List of Ways of Darkness Backgrounds

This is the list of backgrounds within the Ways of Darkness RPG module.

Adventuring Mobster
You’re no ordinary citizen - you’re a shanty-zen, someone who hails from the slums of a big city. Not only that, but you were also part of a mob, a gang or a mafia. You were - and still are - a criminal, though not necessary a petty thief, burglar or saltbird: maybe you were all of those or neither, but what is certain is that you were a footsoldier for a mafia, and this gave you certain privileges.

But now that is in the past. Either you went too far and killed someone you shouldn’t have, were caught red-handed at embezzling some of the profits, stole something, killed a fellow mobster or did something else that pissed off the boss - whatever the case, you were branded an anathema, and targeted for being killed as swiftly as possible, forcing you out of the slums. So where’dja go? The Inner City might be a safe place for someone wanting to escape the mob, but you lacked the money to permanently settle down there, and you saw most honest work as beneath you. So you did the logical thing: you skipped town.

A fish out of the urban water, now you’re an adventurer walking the countryside, looking for mercenary work - or maybe a chance to redeem yourself as part of a heroic group of adventurers.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Advanced Street Smarts, Basic Bludgeoners and Basic Crossbows feats for free.
 * You can choose an Advanced Weapon feat for free - or two Basic ones instead. Alternatively, if you choose Advanced Bludgeoners or Advanced Crossbows, you can choose a Basic one for free.

Maluses:


 * You may only pick 12 feats at the beginning instead of the usual 16.
 * You cannot choose Etiquette or Logic as your starting feats. You can still acquire them later on though.
 * You might get a nasty surprise waiting for you, if you return to the slums of your home town. ( Up to the GM to enforce )
 * Very low starting money.

Amnesiac Diviner of the Sea
Some say that every great man’s story begins at their birth. Others prefer starting the story at an important event that set them on the path they would go on. If we were to go with the latter school of thought, we’d say that your story truly begins during a sea battle. You were essentially a sailor with Cassandra’s curse - blessed with the ability to see the future, cursed with the fate of not being believed by anyone. ''“ It’s a trap! ”'' you said, but the captain didn’t listen to you. Your ship was ambushed, your ship was captured, your crew was massacred, and you were thrown into the sea to feed the sharks - yet, somhehow, you lived, washed ashore a nameless island. Whether it was because you hit your head extra hard some time along the line, or because of traumatic experience, you now have amnesia, barely remember anything about the past before the battle. How tragic to be able to tell others’ future, but not your own past, isn’t it?

Bonuses:


 * Basic Seamanship for free
 * Your character has premotions of sorts, and can tell if something is wrong in an “I have a bad feeling about this” way. The GM has to take this into account, albeit not to the point of metagaming. The character can also vaguely tell the fate of others via some form of diviniation.

Maluses:


 * You can only choose 14 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Asinine Assassin
Let’s face it - you’re not particularly good looking. No, you’re actually quite ugly: you have the face of a donkey! Not only the face, but you also have the temperament of a donkey. You’re stubborn, once you set your mind on anything - literally anything - you will not rest until you get it done, no matter how many times you fail. Just one problem with that: you’re an assassin! Your job is supposed to be sneaking into safe spaces, silently assassinating your targets, while preferably leaving no witnessess, and leaving just as silently as you came.

Having a face that only a mother could love may help you blend into more unrefined masses and pretend to be the hunchback of some famous cathedral, it certainly won’t help you when you try to pretend to be a prince here to see a noble whose death is wanted by some creditors. Still, because you constantly to either fight off or outrun those who tried to violently bully you for your unsavoury looks, you have developed extra strength and dexterity - both useful in the assassination business. Your affinity with equines is also noteworthy.

Bonuses:


 * on Strength and Dexterity
 * Free feats: Advanced Sneaking, Basic Lockpicking, Basic Riding, Advanced Horsemanship, Basic Exotic Weapons, Basic Crossbows

Maluses:


 * on charisma
 * You get to choose only 10 feats at the start instead of 16
 * Low amount of starting money.

Crook
“ Stop right there, criminal scum! ” - a sentence you heard all too often in your life. You’re a crook. There is no better way to describe you, unless you consider the words “ criminal ”, “ thief ” or “ burglar ” to be more flattering. Whether you chose the criminal life or it chose you, your experiences made you a hardenned ( wo ) man - you’ve been in jail ( you have to go to jail to be a crook after all ), you narrowly escaped with your life several times before, and hey, you know the saying: what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, right? Well, it may not have made you physically stronger, it definitely made you a decent thief. Effectively, you have become a career criminal.

