As a youth, you were one of few survivors in a Magus or Vectus infused storm. Perhaps your family was the only to survive by chance, or maybe you alone survived. Either way, per chance or because you were protected by some wayward hero, magical awakening or intense survival instinct: you now find yourself altered in ways some don't understand. The nature of the storm you survived has given you keen senses, and odd phenomenon occur in your body. Electricity occasionally sparks along your skin, or your icy eyes seem to hold odd patterns. Maybe your skin is excessively cold or warm to the touch, or you can never truly shed a layer of dirt or frost from your body.
Regardless of the effects, it's likely a monastery or benevolent family took you or your family in to recover from the loss. They might have trained you in their ways, or taught you all they could to survive on your own, a feat you're no stranger to at the time.
- Skill Proficiencies: Perception, and one of your choice between Survival, Intimidation, and Arcana.
- Languages: One elemental language based on the storm you survived (IE Aquan for blizzards or tsunamis, Terran for mudslides or earthquakes, Ignan for sandstorms or firestorms, Auran for tornados and lightning storms, and Primordial for raw Magus or Vectus storms.)
- Equipment: A set of traveler’s clothes, a trinket infused with the element of your storm, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Storm's Touch
| d8 | Storm's Touch |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your breath fogs or steams regardless of ambient temperatures. |
| 2 | Your eyes are an icy or watery color and shift like snow or waves. |
| 3 | Your body is covered in patterns of frost or mud, which regrows if you wash it off. |
| 4 | Your hair floats about as if statically charged or under water. |
| 5 | Your body is always extremely cold, or hot to the touch. |
| 6 | Air swirls around you at random instances, whipping your hair and clothes about. |
| 7 | The ground tremors or cracks beneath your steps when you aren't sneaking. |
| 8 | Electricity, small flames, bits of ice or crystalline stones sometimes streak across your skin and linger for a time. |
Monastery Adopted
Whenever you enter a monastery, you are easily recognized as a storm-touched. Many monasteries or well-known families will take you in as long as you do not bring undue risk to their way of life (IE being chased, wanted by the law, or hiding out from enemies.) In these situations, you'll be given bed rest, meals and drink for any amount of time, and the monasteries or warrior prone families will defend you from threats if any arise during your stay.
Your connection to storms goes beyond the odd phenomenon that plague your body. With meditation and focus, you can feel the ebb and tide of the shifting nature of the world around you: the winds, clouds, crashing waves and quakes of the earth all become familiar to you. With 10 minutes of meditation, you can divine the weather for the next 24-hours, only unable to discern Magus and Vectus storms, which stray from the natural cycles of the world.
Suggested Characteristics
These tables, while optional, are well suited to Storm-Touched adventures and are ideal for any character who has the Storm-Touched background.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I sometimes mistake distant weather as the storm that haunts me, though I know it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. |
| 2 | Like a nomad, I can’t settle down in one place for very long. |
| 3 | Good weather makes me abnormally energetic or happy. |
| 4 | Wherever I go, I try to bring a little bit of well-intended chaos with me. |
| 5 | I have never lost my sense to wander where the wind takes me. |
| 6 | My mood often matches the current weather, lethargic with rain/fog, bombastic with thunder and wind, etc. |
| 7 | I live by my own set of weird and wonderful rules. |
| 8 | I find myself looking forward to, or dreading certain kinds of storms. |
| d8 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Family is the one you make, or accept you. I'll never abandon mine. (Good) |
| 2 | Empathy. No creature should be made to suffer. (Good) |
| 3 | Wanderlust. I prefer to take the less traveled path. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Changeability. Change is good, which is why I live by an ever-changing set of rules. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Honor. A deal is a deal, and I would never break one. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Order. All things happen for a reason, even if they seem like chaos. (Lawful) |
| 7 | Chaos. Everything with structure or peace will be torn apart by nature, so why hold back? (Evil) |
| 8 | Greed. I lost everything, so I'll take what I please. (Evil) |
| d8 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I would never destroy without necessity. |
| 2 | I find magic in all its forms to be compelling. The more magical the better. |
| 3 | I do what I can to protect the natural order. Nature gives and takes, we shouldn't interrupt. |
| 4 | A trusted friend is the most important thing in the multiverse to me. |
| 5 | I'm happy to chase the storms, follow where natural chaos ensues. |
| 6 | Storm-ridden areas feel like home to me. |
| 7 | I'm drawn back to the family or monastery that took me in. I long to return to them, even if only for a short while. |
| 8 | I feel indebted to the family or monastery for giving me a home and a purpose. |
| d8 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I easily lose track of time. My poor sense of time means I’m always late. |
| 2 | I think nature is out to get me. |
| 3 | I’m always operating under a tight timeline, and I’m obsessed with keeping everything on schedule. |
| 4 | I’m paranoid that everything can be torn to pieces in seconds. |
| 5 | I'm too easy going, often going with the flow even if it could end poorly. |
| 6 | I don't care about worldly belongings, and often give away things, or get taken advantage of. |
| 7 | Like the storms, my mood is always changing, sometimes to one not fitting for the moment. Rage, sadness, anxiety can rise up at any moment. |
| 8 | I’m always changing my mind—well, almost always. |
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