Once obsessed with the truth, you pursued any case you helped would bring more justice into the world. After taking on one particular investigation, you discovered something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail. Whatever this thing is that haunts you can’t be slain with a sword or banished with a spell. It might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its toll, isolating you from most people and making you question your sanity. You must find a way to overcome it before it destroys you.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Arcana, Investigation, Perception, or Religion.
- Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit or Thieves' Tools.
- Languages: Choose one from Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon
- Equipment: A chest, a crowbar, a hammer, a holy symbol, a set of manacles, a flask of oil, a tinderbox, and 3 torches), a magnifying glass, evidence from a past case (choose one or roll on the Horror Trinkets table after this background), a set of common clothes, and 5 gp.
Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one tragic case. Now you feel a darkness threatening to consume you, and you fear there may be no hope of escape. Choose a harrowing event that haunts you, or roll one on the Harrowing Events table.
| d12 | Harrowing Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people spared your life, and you don’t know why. |
| 2 | 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. |
| 3 | An oni took a loved one on a cold, dark night, and you were unable to stop it. You can not be at peace until you find the oni and exact revenge. |
| 4 | While working a case, you found and opened an eldritch tome, seeing things unfit for a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and images are burned into your psyche. |
| 5 | You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams. |
| 6 | A friend was wrongfully acused of murder. You were unable to track down the actual killer, and your friend was sentenced to death. That friend now haunts you until you solve the murder. |
| 7 | You're told you went missing for weeks. When you were found, you had no memory of being gone. Now your search to discover what happened to you. |
| 8 | You revealed that the monsters terrorizing your home were illusions created by a cruel mage. The magic-user escaped and now haunts you as revenge. |
| 9 | You were wrongfully accused and convicted of a crime. You managed to escape, but the person who framed you is still out to get you using any means necessary. |
| 10 | You survived the destructive use of a magic device that wiped out your home. You can not get the images of your destroyed home and loved ones out of your mind until you make sure the same never happens to anyone else again.. |
| 11 | You found evidence of a conspiracy underpinning society. You tried to expose this mysterious cabal, but no one believe you. You're still trying to prove what you know is true while avoiding the cabal's eye. |
| 12 | You got a job with an agency that investigates crimes that local law enforcement can't solve. One such case subjected you to horrors no one should face, and permanently warped your mind. |
Those who look into your eyes can see that you have faced unimaginable horror and that you are no stranger to darkness. Though they might fear you, commoners will extend you every courtesy and will help you when needed (unless it's something dangerous to them).
Additionally, you're experienced at gaining access to people and places to get the information you need. Through a combination of fast-talking, determination, and official-looking documentation, you can gain access to a place or an individual related to a crime you're investigating. Because of the horrors you have seen, people you attempt to use this feature on are a little more wary of you, and so you must roll with disadvantage.
Those who aren't involved in your investigation avoid impeding you or pass along your requests. Finally, local law enforcement has firm opinions about you, viewing you as either a nuisance or one of their own.
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 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. |
| 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 have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her). |
| 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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