However, not being content with petty theft in the slums, you have grown ambitious and made up your mind: you are going to look for greener pastures as a wandering crim- err, adventurer with the intention of honing your thieving skills and stealing some great relic in order to get rich quick. Who knows, maybe a group of desperate adventures might recruit you out of need for your skills.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Basic Street Smarts feat, Basic Pickpocket, Basic Sneaking and Basic Lockpicking feats
 * Mediocre starting money.

Maluses:


 * You cannot choose Etiquette or Naturalism as your starting feats. You can still acquire them later on though.
 * You are a wanted criminal in your home territory. (enforcement up to the GM)

Discredited Academic
You tried to prove some study that other academicians didn’t like, or tried to perform unorthodox experiments that made you get expelled from whatever institute you were working or studying at. Now you walk the earth in hopes that one day, you will find someone who will appreciate your discoveries and theories, either by finding a sponsor to finance your continued studies, or by earning enough money to continue those studies privately.

Bonuses:


 * to Intelligence
 * You start with the Advanced Literacy feat at your native langauge’s script
 * You start with basic knowledge (Basic Classical Language feat) at a language of your choosing
 * You start with the Basic Arithmetics and Basic Logic feats for free
 * You start with either Basic Alchemy or a Basic Profession feat of your choosing

Maluses:


 * to Charisma
 * Particularly religious characters will have a lower opinion of this character. Up to the GM to enforce.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Disgraced Aristocrat
Born into a noble family, good with weapons and destined to be noble protector of the realm, you were once the pride of your father - emphasis on was. You did something that upset your family so terribly, that they disowned you, depriving you of your inheritance and much of your wealth, effectively sending you off to walk the earth. Now you travel the lands as a disgruntled mercenary looking for lucrative jobs that might help you become as rich as you once used to be.

Bonuses:


 * You start withh the following feats for free: Advanced Literacy ( at your native langauge’s script ), Basic Etiquette, Basic Riding, Basic Arithmetic, Medium Armour Conditioning, Basic Swords feat
 * You start with either the Advanced Swords feat, or a Basic feat from the usage of any weapon of your choosing.

Maluses:


 * You can only choose 8 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * Due to your status as a disgraced noble turned cutthroat, upper-class people will have a lower opinion of you than they otherwise would. (enforcement up to the GM)

Disgraced Soldier
Not all adventurers were born with a sense of self-righteousness and a desire to go out into the wild with the ultimate goal of turning the world upside down. Some people are are perfectly fine with a simple life, until fate forces them into the boots of an adventurer.

You used to be in an army, you used to be someone who followed orders, slept in barracks and took part in drills. But then something went terribly went wrong, and now you’re no longer part of the army. Perhaps you offended the wrong person, and they kicked you out? Or maybe they tried to execute you for treason or insubordination, but you succesfully escaped? Either way, the army doesn’t want you back, and now you’re an adventurer - or a mercenary?

Bonuses:


 * You start withh the following feats for free: Medium Armour Conditioning
 * You start with Advanced feat at any weapon of your choosing.
 * You start with Basic feat at any two weapons of your choosing.

Maluses:


 * You can only choose 10 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * Due to your status as a former soldier turned cutthroat, respectable military people will have a lower opinion of you than they otherwise would. (enforcement up to the GM)
 * Low starting money.

Dragon’s Blood
Under normal circumstances, dragons cannot interbreed with the various humanoid races of this world, be they mammalian ( humans, elves, orcs, goblins, ogres, halflings, dwarves, gomes ) or reptilian ( lizardmen ) - however, this is a world of magic, where “ normal circumstances ” don’t exist, and even the seemingly impossible is possible.

Ever since you were born ( or hatched from the egg, if you’re a lizardman ), your dream was to fly, you had the eyes of a snake, your blood had a rather odd smell and colour, and you were convinced that your mother’s husband - if you even had one in the first place - is not your biological father ( or maybe you have similar suspicions about your paternal grandfather instead? ). When you look at the sky, an unexplainable feeling of longing overcomes you; when you are angry, there are literal flames in your eyes; you do not hold the gods ( or God, if the religion you were brought up in is monotheistic ) in particularly high regard, and you see the divine laws as unnecessary chains on you.

