Background: Traveler

Created specifically for the Heart of Darkness Campaign.

Description

You have wandered far and wide across the world, seeing lands and people that are mere legends to everyone else. You may even come from another plane of existence! In any case, your travels have given you a wealth of experiences that most people could not dream of, though you do not often know the comfort of home and family.

Skill Proficiencies

Choose 2

Tool Proficiencies

Choose 1

Languages

Choose 2

Equipment

Travelers pack (bedroll, waterskin, rations, journal, quill & ink, knife & whetstone, tinderbox), map case with maps of far-away places (that you’ve been to or to which you would like to go), book on weather patterns, belt with 25gp hidden in it.

Feature: Connoisseur of Far-Flung Lands

During your travels you have become familiar with many different aspects of ‘foreign’ cultures. Your exposure to different styles of architecture, artistry, fashion, cuisine and language allows you to identify from where a particular item or idea originated, though you have no specific ability to detect fakes, and particularly obscure items may still be beyond your experience.

You also have an air of mystery and sophistication about you that helps you in social situations and people can never quite tell if your eclectic mix of clothing and accoutrements are affectations of a foreign land or the simple mark of poor taste. As a result, you always appear to be living at least the Modest lifestyle, regardless of your actual expenses, and you may be invited into privileged social circles due to your ability to tell tales of exotic locales and peoples.

Suggested Characteristics

Personality

1. You are a wanderer by nature, never content to settle in one location for too long, always eager to see what lies over the horizon. 2. You actually dislike traveling and long for the comforts of a stable job, home and family, but a job’s a job. 3. You love the thrill of arriving someplace new and thoroughly exploring all aspects of this new place, and carry each of these treasured destinations with you in your heart forever. 4. You are continually disappointed by the base nature of people wherever you go, but maybe the next place will be better! 5. You are fascinated with the variation in religions in different lands, expressed through worship of different Gods or by emphasis on different aspects of the same Gods. 6. You are running from something in your past and are always fearful that it will catch up with you.

Ideal

1. Virtuosity: You provide an example of a virtuous life, wherever you go. (Good) 2. Protection: You always seem to find local despots or bullies to challenge, and people who need you to help them. (Good) 3. Greed: You’ll go wherever the coin flows, and you don’t care where that is. (Evil) 4. Diplomatic: You know many local customs on etiquette and protocol. (Lawful) 5. Independence: You are a free spirit and no one can pin you down for too long. (Chaotic) 6. Discovery: You are eager to know all that’s out there. (Neutral)

Bond

1. In my travels I am constantly searching for a lost, legendary artifact. When I find it I will gain great Power! 2. In my travels I am constantly searching for information about a mysterious figure who wronged me. When I find him I will have Justice! 3. The people of the lands require a protector, and it is my calling to fill that need. 4. Travelling is the perfect cover for my clandestine activities. I’m usually well on my way before anyone discovers anything missing. 5. Travelling is a wonderful opportunity to spread the word of my religion to far flung places! 6. Wealth and power are the most important things in life, either so that I can stop travelling or so that I can dominate all I come into contact with!

Flaw

1. You travel so much because you’re just always 1 or 2 steps ahead of bill collectors and defrauded nobles. 2. You are condescending and boorish toward people who haven’t travelled as much as you have. 3. You are sycophantic toward local nobility, wherever you are, telling tall tales of your travels to ingratiate yourself with those who can pay for your next meal. 4. You quickly become bored with wherever you are or whatever you’re doing, and are always looking for the next journey to start. 5. You don’t like to get close to people or even learn their names because you’ll just be moving on anyway.