Risen

Death was not the end of your story.

Either upon your birth, or when your life came to its inevitable close, another will reached out towards you. Whether it was an ancient lich, a powerful necromancer, or some other immortal master of undeath, something chose to return you to the world - not as a mindless servant, but as a vessel worthy of a second existence.

The magic that restored you did not simply reanimate your body. It bound your soul to a vessel, an object that anchors your existence to the mortal world. A weathered lantern, a rusted ring, a coffin, or even some other personal relic now carries a fragment of your soul. While your body walks the world, your true existence is forever tied to that object, and it is in constant need of nourishment.

Your patron may still watch over you. They may expect service, seek to mold you into an heir, or perhaps have long since perished, leaving you to discover your own purpose. Whatever the truth, you are no ordinary existence, especially amongst the realms.

Ability Scores: Constitution, Strength, Dexterity

Feat: You gain the Tough feat.

Skill Proficiencies:

Choose 1 from History, Investigation, or Religion. Choose 1 from Insight, Intimidation, or Medicine.

Tool Proficiencies:

Choose 1 from Mason's Tools, Leatherworker's Tools, Calligrapher's Supplies, Herbalism Kit, Enchanters Tools, or Carpenter's Tools.

Languages:

You know any one language that you knew in life. This is traditionally Netherese.

Equipment: A set of ruined travelers clothes, a keepsake recovered from your grave, an Imperial Soul Engine (in the form of something keeping you bound to the mortal world, such as a vampires coffin), a small shovel, your chosen tool proficiency, a waterskin, and a coin purse containing 10 gp.

Suggested Characteristics

d6	Personality Trait
1	I often speak to the dead as though they can still hear me.
2	I carefully preserve old things that others would throw away.
3	I rarely rush. Time has already lost much of its meaning.
4	I stare at living creatures with quiet fascination.
5	I enjoy peaceful places where few others dare tread.
6	I constantly wonder who I was before I died.

d6	Ideal
1	Death deserves respect, not fear.
2	Everyone deserves a second chance, as I was given one.
3	Nothing should remain buried forever.
4	The living waste the precious gift they possess.
5	Knowledge survives longer than flesh ever can.
6	My new life must have purpose, whatever it may be.

d6	Bond
1	I still carry the object buried with me.
2	Someone still visits my grave, believing me dead.
3	I seek the truth behind my resurrection.
4	I owe my existence to a force I do not yet understand.
5	There is one name from my former life I refuse to forget.
6	I protect burial places from those who would desecrate them.

d6	Flaw
1	I struggle to understand normal emotions.
2	I become unnervingly calm around death and suffering.
3	I sometimes forget that living people tire, fear, or grieve.
4	I obsess over memories that may not even be mine.
5	I fear that one day my will shall fail and I will become nothing more than a mindless corpse.
6	I secretly believes death is always the simplest solution to life's problems.