Homebrew:Heretic: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:50, 13 June 2023

(OOC: This is an implementation of the Dead background from Xanathar's Lost Notes to Everything Else)

You believe in a doctrine outlawed by your faith, taught to you in secret by other heretics. Perhaps your superiors excommunicated you from your temple, or forbidden dogma provided answers to questions you never sought. Whatever your origin, you’re now shunned by the faithful, or worse, hunted.

Skill Proficiencies:: DeceptionCharisma (Deception)skillYour Charisma (Deception) check determines whether you can convincingly hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions. This deception can encompass everything from misleading others through ambiguity to telling outright lies. Typical situations include trying to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, earn money through gambling, pass yourself off in a disguise, dull someone's suspicions with false assurances, or maintain a straight face while telling a blatant lie., 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.
Languages:: Two of your choice
Equipment:: A holy symbol (subtly modified to represent your own heretical belief), a prayer book or prayer wheel, vestments, a bottle of invisible ink, a quill, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.

Heretical Belief

Hundreds of outlawed sects exist throughout the Forgotten Realms and other settings. Choose a belief that defines you as a heretic, or roll on the table below.

d8	Belief
1	Dark Moon. A doctrine that ascribes Selûne and Shar as two aspects of the same deity.
2	Fatemakers. Tymorans who believe mortals can influence and control luck.
3	Threefold God. A belief that Tyr, Helm, and Torm are all the same god.
4	Forsaken One. A conspiracy that Savras and Leira conceived and abandoned a god child.
5	Three-Faced Sun. The sun is a tripartite deity, with divine aspects of dawn, noon, and dusk.
6	Shared Suffering. Flagellant Ilmatari who say all mortals must share their god’s suffering.
7	Entropy. Belief that dying gods sent a divine sphere of annihilation to Toril to kill wizards.
8	Harlot’s Coin. Belief that Waukeen sold her divinity to Graz’zt and he receives her prayers.

Feature: Heretical Contacts

You know where to find heretics in settlements where your faith is represented. If no heretics are present, you can indoctrinate weak-willed souls if you spend a day preaching. Where heretics are present, you can always find a place to hide, rest, and recuperate. If needed, they can help you escape the settlement on a cart or through a secret tunnel.

Suggested Characteristics

Heretics survive by living on the run, or by blending into the ranks of greater faiths. They tend to be suspicious folk with zealous ideals and unshakable convictions. This sometimes manifests as a sense of superiority over the “unenlightened”.

d8	Personality Traits
1	I think I’m right even when I’m wrong.
2	I pity those who deny the heresy.
3	I always scope out the closest exits and position myself near them.
4	Those who refute my beliefs are damned and aren't worth saving.
5	I’m sure my god has chosen me for a greater destiny.
6	I’m a natural orator, but once I start talking it’s difficult for me to stop.
7	I’m always looking over my shoulder and the slightest things startle me.
8	I believe the end of the world is nigh.

d6	Ideals
1	Guidance. I must teach others my forbidden doctrine. (Neutral)
2	Caution. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. (Any)
3	Knowledge. If this conspiracy is true, what else are we being lied to about? (Neutral)
4	Insurrection. My old faith is corrupt and must be brought down by the new order. (Chaotic)
5	Honesty. I’ve been lied to enough, so now I’m sworn to always tell the truth. (Lawful)
6	Self-Knowledge. Those who seek the truth become wise beyond their years. (Good)

d6	Bonds
1	The heretics who educated me were burned at the stake. I won’t let that happen to me.
2	Belief in my old faith still nags at me. Have I chosen the right path?
3	I used to be friends with the cleric who’s now hunting me.
4	I carry a heretical treatise on my person. It mustn’t be found!
5	I protect the faithless so they can know enlightenment.
6	One of my underworld contacts reports my movements to the superiors of my old temple.

