You are haunted by 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, Religion, or Survival
- Languages: Choose one exotic language (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon)
- Equipment: A monster hunter’s pack (see the sidebar), a set of common clothes, and one trinket of special significance (choose one or roll on the Gothic Trinkets table after this background).
Harrowing Event
Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one tragedy. 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.
| d10 |
Harrowing Event |
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1
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A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people spared your life, and you don’t know why.
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2
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You ran away from the jail with your stealthiness. You regret not bringing anyone else from it
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3
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You recently learned that you were killed during the war and was revived. You are looking for the person who revived you and your past.
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4
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You went AWOL during the war. The government is looking for you and you are looking for something/someone you lost.
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5
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Your loved one was taken from you. However, you could not tell anyone because of the circumstances of the love.
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6
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You were a soldier who saw people around you die. The nightmares you lived still haunts your life.
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7
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You learned that one of your friends betrayed you during the war. You killed your friend and are looking for the reason of the betrayal.
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8
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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.
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9
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A fiend possessed you during the war and you killed your own family.
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10
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You did terrible things to avenge the murder of someone you loved. You became a monster, and it haunts your waking dreams.
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Feature: Heart of Darkness
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 do their utmost to help you. Unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them, they will even take up arms to fight alongside you, should you find yourself facing an enemy alone.
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 |
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1
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I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me.
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2
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I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness.
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3
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I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow I might die.
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4
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I live for the thrill of the hunt.
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5
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I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse.
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6
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I expect danger around every corner.
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7
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I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized.
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8
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I put no trust in divine beings.
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| d6 |
Ideal |
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1
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I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good)
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2
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I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any)
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3
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I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good)
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4
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I do not trust the government or any law figures after what happened to me. (Chaotic)
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5
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I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful)
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6
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I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil)
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| d6 |
Bond |
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1
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I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy.
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2
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I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent.
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3
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I will always look for the loved one I lost.
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4
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A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions.
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5
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There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free.
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6
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I have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her).
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| d6 |
Flaw |
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1
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I am scared very easily. I have nightmares almost every night and I feel it getting to me as the time passes.
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2
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I cannot trust no one.
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3
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I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones.
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4
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I will deny reality if it seems terrible.
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5
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I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope.
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6
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I talk to spirits that no one else can see.
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