You learned early that the truth rarely announces itself. It hides in margins, in misplaced dust, in wax seals that do not quite match, in the way a story changes when the speaker thinks no one is listening. You may have started as a scholar, copyist, or apprentice mage, but your work pulled you out of reading rooms and into locked offices, restricted vaults, and the back corridors where secrets are stored, traded, or quietly erased.
You follow the evidence, not the drama. You take careful notes, test assumptions, and use simple magic to separate the supernatural from the merely suspicious. When others argue about what must have happened, you look for what actually did.
- Ability Scores:
Intelligence, Dexterity, Constitution - An Arcane Sleuth relies on a sharp mind to interpret clues, steady nerves to work in hazardous places, and nimble hands to act quickly when an opportunity appears.
- Feat: Magic Initiate (Wizard) - Your training emphasized practical, reliable magic that supports investigation. You use simple spells to confirm what is real, reveal what is hidden, and keep your work controlled rather than theatrical.
- Skill Proficiencies: Arcana and Investigation - You are trained in identifying magical signatures, reconstructing events, analyzing physical evidence, and discerning inconsistencies in testimony or environment.
- Tool Proficiencies: Thieves Tools or Calligrapher’s Supplies
- Languages: None granted by this background.
- Equipment: Quarterstaff, Dagger, Calligrapher's Supplies, Thieves' Tools, Book (notebook), Parchment (8 sheets), Robe
When you enter a scene, your attention snaps to a particular kind of detail. Roll or choose.
| d8 | Field Specialization |
|---|---|
| 1 | The exits and lines of sight. You map the room before you think about the people in it. |
| 2 | The dust and disturbance. You notice what has been moved, cleaned, or carefully avoided. |
| 3 | The paper trail. Ledgers, letters, seals, receipts, and the small lies hiding in handwriting. |
| 4 | The wards and weak points. The places magic was laid down, and where it did not reach. |
| 5 | The soundscape. What is too quiet, what is too loud, and what does not belong. |
| 6 | The hands. Calluses, ink stains, burn marks, and the habits that give people away. |
| 7 | The timing. A detail that makes the stated timeline impossible, or uncomfortably precise. |
| 8 | The missing piece. Not what is present, but what should be and is not. |
You know how information is stored, hidden, and quietly destroyed. When you need to learn about a person, place, object, or event, you can usually determine where useful records or reliable witnesses might be found, such as archives, guild ledgers, temple registries, watch reports, shipping manifests, or private collections.
If the information is not readily available, you can usually identify the next best lead: the name of someone likely to know more, the kind of record that would contain the answer, or a likely reason the information is missing.
Suggested Characteristics
Arcane Sleuths live between scholarship and street sense. Some are patient and methodical, others impulsive and daring, but all share a habit of noticing what most people overlook. Your work rewards restraint, precision, and a certain comfort with unanswered questions. It also tends to attract people who have something to hide.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I observe before I speak. |
| 2 | I record everything — memory is unreliable, ink is not. |
| 3 | I prefer evidence to opinion. |
| 4 | I move quietly even when I don’t need to. |
| 5 | I am calm under pressure; chaos reveals patterns. |
| 6 | I dislike leaving questions unanswered. |
| 7 | I distrust coincidences. |
| 8 | I have little patience for sloppy thinking. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Truth. Knowledge must be verified. |
| 2 | Containment. Dangerous magic must be controlled. |
| 3 | Justice. Magic should not shield criminals. |
| 4 | Responsibility. Power demands oversight. |
| 5 | Method. Process prevents catastrophe. |
| 6 | Prevention. Stop disasters before they start. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | A stolen manuscript vanished under my watch. |
| 2 | My mentor suspects corruption within Candlekeep. |
| 3 | I owe my training to someone powerful. |
| 4 | I am tracking a recurring magical signature across cities. |
| 5 | A criminal once escaped me. I will correct that error. |
| 6 | I protect Candlekeep’s reputation at all costs. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I pry too deeply. |
| 2 | I struggle to trust intuition over proof. |
| 3 | I can be cold when focused on facts. |
| 4 | I pursue leads beyond reason. |
| 5 | I keep secrets that isolate me. |
| 6 | I underestimate emotional motives. |
Contacts
Your work depends on access and discretion. You keep one or more contacts who can point you toward records, rumors, or opportunities, and who understand that questions are sometimes safer than accusations. These contacts are not servants or agents, and they do not take foolish risks, but they may provide quiet help when your inquiry aligns with their interests.
| d6 | Contact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Court Clerk. Knows which records exist and which ones were “misfiled.” |
| 2 | Locksmith. Sells parts, explains mechanisms, and spots sabotage. |
| 3 | Temple Scribe. Recognizes curses, rites, and the politics of faith. |
| 4 | Retired Watch Officer. Has instincts, grudges, and old case notes. |
| 5 | Fence With Standards. Buys stolen curios, but hates sloppy thieves. |
| 6 | Courier. Moves messages and small parcels without questions. |
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