d6	Flaws
1	I’m suspicious of strangers, as they may be bounty hunters sent to arrest me.
2	I sneer at those whom I deem unworthy of my time.
3	I’m deeply superstitious, and have many rituals to avoid bad luck.
4	I tend to misjudge the devotion of others.
5	I’m obsessed with my studies, often to the detriment of other concerns.
6	I’m deeply mistrustful of temple hierarchies.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{ooc note|This is an implementation of the Dead background from [[Xanathar's Lost Notes to Everything Else]]}}
 __NOTOC__
-You died and came back. This experience changed you and defines who you are today. The specifics of your death are up to you, but the following questions and suggestions will help you determine your odd personal history.
+You believe in a doctrine outlawed by your faith, taught to you in secret by other heretics. Perhaps your superiors excommunicated you from your temple, or forbidden dogma provided answers to questions you never sought. Whatever your origin, you’re now shunned by the faithful, or worse, hunted.
+; <nowiki>Skill Proficiencies:</nowiki> : {{deception}}, {{religion}}
+; <nowiki>Languages:</nowiki> : Two of your choice
+; <nowiki>Equipment:</nowiki> : A holy symbol (subtly modified to represent your own heretical belief), a prayer book or prayer wheel, vestments, a bottle of invisible ink, a quill, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
-How did you die? It probably wasn't of old age. Spells like raise dead can bring back those who die before old age takes them, but after dying of old age there is almost no magic which can bring a person back to life. Was it combat? An accident? A disease?
+== Heretical Belief ==
+Hundreds of outlawed sects exist throughout the Forgotten Realms and other settings. Choose a belief that defines you as a heretic, or roll on the table below.
-How long were you dead? Spells like true resurrection allow a character to return from death after as many as 200 years. How has the world changed politically, technologically, and culturally since your death? What remains of your family, friends, and personal life?
+{| class="wikitable"
+! d8 !! Belief
-What was your life after death like? Did you spend time in the glory of eternal battle is Ysgard? Did you enjoy the paradise of Elysium? Were you tortured in the Nine Hells or Abyss? Do you remember nothing from that time?
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 1 || '''Dark Moon.''' A doctrine that ascribes Sel&ucirc;ne and Shar as two aspects of the same deity.
-Maybe you didn't completely pass on, but lived life as an undead, such as a ghost or vampire. Why did you become such a being? What acts did you commit that you now regret? Who still thinks of you as a monster?
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 2 || '''Fatemakers.''' Tymorans who believe mortals can influence and control luck.
-Finally someone brought you back. Who was it, and why? Maybe it was to face an old enemy. Maybe it was a loved one who searched for a long time and sacrificed much to revive you. Maybe you were brought back for a secret only you knew. How did this person bring you back? Was it straightforward magic? What about a spell like reincarnate, which could bring your spirit back in the body of a different humanoid race? Or maybe it was some other magic that has a more sinister secret.
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 3 || '''Threefold God.''' A belief that Tyr, Helm, and Torm are all the same god.
-; <nowiki>Skill Proficiencies:</nowiki> : {{history}}, {{intimidation}}
+|-
-; <nowiki>Languages:</nowiki> : Two of your choice
+| style="text-align:center" | 4 || '''Forsaken One.''' A conspiracy that Savras and Leira conceived and abandoned a god child.
-; <nowiki>Equipment:</nowiki> : 50 feet of rope, a bit of dirt from your grave in a sacred vial, a set of common clothes, two rare coins with which you were buried, and a belt pouch with 5 gp.
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 5 || '''Three-Faced Sun.''' The sun is a tripartite deity, with divine aspects of dawn, noon, and dusk.
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 6 || '''Shared Suffering.''' Flagellant Ilmatari who say all mortals must share their god’s suffering.
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 7 || '''Entropy.''' Belief that dying gods sent a divine sphere of annihilation to Toril to kill wizards.
+|-
+| style="text-align:center" | 8 || '''Harlot’s Coin.''' Belief that Waukeen sold her divinity to Graz’zt and he receives her prayers.
+|}
-== Feature: Spirit Talk ==
+== Feature: Heretical Contacts ==
-You can connect with the souls of the dead thanks to the long time you spent dead. You may spend a day of downtime communicating with the souls to learn a piece of information by asking a question. The quality and specifics of the information you get are up to the DM.
+You know where to find heretics in settlements where your faith is represented. If no heretics are present, you can indoctrinate weak-willed souls if you spend a day preaching. Where heretics are present, you can always find a place to hide, rest, and recuperate. If needed, they can help you escape the settlement on a cart or through a secret tunnel.
 == Suggested Characteristics ==
-You have experienced something few living people have yet to go through. You might be the type who embraces the second chance and loves life, relishing every opportunity and letting nothing stand in your way. Or you might be quiet and brooding, thinking of the revenge you seek for your death or missing the planar heaven you left behind. People who have died often live in one of these extremes, experiencing life to the fullest or becoming fixated on a single goal that gives their new life meaning.
+Heretics survive by living on the run, or by blending into the ranks of greater faiths. They tend to be suspicious folk with zealous ideals and unshakable convictions. This sometimes manifests as a sense of superiority over the “unenlightened”.
 {| class="wikitable"
 ! d8 !! Personality Traits
