Veilwalker (Final Version)

You spent years balancing two very different worlds: the pursuit of forbidden knowledge and the collection of dangerous secrets. Whether stealing spellbooks from rival mages, infiltrating noble estates under false identities, or deciphering forgotten runes hidden beneath ancient ruins, your talents have always been equally suited for libraries and locked doors.

You know that information is the most valuable currency in the world. A hidden passage, a forgotten ritual, a noble's secret correspondence, or the true name of a fiend can be worth more than gold. While others see themselves as scholars, spies, or thieves, you understand that knowledge and deception are simply different tools used to uncover the truth—or hide it.

Your reputation may be that of an investigator, infiltrator, treasure hunter, or magical operative, but your greatest weapon has always been your mind.

Ability Scores: This background is designed for characters who rely on quick thinking, subtlety, and force of personality rather than brute strength. It is best suited for Rogues, Warlocks, Bards, and other characters who thrive on deception, investigation, infiltration, and magical knowledge. Dexterity represents the precision needed to bypass locks, avoid danger, and move unseen, while Charisma reflects the confidence required to manipulate others, maintain disguises, and wield magical influence. Intelligence is also a natural choice for characters focused on research, deciphering ancient lore, and uncovering hidden truths.

 

Recommended ability score improvements are +2 Dexterity and +1 Charisma, or +2 Charisma and +1 Dexterity, depending on whether the character emphasizes stealth or spellcasting. Intelligence also complements this background for characters who focus on investigation, magical research, and ancient lore.

Feat: Your life has been spent acquiring knowledge through both scholarship and espionage. Whether the answer lies within an ancient library, a noble's private collection, a forgotten ruin, or the records of a secret organization, you possess an instinct for discovering where valuable information can be found. When confronted with an unsolved mystery, magical phenomenon, or hidden secret, you can determine the most promising lead or source to investigate. Finding the answer may still require travel, diplomacy, infiltration, or adventure, but you always know where to begin looking.

Skill Proficiencies: Knowledge alone is rarely enough to uncover the world's greatest secrets—you must also know how to speak the right words and hide the wrong ones. Your experiences as an arcane infiltrator have taught you to win allies through charm and confidence while misleading enemies with convincing lies and carefully crafted personas. Whether negotiating with nobles, bluffing your way past guards, or coaxing forbidden knowledge from reluctant scholars, Persuasion and Deception are the tools that open doors no lockpick ever could.

Tool Proficiencies: Your work required more than knowledge and persuasive words. You learned to bypass locks, disable simple traps, and quietly gain access to places where you were never meant to tread. Whether recovering ancient tomes from sealed vaults, infiltrating noble estates, or slipping unnoticed into forgotten ruins, proficiency with thieves' tools reflects both your technical expertise and your patient, methodical approach to overcoming obstacles. To you, a lock is simply another puzzle waiting to be solved.

Your training combined practical infiltration with scholarly discipline. Thieves' tools allow you to quietly overcome physical barriers, while calligrapher's supplies enable you to accurately copy manuscripts, forge documents, reproduce magical texts, and create convincing correspondence. Together, these proficiencies represent a character equally at home deciphering ancient tomes and slipping through locked doors in search of forbidden knowledge.

Languages: Knowledge is power, and language is the key that unlocks it. Your studies exposed you to ancient writings, coded correspondence, magical inscriptions, and conversations that few others could understand. Whether deciphering forgotten tomes, negotiating with extraplanar beings, or infiltrating foreign organizations, your additional language reflects the specialized knowledge required to uncover secrets hidden from ordinary adventurers.

Equipment: Your possessions reflect a life divided between careful scholarship and covert operations. A journal or collection of notes preserves valuable research gathered over years of investigation, while writing supplies allow you to record discoveries, copy ancient texts, and forge convincing documents when necessary. Thieves' tools represent your practical training in bypassing locks and other obstacles, and your traveler's clothes are chosen for comfort, durability, and the ability to blend into nearly any crowd. Together, your equipment provides everything needed to gather information, infiltrate restricted locations, and pursue knowledge wherever it may be hidden. 

