Explorer

You've charted paths through inhospitable jungles and trackless wastes to fill the blank areas of the map. You are more at home in a freshly unsealed tomb than in the bustling streets of a major city. You've been lost more times than you can count but you've always found your way back to civilization.

Source: Iron Kingdoms Requiem Campaign Setting

Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Cartographer's Tools

Languages: One of your choice

Equipment: Cartographer's tools, a set of traveler's clothes, a scroll case containing maps in progress, and a pouch containing 15 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Explorers feel called to the unknown and forgotten. They are accustomed to packing light enough to travel but well enough to be prepared for whatever challenges await. Much of their socializing consists of huddling around campfires and exchanging stories of extraordinary and dangerous journeys, both in the past and yet to come. Their motivations generally involve increasing either their general knowledge or their personal gain, while their flaws are often the consequence of too much curiosity.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I crave the excitement of being the first to enter a long-forgotten place.
2	I can quote any of the professor's essays; in fact, I often do.
3	Studying at a prestige university has prepared me for life on the road.
4	I believe knowledge is for everyone, and I work to make sure all my discoveries end up in museums, where others can benefit from them.
5	I love learning new languages and can sit with a book of lore for hours.
6	I've spent so much time in the wilderness that I forget myself in polite company.
7	Despite wise counsel, if it involves a tomb or a curse on all who enter, I'm going in.
8	Campfires are the perfect stage, and I love telling stories.

d6	Ideal
1	Discovery. I want to discover all there is to know about the world, expand my understanding of it, and share that understanding with others. (Good)
2	Ambition. My name will go down in history as one of the greatest explorers of the age. (Any)
3	History. Understanding our nations' past is the only way to plot our path forward. (Good)
4	Profit. I want to sell my discoveries in order to acquire immense personal wealth. (Neutral)
5	Adventure. I cannot be content living an everyday life and seek adventure however I can find it. (Chaotic)
6	Power. I want to discover ancient relics and use them to amass power. (Evil)

d6	Bond
1	I owe a significant debt to a prestigious institution as a result of a previous expedition.
2	I "accidentally" defiled a sacred site and am no longer allowed in particular villages.
3	A rival I once beat to a find will stop at nothing to discredit me.
4	I will one day have my writings published in my university's library.
5	I will be the first to chart the unknown mysteries of [a particular place].
6	One day, I will be as famous as [an explorer I look up to].

d6	Flaw
1	Being first to a discovery is more important than being safe, and I have the scars to prove it.
2	If presented with a riddle or a puzzle, I can think of nothing else until it's solved.
3	I cannot abide a closed door. I must at least take a peek at what's behind it.
4	My obsession with being prepared often leaves me overly encumbered and broke.
5	I am irrationally terrified of an ordinary animal.
6	My overconfidence in my abilities is matched only by the inadequateness of my preparation.