It’s not uncommon to forget something. A name, a skill, a person. For most, this is nothing more than a mild inconvenience, but to forget a whole life? You awoke recently, new-born yet old, naïve yet proficient, unclear of where you came from or who you were.
Note that this background puts a lot of responsibility on your DM to write lore about your character without your input. The DM will already be under a lot of pressure to write the campaign and incorporate other player’s backgrounds, so collaborate with them to establish what you want out of the character to lighten their load and ensure everyone has fun (ie: my character’s previous life might have involved crime or politics but not arcana or seafaring.) Alternatively, your character may have lost their memories decades ago and has since built a new life, giving you more space to write your character’s history (like the allies they have made and the skills they have learnt) while still leaving a blank spot for your DM to fill in.
This is also my first homebrew background. Please feel free to critique and make suggestions!
- Skill Proficiencies: Pick two from Athletics, Performance, Sleight of Hand, Survival, Religion.
- Tool Proficiencies: [tools]Herbalism Kit[/tools], One type of Artisan’s Tools.
- Languages: Two of your choice
- Equipment: One Artisan’s Tools of your choice, a trinket from your forgotten past (a letter, a calling card or a mysterious artifact), a lantern (hooded) and a pouch containing 15gp.
While you struggle to recall anything from your past life, many hours of deep thought have revealed more details from the day of your awakening. Choose one or roll on the table below to define your awakening.
| d10 | Moment of Awakening |
|---|---|
| 1 | I clawed my way out of a coffin. The gravestone above me was too worn to read. How long was I there? |
| 2 | Someone claiming to be my lover pulled me out of a river and nursed me back to health. I remember feeling someone else’s hand in the water. |
| 3 | A machine flashed a bright light in my eye and created a glowing crystal before flying away. |
| 4 | I woke up surrounded by drinks I couldn’t pay for. When they kicked me out, I couldn’t remember which way was home. |
| 5 | I was in a cell, questioned by armed men about my involvement in a crime I had no recollection of committing. They let me go when their Zone of Truth failed to uncover anything. |
| 6 | I felt my legs being controlled, my lips babbling by themselves. I felt a presence within myself and it noticed me. Suddenly, I was back in control. |
| 7 | I awoke in a pile of bloody corpses, each one maimed beyond recognition. Did I do this, or was I the lucky one? |
| 8 | A lady from the Feywild thanked me, handed me a single copper piece, then sent me back to the material plane. |
| 9 | I awoke on a table surrounded by buckets of viscera. If I trace my finger along the back of my scalp, I can feel stitches. |
| 10 | Rushing wind brought me to my senses as I found myself 30,000 feet in the air, rapidly descending. I hit the ground with such force that it left a crater, and yet I was unscathed. |
You feel as though you’ve experienced this before. Once per short rest, when you make an ability check in a skill or with a tool you are not proficient in, you can add 1d4 to your roll.
Suggested Characteristics
Without much knowledge of your past, you find yourself lonely, yet unbound by responsibilities or expectations. Do you yearn for what you have lost, or do you revel in the freedom?
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I love telling stories, even if it’s the same one, over and over again, constantly. |
| 2 | I hide my face, even though no one is looking for me. |
| 3 | Note taking is of the utmost priority. Everything must be recorded, documented, put into its place. |
| 4 | I revel in small pleasures like sunshine and fresh bread. |
| 5 | I talk in a way that most people my age find dated & I struggle to understand when people talk to me. |
| 6 | Listening to others talk about themselves is very captivating. |
| 7 | I make plans, then backup plans, then backups to the backup plans. |
| 8 | Acting before thinking is just how I roll. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Knowledge. Who I was is more important than anything. (Any) |
| 2 | Independence. Whoever I was then is gone. Only I exist now. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Joy. Every moment should be cherished to its fullest. (Good) |
| 4 | Despair. I lost everything, and so should my enemies. (Evil) |
| 5 | Loyal. I don’t know if I had a family or friends, but I owe it to them to find my way back. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Power. Maybe my memories were taken because I knew something I shouldn’t have. What could I gain if I rediscovered it? (Chaotic) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I feel obligated to help those in need, as if guided by someone I once knew. |
| 2 | I am all there is, all there ever will be. Everything ends with me. |
| 3 | My allies give my new life purpose. I would lose everything again for them. |
| 4 | My deity / patron gives me direction, and I trust them to put me on the right path. |
| 5 | A face appears out of the corner of my vision when I remember my awakening. If I could find them, maybe I would find myself. |
| 6 | This place housed me when I had nowhere else to go, now I will defend the land from those who wish to take it. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I cling to anyone who shows kindness or affection as I have no one to call my own. |
| 2 | Loose trinkets beg me to be taken. |
| 3 | I fear the attention of strangers. Do they know something? |
| 4 | Every misstep, every accident, every failure repeats in my head. I cannot apologise enough. |
| 5 | I trust everyone I meet, even those who have every reason to deceive me. |
| 6 | I give a gormless look whenever someone talks about something I don’t know. My face could be read like a scroll. |
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