Bereaved (5e Background)
Bereaved[edit]
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| The Mourning by BrookeGillette |
People come and go, yet sometimes they can affect your life long after their passing.
Someone very important to you died. A family member, a lover or a friend. Perhaps a celebrity or role model. Whoever they were, they had an impact on your life so profound that they dominate your thoughts even now.
Who was this person that I mourn? What was it about them that impacted me so? Has the manner of their death left me with unresolved anguish? Do I refuse to let them go believing that they live again? Or am I revengeful, blaming their death on an individual or group? Do I mourn in sadness, or do I celebrate their life? And why did this lead me to the adventuring life? Did they have a powerful secret or unfinished work? Or do they deserve to be remembered? Also ask your GM about the mourning practices in the world the campaign takes place in.
Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Insight.
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set or toolset.
Equipment: A keepsake from your loved one (clothing, jewellery, artwork, or some other trinket), a letter of condolence, a gaming set or tool set, a set of mourner's clothes, and a pouch containing 10gp.
Your Loved One[edit]
Your loved one either had a life that lead you to adventuring, or events surrounding their death drive you on. Roll a d6 or choose from the options in the table below.
| d6 | Your Loved One |
|---|---|
| 1 | They had unfinished work that I'm duty bound to finish. |
| 2 | They deserve to be remembered by others. I do all in their name. |
| 3 | Their deaths were murder or unjust and I will avenge them. |
| 4 | They were holy and I must please their spirit. |
| 5 | They had a powerful secret or artifact that must be protected. |
| 6 | They were an adventurer, and I simply wish to follow in their footsteps. |
Feature: In Mourning[edit]
When something terrible happens to someone, people in good relations with that person tend to take pity. Friends might help you in ways that don't threaten their life. Like giving supplies or providing a place to stay as long as it seems to comfort the mourner. However, enemies of the mourner might take their emotional vulnerability to their advantage; so beware of charlatans and other villainous characters.
Alternate Feature: Spiritual Presence[edit]
Nearly every culture believes in some form of a ghost or spirit. You believe that the spirit of your loved one is guiding you in your adventures. Sudden strokes of luck or mysterious events seem to not be a coincidence to you; but a sign that your loved one is watching over you. But sometimes this sense of guidance can make you seem overconfident or make you easy to fool.
Suggested Characteristics[edit]
Everyone copes differently. Some people are sombre and grief-stricken, whilst others find joy their in memories. No matter what, the death of a loved one changes people in one way or another.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I try to make new friends and want to move on. |
| 2 | I'm working on my drinking problem. |
| 3 | I'm hugely interested in reincarnation and the afterlife. |
| 4 | I've become overly sympathetic to others. |
| 5 | Darkness doesn't unnerve me like most people. |
| 6 | I think I see people that look like my loved one all the time. |
| 7 | I will hoard any keepsake I can find, no matter how damaged, obscure, or worthless. |
| 8 | I'm unsure about what I feel about necromancy and often juggle between stances. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Memories: I'll forever cherish the memories of my loved one. (Good) |
| 2 | Veneration: I must appease the spirit of my loved one. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Defilement: I'll break the laws of nature and the Gods to get my loved one back! (Evil) |
| 4 | Secularism : I miss my loved one, but I can't let it get in the way of the present. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Preservation: I'll never forget my loved one, I want others to remember them too. (Neutral) |
| 6 | The Future: I must learn to be concerned about my future. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I promised to follow my dreams. |
| 2 | I will complete their life's goal. |
| 3 | I will raise a monument to their memory. |
| 4 | I will exonerate them after death. |
| 5 | Their secret will remain hidden. |
| 6 | I shall return them to life. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | Don't even try to replace my loved one. You're not worthy to step in their shadow. |
| 2 | I am often maudlin and introspective. |
| 3 | I hide my pain behind a facade of bravado. |
| 4 | I cry without provocation. |
| 5 | I don't want to love again. |
| 6 | Your pain is nothing compared to mine. |
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