It is beyond any doubt, that the blood of a dragon courses through your veins, and even the most knowledgeable of sages would struggle to explain how you came to be - that didn’t stop you from becoming an adventurer possibly motivated by finding out the truth about your heritage and origins.

Bonuses:


 * Resistance the element of Fire.
 * Resistance to offensive Arcane Magic directed at you.

Maluses:


 * to Charisma.
 * You cannot cannot acquire Magica Divinitatis ( Clerical Magic ) . If you want to play as a spellcaster, your only choices are Magica Profana ( Arcane Magic ) or Magica Naturae ( Nature Magic ).
 * Low starting money.

Failed Surgeon
“ The path to hell is paved with good intentions ” - or so goes the saying. You weren’t always an evil villain filled with a lust for power - once you were a goodly surgeon with one fatal flaw: you always came too late to save their lives, so, out of desperation, you decided to research into forbidden fields.

This came with two drawbacks: the first and most obvious one was that this forbidden knowledge marked you as an outcast, got you kicked out of whatever institution your worked for, and made you a wanted criminal despite having done no real crimes. The second, less obvious one was the fact that this dark power you have acquired ended up twisting your mind. The once good doctor became an evil necromancer full of lust for power. Or maybe your mind was already fickle and did not need any supernatural power to twist it: your persecution at the hands of the “ champions of the light ” made you question all their dogmas about selflessness, and you accidentally fell off the other side of the horse. Either way, now your main motivation is your own growth.

Bonuses:


 * Magica Profana, Basic Surgery, Basic Sciomancy and Necromancy for free
 * Advanced Literacy with your native language’s script
 * Basic Literacy with the Despotanmagi script and basic knowledge of Despotanmagi ( Basic Classical Language feat )

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 10 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Fallen Knight
You were once a paladin of the holiest orders, spreading the Light of Titanius violently - emphasis on it being the past. Something has dragged you away from the light. Either you were turned into a vampire or a theriantrope against your will, or some event in your light made you question the dogmas of your order, and the whole idea of the Light Side - either way, you not only turned away from the Light, but fall off the other side of the horse: you turned to the Dark Side! Now your goal is no longer to help people in the need, but to increase your power, either by collecting artifacts, gaining experience and knowledge, or by earning money as a mercenary.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Medium Armour Conditioning, Basic Flurry, Basic Overswing, Basic Riding, Advanced Horsemanship, Basic Chevauchée, Advanced Swords, Advanced Literacy ( at your native language ), Advanced knowledge of the Classical High Elven language ( Classical Language feat ) , Basic Etiquette, Magica Profana, Basic Sciomancy.

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 4 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * Mediocre amount of starting money.

Headhunter
You’re a headhunter - you hunt heads for money. Unlike an assassin, whose job is to sneak in and eliminate your target preferably without witnesses, and sneak out, your job as a headhunter is to bring your targets back to your clients, either as corpses or as prisoners. Whether they want the objective alive or dead differs from client to client - many are happy with you merely bringing back a decapitated head as proof that the deed has been done: hence the title “ headhunter ”.

Bonuses:


 * Free choice between Advanced Sneaking and Advanced Martial Arts
 * Free Advanced feat in any weapon skill of choice.
 * The following feats are granted for free: Basic Diaesthese, Basic Smuggling

Maluses:


 * You get to choose only 10 feats at the start instead of 16
 * Low amount of starting money.

Highwayman
You are not ashamed to admit it, that you don’t earn your daily bread by legal means: you’re a bandit, someone who preys on unaccompanied travellers for money and food alike, and if all else fails, you occasionally go raiding. Whatever it takes to survive, as long as “ whatever ” doesn’t include getting a real honest job, right?

The hard life has trained your body, but has also scarred your face. Since you’re still alive, it can be assumed that you know how to swing your weapons, and you are either a good sneak or a good runner - or both.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Basic Sneaking, Light Armour Conditioning, Basic Bludgeoners and Basic Street Smarts feats for free.
 * You can choose an Advanced Weapon feat for free - or two Basic ones instead. Alternatively, if you choose Advanced Bludgeoners, you can choose a Basic one for free.

