You hunt down exceptional arms and armor from a bygone era. Your fascination may have begun as a smith's apprentice, a student of war, or even a position at a museum. Regardless, you are now obsessed with the often magical creations that have changed the course of history. As a result, you investigate, collect, and sometimes trade these artifacts (to fund your expeditions). You also often use them in order to unlock their secrets.
You may seek them to simply keep them out of dangerous hands - or instead to write your name in history by creating a piece that would rival the greatest ever made.
Special thanks to the creator of the Relic Hunter background, from which I borrowed quite a few features.
- Skill Proficiencies: History, Investigation
- Tool Proficiencies: Cartographer's Tools
- Languages: Choose one exotic language (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon)
- Equipment: Cartographer's tools, clothes, traveler's, felt hat, your first relic, a partial map to a location you have yet to explore, a pouch containing 10gp worth of minor artifacts like gems, jewelry or art objects
Your obsession with seeking relics may have begun suddenly, but you know exactly when it happened. A chance encounter with an item of unparalleled craftsmanship and provenance set you on your path - it likely still calls to you, motivating you to seek it out for your own or acquire something to rival it. Roll on the Relentless Hunter table below to determine the object of your hunt, or choose one for your own.
| d8 | Relentless Hunter |
|---|---|
| 1 | The sword of the world's greatest Paladin |
| 2 | A magical set of plate armor up for auction - bought by a noble with no use for it |
| 3 | A fiery warhammer allegedly forged by Moradin himself |
| 4 | The broken staff of a Lich - rumored to be repairable |
| 5 | The steadily humming shield of a hero of a hundred battles |
| 6 | A faintly glowing bow formerly wielded by a priestess of the hunt |
| 7 | A set of iridescent black leather armor that smelled vaguely of sulfur |
| 8 | The weathered spear of the first king |
You are well versed in the history and legends that surround ancient locations and the cultures that built and populated them, especially as they pertain to the invaluable weapons, armor, and relics of those peoples. Dungeons, lost cities, cult lairs, the erstwhile towering spires of great civilizations or the shattered remnants of flying citadels, all of which once housed great treasures of war, are all examples of where your search for the fragments of history may bring you.
If there is a way to find the location of such places and what they contain, as well as any information about them that can aid you in plundering these riches, then you have an uncanny knack for tracking down this information, and also in knowing the value of what you do, or could, find.
Suggested Characteristics
Armory Seekers have an innate fascination with the ancient world and bygone eras and, in particular, the arms, armor, and artifacts, that such people leave behind. They search out the greatest of these works and bring them back from the ruins to civilization, for profit or posterity.
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'd rather be plundering. |
| 2 | I like to think of myself as a preserver of culture and protector of history. |
| 3 | I like to burn the candle at both ends, especially when hunting for relics in the dark... |
| 4 | I hate to give up on a search for a long, lost artefact. |
| 5 | I wouldn't risk my life to get an item of significance, however other people's lives? Sure! |
| 6 | The search for cultural items is as much about the journey, as it is about the rich, rich rewards. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Recognition. Fame is longer lasting than fortune, and I aim to seek it even if it costs me everything! |
| 2 | Respect. Ancient cultures must be respected, as must their contemporary descendants. |
| 3 | Fortune. Do you have any idea how much the king will pay for this artefact of his people? Well, I aim to find out! |
| 4 | Posterity. These things should be in a public location for the viewing and enlightenment of the masses. |
| 5 | Protection. If I find it first, I can protect it from others and lock it away in my private collection. |
| 6 | Curiosity. I simply like to explore and learn about ancient cultures, traditions, people, places and things. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a close friend who sometimes helps me on my quests but who isn't suited to the rigours of adventuring. |
| 2 | My people have lost much throughout their history. I would love to restore some of it to them. |
| 3 | I am responsible for a great secret entrusted to me by my dying mentor. |
| 4 | My parents died searching for an ancient relic. I honour them by trying to find what they could not. |
| 5 | An incomplete riddle is all I have left of my dead teacher's notes. |
| 6 | My diary keeps me sane... sort-of. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I refuse, under any circumstances, to fly. |
| 2 | I insist I know the right way to go, even when everyone else says it's the wrong way. |
| 3 | I use pointless aphorisms... a lot. |
| 4 | Talking to myself is the only intelligent conversation I can have. |
| 5 | I. Must. Search. Every. Nook. And. Cranny. Dammit! |
| 6 | [Insert beast name here]? Why'd it have to be [Insert beast name here]?! |
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