"To understand death is not to shun it. It is to walk its spiral paths, to memorize its laws, and to find the beauty beyond the grave."
- Skill Proficiencies: You are proficient in Arcana and Religion
- Tool Proficiencies: You are proficient in Calligrapher's Supplies
- Languages: Common and one of your choice (often Infernal, Abyssal, or an ancient dead tongue).
- Equipment:
- A set of Calligrapher’s Supplies
- A black-bound book of death rites and funeral ceremonies (worth 25 gp)
- A small token from a corpse you once studied (such as a ring, locket, or bone fragment)
- Traveler’s clothes
- A belt pouch containing 15 gp
You have been initiated into forbidden knowledge that most fear to speak aloud.
You know the hidden death customs and funerary rites of many cultures, including those of lost or forgotten civilizations.
When interacting with the dead, undead, or those who revere death (such as necromancers, death cults, or gravekeepers), you can often secure safer passage, information, or hospitality if you demonstrate proper respect for their traditions.
At your DM’s discretion, you can also leverage your knowledge of death rites to:
- Calm hostile undead (granting advantage on social checks against intelligent undead).
- Recognize the signs of unholy resurrections or necromantic rituals in progress.
- Request asylum or limited aid from factions devoted to death or the afterlife.
Suggested Characteristics
The Deathbound Scholar is defined by their intimate relationship with death and the boundary between life and the grave. Some are mournful chroniclers; others are morbidly fascinated explorers. Some seek to prevent unnatural resurrections, while others see undeath as a tool to be understood — or wielded.
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I find beauty where others find decay and sorrow. |
| 2 | I am methodical, treating life and death as parts of a great, orderly design. |
| 3 | I speak calmly and gently, even to those who threaten me. |
| 4 | I tend to collect strange relics of the dead — bones, jewelry, teeth — for study. |
| 5 | I view fear of death as irrational, and I preach acceptance of it. |
| 6 | I often lose track of time when speaking with the dead or contemplating mortality. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Knowledge. Death is the last great frontier of discovery. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Respect. The dead must be honored and remembered. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Power. Mastery of death is mastery of destiny. (Evil) |
| 4 | Compassion. Comforting the grieving and guiding souls is my sacred duty. (Good) |
| 5 | Inevitability. Death is inevitable and must be embraced, not resisted. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Freedom. Death releases all bonds; I fight for those trapped unnaturally. (Chaotic) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I swore an oath to protect a sacred crypt or necropolis from desecration. |
| 2 | A loved one’s death set me on this path; I must honor their memory. |
| 3 | I seek to master the forbidden rites of an ancient, forgotten civilization. |
| 4 | I owe my life to an undead being who spared me for reasons I still don't understand. |
| 5 | A specific ghost, spirit, or dead entity frequently visits me in dreams. |
| 6 | I have glimpsed what lies beyond death and am forever changed by it. |
| d4 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I sometimes forget the living matter, focusing more on the dead. |
| 2 | I am fascinated by death to the point of reckless obsession. |
| 3 | I distrust priests and divine orders that would "sanitize" death. |
| 4 | I distrust priests and divine orders that would "sanitize" death. |
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