You were part of a respected mystical tradition—a divine sanctuary, a circle of guardians, a mystery order, or a pinnacle of arcane study. Your training was underway when a sudden, traumatic event severed the bond between you and your order.
There was no theoretical debate or amicable farewell: the initiation ritual was corrupted by an external force, the sanctuary was attacked, a curse afflicted your body, or the order was suddenly dissolved or destroyed. To the survivors—or to the order itself—you (or what befell you) became a painful reminder of the tragedy: a presence linked to the disaster, branded an Anathema.
Forced away before completing your apprenticeship, you carry the fragments of your former mystical knowledge and the mark of that trauma. With no masters to guide you and no rites to bring your training to fruition, you have had to learn to control your magic and survive on your own.
- Ability Scores: Choose one attribute to increase by +2 and another by +1 (or three attributes by +1). (Common suggestions: Wisdom, Constitution, or Dexterity).
- Feat: Choose one from:
- Magic Initiate (Representing the remnants of mystical training that were interrupted before completion).
- Alert (Reflecting the startle reflex and vigilance learned after the disaster).
- Tough (Your ability to withstand and survive the physical and mental impact of trauma).
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from Perception, Intuition, Arcana, and Religion (representing trauma-induced hypervigilance and fragmented mystical knowledge).
- Tool Proficiencies: A tool or kit of your choice (e.g., herbalism kit, calligrapher's supplies, or alchemist's supplies).
- Languages: Common + 2 additional languages of your choice (Recommended: the sacred/arcane language of the destroyed/lost order and another language you learned while in hiding).
- Equipment: A set of travel clothes or fine attire, the chosen tool, a broken memento or focal point from the day of the trauma, a journal with incomplete notes, and a pouch containing 15 gp.
The Nature of Traumatic Interruption
| d6 |
The Nature of Traumatic Interruption |
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1
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Atypical Manifestation: Your magic (divine or arcane) began to channel in unusual ways or through unorthodox sources, deeply unsettling and troubling your masters.
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2
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Alternative Interpretation: While studying sacred scriptures or ancient arcane tomes, you arrived at theological or theoretical conclusions that directly contradicted official doctrine.
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3
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Unconventional Method: You rejected the rigid rites and bureaucracy of the temple/academy, preferring a more intuitive, practical, or personal connection to the Weave.
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4
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Personal Revelation: A direct mystical experience or vision revealed a facet of the divine/arcane that your order considered a taboo or a dangerous delusion.
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5
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Pursuit of Forbidden Answers: Your academic or spiritual inquiries began touching upon subjects that the higher-ups insisted on keeping shrouded in secrecy and silence.
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6
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Spiritual Incompatibility: Over time, it became painfully clear to both sides that your personal values and the order’s strict methods could simply no longer align.
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Spell List
The remnants of your shattered training shaped a practical magic of survival: the power to manipulate your surroundings from a safe distance, the ability to weave fleeting illusions for instant cover or distractions, and a preserved ritual from your former order that binds a loyal spirit to act as your eyes, ears, and accomplice in the dark.
Suggested Characteristics
| d4 |
Personality Trait |
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1
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Hypervigilant: I never sit with my back to doors or windows. The day everything collapsed taught me that danger never warns you before it arrives.
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2
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Incomplete Method: I mix the formal rites I learned in the order with street improvisations and jury-rigged tricks, which leaves purists appalled and horrified.
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3
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Calm in Chaos: While everyone panics when a spell misfires or the ceiling caves in, I remain strangely serene — after all, I've already lived through the worst day of my life.
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4
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Cynical Humor: I use sarcasm and irony as armor to prevent anyone from noticing how much my interrupted training still hurts.
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| d4 |
Ideal |
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1
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Autonomy: Mystical knowledge and faith do not belong to corporations or masters; I am the sole master of my own path.
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2
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Resilience: If I survived the day my order fell, I can endure any trial the world throws in my way.
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3
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Reconstruction: My training was cut short, but I will finish what was interrupted, strictly on my own terms.
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4
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Truth: Accidents and tragedies do not happen by chance; uncovering the truth behind my trauma is the only path to redemption.
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| d4 |
Bond |
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1
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Saved Relic: I carry the only mystic object or fragment that remained from the day of the trauma; I swore to restore it or unlock its secret.
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2
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Trail of the Missing: My mentor (or fellow initiate) vanished during the disaster. I continue to travel the world searching for their whereabouts.
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3
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Search for the Cause: I will not rest until I discover the truth behind the accident/attack that interrupted my ritual. I need to know if I was betrayed.
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4
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Autonomous Vow: I made a solemn vow before my own magic: I will never again allow an order or master to stand between me and my evolution.
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| d4 |
Flaw |
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1
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Memory Trigger: Certain sounds, the smell of the magic involved in my trauma, or magical mishaps instantly leave me paralyzed or in a state of shock.
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2
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Incompleteness Complex: I frequently doubt my own mystical capability, believing my magic is "defective" or "halved" because I never completed the rite.
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3
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Obsessive Skepticism: I find it extremely difficult to trust mentors, organized orders, or figures of mystical authority, always expecting betrayal or disaster.
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4
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Harmful Hyper-Independence: I refuse to ask for help or accept healing/support from others, even when I am on the brink of death, as I hate feeling vulnerable or indebted.
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Contacts
Anathema rarely maintain ties with the authorities of their former order, but they have amassed valuable contacts on the fringes—people who witnessed the tragedy unfold, survivors of the same event, or underworld figures who helped hide and equip a mystic without a patron.
| d8 |
Contact |
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1
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The Clandestine Apothecary: An expelled former member or street apothecary who buys your rare components with no questions asked and provides reagents at cost.
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2
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The Renegade Archivist: A librarian or scribe from your former tradition who secretly disagreed with your banishment and continues sending you copies of tomes and research via hidden manuscripts.
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3
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The Ruins Keeper: The former caretaker, gravedigger, or groundskeeper of the destroyed sanctuary/temple, who still watches over the ruins and warns you if anyone (or anything) is seen there.
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4
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The Relic Fence: An underworld dealer specializing in "lost" artifacts and holy symbols, who alerts you whenever items or pieces from your former order surface on the black market.
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5
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The Smuggler of the Mists: An urban underworld guide or smuggler who helped you go into hiding on the day of the traumatic event and demands favors in exchange for safe passage.
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6
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The Misunderstood Seer: A marginalized diviner or mystic who foresaw the exact omen that disrupted your training and grants you fragmented visions of the truth in exchange for protection.
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7
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The Rogue Scholar: A young active initiate in your former order who secretly seeks you out to learn "forbidden techniques" or discover the true story behind the trauma.
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8
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The Cult Investigator: An agent or mercenary specializing in magical mishaps and heresies, who consults you as an expert witness whenever similar arcane or divine phenomena occur.
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