Displaced
You were brought here from another time. Brought here out of dire need or cosmic accident. Regardless of cause, you are here now and only the long way home.
A mortal out of time, you are disconnected from your now present but must make do. While not truly adapted to this time, you have your own strengths and gifts from a time far better equipped against it's own battle against the world. Will you ever get home? Will you change the future for the better or worse? Only one way to find out.
Why Are You Here?
There are a multitude of reasons as to how you got flung from the present into the past. Because you are from the future of this world, it is safe to say that magic is known to you and this could have been planned, or maybe you fell into a magical time-sinkhole and are totally unprepared.
Why Are You Here?
| d6 | Reason |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were summoned by the past who was in need of a great hero. |
| 2 | You walked through a magic portal hidden in the back of a closet. |
| 3 | You were minding your own business when, all of a sudden, you appeared in the same place hundreds or thousands of years in the past. |
| 4 | You were sent back in time to stop someone else from changing history. |
| 5 | Your time machine broke and now you're stuck here. |
| 6 | Someone else was sent into the past and you came back to save them. |
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two skills of your choice.
- Tool Proficiencies: Calligrapher's Supplies, one gaming set of your choice.
- Equipment: A smartphone, a notebook, a ballpoint pen, a set of modern clothes, a pocket knife, and a wallet containing 15 gp.
Feature: Sum Total of Human Knowledge
In your pocket lies the sum total of all human knowledge... Kinda. Your phone came with you, and although the magic powering it gives it an infinite battery life, the reception is kind of spotty.
While in possession of your phone, it can act as a multitude of things it normally would: a light, a camera, the GPS works, although the maps are too modern. Occasionally, you might be able to access some cached data from the Internet too... just hope you were browsing something useful.
Suggested Characteristics
| d8 | Personality Traits |
|---|---|
| 1 | I frequently find myself suggesting to do things that don't exist yet. |
| 2 | I was not prepared for how tiring everything was before automation. |
| 3 | I'm eager to explore this untamed version of our world! |
| 4 | I love history... or the present, I guess! |
| 5 | I enjoy the freedom I now have from our modern lives. |
| 6 | I often impose modern morals on the people here. |
| 7 | Information that I take for granted is considered either groundbreaking or absurd. |
| 8 | The gods are different than I was taught in my own time. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Possibility. I can't help but wonder what would happen if I were to change something important. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | Teaching. I can use the advanced techniques of the future to help people. (Good) |
| 3 | Learning. Exploring the past before it succumbs to the ravages of time is a fantastic opportunity. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Caution. I am an outsider from this time, I must be careful not to disrupt the course of history. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Opportunity. I will use my knowledge of the future to blow the minds of these simpletons and rule as a god. (Evil) |
| 6 | Purpose. I was brought here for a reason. I might as well see it through. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I need to find a way back to my home. |
| 2 | I owe my new friends who have helped me survive in this strange time. |
| 3 | I must safeguard the past so that the future may survive. |
| 4 | I came here looking for someone, I have to find them. |
| 5 | This chance to observe history as it is happening is too good to pass up. |
| 6 | The past is great! I hope I never go back! |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I find it difficult to cope without the amenities that I take for granted. |
| 2 | I cannot, for the life of me, take these accents seriously. |
| 3 | The past is horribly uncultured, I can't stand it! |
| 4 | Sometimes, I treat people as if they're just characters in a book. |
| 5 | The implications of altering the past terrify me. |
| 6 | I don't believe any of this is real. |
Variant Displaced: Isekai
Being flung from the present day into a magical world of the middle ages or thereabouts matches a popular genre. While the displaced is from the future of the world you play in, a world of magic, in an isekai, a character is taken from our mundane world instead. In this sort of instance, references to time in your characteristics may be better suited to refer to worlds instead, but otherwise is largely the same. Don't worry about your money being worthless though, your class' starting equipment implies you have been here for enough time to earn money, or you happen upon your equipment in short order.
Credits
Designed by d'Artagnan on DMs Guild, /u/dArtagnanDnD on reddit, or dArtagnanDnD on patreon and dArtagnanDnD on Twitter.
- Made with "GM Binder".
- Made with reference and for use with Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, created by Wizards of the Coast.