blessing on this wonderful world. |
| 6 | If I’m mean to my friends, I’m showing them that I care. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open. This is a new world, full of wondrous opportunities to make friends and see the sights. (Good) |
| 2 | Reserved. Before I make my mark on the world, I want to tread lightly. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Adventure. Every day is a new experience, and I can’t stop living! (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Conquest. This world is mine. They just don’t know it yet. (Evil) |
| 5 | Inquisitive. This world may be full of new experiences, but I want to know what I’m dealing with first. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Suspicion. There could be other people like me out there, and I have to be prepared for them. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | With my friends at my side, how could I ever lose? |
| 2 | This new life is a gift, and I’m going to make sure I don’t waste it. |
| 3 | I protect those who can’t protect themselves. |
| 4 | Nothing can stop me from reaching my goal. |
| 5 | I want to know as much as possible about this new world. How could I not? |
| 6 | I sometimes think about how I can never see my old friends again. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am painfully edgy. |
| 2 | I am fully aware that I come off as unusual, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. |
| 3 | I cannot stop being hedonistic. Is that a crime? |
| 4 | I react violently when I am insulted. Who do these peons think they are? |
| 5 | I make my friends feel like they can’t associate themselves with me in public. |
| 6 | I must have more power, no matter the cost. |
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