You were a sole survivor of a major life-threatening event. Maybe your village or city was attacked by some great evil, or maybe you were tricked by some greater power. No matter the details, everyone other than you died, and you survived. Where were you when it happened? What age? Were you a small child, or a young adult? What attacked you? Was it one thing, or a group? What effect did this have on you? Were you traumatized, or were you strengthened by it? Did you run away, or did you fight it? Are there any remnants you kept, or anything left, or was it all destroyed? Whatever the case may be, you walk on, carrying the weight of those who died. You might even be able to "hear" the voices of the people who died. They might be angry with you, or they might be forgiving. Maybe you lost a loved one or a childhood sweetheart, and maybe they also survived, or maybe they died. If they died, have they forgiven you? If they lived, do you seek to find them and then you? Regardless, you carry on without anyone but your memories of the ones you'd lost. You are a survivor, the lone survivor.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Perception, Investigation, 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.
Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was forever changed from a life of family and friends to a solitary existence. You crave the ties you have lost, but lack the trust you once knew. Perhaps one day you can again have that sense of family.
| d10 | Sundering 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. |
Having survived for some years, you are able to make simple survival necessities. You can make fires, craft shelters, cook food, etc. without having to make a Survival check. Also, you may know several townspeople, hunters, and shop owners from your travels alone. Landmarks and places of interest may also be familiar to you.
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 | When the going gets tough, give them the stare. |
| 2 | You never back down from a challenge, no matter the danger. |
| 3 | No matter the danger, you just refuse to let anything kill you. |
| 4 | The events you survive traumatize you, and the phantoms of your past haunt your dreams. |
| 5 | You seem unfeeling and apathetic to others, but you just refuse to allow anyone to get close to you so you can't lose anyone close to you again. |
| 6 | You love the rush of near-death experiences, and thus you are constantly seeking a bigger challenge to survive. |
| 7 | You wish that you could live a normal life, but you wouldn't even enjoy or understand it. |
| 8 | You like to crack jokes and make puns. Its better to laugh than cry. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Change: Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | I am taking this whole thing one day at a time. (Any) |
| 3 | I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good) |
| 4 | Self Reliance: Its better than the old dirt nap. (Any) |
| 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 | Someone out there might have also survived, and I need to find them. |
| 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 | A friend is so rare, there is nothing I wouldn't do for a real one. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I feel as though I can't trust anyone lest they die. |
| 2 | I assume the worst in people. |
| 3 | I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones. |
| 4 | Sometimes, I am just a jerk. My bad. |
| 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. |
Comments