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 1 || When faced with a new experience the word "no" isn't in my vocabulary.
+| style="text-align:center" | 1 || I think I’m right even when I’m wrong.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 2 || I always have the loudest laugh in the room.
+| style="text-align:center" | 2 || I pity those who deny the heresy.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 3 || When I want something, I'm direct and simple in my request.
+| style="text-align:center" | 3 || I always scope out the closest exits and position myself near them.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 4 || The story of my demise, like all my stories, is greatly exaggerated.
+| style="text-align:center" | 4 || Those who refute my beliefs are damned and aren't worth saving.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 5 || Those who ask me about my death quickly learn to never ask again.
+| style="text-align:center" | 5 || I’m sure my god has chosen me for a greater destiny.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 6 || I treat most people like they're idiots. They don't know what I know.
+| style="text-align:center" | 6 || I’m a natural orator, but once I start talking it’s difficult for me to stop.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 7 || If I don't want to do something, I simply don't do it.
+| style="text-align:center" | 7 || I’m always looking over my shoulder and the slightest things startle me.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 8 || I don't excite easily.
+| style="text-align:center" | 8 || I believe the end of the world is nigh.
 |}
@@ Line 46: / Line 59: @@
 ! d6 !! Ideals
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 1 || '''Freedom.''' Life is short so live how you want. (Chaotic)
+| style="text-align:center" | 1 || '''Guidance.''' I must teach others my forbidden doctrine. (Neutral)
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 2 || '''Despair.''' Nothing in life is worth celebrating and death is the destination we all deserve. (Evil)
+| style="text-align:center" | 2 || '''Caution.''' It’s always better to be safe than sorry. (Any)
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 3 || '''Vengeance.''' I will find and punish what killed me. (Neutral)
+| style="text-align:center" | 3 || '''Knowledge.''' If this conspiracy is true, what else are we being lied to about? (Neutral)
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 4 || '''Charity.''' I want to prevent others from dying before their time. (Good)
+| style="text-align:center" | 4 || '''Insurrection.''' My old faith is corrupt and must be brought down by the new order. (Chaotic)
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 5 || '''Mercy.''' I was given a second chance and others should get the same opportunity. (Good)
+| style="text-align:center" | 5 || '''Honesty.''' I’ve been lied to enough, so now I’m sworn to always tell the truth. (Lawful)
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 6 || '''Labor.''' Life is short, and so I must keep working to make my mark. (Lawful)
+| style="text-align:center" | 6 || '''Self-Knowledge.''' Those who seek the truth become wise beyond their years. (Good)
 |}
@@ Line 62: / Line 75: @@
 ! d6 !! Bonds
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 1 || I have a great fear of that which killed me.
+| style="text-align:center" | 1 || The heretics who educated me were burned at the stake. I won’t let that happen to me.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 2 || The scars of my death wound are still on my body.
+| style="text-align:center" | 2 || Belief in my old faith still nags at me. Have I chosen the right path?
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 3 || My vengeance is more important than any other task.
+| style="text-align:center" | 3 || I used to be friends with the cleric who’s now hunting me.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 4 || I never wish to return to my gravesite.
+| style="text-align:center" | 4 || I carry a heretical treatise on my person. It mustn’t be found!
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 5 || I wish to bring back another who died by my side.
+| style="text-align:center" | 5 || I protect the faithless so they can know enlightenment.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 6 || Any mention of my hometown reminds me of my first life.
+| style="text-align:center" | 6 || One of my underworld contacts reports my movements to the superiors of my old temple.
 |}
@@ Line 78: / Line 91: @@
 ! d6 !! Flaws
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 1 || Death isn't a big deal to me. I've died and come back. People should stop whining.
+| style="text-align:center" | 1 || I’m suspicious of strangers, as they may be bounty hunters sent to arrest me.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 2 || I don't listen to protests before I do something reckless.
+| style="text-align:center" | 2 || I sneer at those whom I deem unworthy of my time.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 3 || I'd rather be mad than solve a problem making me angry.
+| style="text-align:center" | 3 || I’m deeply superstitious, and have many rituals to avoid bad luck.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 4 || I would rather cheat, lie, and steal than be honest because none of this matters.
+| style="text-align:center" | 4 || I tend to misjudge the devotion of others.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 5 || Everything was better when I was dead.
+| style="text-align:center" | 5 || I’m obsessed with my studies, often to the detriment of other concerns.
 |-
-| style="text-align:center" | 6 || I'm believe that I am better than everyone who hasn't died and come back from the dead.
+| style="text-align:center" | 6 || I’m deeply mistrustful of temple hierarchies.
 |}
 [[category:homebrew backgrounds]]

Homebrew:Heretic: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:50, 13 June 2023

Heretical Belief

Feature: Heretical Contacts

Suggested Characteristics

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