You're the one they go to when something horrific rears it's head on the outskirts of town. Less a valiant hero they turn to, but more just someone to get the job done. There's nothing fancy to this line of work, life is gold pieces and wyvern tails to you. Some towns may hate you, others praise you, but one thing's for sure. The job gets done.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Acrobatics, Investigation, Nature, or Survival
- Languages: Choose one exotic language (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon)
- Equipment: A monster hunter’s pack, a set of common clothes, and one trinket of special significance (choose one or roll on the Gothic Trinkets table after this background).
Before becoming an adventurer, life as a monster hunter granted your it's fair share of horrific tales and experiences. Some may stick in your mind and haunt you, others you tell to locals around a flagon of ale, and occasionally there's nothing better than a recolection of slaughtering a beast to terify that drunkard stealing coppers.
| d8 | Foul Tales |
|---|---|
| 1 | You once killed a werewolf midfeast to descover it had an ecclectic taste for tieflings. |
| 2 | "After ripping the harpy's wings from her back she wasn't all that threatening I said to myself. And well, that's how I got these scars." |
| 3 | "Zombies and chickens don't mix." |
| 4 | You once saw the petrified bodies of baby twins broken on the floor of a cockatrice's lair. |
| 5 | You saw a many eaten alive by a vile swarm of rot grubs. |
| 6 | You once decapitated a chitine. Its head rolled along the ground then burst open like an egg sack as a thousand spiders scurried out. |
| 7 | Some idiot thought that buying platemail would protect him against a family of rust monsters. You later found his corpse. |
| 8 | God damn hags. |
With a glance many can recognise you as a monster hunter, whether by your reputation or demeanor. Especially since whenever it comes to monsters you always seem to know a little more than other people. You gain a plus one to recall any information about any creature that is not a humanoid.
[For Better or for Worse - Optional rule: At the DM's descretion the ability for commoners to notice what you do for a living may result in less savoury encounters in a tavern or two.]
Suggested Characteristics
You have faught foul horrors and mostly won, do you do it for fame, for coin or for ale?
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. |
| 2 | I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. |
| 3 | I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow I might die. |
| 4 | I live for the thrill of the hunt. |
| 5 | I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse. |
| 6 | I expect danger around every corner. |
| 7 | I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized. |
| 8 | I put no trust in divine beings. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good) |
| 2 | I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any) |
| 3 | I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good) |
| 4 | I have a dark calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful) |
| 6 | I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy. |
| 2 | I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent. |
| 3 | My torment drove away the person I love. I strive to win back the love I’ve lost. |
| 4 | A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions. |
| 5 | There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free. |
| 6 | I have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer place for him (or her). |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them. |
| 2 | I assume the worst in people. |
| 3 | I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky ones. |
| 4 | I have an addiction. |
| 5 | I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope. |
| 6 | I talk to spirits that no one else can see. |
Comments