You were abandoned to the dark—whether cast out by kin, betrayed by comrades, or discarded as a failed experiment. The world moved on without you, and your absence was not mourned. Over time, you faded from memory until even the mere mention of your name brought discomfort or dread. Yet, you endured. Solitude honed your instincts and taught you skills born of necessity, making you dangerous in ways others cannot fathom.
- Ability Scores: Years of surviving alone sharpened your mind and your senses. Increase your Wisdom or Dexterity by +1 (your choice).
- Feat: You gain the Alert feat. Your time in hiding has made you hyper-aware of your surroundings; danger rarely catches you off guard.
- Skill Proficiencies: You gain proficiency in Stealth and Survival.
- Tool Proficiencies: You gain proficiency with Thieves’ Tools or one artisan’s tool of your choice—representing the craft you relied upon to survive in isolation.
- Languages:
You know one additional language of your choice, learned from intercepted letters, overheard travelers, or carved markings from forgotten ruins.
- Equipment:
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A hooded cloak, frayed at the edges but reliable
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A keepsake from your life before you were forgotten (trinket worth 5 gp)
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A set of common clothes
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A small pouch containing 10 gp
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Roll or choose one defining event that explains why you were forgotten.
| d6 | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Betrayed by a trusted ally and left for dead. |
| 2 | Cast out from your homeland for a crime you didn’t commit. |
| 3 | Survived a disaster that claimed everyone else—no one knows you lived. |
| 4 | Escaped from imprisonment but dared not reveal yourself. |
| 5 | Abandoned as a child in the wilderness. |
| 6 | Cursed to be unremembered until you broke free. |
| d10 | Defining Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | I stood up to a tyrant’s agents. |
| 2 | I saved people during a natural disaster. |
| 3 | I stood alone against a terrible monster. |
| 4 | I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor. |
| 5 | I led a militia to fight off an invading army. |
| 6 | I broke into a tyrant’s castle and stole weapons to arm the people. |
| 7 | I trained the peasantry to use farm implements as weapons against a tyrant’s soldiers. |
| 8 | A lord rescinded an unpopular decree after I led a symbolic act of protest against it. |
| 9 | A celestial, fey, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin. |
| 10 | Recruited into a lord’s army, I rose to leadership and was commended for my heroism. |
You are unnervingly easy to overlook:
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Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in urban or crowded environments.
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Creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to recall your appearance after more than 24 hours.
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If you spend at least 1 minute blending into a crowd, you may attempt a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check to vanish without a trace. On a success, pursuers lose track of you unless they have magical means of detection.
Suggested Characteristics
The Forgotten tend to be cautious, resourceful, and slow to trust. Many adopt a dry wit or cold pragmatism to hide their vulnerability. Some seek revenge, others redemption, but all carry the weight of years spent unseen.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I speak little; silence is my armor. |
| 2 | I observe before I act, always. |
| 3 | I have sworn to protect another outcast. |
| 4 | My sense of humor is dry and cutting. |
| 5 | I constantly scan for exits. |
| 6 | I avoid eye contact—old habit. |
| 7 | I take joy in small victories. |
| 8 | I feel most at home in places others avoid. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Survival – Live first, question later. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Revenge – I will see those who wronged me undone. (Any) |
| 3 | Freedom – No one will ever control me again. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Redemption – I seek to reclaim the life I lost. (Good) |
| 5 | Secrets – Information is the only real power. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Balance – Even in the shadows, there’s a purpose. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I keep a relic of the person I once was. |
| 2 | I owe my life to the one who found me in exile. |
| 3 | I carry the memory of a lost family or friend. |
| 4 | I have sworn to protect another outcast. |
| 5 | I will one day return to the place I fled. |
| 6 | My past is a chain—I will break it. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am slow to trust and quick to suspect. |
| 2 | I vanish when things get difficult. |
| 3 | I hoard supplies obsessively. |
| 4 | I see betrayal in every kindness. |
| 5 | I avoid forming attachments. |
| 6 | I push people away before they can leave me. |
You are not merely forgotten—you are being actively erased. Someone, or something, works tirelessly to ensure you never return to the world’s memory.
You are actively pursued by an individual, faction, or supernatural force:
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Once per long rest, you can declare that your pursuers have found you, prompting the DM to introduce an encounter or complication.
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When targeted by a creature that has been sent after you, you gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, or otherwise coerced by them.
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