Spell List

Your studies of ancient lore and hidden magic have provided you with a basic understanding of spellcasting. The spells available through this background represent foundational magical techniques commonly learned by scholars, infiltrators, and seekers of forbidden knowledge. Whether your power comes from careful study, innate talent, or a mysterious patron, these spells complement a life dedicated to uncovering secrets and overcoming obstacles through both intellect and magic.

Spell Level	Spells

Arcane Researchers often master subtle magic that aids investigation, infiltration, and the recovery of hidden knowledge. These spells emphasize information gathering, stealth, deception, and overcoming magical or physical barriers rather than direct combat. Characters who gain access to this expanded spell list become adept at solving mysteries, navigating dangerous environments, and uncovering secrets long thought lost.

Suggested Characteristics

Arcane Researchers come from many walks of life, but all share an insatiable curiosity and a willingness to venture where others fear to tread. Some pursue forgotten lore for the betterment of the world, while others seek hidden knowledge for personal gain or power. Their experiences among scholars, spies, thieves, and secret societies shape their outlook, creating individuals who are resourceful, observant, and rarely satisfied with easy answers. Use the following tables to help define your character's personality, ideals, bonds, and flaws, or create your own to reflect your unique journey.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I instinctively look for hidden meanings in every conversation.
2	Every lock, puzzle, or cipher is a challenge I cannot resist.
3	I remain calm and observant, even when others panic.
4	I keep detailed notes on everything I discover.
5	I enjoy learning secrets more than spending gold.
6	I rarely reveal everything I know.
7	I prefer solving problems with wit before drawing a weapon.
8	I always have a contingency plan.

d6	Ideal
1	Knowledge. Every secret deserves to be uncovered.
2	Freedom. Knowledge should belong to everyone, not only the powerful.
3	Preparation. Careful planning overcomes brute strength.
4	Truth. Lies may hide the truth, but the truth always matters.
5	Power. Knowledge is the greatest source of power.
6	Balance. Some secrets must be protected from those who would abuse them.

d6	Bond
1	I seek a legendary tome believed lost to history.
2	My mentor vanished while pursuing forbidden knowledge, and I intend to discover their fate.
3	I safeguard a secret capable of changing the world.
4	I owe my life to someone who taught me that information is more valuable than gold.
5	I possess only part of an ancient map leading to a hidden archive.
6	There is one mystery I refuse to abandon until it is solved.

d6	Flaw
1	I cannot ignore an unsolved mystery.
2	I often believe I'm the smartest person in the room.
3	I trust information more than people.
4	Curiosity frequently gets me into trouble.
5	I keep too many secrets, even from my allies.
6	I sometimes pursue knowledge without considering the consequences.

Contacts

Throughout your years as an Arcane Researcher, you cultivated relationships with scholars, librarians, informants, archivists, collectors, and covert operatives. While these individuals may not always be close friends, they recognize your reputation and may be willing to exchange information, provide access to restricted collections, identify rare magical artifacts, or point you toward others who possess the knowledge you seek. Some contacts operate openly within universities and temples, while others work from the shadows of criminal organizations, secret societies, or hidden sanctums.

d5	Contact
1	Archivist Elara Voss — Keeper of a hidden library who specializes in forbidden tomes, ancient languages, and lost civilizations.
2	The Whisper Broker — An anonymous information dealer who can usually point you toward secrets, stolen artifacts, or hidden organizations—for the right price.
3	Lord Cassian Mire — A collector of rare magical relics whose private library contains volumes unavailable anywhere else.
4	Father Malrec — A temple historian and occult scholar who studies extraplanar entities, divine relics, and ancient prophecies.
5	Organization: The Silent Archive - A secret network of scholars, spies, and collectors dedicated to recovering and safeguarding dangerous magical knowledge before it falls into the wrong hands.