As a specialist in the field of studying cadavers, you have devoted yourself to anatomical excellence. Countless unfortunates of all kinds have ended up on your slab, their lifeless stares inviting you to reach into their final moments and determine how and why they perished.
You may garner some respect from fellows in the medical and law enforcement professions, as well as the people that the victims left behind, though many might view you as someone who pokes their nose in where it doesn't belong. Meddling in the mysteries of a person's demise can certainly be rewarding, but isn't without its dangers.
- Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Medicine.
- Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit, and one set of artisan's tools from either Alchemist's Supplies, Forgery Kit, or Painter's Supplies.
- Equipment: A herbalism kit, one set of artisan's tools, a set of common clothes, an ink pen, a bottle of ink, and a journal, a surgeon's bag containing a small knife, a healer's kit, a weighing scale, and a flask of grain alcohol. A coin pouch containing 5 gold pieces, and a small trinket from a case that you worked on.
In your profession you often meet more dead folk than living ones, and in varying states of decay. When you do meet a live one, it's easy for you to discern the structure of their skull and the reverse is also true.
When you encounter a dead humanoid and as long as the underlying facial structure is intact, you may spend one hour sketching a likeness of the person as they would have appeared in life. This reconstructive art can be performed no matter the state of decay, even if the skeleton is bare. The sketch may not precisely resemble the person, but the likeness is good enough that anyone who was well-acquainted with the individual can identify them from the sketch.
If the bones of a humanoid corpse are largely intact. you automatically succeed on checks to determine its biological characteristics such as race and approximate age. If the bones are partially destroyed, you have advantage on checks to determine those characteristics. If a body is either fresh or in the process of natural decay, you have advantage on checks to determine their approximate time of death, and if they have been dead for less than two weeks, you have advantage on medicine checks to determine their cause of death, barring any environmental or other acceleration of decomposition.
Suggested Characteristics
Dealing with the dead can be a thankless task, and many a nefarious criminal may take unkindly to your interference. Your career may also be mentally taxing, yet the rewards and your reasons for getting to the bottom of an unusual demise can be many.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am more comfortable with the dead than I am with the living. |
| 2 | I can't resist the urge to follow a good mystery and I relish solving a puzzle. |
| 3 | The scent of formaldehyde, chloroform and menthol is a cocktail I swoon for. |
| 4 | I'll remark on the protrusion of your zygomatics, or your obvious Orcish heritage. After all, compliments make everyone feel good. |
| 5 | Some people are delicate flowers, concerned with soiling their finery. I'm used to rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty. |
| 6 | Wild speculation is an excellent tool for prolonging an exciting investigation. |
| 7 | My enthusiasm for infectious diseases isn't always infectious. |
| 8 | I leave tact to others. If you need my opinion, or my findings, you'll get them — unadulterated. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | The truth will out. Nothing is more important than being right. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Peace. I do what I do to offer comfort and closure to the survivors. (Good) |
| 3 | Influence. I'm not above obfuscating my findings if it means someone gets what is coming to them. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Power. I can ruin or redeem someone with the stroke of a pen. (Evil) |
| 5 | Justice. I want to ensure that the guilty are punished, and the innocent walk free. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Intellect. I'll put aside any stench, horror or danger to better my understanding of my field. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm largely cloistered from my community. Criminal vendettas make it unsafe for me to walk around alone. |
| 2 | Due to a mistake I know I will regret, a horrible individual is walking free. I won't rest until they are rotting in a cell. |
| 3 | I once let my emotions get the better of me and ruled a death an accident. The murderer had good reason for what they did, and I couldn't stand by and see them be punished. |
| 4 | My community means everything to me. I devote myself to keeping the citizens safe and healthy. |
| 5 | I keep a trinket from a case that I could not solve. It puzzles me still, and one day I would like to bring the mystery to a close. |
| 6 | When my mentor's health declined, they bequeathed me something with a cryptic message attached. They still won't reveal any clues, insisting I must wait until they are dead to figure it out. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | My tendency to pry can damage relations and ruin negotiations. |
| 2 | My bypassing of emotions often leaves the impression that I am cold. I don't make friends easily. |
| 3 | I enjoy provoking the guilty, even if it sometimes means hurting the innocent. |
| 4 | My work has left me so terrified of my own death, that I'll do whatever it takes to avoid it. |
| 5 | I'm incredibly slow to trust even the most saintly individual. |
| 6 | I keep score of how people died against how I thought they would die. In fact, I'm thinking of how you will die right now. |
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