Maluses:


 * You may only pick 10 feats at the beginning instead of the usual 16.
 * You cannot choose Etiquette or Logic as your starting feats. You can still acquire them later on though.
 * Very low starting money.

Mage’s Apprentice
There are many ways to get acquinted with magic from an early age: both of your parents were magicians, one of your parents was a magician, or you were orphaned and taken in by a magician. Either way, you were raised to be a magician, with your caretaker teaching you the basics at a relatively early age. Your open-minded child brains were ready to suck all that knowledge in, putting you decades ahead of any adult trying to learn magic. On the negative side, your strict caretaker didn’t leave much time for you to play, or develop any other skills.

Bonuses:


 * Magica Profana for free
 * Free choice between Basic Alchemy or Basic Enchantment for free
 * Advanced feat in any Magic feat ( save for Alchemy and Enchantment ) for free
 * Basic feat in two schools of Magic for free, chosen by player
 * Advanced Literacy with your native language’s script
 * Basic Literacy with the Despotanmagi script and basic knowledge of Despotanmagi ( Basic Classical Language feat )

Maluses:


 * to Strength
 * You can only choose 8 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Mages’ Guild Dropout
Where do people learn the basics of Arcane Magic? For the majority of people, there are only two possible answers to that question: either from their parents, or from the Mages Guild. For you, the answer is the latter. You were enrolled into the Mages Guild as a teenager or a young adult, learned the basics, but the lessons proved to be too boring for you - after all, you’re a ( wo ) man of action, not a bookworm! Eventually, you dropped out - either by voluntarily quitting, or by being kicked out for your deliquent behaviour. In the latter case, it never bothered you: you always knew that your call was in the outside, as an adventurer.

Bonuses:


 * Magica Profana for free
 * Basic feat in two schools of Magic for free, chosen by player
 * Advanced Literacy with your native language’s script
 * Basic Literacy with the Despotanmagi script and basic knowledge of Despotanmagi ( Basic Classical Language feat )

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 12 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * Medium amount of starting money.

The Negotiator
Ever since an early stage of your life, you have discovered a unique talent of yours: you always had a way with words. Whether you were speaking the slang of the lower-class cad or the flowery poetry of the upper-class peon, you always had a way with words, which saved your butt several times in your life. Of course, being able to talk your way out of every uncomfortable situation had the negative effect of stunting the your growth in other areas - after all, why would you bother learning how to fight, if you can just talk the monster to death?

Bonuses:


 * to Charisma
 * The following feats for free: Advanced Diaesthese, Basic Etiquette, Basic Street Smarts

Maluses:


 * You can only choose 12 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * to Strength
 * to Endurance

Orphaned Paladin
Most valiant holy knights are of aristocratic blood - but you are not. Truth is, you have no idea who your ancestors were - either they died very early, or they consciously threw you into the trash can as an infant, only for you to be found by wandering knights, who took you in. Through either fate or just luck, once you grew to the apropriate age, they started treating you like a future apprentice, and thus, your life path was set for you from the start. Having trained from a very early age, you are good with weapons and holy magic alike, but the hard years of training didn’t really let you explore other areas, thus your skills suffer in just about everything else.

A Paladin must follow the Church of Titanius.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Medium Armour Conditioning, Basic Flurry, Basic Overswing, Basic Riding, Advanced Horsemanship, Basic Chevauchée, Advanced Swords, Advanced Literacy ( at your native language ), Advanced knowledge of the Classical High Elven language ( Classical Language feat ) , Basic Etiquette, Magica Divinitatis, Basic Photomancy.

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 4 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * You are forbidden from taking on Bows, Crossbows or Firearms as your starting feats. If you stray from the path of the Paladin, you can acquire them later on though.
 * As long as your character remains a dutiful Paladin, he cannot take on the Bows, Crossbows, Firearms, Sciomancy and Necromancy feats. This is a soft rule meant to be enforced by the GM, as long as the character doesn’t go through a significant alignment shift ( that is, straying away from Lawful Good ).
 * As long as your character remains a dutiful Paladin, the character can never learn Sciomancy and Necromancy. On the other hand, Fallen Paladins lose their Photomancy skill, and cannot learn it again.
 * Mediocre amount of starting money.

Pirate
Avast, ye scurvy dog! Never feeling quite at home among all those landlubbers, you made the seven seas your home, constantly on the hunt for poorly defended ships full of loot and plunder! You know the open waters like the palm of your own hand, and it is more than obvious that an encounter with you won’t be plasant for any merchant ships. Yarrrr!

