You were identified as a magic-user at a very young age and you were taken from your home to be enrolled in a prestigious school for magic users, quickly demonstrating the skill of a prodigy. While you attended school, the expense began to heighten. Your education continued in a world surrounded by magic. After some time your family's wealth, or the inheritance left to you by parents who died while you were at school, began to dwindle. As your studies neared an end, you could not manage to find the money to pay for your final year of school. Despite your exceptional magical ability, you were forced to leave the school before you could finish your formal training, and becoming an object of derision for your wealthier peers.
As you adventure into the world, what is your purpose? Are you looking to raise the money to finish your final year? Do you seek to prove that you do not need your school's seal of approval to become a great wizard? Did you have a beloved professor that gave you advice? Are you entirely lost and seeking purpose?
- Skill Proficiencies: Arcana and either History, Nature, Medicine or Religion
- Tool Proficiencies: Choose one: Alchemist's Supplies, Jeweler’s tools, Tinker’s tools, Calligrapher's Supplies, Cartographers Tools, or Herbalism Kit
Choose One: Musical Instrument
- Languages: Two of your choice, including Exotic languages
- Equipment: A bottle of black ink, a quill, 3 rolls of blank parchment, Alchemist’s Supplies, a Book (about Arcana), a letter from your Master, a set of apprentice robes, and a belt pouch containing 10gp
To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below.
| d8 | Specialty |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alchemist |
| 2 | Astronomer |
| 3 | Scribe |
| 4 | Naturalist |
| 5 | Herbalist |
| 6 | Enchanter |
| 7 | Arcane Engineer |
| 8 | Cartographer |
When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know that information, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a library, scriptorium, university, or a sage or other learned person or creature. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a Dropout.
| d11 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition. |
| 2 | I’ve read every book in the world’s greatest libraries—or I like to boast that I have. |
| 3 | I’m used to helping out those who aren’t as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others. |
| 4 | There’s nothing I like more than a good mystery or problem to solve. |
| 5 | I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment. |
| 6 | I might be a bit too curious for my own good, and I can't resist delving deeper, especially when someone tells me I can't. |
| 7 | My personal notebook collection has grown to an almost unmanageable size as I like to scribble down EVERYTHING I find interesting. |
| 8 | Nobody tells me what I can and can't do, and I will do the opposite just to spite them. |
| 9 | I can't help but to butt in on any conversation regarding magic, even if it has nothing to do with me. |
| 10 | I tend to explain everything to others as if they're too stupid to understand even the simplest arcane concepts. |
| 11 | Limits were create by old people, afraid that the younger generation will surpass them. |
| d5 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I will use the knowledge I have gathered to improve and empower myself. |
| 2 | I will use the knowledge I have gathered for the good of others. |
| 3 | Knowledge should be free, not locked away and warded in a decaying tower. |
| 4 | Whatever happened, happened, and dwelling in the past is a fool's errand. |
| 5 | Limits exist for a reason, and I now know to accept and respect them. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am extremely protective of my academy notebook, and will disregard my own well-being if it means keeping it safe. |
| 2 | I must find a way to redeem myself and clean my name. |
| 3 | My leaving would have been far more difficult had it not been for one of my teachers who gave my some direction. |
| 4 | Whatever I released into the world, it is my obligation to deal with it. |
| 5 | The old, secretive ways have no place in today's world. I will work to make sure they don't. |
| 6 | I must learn to master the forbidden magic that has caused me so much grief. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’ve been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question. |
| 2 | Others tend to find my superior intelligence off-putting. Their fault for being stupid, of course. |
| 3 | I will gladly risk my life in pursuit of knowledge. |
| 4 | I'm not a coward. My sense of self-preservation simply tends to overpower my mind. |
| 5 | I know I say knowledge should be free, but perhaps it's best if I keep a few things to myself. |
| 6 | Most people scream and run when they see a demon. I stop and take notes on its anatomy. |
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