Who are you? How did you get here? You know nothing of your life connected to the memories you've lost. The memories you've managed to hold onto hardly answer your questions. The only part of your past you can remember for certain is your own name. You had a life, and thus you are able to do the things you must to survive. Eat, sleep, speak, walk--- you may even know a few skills and even another language! But how you know these things is a mystery to you. Your past is out there, and there is no promise that the answers will be pleasant, nor that you'll be able to avoid them forever.
(NOTE: To choose this background means that you will have less control over your backstory, as your DM will have to create elements of your forgotten past in secret, related to what you roll for your skill proficiency, tool proficiency, extra language, equipment, awakening incident, and the details of your Mysterious Ally. These will all be kept secret from you until you are able to discover them, at the DM's discretion. Please ask your DM for permission before taking this background.)
- Skill Proficiencies: Roll 1d4. Choose 2 skills from the ability you rolled.
- Dexterity: How you have such control over your body is a mystery to you. Choose 2 from: Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth.
- Intelligence: You must have been very smart in your past life. Choose 2 from: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Religion.
- Wisdom: There's not much that you know, but you know enough to keep out of trouble. Choose 2 from: Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Survival
- Charisma: People hold much sympathy for you, and thus are easily manipulated. Choose 2 from: Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion.
- Tool Proficiencies: Roll 1d8. You gain proficiency in whatever tool you roll, but you have no idea where you gained such mastery.
- Cooks Tools
- Painting Supplies
- Smith's Tools
- Tinker's Tools
- Flute
- Theives' Tools
- Disguise Kit
- Herbalism Kit
- Languages: Roll 1d6. You can speak common, any languages granted by your race/class, and whatever language you roll. Speaking this extra language is as natural as speaking common, but you don't remember where or how you learned to speak it. (If the language you rolled is one already granted to you by your race/class, roll again until you get one that is not).
- Goblin
- Draconic
- Primordial
- Deep Speech
- Sylvan
- Abyssal
- Equipment: Roll a 2d6. The first roll dictates what kind of pack you have. You don't know how you got these supplies or why. The second roll dictates your personal item. While not very useful it provides a clue to your past life.
- Burglar's Pack
- Dungeoneer's Pack
- Entertainer's Pack
- Explorer's Pack
- Priest's Pack
- Scholar's Pack
- A gold locket with 5 GP, with a picture of two people inside. You don't know who these people are.
- A dagger with a gemstone, worth 10 GP, embedded in the handle. You don't know where you got it from.
- A hand-stitched stuffed doll with a pair of mysterious initials embroidered on it. You don't know whose initials they are, but they aren't yours.
- A small golden ring with a diamond, with 20GP, inlaid in it, with an engraving on the inside reading "to my dearest love". You don't know who gave this ring to you.
- A piece of parchment with a list of names you don't recognize. The first name on the list is clearly crossed out. You don't know why.
- A brown mouse who seems awfully attached to you and follows you everywhere you go.
Roll on the provided table. Whatever you roll is the situation you were in when you realized you had lost your memories. It's the major clue as to how your memories were erased in the first place. (This isn't necessarily the situation you must be in when the campaign starts.)
| d8 | Awakening Incident |
|---|---|
| 1 | You wake up in a completely destroyed room, among the remains of a massive explosion |
| 2 | You wash up on the shore of a river or the ocean |
| 3 | You find yourself in the home of an elderly person you've never met |
| 4 | You're actively running away from the guards when you realize you don't remember anything. |
| 5 | You're in the middle of an extravagant gala event when you realize you don't remember how you got there. |
| 6 | You open your eyes and find yourself camping in a dense forest, with no idea how you got there. |
| 7 | You come to your senses as you are actively shaking the hand of a stranger, with no clue as to what you've agreed to |
| 8 | You awaken in a graveyard, freezing cold and covered in mud |
There is a mysterious figure following you around, the details of whom elude you. You've never gotten a good look at their face, let alone the chance to speak with them. But somehow you know they're always around, skulking in the shadows or following at a distance behind you. Occasionally, at the DM's discretion, they will aid you or the party, either directly is indirectly.
Suggested Characteristics
Some think losing your memories makes one's personality blank and lifeless, but yours is one only as colorful because of your lack of a past. Choose from or roll dice to determine your characteristics from the tables below.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I like to read anything I can get my hands on, in the hopes that something will jog my memory |
| 2 | I'll eat anything once, considering I don't have a clue what I do and don't like. |
| 3 | I tend to be a little paranoid, as I worry I may have forgotten something important. |
| 4 | I talk a lot, even if it's to myself. If I do, I may remind myself of something I've forgotten. |
| 5 | I don't trust people right away. Everyone is a stranger, so I can't be sure who is and isn't safe. |
| 6 | I'm not too concerned with trying to regain my memories. I consider this a chance to reinvent myself. |
| 7 | I'm am completely naive to the world around me, and I find most of my fun in figuring out how the world works. |
| 8 | I enjoy learning new games to play, and get bored easily if I'm not able to play games |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'll always help anyone who seems lost. I've been lost for as long as I remember. (good) |
| 2 | I'll only trust people who are willing to help me. I can't take too many chances (neutral) |
| 3 | Without my past experiences, I'm at a steep disadvantage. Lying and stealing is my way of leveling the playing field (evil) |
| 4 | I try to keep my head down and not make too much trouble. It's hard to do, considering I don't remember most laws. (lawful) |
| 5 | I'll often just go along with whatever my friends want to do. I consider myself lucky enough to even have friends to help me. (neutral) |
| 6 | I often rely on my lack of memories as an excuse to do wild and crazy things (chaotic) |
| d4 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have to regain my memories at any cost |
| 2 | It is my main goal to avoid my past as much as possible. I prefer my life without whatever I've forgotten |
| 3 | I forgot everything after a horrible accident. I have to figure out what happened and if anyone else was affected. |
| 4 | I'll never get my memories back, so this is a chance for reinvention. I need to find my ideal self and seek to be them. |
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm more likely to highly distrust magic-users. There are several spells that cause memory loss. |
| 2 | I tend to get myself into deep trouble, because I never know how far is too far when it comes to my mischief. |
| 3 | I tend to wander off whenever something interesting catches my eye. I've gotten horribly lost more than a few times. |
| 4 | Because I don't remember what is and isn't dangerous, I tend to stick around dangerous situations to observe, when I should be running or fighting. |
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