Bonuses:


 * Basic Seamanship feat for free.
 * to Strength
 * to Dexterity

Maluses:


 * to Intelligence
 * You are a wanted criminal. You can’t socialize in public without a disguise in a place where law enforcement exists. (enforcement up to the GM - shouldn’t be active in Shanty Towns, only in more respectable neighbours, where the laws are actually enforced)
 * Low amount of starting money.

Prodigal Child
You were born into a family of affluent farmers, and while your other siblings were all content with that, but not you - like the prodigal child you are, you asked for your inheritance and left early for the nearest city, wasting your inherited wealth on booze. Once out of coin though, unlike the Biblical Prodigal Son, you didn’t return to your father’s house - being too embarassed, you spent your last coins on enough booze to get really drunk - and the next day, you woke up as a member of a group of adventurers. The rest is history - but what is for certain, you’ve became an adventurer to earn back the money you wasted, so that you can finally face your father again one day.

Bonuses:


 * Extra alcohol resistance!

Maluses:


 * Low starting money.

Progressive Quack
You are an eccentric figure - you save lives, but not via using the conventional methods, and definitely not via subscribing to conventional medical wisdom of your time. You don’t believe in the four humours, you deny the significance of the three doshas or the six elements, or anything like that - you believe a completely different theory when it comes to medicine, one that hasn’t gained mainstream acceptance yet, in spite of being far closer to reality than what everyone else believes.

Sadly, just about every academian laughs at your theories and sees you as a charlatan quack, despite the fact that you have saved countless lives before by putting your “ ridiculous ” theories to the test. So, instead of trying to please those stubborn academs and regulators of medicine, you have decided to be a wandering medicine man, curing the sick as you go from town to town and village from village, steering clear of those egg-headed intellectuals who think they know better than you, putting their blind faith in nonsensical mainstream theories like the “ four humours ”.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Advanced Medicine and Advanced Surgery.

Maluses:


 * You may only pick 12 feats at the beginning instead of the usual 16.
 * You cannot choose Etiquette as your starting feat. You can still acquire it later on though.
 * Very low starting money.

Ranger
You’re a ranger - a hybrid between a warrior and a druid. While druids are guardians of the forests who normally dwell at their shrines, praying, meditating, and holding masses for the masses, rangers on the other hand eschew these religious duties in favour of taking a more proactive role in projecting the interests of the Naturalist faith both at home and abroad. Rangers fight against the forces of darkness that seek to corrupt their beloved nature, but they also travel the lands to fight injustice whereever it dwells.

The character cannot be an Atheist, and must follow a religion with Shamanism amongst its virtues. A Ranger takes on the advantages - but not the restrictions - of a Druid of his/her religion’s virtues.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Basic Swords, Basic Bows, Basic Tracking, Basic Naturalism, Advanced Literacy ( at your native language ), Magica Naturae, Basic Aeromancy, Basic Geomancy.

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 6 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * The character can never learn Necromancy - as the Naturalist religion abhors the practice, considers Undead unnatural and agrees that desecrating the dead is a serious sin that should not be tolerated.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Runaway Slave
You are free, free to choose your fate, free to be an adventurer - but that wasn’t always so. There was a time in your earlier life when you were in chains, and were someone else’s property. Whether you were born into slavery or made a slave at some time in your childhood has little relevance - all that matters is, that your years in chains are behind you, and you couldn’t be happier for it. While being a slave effectively forced you to develop a skill against your will, and trained your body, it also prohibited you from becoming accultured or developing any real skills fit for an adventurer.

Bonuses:


 * to Endurance for male characters with this background.
 * Free to pick an Advanced Profession feat.
 * Female characters with this background can also pick either a Basic Profession feat, Basic Amorous Culture or Basic Music.

Maluses:


 * You cannot take on any Literacy or Classical language feats as your starting feats. You may acquire them later though.
 * You cannot take on any Magic feats as your starting feats. You may acquire them later though.
 * Very low starting money.

Saltbird
You always identified yourself as a humble salt peddler - though, during the earlier stages of your career, not even naive peasant girls could be fooled by your diguise, and it was obvious that you were a crimper, a “ saltbird ”, someone who illegally sells “ salt ” : a euphemism for a highly addictive drug that merely happens to resemble salt by virtue of being white and coarse.

