Monster Image

You are a dragon who was permanently polymorphed, a vampire who was raised from the dead, a cured lycanthrope, or some other monster who has had their form changed into a living humanoid. Years of your life were spent as a being that haunts the nightmares of many. What were you? What terrible deeds did you commit? What magic transformed you into your new form?

When your physical form changed, so did your mind. You appreciate and perhaps even embrace the culture, laws, and customs of your new form, but not without growing pains. Learning to live as something else is a struggle, even if your mind is committed to the task. Memories, enemies, and lost friends from your old life haunt you. As a person who walks between two worlds, the restless life of adventure might be the only that feels comfortable for it allows you to unleash your past savagery while retaining your new heart.

 
Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Survival
Languages: Choose any two languages (If applicable, at least one should be a language your monster form spoke.)
Equipment: A set of common clothes, 10 feet of chain that was once used to bind you, a sketch of what you looked like as a monster, and a belt pouch containing 5 gp.
 
Monster Type

There are many kinds of monsters and the true polymorph spell makes it possible for you to have been any of them before your transformation. You might have been a mighty giant, savage gnoll, or mindless ooze. Choose the type of monster you were in your previous life, or roll on the table below.

d12 Monster Type
1 Aberration
2 Construct
3 Dragon
4 Elemental
5 Fey
6 Fiend
7 Giant
8 Humanoid
9 Monstrosity
10 Ooze
11 Plant
12 Undead
 
Feature: A Little Off

You have a reputation for being a little odd, almost as if you're uncomfortable in your own skin and around people. Whenever you act in a way that is strange or taboo, but not intentionally offensive, dangerous, or against the law, people tend to ignore you. This lets you get away with strange behavior like showing up at parties you weren't invited to, pushing through a crowd to shake a noble's hand, eating food off of someone else's plate, or taking a nap in a public place. Most people brush you off as weird, but harmless.

 
Suggested Characteristics

As a person who was once something else, you are never truly at peace. You're not used to your new form or home and your old lair doesn't suit the new you. Former monsters are restless and many use their old bloodlust to defend those they would have once devoured from threats that are all too familiar. Even those who accept their new place know deep inside them is violence waiting for release.

d8 Personality Trait
1 I only use my hands and not utensils when I eat.
2 I growl when I am threatened and purr when I am content.
3 When someone asks me about my past, I change the subject.
4 I prefer all my meat rare (or raw).
5 Darkness and shadows are a comfort to me.
6 I never back down from a fight.
7 I embrace every comfort civilization has to offer with gusto.
8 I prefer the company of animals to people.
d6 Ideal
1 Redemption. I must protect others from that which I used to be. (Good)
2 Power. I am still a monster at heart and will claw my way to greatness. (Evil)
3 Friendship. I strive to be the person my friends think I am. (Neutral)
4 Freedom. The only way to discover where I belong is to be myself no matter the circumstance. (Chaotic)
5 Order. I keep the monster inside by following a strict routine of normalcy. (Lawful)
6 Aspiration. The world will know me for who I am now, not what I was. (Any)
d6 Bond
1 I still think about my old lair and go there in my mind whenever I need to calm down.
2 There is one victim of my monstrosity that I cannot forget.
3 When I was a monster, I had a special piece of treasure stolen from my hoard that I wish to recover.
4 An adventurer I wronged as a monster hunts me.
5 As a monster I had a mentor of the same species who does not know my current fate.
6 As a monster I took trophies from my victims, which I still have.
d6 Flaw
1 Given the chance I escalate every argument to violence.
2 Drinking brings out my inner monster.
3 Forgiveness is weakness–all wrongs, even mistakes, must be punished.
4 I beg others to perform social interactions on my behalf.
5 I enjoy being contrary just to drive others mad.
6 If I see something delicious, I must eat it.
 
Variant Monster: Magic Weapon

Though your violent memories are similar to those who were once monsters, your circumstances are even more bizarre. You were once an intelligent magic weapon, wielded by legendary figures to slay countless others. Now, you're a humanoid, transformed by powerful magic. Your previous wielders could be heroes or villains or a mix of both, but now you're in control of your own fate. This new independence is strange, but very exciting!

 
Variant Feature: Old Friend

If your previous monster form was intelligent and capable of communicating, you can pick this variant feature instead of A Little Off. You have a monstrous friend of the same species you once were. This monster is able to trade secret messages with you through a system you devised together. Your friend is a reliable source of information for rumors and other rumblings they have heard.

 
Monster Image