Backgrounds (Early Design)

Instead of race, characters have backgrounds that provide unique abilities and drawbacks, as well as provide possible hooks and connections in order to make them part of the setting. Here is six of the possible backgrounds that I have considered. They are not final by any means (even these may lack either flavour text or mechanical widgets), but they showcase the general atmosphere of what I'm going for with this game.


Blueblood: You are of noble ancestry; you were given an aristocratic upbringing so you know your way in social situations, and you may choose 2 pieces of extra gear from the equipment list. However, generations of incestual relations seem to have their toll: decrease two Attributes by 1. Also, you get Injured at -2 Endurance (instead of -3).

Cambion: You are the product of sinful lust: the wicked child of man and devil. Unicorns and pegasi distrust you, and you feel immense pain when touched by holy objects. You can decode most cyphers in a matter of minutes, and you always know when others say your name out loud. However, you sometimes speak backwards involuntarily.

Changeling: You are but mere mockery of a human, a fairy’s creation to take the place of a child they kidnapped. You were never really loved, because everyone thought you were different. And you are different. You have no soul, and when you die, you turn to leaves and stones and mud. You sense gates into the Fairy Realm when nearby, and you cannot be fooled by illusions. You cannot break your promises, but you instantly know if someone else does. Should your kidnapped counterpart appear, people would certainly hunt you down like an animal. You can only become a real person if you kill the child brought up by your fairy creators.

Raised by Wolves: You had no parents, and you were nourished and brought up by a pack of wolves. You do not get along well with urban people and aristocrats. However, you speak the tongue of beasts, and canines are generally friendly towards you.

Revenant: You were dead but came back to life. Now you seek revenge on those who wronged you. You can never die by their hands ever again. Your nights are restless with visions and nightmares of bloody retribution; you only gain half the amount of Endurance back with Extended Rests, unless something soothes you (be they songs off a lonely nymph’s lips or calming hallucinogens). If you were to perish without fulfilling your vengeance, you may decrease two Attributes by 1 and come back to unlife the next midnight.

Shadowtorn: Your shadow is its own entity. You may command it as you see fit; it may spy on your enemies or eavesdrop on your loved ones. It can crawl beneath doors and through cracks into otherwise inaccessible areas, unless there is no light. You only become aware of its findings when you reunite in your sleep. You may change places with your shadow at your will. Every time you do so, however, your shadow takes something from your life, until you become the shadow yourself.