After nearly getting caught a thousand times and reinventing your identity perhaps a thousand times, you have more or less mastered the art of smuggling and trafficking... - or so you think, obviously still having much to learn. In addition to honing your “ salt peddling ” skills, you also learned the basics of defending yourself in case business goes awry, and having to track down hidden merchandise also had the side effect of teaching you the basics of tracking.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Advanced Street Smarts feat, Basic Diaesthese, Advanced Smuggling, Basic Forgery, Basic Bludgeoners, Basic Crossbows, Basic Riding, Basic Tracking.
 * Mediocre starting money.

Maluses:


 * You may only pick 8 feats at the beginning instead of the usual 16.
 * You cannot choose Etiquette or Naturalism as your starting feats. You can still acquire them later on though.
 * You are a wanted criminal in your home territory. (enforcement up to the GM)

Savant Wizard
You’re a fucking retard - no realy, you are. But you’re a special kind of retard: you’re an idiot savant, someone who is socially retarded, but secretly very intelligent, and excells in one certain subject. For you, that one certain subject is magic. Since magical power is tied to intelligence, your aptitude for it is proof enough that you’re not stupid - you’re just socially retarded. Your brains simply ignore social conventions, you can never learn about proper behaviour, you behave and talk in a way that your own brains deem logical, and everyone thinks you are behaving like a mentally handicapped person. On the bright side, your brains are practically a calculator.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Magica Profana, Expert Logic, Expert Arithmetic, Basic Literacy with the Despotanmagi script and basic knowledge of Despotanmagi ( Basic Classical Language feat )
 * Advanced feat in any magic skill of choice
 * Basic feat in two magic magic skills of choice
 * to intelligence.

Maluses:


 * Can never raise Charisma above 6.
 * Can never learn Diaesthese, Etiquette, Street Smarts and Smuggling. Also can’t learn any foreign languages either, save for the Despotanmagi language.
 * You can only choose 4 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Silver Spoon
You were born into and raised as a member of a family belonging to the upper echelons of society. This means you have connections, you know people of importance, and you are known by people of importance. All well and good, but your pampered and sheltered childhood has spoiled you, reducing your ability to learn.

Bonuses:


 * to Charisma
 * The following feats for free: Advanced Literacy ( at your native langauge’s script ), Advanced Etiquette, Basic Riding, Basic Arithmetic, Basic Classical Language feat ( at a classical language of choosing )
 * Higher-class people will have a higher opinion of you than they otherwise would. (enforcement up to the GM)
 * High amount of starting money.

Maluses:


 * You can only choose 8 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * to Willpower
 * Lower-class people will have a lower opinion of you than they otherwise would. (enforcement up to the GM)
 * Slower learning and experience (enforcement up to the GM - in a video game, this should be a malus to experience gain)

Spitzel
You’re a spitzel - an informant, a spy, a mole. Some would call you a traitor, but you were always an infiltrator in any groups you joined with the sole purpose of spying on the group and informing your actual boss. Of course, to do that succesfully and not get caught, you had to develop quite the skillset: diaesthese ( the art of fooling people, and avoiding being fooled by other people ), stealth, lockpicking, even forgery and smuggling.

Now you were hired to make use of your skills and spy on a group of adventurers, constantly sending back reports to your master.

Note: To avoid metagaming, you should lie about your background to other players and only the DM should know about your true backgrounds, unless the character reveals it himself.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Basic Diaesthese, Basic Smuggling, Basic Stealth, Basic Lockpicking and Basic Forgery.
 * to Charisma.
 * Medium starting money.

Maluses:


 * You may only pick 10 feats at the beginning instead of the usual 16.

Street Urchin
You came from one of the lowest castes of society one can image - the streets were your parents, the alley was your home, the chattering of thugs was your music. You were a street urchin, a homeless kid who had to survive by a mixture of begging, stealing, and odd jobs. Even survival alone was no easy undertaking, but you managed it somehow - and developed several valuable skills in the process. You know the shanty alleys like the palm of your own hand, but you are most certainly an uncultured person who never had much of an opportunity to learn how to act like a civilized person. A traumatic childhood of begging, stealing and hard living has hardened you, has also made you somewhat of a ruffian with criminal tendencies.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Advanced Street Smarts feat, Basic Pickpocket and the Basic Sneaking feats

Maluses:


 * You cannot choose Etiquette, Naturalism or Logic as your starting feats. You can still acquire them later on though.
 * Due to your status as a formerly homeless person, upper-class people will have a lower opinion of you than they otherwise would. (enforcement up to the GM)
 * Very low starting money.

