Haunted_Noble

You understand wealth, power, and privilege. You carry a noble title, and your family owns land, collects taxes, and wields significant political influence. You might be a pampered aristocrat unfamiliar with work or discomfort, a former merchant just elevated to the nobility, or a disinherited scoundrel with a disproportionate sense of entitlement. Or you could be an honest, hard-working landowner who cares deeply about the people who live and work on your land, keenly aware of your responsibility to them.

You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail. Whatever this thing is that haunts you can’t be slain with a sword or banished with a spell. It might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its toll, isolating you from most people and making you question your sanity. You must find a way to overcome it before it destroys you.

Work with your DM to come up with an appropriate title and determine how much authority that title carries. A noble title doesn’t stand on its own—it’s connected to an entire family, and whatever title you hold, you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do you need to determine your noble title, but you should also work with the DM to describe your family and their influence on you.

Is your family old and established, or was your title only recently bestowed? How much influence do they wield, and over what area? What kind of reputation does your family have among the other aristocrats of the region? How do the common people regard them?

What’s your position in the family? Are you the heir to the head of the family? Have you already inherited the title? How do you feel about that responsibility? Or are you so far down the line of inheritance that no one cares what you do, as long as you don’t embarrass the family? How does the head of your family feel about your adventuring career? Are you in your family’s good graces, or shunned by the rest of your family?

Does your family have a coat of arms? An insignia you might wear on a signet ring? Particular colors you wear all the time? An animal you regard as a symbol of your line or even a spiritual member of the family?

These details help establish your family and your title as features of the world of the campaign.

Harrowing Event
Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one tragedy. Now you feel a darkness threatening to consume you, and you fear there may be no hope of escape. Choose a harrowing event that haunts you, or roll one on the Harrowing Events table.

d10 Harrowing Event
1 A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people spared your life, and you don’t know why.
2 You were born under a dark star. You can feel it watching you, coldly and distantly. Sometimes it beckons you in the dead of night.
3 An apparition that has haunted your family for generations now haunts you. You don’t know what it wants, and it won’t leave you alone.
4 Your family has a history of practicing the dark arts. You dabbled once and felt something horrible clutch at your soul, whereupon you fled in terror.
5 An oni took your sibling one cold, dark night, and you were unable to stop it.
6 You were cursed with lycanthropy and later cured. You are now haunted by the innocents you slaughtered.
7 A hag kidnapped and raised you. You escaped, but the hag still has a magical hold over you and fills your mind with evil thoughts.
8 You opened an eldritch tome and saw things unfit for a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and images are burned into your psyche.
9 A fiend possessed you as a child. You were locked away but escaped. The fiend is still inside you, but now you try to keep it locked away.
10 You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion, Investigation, Arcana

Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set

Languages: Two of your choice

Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a scroll of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Nobles are born and raised to a very different lifestyle than most people ever experience, and their personalities reflect that upbringing. A noble title comes with a plethora of bonds—responsibilities to family, to other nobles (including the sovereign), to the people entrusted to the family’s care, or even to the title itself. But this responsibility is often a good way to undermine a noble.

d16	Personality Trait
1	My eloquent flattery makes everyone I talk to feel like the most wonderful and important person in the world.
2	The common folk love me for my kindness and generosity.
3	No one could doubt by looking at my regal bearing that I am a cut above the unwashed masses.
4	I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashions.
5	I don’t like to get my hands dirty, and I won’t be caught dead in unsuitable accommodations.
6	Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk. We all have the same blood.
7	My favor, once lost, is lost forever.
8	If you do me an injury, I will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.
9	I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me.
10	I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness.
11	I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow I might die.
12	I live for the thrill of the hunt.
13	I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse.
14	I expect danger around every corner.
15	I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized.
16	I put no trust in divine beings.

d12	Ideal
1	Respect. Respect is due to me because of my position, but all people regardless of station deserve to be treated with dignity. (Good)
2	Responsibility. It is my duty to respect the authority of those above me, just as those below me must respect mine. (Lawful)
3	Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family. (Chaotic)
4	Power. If I can attain more power, no one will tell me what to do. (Evil)
5	Family. Blood runs thicker than water. (Any)
6	Noble Obligation. It is my duty to protect and care for the people beneath me. (Good)
7	I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good)
8	I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any)
9	I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good)
10	I have a dark calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic)
11	I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful)
12	I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil)

d12	Bond
1	I will face any challenge to win the approval of my family.
2	My house’s alliance with another noble family must be sustained at all costs.
3	Nothing is more important than the other members of my family.
4	I am in love with the heir of a family that my family despises.
5	My loyalty to my sovereign is unwavering.
6	The common folk must see me as a hero of the people.
7	I have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her).
8	There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free.
9	A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions.
10	My torment drove away the person I love. I strive to win back the love I’ve lost.
11	I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent.
12	I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy.

d12	Flaw
1	I secretly believe that everyone is beneath me.
2	I hide a truly scandalous secret that could ruin my family forever.
3	I too often hear veiled insults and threats in every word addressed to me, and I’m quick to anger.
4	I have an insatiable desire for carnal pleasures.
5	In fact, the world does revolve around me.
6	By my words and actions, I often bring shame to my family.
7	I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them.
8	I assume the worst in people.
9	I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones.
10	I have an addiction.
11	I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope.
12	I talk to spirits that no one else can see.