Homebrew:Crossroads Gambler: Difference between revisions

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{{ooc note|This is an implementation of the {{PAGENAME}} background from [[The Crooked Moon]]}}
{{ooc note|This is an implementation of the {{PAGENAME}} background from [[The Crooked Moon]]}}
__NOTOC__
__NOTOC__
Some portion of your past has been swallowed by nothingness. The missing time could be a short interval—mere days or weeks gone from your memory— or you might have only vague hints at best of who you are and where you are from. Flashes of déjà vu are common, taunting you with recollection, but they almost always slip away, as ungraspable as the mists of Druskenvald. An injury, some traumatic experience, or the magical workings of a spell or curse could be the culprit behind your amnesia.
You've made your bones on games of chance, and one day your games crossed the line into something far more serious. You might have played for your soul against a Fiend, matched wits with ancient forest Fey in a riddle contest, or rolled dice with the fabled Mister Crossroads.


; <nowiki>Feat:</nowiki> : [[homebrew:Memory Starved|Memory Starved]]
; <nowiki>Feat:</nowiki> : [[homebrew:Fate Gambler|Fate Gambler]]
; <nowiki>Skill Proficiencies:</nowiki> : Choose two (see below)
; <nowiki>Skill Proficiencies:</nowiki> : {{deception}}, {{insight}}
; <nowiki>Tool Proficiencies:</nowiki> : Choose one (see below)
; <nowiki>Tool Proficiencies:</nowiki> : Choose one kind of gaming set
; <nowiki>Languages:</nowiki> : See below
; <nowiki>Equipment:</nowiki> : Choose A or B: (A) gaming set (same as above), caltrops, fine clothes, fine wine (bottle), 23 gp; or (B) 50 gp
; <nowiki>Equipment:</nowiki> : Choose A or B: (A) book (personal notes), ink, ink pen, traveler's clothes, 11 gp; or (B) 50 gp
== Scattered Memories ==
You don’t choose skill proficiencies or a tool proficiency when you select this background, and you don’t choose any languages other than Common during character creation—these are parts of your past that you are missing. Instead, you can pick one of those proficiencies or languages during play at any time. The knowledge might return in a spontaneous flash, even as you make a roll that relies on the proficiency, or slowly emerge as you struggle to solve a problem. Once you choose one of these features, you can’t choose another one until you gain a level.


The GM might rule that you can choose a new recalled feature early if something reminds you of your past, such as finding a piece of evidence from your missing memories or experiencing an event similar to one you have forgotten. Of particular value is an event relating to one of the story threads or trinkets presented below.
== Building a {{PAGENAME}} ==
 
Characters who live by their wits, such as rogues and bards, find the call of a crossroads gambler appealing, though anyone could find themselves in the position of playing for stakes higher than they could ever imagine... or pay. A spellcaster who conjured the wrong entity may find themself a gambler. The desperate who sought out a mysterious figure to throw dice and match wits for power or salvation can find their fates bound to the crossroads.
== Building an {{PAGENAME}} ==
Any character can face misfortune or a choice that steals their memory. Consider how your character came to lose their memory. Was it lost through injury or illness, or did something more sinister steal it with a toxin or curse? You might decide to leave this choice up to the GM, letting you as a player discover the cause alongside your character.


=== Suggested Story Threads ===
=== Suggested Story Threads ===
This background presents a paradox when considering threads to weave through a campaign, since the character may not remember them. Work with the GM to create some leading events or people that can serve as constants to trace a path through the void of the character’s past, especially if the GM can insert existing nonplayer characters into the thread to strengthen these connections. The Amnesiac Story Threads table suggests events and people who can be the start of these threads.
The Crossroads Gambler Story Threads table suggests events and people who can be the start of story threads for your character that weave through the campaign.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 24: Line 18:
! 1d6 !! Thread
! 1d6 !! Thread
|-
|-
| 1 || You have recurring dreams of someone you might recognize on your adventures.
| 1 || Someone you thought was a friend tricked you into making your bargain.
|-
|-
| 2 || You absent-mindedly doodle the same design or symbol over and over.
| 2 || You've found that if you go too long without making a wager, your luck starts to turn sour.
|-
|-
| 3 || A friend has been traveling the provinces of Druskenvald with a caravan, searching for any hint of your past as they do.
| 3 || You only feel alive in the midst of a contest.
|-
|-
| 4 || A rhyme or song you’ve never heard before comes to mind when your thoughts wander.
| 4 || You lost your bet, and you're on the run from the thing surely coming to collect.
|-
|-
| 5 || Rainbow colors, such as those on a soap bubble or oil slick, fill you with unexplained terror.
| 5 || Someone close to you made a wager and lost. You made your deal to try and find them.
|-
|-
| 6 || You have a fragmented recollection of traveling to a remote place in the mountains.
| 6 || You've been gambling for a long time, and you're tired. Now all you want is a way out.
|}
|}