Thrillseeking Bard
True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written, in writing what deserves to be read - and you wish to attain glory in both fields.

You’re a bard. A man or woman who walks the earth with a lute in their hand and songs on their lip. Every hero worth their salt has a hundred poems and songs written in their praises - and after reciting so many poems and singing so many songs in praises of heroes of old, something snapped in your brains, and decided that you want to be just like those heroes of the old. You will save the world, AND leave behind the catchiest tunes of all!

As a bard, you start with good music skills - otherwise you wouldn’t have survived as a bard - and some money saved from all the donations of people who liked your songs. You also carry a sword in addition to your lute, combined with a good deal of self-righteous indignation and a burning desire to spread honour and justice in the world - or just to go from tavern to tavern to brag about your heroic deeds ( real and fictional alike ) in order to get laid, or succesfully beg for enough coin to buy enough booze to get wasted.

For better or worse, you think you’re the hero the world needs and deserves.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the following feats for free: Advanced Music, Advanced Diaesthese, Basic Swords, Basic Sneaking
 * You receive a Steel Shortsword and a Wooden Lute as bonus starting items.

Maluses:


 * You get to choose only 12 feats at the start instead of 16
 * Low amount of starting money.

Troublesome Goon
In some ways, you’re like the dumber brother of the Adventuring Mobster - you’re strong, but also dumb and clumsy. They called you the “ beating boy ” ( or beating girl ), because you were the were the boy beating the ones who needed to be beaten, at least according to the boss. You were a thug, a goon, a dumb muscle - and still are, just not in the service of a mafia boss. Keeping you around was more trouble than its worth, but your boss apparently did not have the heart to straight-up have you killed - so you were “ reassigned ” to a different place, where you can be troublesome without bringing shame to the mob.

You have more or less forgotten why you are where you are to begin with - or maybe you are not as stupid as everyone thinks, and have realized that you got betrayed, and want to go independent. Either way, your once undying loyalty to your boss is in the past, and now you just want an opportunity to earn money with fighting.

Bonuses:


 * You start with the Basic Street Smarts and Advanced Bludgeoners.
 * to Strength and Endurance.

Maluses:


 * to Intelligence, Charisma and Dexterity.
 * You may only pick 14 feats at the beginning instead of the usual 16.
 * You cannot choose Etiquette or Logic as your starting feats. You can still acquire them later on though.
 * Very low starting money.

Vampire Hunter
Hunting vampires is not a unique profession - paladins, inquisitors, errant brothers, even some city guards do it from time to time. However, those people either do it out of a ( sense of ) religious duty, or because they’re told - you’re different. For you, it’s personal.

Perhaps one of those bloodsucking fiends killed your father, or brother, your wife or your best friend. Perhaps you saw an innocent girl gored to death by a frenzied undead abomination, and could barely escape with your life. Whatever the case, you took it upon yourself to train for your own personal crusade against the creatures of the night. At your disposal is a diverse set of tools to fight against these horrible creatures - but with great power comes great danger, and this especially applies to vampire hunters like you: the more vampires you kill, the more your reputation grows, the more unwanted attention you will receive from those you aren’t powerful enough to take on. And woe be to you, if they manage to bite your neck instead of killing you, for vampires love turning vampire hunters into vampires.

Bonuses:


 * Free choice between Magica Profana, Magica Divinitatis or Magica Naturae for free
 * The following feats for free: Basic Pyromancy, Basic Enchantment, Basic Sneaking, Basic Crossbows, Basic Exotic Weapons, Advanced Literacy with your native language’s script

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 10 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * Low amount of starting money.
 * Extra unwanted attention from vampires trying to turn you. ( Up to GM to enforce )

Vengeful Guard
Many city guards claim, that they used to be adventurers until they took an arrow to the knee - for you, it was the other way around. You used to be an ordinary city guard, until you took a personal tragedy to the heart. Some evil villain has killed your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your wife, your son, your best friend or your uncle’s dentist’s neighbour - or maybe all of them!

