Something in your past gave you insurmountable trauma. Whether this be the death of everyone or the abandonment of everyone it has push you to a breaking point. Over weeks, months, years, decades maybe it grew worse. You bottled it up. And the pressure grew and grew. Until it became too much. You took a drastic action that changed the course of you fate. The walls you build came crumbling down. This thing you did changed your relationships. They may have grown skeptical of you or flat out abandoned you. Thats another thing to add to your list of mistakes...let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.
I would like to give thanks to Arcane for giving me the inspiration for this backstory. I would also like to thank Schnee on YouTube for providing me with the proper arsenal to make this backstory. Thanks to both the TV series and the creator for the inspiration.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Intimidation, Deception, Persuasion, or Survival
- Languages: Choose two, one of which must be Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon
- Equipment: A monster hunter’s pack (containing a chest, a crowbar, a hammer, three wooden stakes, a holy symbol, a flask of holy water, a set of manacles, a steel mirror, a flask of oil, a tinderbox, and 3 torches), one trinket of special significance (choose one or roll on the Horror Trinkets table after this background), a set of common clothes, and 1 sp.
Before this all happened, you lived a normal life, but one day something caused you trauma that will last a thousand lifetimes. It maddened you and now you're not sure if anyone can fix it. Choose an event that haunts you, or roll one on the Events table.
| d10 | Terroring Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | The only ones I had, left me crying in the rain, left to die. But that was before someone else came along. |
| 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 | I watch as the people who I though protected me slaughtered my family and friends, just to prove a point. It wasn't my fault |
| 4 | Fleeing from the people you thought protected you, the only thing you thought of was revenge. Now is the time to act on it. |
| 5 | Your sibling who you loved dearly was taken from just under you grasp. You have never forgiven yourself. |
| 6 | You were hired to do something unimaginable. You did it. You now realize it was a grave mistake and are now followed by the fates of your past. |
| 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 | I was born in a place far away. A place of unimaginable horrors. Now those people follow me from the grave. |
| 10 | You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams. |
Those who look in your eyes see the unfathomable trauma you faced. They don't know what it was, but seeing it brings up bits of their own trauma. Buried deep in their subconscious. They will never ask about you past unless it impedes the progress of their own goal. Asking for help from you requires great bravery and patience. And you asking help from them gives them a sense of pride then swallowed by fear, but either way they will help you as they sense not doing so will bring the undead sprits of their past, you nor they wat that.
Suggested Characteristics
You have learned to live with the terror that haunts you. You are a survivor, who can be very protective of those who bring light into your darkened life.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I try to fill silence by mad laughter. |
| 2 | I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. |
| 3 | The trauma I've experienced has brought whispers of my undead past. |
| 4 | The "thrill" I've experiences is enough for twenty lifetimes. |
| 5 | I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse. |
| 6 | I expect danger around every corner. |
| 7 | I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized. |
| 8 | I put no trust in divine beings. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good) |
| 2 | I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any) |
| 3 | I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good) |
| 4 | I have a dark calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful) |
| 6 | I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy. |
| 2 | I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent. |
| 3 | My torment drove away the person I love. I strive to win back the love I’ve lost. |
| 4 | A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions. |
| 5 | There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free. |
| 6 | I must protect my inner child. It contains my deteriorating moments of happiness. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them. |
| 2 | I assume the worst in people. |
| 3 | I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones. |
| 4 | I have an addiction. |
| 5 | I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope. |
| 6 | I talk to spirits that no one else can see. |
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