=== {{PAGENAME}} Trinkets ===
=== {{PAGENAME}} Trinkets ===
When you make your character, you can roll once on the Amnesiac Trinkets table instead of on the normal starting Trinkets table.
When you make your character, you can roll once on the {{PAGENAME}} Trinkets table instead of on the normal starting Trinkets table.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 44: Line 38:
! 1d6 !! Trinket
! 1d6 !! Trinket
|-
|-
| 1 || Half of a tarnished silver ring with a partial inscription in a language you don’t understand
| 1 || A lucky coin made of a strange material, such as green steel or bone
|-
|-
| 2 || A music box that plays a sad tune you recognize but can’t identify
| 2 || A battered, blood-stained six of hearts playing card
|-
|-
| 3 || A short note addressed to you signed with a name you don’t recognize
| 3 || A torn journal page of a long-missing gambler who was hopeful to win their fortune from a being they describe but fail to name
|-
|-
| 4 || A thin silk scarf with a fading scent that stirs familiarity
| 4 || The preserved foot of a rabbit, owl, or weasel
|-
|-
| 5 || A toy horse with unfamiliar initials inked on it
| 5 || A six-sided die that somehow seems to have too many 2s when closely examined
|-
|-
| 6 || A locket whose portrait is burnt and unrecognizable
| 6 || A silver-plated ivory chess rook
|}
|}


[[category:homebrew backgrounds]]
[[category:homebrew backgrounds]]

Latest revision as of 22:51, 27 July 2025

(OOC: This is an implementation of the Crossroads Gambler background from The Crooked Moon)

You've made your bones on games of chance, and one day your games crossed the line into something far more serious. You might have played for your soul against a Fiend, matched wits with ancient forest Fey in a riddle contest, or rolled dice with the fabled Mister Crossroads.

Feat:
Fate Gambler
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., InsightWisdom (Insight)skillYour Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.
Tool Proficiencies:
Choose one kind of gaming set
Equipment:
Choose A or B: (A) gaming set (same as above), caltrops, fine clothes, fine wine (bottle), 23 gp; or (B) 50 gp

Building a Crossroads Gambler

Characters who live by their wits, such as rogues and bards, find the call of a crossroads gambler appealing, though anyone could find themselves in the position of playing for stakes higher than they could ever imagine... or pay. A spellcaster who conjured the wrong entity may find themself a gambler. The desperate who sought out a mysterious figure to throw dice and match wits for power or salvation can find their fates bound to the crossroads.

Suggested Story Threads

The Crossroads Gambler Story Threads table suggests events and people who can be the start of story threads for your character that weave through the campaign.

Crossroads Gambler Story Threads
1d6 Thread
1 Someone you thought was a friend tricked you into making your bargain.
2 You've found that if you go too long without making a wager, your luck starts to turn sour.
3 You only feel alive in the midst of a contest.
4 You lost your bet, and you're on the run from the thing surely coming to collect.
5 Someone close to you made a wager and lost. You made your deal to try and find them.
6 You've been gambling for a long time, and you're tired. Now all you want is a way out.

Crossroads Gambler Trinkets

When you make your character, you can roll once on the Crossroads Gambler Trinkets table instead of on the normal starting Trinkets table.

Crossroads Gambler Trinkets
1d6 Trinket
1 A lucky coin made of a strange material, such as green steel or bone
2 A battered, blood-stained six of hearts playing card
3 A torn journal page of a long-missing gambler who was hopeful to win their fortune from a being they describe but fail to name
4 The preserved foot of a rabbit, owl, or weasel
5 A six-sided die that somehow seems to have too many 2s when closely examined
6 A silver-plated ivory chess rook
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