Someone important to you died, whether it was recent or a long time ago, it still haunts you to this day. A parent, sibling, lover, or friend; or perhaps even a celebrity or role model. Whoever they were, their death had an impact on your life so strong it lead you to your current adventuring career.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Perception, Arcana Insight, Religion, or Survival.
- Tool Proficiencies: Choose one type of gaming set or a musical instrument of your choice.
- Languages: Choose one language that was the native and/or first language of the person you lost.
- Equipment: A keepsake of your loved one (jewelry, artwork, or some other cheep trinket), a sympathetic letter, a set of bone dice or deck of cards, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Your loved one either had a life that lead you to adventuring, or the events of their death lead you to pick the occupation up. Roll a d6 or choose from the options in the table below.
| d6 | Your Loved One |
|---|---|
| 1 | An oni took my sibling and killed my mother, before gravely injuring my father, and I was unable to stop it. Now I seek the power to protect my remaining family, so it won't ever happen again. (Strength) |
| 2 | I was once cursed with lycanthropy, but shortly afterwards cured, for offending a powerful wizard and my loved one had to pay for it. Now I am haunted by the memories of my loved one's slaughter by my own hands. (Atonement) |
| 3 | I did terrible things to avenge the murder of the one I loved. What I did was wrong and inhumane, and it still haunts my every waking dream. (Redemption) |
| 4 | My loved one was murdered/executed unjustly, their executioner WILL pay for it. (Vengeance) |
| 5 | They were an adventurer, and I simply wish to follow in their footsteps. (Honoring) |
| 6 | My loved one died protecting me. Now I seek for a way to reunite us in life yet again. (Resurrection) |
When something terrible happens to someone, people in good relations with that person tend to take piety. Friends might help you in ways that don't threaten their life. Like giving supplies or providing a place to stay as long as it seems to comfort the mourner. However, enemies of the mourner might take their emotional vulnerability to their advantage; so beware of charlatans and other villainous characters.
Spell List
While searching for a way to bring your loved one back from the dead, you have learnt that the best way to do so is through magic, whether it be of the Arcane nature or the Divine.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| Cantrip | chill touch, spare the dying |
You eventually, but reluctantly, gave in when you realized that learning/researching the art of Necromancy would be your best shot (and the least probable way of releasing the apocalypse than bargaining with some ancient entity/deity) when it came to finding a way to bring your loved one(s) back to life.
Suggested Characteristics
You have learned to live with the darkness that haunts you. Everyone copes differently. Some people cope somberly whiles others celebrate their memories of the person. No matter what, the death of a loved one changes people in one way or another.
| d10 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. |
| 2 | I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. |
| 3 | I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow I might die. |
| 4 | I live for the thrill of the hunt. |
| 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. |
| 9 | I'm hugely interested in reincarnation and/or the afterlife. |
| 10 | I cherish my happy memories and hold on to any memorials I have. |
| d9 | 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) |
| 7 | Memories. I'll forever cherish the memories of my loved one. (Good) |
| 8 | Preservation. I'll never forget my loved one, I want others to remember them too. (Neutral) |
| 9 | Whenever I need the strength to go on in life, my god/goddess/deity/other is there to remind me it's worth it. |
| d7 | 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 have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her). |
| 7 | I will find a way to bring my lover back to life, even if it costs me my own. |
| d8 | 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. |
| 7 | I will do whatever it takes to reach my goal, no matter what or who stands in my way. |
| 8 | Since the death and/or the disappearance of my loved one I have grown colder and colder, and I avoid ever getting attached to new people, they'll only be ripped away from me anyway. |
Perhaps your loved one died because of a foolish mistake you made, or maybe they died protecting you/saving you...or even worse, perhaps they died thinking you didn't love them anymore because of a prior fight that you never had the time to resolve before getting thrown into whatever sticky situation that ended with them dying. None the less, (either the guilt has gotten too much, or maybe you feel like you cannot live without them) you have decided to set out to find a way (that's safe..-ish) to bring them back to the living world no matter your own personal cost.
As long as you posses ANY kind of, even if it's just a small amount or a full spellcaster class, ability to use spells, all the spells from the School of Necromancy will be available as a choice when gaining a new (or more) spell slot upon leveling up. The spell(s) will be added to your "learned/prepared" list and will count as one of your own spells, thus giving them the same spellcasting ability skill as your current main class'.
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