Mysterious Stranger
No matter how hard you try, you cannot seem to recollect how you got here or who you are. You occasionally obtain figments of what might be a past life, but are unable to connect them in any meaningful way. There always exists a void in your memory, a blank from which only more questions arise. Perhaps you've spent sleepless nights troubling over your lost history, or maybe you've had enough time to make peace with it. You might only remember the last few days' worth of events, or perhaps a fair bit more. But no matter how much you search, you can't seem to find any proof or recollection of your past life. Who are you?
Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Deception
Tool Proficiencies: One of your choice
Languages: One language
Equipment: A set of common clothes, a letter with a name you don't recognize, an ink pen, a small journal, and 5gp.
Language and Tool Proficiency
The language and tool proficiency given by this background represent your unknown past. You don't know the exact reason you can use these tools or understand this language.
When you create your character, your can have your DM decide these for you. If your DM decides the language, they may hide it from you until you first hear it spoken or see it written. Alternatively, you can select these randomly.
Feature: Sudden Appearance
Your life to this point has been primarily defined by your sudden appearance. Though you don't remember the events leading up to that moment, you can remember the events immediately afterwards.
d8 |
Plot Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | I saw a blinding flash of light, perhaps from a god. |
| 2 | The most confusing part was the blood on my hands. It certainly wasn't mine. |
| 3 | The many townsfolk that surrounded me appeared just as perplexed as I was. |
| 4 | Someone took me into their house and nursed me back to full health. |
| 5 | I awoke on a strange shore. I can still recall the coldness of the moonlit waves against my feet. |
| 6 | I was alone. It was days, if not weeks before I saw someone else |
| 7 | I awoke surrounded by flower petals and prayer beads in the temple of a specific deity. |
| 8 | I am haunted by vivid memories of the shadowy figures around me. |
Feature: Empty Past
You have no recollection of your life beyond a specific moment, and no amount of magic or interrogation can surface these events. Magic that would determine if you are lying about your forgotten history always comes up inconclusive.
If you ever find out your true identity, you lose this feature and instead gain the feature of a background pertaining to your identity (such as the entertainer's By Popular Demand feature). Your proficiencies do not change.
d8 |
Personality Traits |
|---|---|
| 1 | My curiosity often leads me to places I don't belong. |
| 3 | I hold a trinket of personal significance closely. It is my most valuable possession. |
| 4 | I want to make the most out of what little time I have left, I'm a thrillseeker. |
| 5 | I refuse to let others control my behavior, it makes me feel powerless. |
| 6 | I have trouble remembering other people's faces and names. |
| 7 | There is no time for thinking, action is the only way to get anywhere. |
| 8 | I am completely unaware of the horrible evils that plague this realm. |
d6 |
Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | My newfound sense of life makes me think life is precious and worth protecting. (Good) |
| 2 | I will find answers to this mystery or die trying. (Any) |
| 3 | The only time I'm happy is when others are happy. (Good) |
| 4 | Anything that stands between me and my destiny will be destroyed. (Evil) |
| 5 | Following the law has never gotten me any answers, why bother with it? (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Everything should be planned methodologically, I always need a plan. (Lawful) |
d6 |
Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm hopeful that I will someday reunite with my family. |
| 2 | I am in search of a powerful deity that can help me recover my memories. |
| 3 | I will do anything to protect my friends, they are my anchor. |
| 4 | Someone purposefully wiped my memory and I'm sure of it. I hope to get my revenge some day. |
| 5 | I believe that I have a higher purpose in life and was placed here by a divine figure. |
| 6 | I keep a journal of everything that matters to me, that way I'll never forget. |
d6 |
Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don't trust anyone unless they've proven themselves. Even then, I am careful around them. |
| 2 | I'm envious of anyone that claims to have had a happy childhood. I can't even remember my own. |
| 3 | A dreary tiredness always follows me as my thoughts keep me up at night. |
| 4 | Nothing ever seems to work out for me, I always expect the worst. |
| 5 | I will disregard my own safety if it means finding clues about my history. |
| 6 | I instantly and unquestionably believe anyone who claims they are my family. |