Penitent

You spent your life in service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods.  You were a humble servant for good, fully embracing your calling and your god(s).  You believed fully in your faith, in subservience, and the ultimate goodness and worth of your faith, your church, and those with whom you shared your faith until they turned on you.

You may have caught your church or clergy in inappropriate acts, hard times may have fallen on your church and country, a religious fervor sweeping the land leading to your being chosen as a sacrifice, you may have angered a god, been a willing sacrifice, or perhaps you were a member of a cult, raised to be sacrificed.  Regardless, you found yourself on the alter, ritually scarred, butchered or set aflame only- you didn’t die.

Upon awakening, you find yourself horribly scarred, unable to heal or hide or change your appearance as the ritual that scarred you was holy.  Your scars may terrify others or they may see them as a holy sign to be venerated but they are yours and cannot be hidden or healed.

Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your religious service.

Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Religion

Languages: Two of your choice

Equipment: A holy symbol (a gift to you when you entered the priesthood), a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp.

Suggested Characteristics

Penitent are shaped by their experience as a willing or unwilling sacrifice.  This has shaped your character, your view of the gods, and your view of others.  Be you a martyr who willingly sacrificed yourself for the greater good or a victim, your perception of the world has been dramatically changed by this experience.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I was a willing sacrifice, raised from birth to give my life. I'm not sure why I still live and what the consequences of that are.
2	I was willing, and remain willing, to be a sacrifice for my god and my beliefs. Some may call me a fanatic, but I see myself as a martyr.
3	I was betrayed and mutilated. I will have my revenge.
4	My mind was scarred as much as my body. I may hide it, but I am very VERY unwell.
5	I wear my scars with pride. I was chosen to survive, a living sacrifice, I share my story of glory with all who will listen.
6	I will find those that did this to me and I will have my revenge.
7	My scars are hardened but they have not healed. I am in constant pain and use any means necessary to dull that pain.
8	The body survived, but as a shell. The mind that now inhabits it is from another plane- quite possibly a diety- but has lost most of its memories in the transition to mortality.

d6	Ideal
1	Chosen One. I was chosen to live and will not live my life in vain. I still stand only so that others might hear my words, follow my path, and I will protect others at any cost.
2	Broken. My mind is as damaged as my body. I may bring a flock to tears with a sermon or sacrifice a family in holy retribution- it depends on the day.
3	Hedonist. Having nearly lost my life, I've decided that I will live every day to its fullest. Gods be damned, all that I now live for is the pursuit of pleasure.
4	Heretic. I was betrayed by the gods and will use the scars they left me to inspire their flocks to abandon them.
5	Puritan. I was purified in flame. I am the embodiement of righteousness. Heresey will not be tolerated or you will burn. Some times to save a soul, you must destroy it.
6	Unbound. You've learned your lesson- scripture, faith, duty- are all meaningless. You follow your own path and moral codes realizing that ultimatly, all else is meaningless.

d6	Bond
1	My life is but a shadow of my faith, I live only to recruit others to my god.
2	I will someday get revenge for what has happend to me.
3	I owe my life to the person/people who pulled me from the alter and nursed me back to health.
4	Faith through works. Everything I do is for the common people.
5	I rose from the ashes and those that witnessed follow me as an avatar of my god.
6	I am being pursued by those who thought me dead, whose ritual is incomplete until I am so.

d6	Flaw
1	I survived the flames and am stronger for it. Everyone should grow through pain as I have.
2	I was simply lucky but see my survival as divine intervention and assume that that intervention will save me in any dangerous situation so take far too many risks.
3	My piety sometimes leads me to blindly trust those that profess faith in my god.
4	I was cleansed by the sacred flame of my god, there is no need to ever cleanse myself again- so hygine is right out.
5	All my beliefs were burned away. I'm a nihlist. Nothing matters including living.
6	Before my scars, I was very attractive, and struggle now mightely with my less current state.