Whatever the case, you left the post and took on the mantle of adventurer to avange your loved one ( s ) and bring justice for your family. Having been a city guard means you have skills with certain weapons and know how the laws operate, but sadly, the wilderness and the rural areas are alien to you.

Bonuses:


 * You start withh the following feats for free: Medium Armour Conditioning, Basic Polearms, Basic Crossbows, Basic Bludgeoners, Basic Street Smarts
 * A free profession feat of your choosing.

Maluses:


 * You can only choose 10 feats at the beginning, instead of the usual 16.
 * You cannot pick Naturalism and Tracking as your starting feats.
 * Low starting money.

Wandering Druid
Not all druids spend their time in their forests praying to the spirits of nature and holding masses at shrines - some druids wander the lands and walk the earth, for various reasons: to spread their faith and proselytize, to seek out ancient artifacts that could be important to their people, or to fight against the forces that seek to corrupt nature and endanger life.

The character cannot be an Atheist, and must follow a religion with Shamanism amongst its virtues. A Wandering Druid takes on the advantages and restrictions of a Druid of his/her religion’s virtues.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Basic Polearms, Basic Bludgeoners, Basic Naturalism, Advanced Literacy ( at your native language ), Magica Naturae, Basic Aeromancy, Basic Geomancy.

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 8 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * Druids are forbidden from starting with - and later taking on - the feats Armour Conditioning, Swords, Bows, Crossbows and Firearms, as long as they remain on their path.
 * The character can never learn Necromancy - as the Naturalist religion abhors the practice, considers Undead unnatural and agrees that desecrating the dead is a serious sin that should not be tolerated.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Wandering Monk
Not all monks spend their time in their monasteries hugging books and praying all day long - some monks wander the lands and walk the earth, for various reasons: to spread their faith and proselytize, to collect ancient artifacts in their church’s name ( so that their head of religion can hoard them ), or to just act out their religion’s commandements in the wild: which, for Light-aligned monks, would mean being a good samaritan, healing the sick, helping those in need and hunting down the demons and the undead - and for Dark-aligned monks, it would be spreading pain and suffering, one can presume.

The character cannot be an Atheist, must follow a religion. A Wandering Monk takes on the advantages and restrictions of a Monk of his/her religion’s virtues.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Advanced Martial Arts, Basic Logic, Advanced Literacy ( at your native language ), Basic Etiquette, Magica Divinitatis.
 * Other bonuses depend on the monk’s religion’s virtues.
 * Light-aligned Monks - Monks of Titanius - start with Advanced knowledge of the Classical High Elven language ( Classical Language feat ) . Other monks instead start with Expert Literacy at their native language’s script, instead of Advanced.

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 6 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * The character can never learn Necromancy - not even Dark-aligned Monks, as every religion in existence ( even Dark-aligned ones ) abhors the practice and agree that desecrating the dead is a serious sin that should not be tolerated.
 * Low amount of starting money.

Wandering Priest
Not all priests spend their time in their churches holding masses - some priests wander the lands and walk the earth, for various reasons: to spread their faith and proselytize, to collect ancient artifacts in their church’s name ( so that their head of religion can hoard them ), or to just act out their religion’s commandements in the wild: which, for Light-aligned priests, would mean being a good samaritan, healing the sick, helping those in need and hunting down the demons and the undead - and for Dark-aligned priests, it would be spreading pain and suffering, one can presume.

The character cannot be an Atheist, must follow a religion. A Wandering Priest takes on the advantages and restrictions of a Priest of his/her religion’s virtues.

Bonuses:


 * The following feats for free: Light Armour Conditioning, Basic Bludgeoners, Basic Logic, Advanced Literacy ( at your native language ), Basic Etiquette, Magica Divinitatis.
 * Other bonuses depend on the religion’s virtues.
 * Light-aligned Priests - Priests of Titanius - start with Advanced knowledge of the Classical High Elven language ( Classical Language feat ) . Other priests instead start with Expert Literacy at their native language’s script, instead of Advanced.

Maluses:


 * You can only pick 6 feats at the start, instead of the usual 16.
 * The character can never learn Necromancy - not even Dark-aligned Priests, as every religion in existence ( even Dark-aligned ones ) abhors the practice and agree that desecrating the dead is a serious sin that should not be tolerated.
 * Mediocre amount of starting money.