You live for the thrill of discovery. Ancient tombs, forgotten ruins, cursed vaults — you’ve delved them all in search of riches, relics, or knowledge best left untouched. Perhaps you began as an archaeologist with noble intent, or perhaps you were simply a daring opportunist chasing gold. Either way, you’ve honed your skills at navigating deadly dungeons, unearthing priceless artifacts, and slipping past the traps that guard them.
- Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Acrobatics
- Tool Proficiencies: Thieve's tools, one type of artisan's tools (commonly cook's utensils, navigator's tools, or cartographer’s tools)
- Languages: One of your choice (the language of ancient cultures or scholars)
- Equipment: A set of traveler’s clothes, a crowbar, a pouch containing 15 gp, and a small notebook filled with sketches of maps and ruins.
Your experience with ancient sites and artifacts gives you an eye for the genuine. You can usually identify the culture or era of origin of an item or ruin after a short inspection, and can spot obvious forgeries or modern imitations.
You can also find buyers (or scholars) interested in purchasing relics and artifacts you recover, often at a fair price — though sometimes at the cost of attracting rivals.
Suggested Characteristics
Treasure hunters can be bold explorers, scholarly adventurers, or reckless fortune-seekers. They often wrestle with the tension between greed and curiosity.
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I can’t resist poking at something ancient, even if I know it might kill me. |
| 2 | I boast loudly of my exploits, even when they nearly got me killed. |
| 3 | I catalog everything I see, sketching maps and artifacts with obsessive detail. |
| 4 | I have a superstition for every dungeon hazard (“always knock twice before opening a sarcophagus”). |
| 5 | I remain calm under pressure — collapsing ceilings don’t scare me, but being cheated out of gold does. |
| 6 | I tend to leap before I look, trusting my reflexes to save me. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery. The truth of the past must be uncovered, no matter the risk. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Greed. If I don’t take the treasure, someone else will. (Evil) |
| 3 | Glory. My name will be remembered in every tavern story and history book. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Preservation. These relics are fragile and must be protected, not plundered. (Good) |
| 5 | Freedom. No trap, tomb, or tyrant can cage me. (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Knowledge. Artifacts teach us the lessons of forgotten civilizations. (Lawful) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’m still searching for a legendary lost artifact spoken of in myths. |
| 2 | A rival treasure hunter betrayed me once; I’ll never forget it. |
| 3 | My mentor taught me everything, and I carry their old journal wherever I go. |
| 4 | The ruins I raid fund a greater cause — restoring my homeland, or protecting my family. |
| 5 | I once lost a dear friend to a trap, and I’ll never underestimate them again. |
| 6 | I swore to return a stolen relic to its rightful resting place. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I can’t pass up a locked door or hidden passage. |
| 2 | I value gold and relics above friendship or trust. |
| 3 | I’ll bluff, cheat, or steal if it means getting ahead of a rival. |
| 4 | I’m reckless, convinced luck is always on my side. |
| 5 | I underestimate curses and warnings — they’re just words, right? |
| 6 | My obsession with relics clouds my judgment about people and danger. |
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