One of the Taken
On the fringes of the civilized world, parents warn their children not to wander away from their homes, especially at night. The many creatures that haunt the forests, from the faerie-folk to the minions of the Great Beast, spell doom for the innocent who stray too far into the darkness.
You failed to heed your parents’ warnings, and you were taken. In fact, those who know of your experience use that word to describe you: Taken. You do not remember what happened to you while you were away, but through some mysterious and possibly fortunate circumstances, you wandered back into town after months or years of going missing. Maybe the fairies whisked you off to some magical realm. Maybe evil cultists of an Arch Daemon held you prisoner, planning to sacrifice you to their dark leader when the time was right, and you found a way to escape. Maybe one of the Beast’s warped and feral minions took a liking to you and kept you as a pet. Whatever your story, you can’t remember your time away. But that doesn’t mean you weren’t changed by it.
Skill Proficiencies Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies Tinker’s tools or woodcarver’s tools
Languages Any one common language
Equipment One set of artisan’s tools, 20gp
Features
Feature: Insightful Flashbacks
While you don’t remember your time away from the civilized world, you occasionally have glimpses of what happened. When you are making an ability check to know or remember something about a monster or some other piece of lore, you can reroll a check that gave you no information. If the new check provides information, you cannot use this ability again until you gain a level. This represents your subconscious mind reminding you of details you witnessed while you were lost.
Suggested Characteristics
As one of the Taken, your experiences changed and shaped you even if you cannot remember the exact details. Even more dramatically, how you were treated upon your return by those around you.
Traits
Roll a d6 1d6 | Personality Trait |
---|
1 | I am easily startled, jumping at the slightest sound. |
2 | Other people irritate me, but I love the company of animals. |
3 | I cannot abide silence, so I surround myself with noise whenever possible. |
4 | I often forget what day or month or year it is. |
5 | I use the attention of my time missing to make myself important and noticed. |
6 | I am restless, never satisfied with what I have or what I am, always seeking more. |
Ideal
Roll a d6 1d6 | Ideal |
---|
1 | Innocents need protection. I won’t let what happened to me happen to others. |
2 | That which does not kill you makes you stronger. Conflict begets strength. |
3 | The world is a cruel place. In the end we are all ground down to dust. |
4 | Mysteries abound, and the point of life is to solve as many of them as possible. |
5 | The only way to avoid being a victim is to be the aggressor. |
6 | Passing on your knowledge and wisdom to others ensures you will live forever. |
Bond
Roll a d6 1d6 | Bond |
---|
1 | You were taken with another, and that person was returned as well. You are bound to them forever. |
2 | You were found with a strange object in the woods. That object never leaves your possession. |
3 | While others shunned you on your return, your pet never left your side. This unusually long-lived pet means the world to you. |
4 | When you returned, the community rallied around you to care for you. You guard that community fiercely. |
5 | An elder who was also taken as a child listens to you and helps guide you on your path forward. |
6 | A faerie grove in the forest near you is the only place where you are truly at peace. |
Flaw
Roll a d6 1d6 | Flaw |
---|
1 | I suffer nightmares that I cannot recall when I wake, and the lack of sleep makes me prone to fits of anger. |
2 | I seek money and power regardless of the cost to my soul. |
3 | I am rude to others as I tend to speak what’s on my mind rather than filtering myself. |
4 | My quest for justice sometimes interferes with my common sense. |
5 | I am indifferent to the suffering of others. |
6 | I believe lies, which makes me easily duped by those with ill intent. |