Homebrew:Night Stalker
(OOC: This is an implementation of the Night Stalker background from The Crooked Moon)
Once you were prey, stalked by a monster through the dark of night. Now, you are the hunter, and the things which you once feared will learn the true meaning of dread. You have become far deadlier, hungrier, and crueler than the monster that once hunted you. You are, yourself, the monster now—a fearsome creature once thought to slake its hunger on you or those close to you. You survived, and your would-be killer will have its own destruction in turn.
- Feat:
- Hunter of Hunters
- Skill Proficiencies:
- Stealth
Dexterity (Stealth)skillMake a Dexterity (Stealth) check when you attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past guards, slip away without being noticed, or sneak up on someone without being seen or heard., one skill from the following list: Arcana
Intelligence (Arcana)skillYour Intelligence (Arcana) check measures your ability to recall lore about spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, the planes of existence, and the inhabitants of those planes., HistoryIntelligence (History)skillYour Intelligence (History) check measures your ability to recall lore about historical events, legendary people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, recent wars, and lost civilizations., ReligionIntelligence (Religion)skillYour Intelligence (Religion) check measures your ability to recall lore about deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults., NatureIntelligence (Nature)skillYour Intelligence (Nature) check measures your ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the weather, and natural cycles. - Tool Proficiencies:
- leatherworker's tools
- Equipment:
- Choose A or B: (A) leatherworker's tools, book (one creature type), hooded lantern, hunting trap, oil (3 flasks), traveler's clothes, 8 gp; or (B) 50 gp
Building a Night Stalker
Consider how you joined the hunt against the creatures of the night. Did you lose someone close to you or survive an attack? Perhaps you were raised in a family line of dedicated hunters. Rangers, rogues, and barbarians make fearsome night stalkers, as does any character with a passion to oppose these deadly creatures.
Suggested Story Threads
The Night Stalker Story Threads table suggests events and people who can be the start of story threads for your character that weave through the campaign.
| 1d6 | Thread |
|---|---|
| 1 | You're hunting the creature that slew your loved ones. |
| 2 | You started your hunt with zeal but quickly find that you're losing your stomach for it. |
| 3 | As you learn more about the creatures of the night, you discover that some of your initial thoughts about them were wrong. |
| 4 | You failed to stand up to a creature and saved yourself instead of someone else. Now you try to make up for that shame. |
| 5 | The monsters you hunt terrify you to your soul, and you lash out to deny your fear. |
| 6 | Your fervent hunt is a cover for your desire to become something more than mortal. |
Night Stalker Trinkets
When you make your character, you can roll once on the Night Stalker Trinkets table instead of on the normal starting Trinkets table.
| 1d6 | Trinket |
|---|---|
| 1 | A necklace of yellowed fangs |
| 2 | A series of letters showing a person's personality sharply eroding into incoherence and raving |
| 3 | A knife made from a massive creature's claw |
| 4 | A casting of a monstrous footprint |
| 5 | A hide or pelt from a vicious beast |
| 6 | A glass eye that normal animals shy away from |