Background

One's **Background** dictates specialised skills, possessions, and provides key elements to their backstory. Each Background descriptor is more a suggestion to keep you on track as opposed to a written-in-stone backstory. Several Backgrounds tie into each other, giving players potential links to one another. Some Backgrounds have "skill statements", which take the form of specialised skills that are sentences as opposed to simple concepts. Beginner players or those unsure how to roleplay their skill statements are encouraged to pick Backgrounds with simpler skills.

However, if you are comfortable roleplaying or want to test your roleplaying abilities, and you manage to use your skill statement in a spoken sentence (assuming it makes sense in the given situation or sounds cool), you may gain additional bonuses in addition to your +2. Ultimately, it is up to the Game Master to judge whether a Skill is being used appropriately, but players are encouraged to get creative with their skill usage.

## Backgrounds

#### Avatar of a Dead God

Your existence is not of this world. You are a vessel carrying a being long since deceased. A very powerful being. You can feel its power coursing through you, through your flesh and into your very soul. You can hear its whispers in the darkness of your mind. You can feel it waiting for its time to come. It wants to be freed. It wants to rule. Soon, it will consume you and take over your body. But first, you must pave the path for it to take.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Lead the People +2
* ☆ My Flesh, My Blood +2

##### Possessions

* common tunic, blood red cloak
* in-progress holy book, ink & quill
* bottle of wine [+MIND]
* skinning knife
* lantern
* satchel [0/2]

#### Charlatan Extraordinaire

You've never lived a day in your life with honesty. Not since the day of the incident. Like so many children of the lands of Havok, you lost everything dear to you in the War of Dawn and Dusk. Well... Except for that one special thing. You carry it everywhere with you still. As a reminder.

##### Skills

* ☆ Charming, Dashing +2
* ☆ Deceive +2

##### Possessions

* eye-catching accessory
* quilted doublet
* steel knife d4
* memento
* small bag [0/1]
* 2d4 gold coins

#### Cursed Vagabond

You roam the world seeking to make peace with yourself and help the folk of this dying world. Throughout the years you've felt it all. Love, hope, loss. Now you have nothing left but your body and your sword. Perhaps you are cursed. Or perhaps you haven't travelled far enough to find your destiny.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Fated Encounter +2
* ☆ Wherever I Roam +2

##### Possessions

* bedroll, lantern
* sack of rations [d4 day's worth], waterskin
* leather jerkin
* steel longsword d8
* soap, razor, brush
* d6 gold coins

#### Dark Priest

You were baptised in a fraternity of suffering and violence, the Order of the Ebon Veil. Through the years, you have accrued countless tomes and knowledge on countless areas of study. You have seen things others could never understand and believe you turned out for the better. Some may question your sanity, but you know the Truth.

##### Skills

* ☆ Forbidden knowledge +2
* ☆ Necromantic rituals +2

##### Possessions

* dark priest robes, black cloak
* empty vial
* ancient tome
* blank scroll
* dagger
* d10 gold coins

#### Devotee of the Old Gods

As a devotee of the Old Gods, you have accepted the only way to escape the joyous pain and struggle of this world is through death. These facts put a smile on your face. After hearing the gentle whisper of the dead god Akasha, you have learned of magic forgotten ages ago. Seek knowledge of the Old Gods to learn more Forgotten magic.

##### Skills

* ☆ Forgotten magicks +2
* ☆ Unnerving presence +2

##### Possessions

* long robes, full-face mask, sandals
* prayer book
* rosary
* hatchet
* tinderbox
* d6 gold coins

#### Disinherited Debonair

##### Skills

* ☆ Catch a Falling Star +1; +2 if you are actively being pursued.
* OR: Fencing Familiarity +1
* ☆ Courtly Manners +2
* OR: Disarming Smile +2

##### Possessions

* long robes, full-face mask, sandals
* prayer book
* rosary
* hatchet
* tinderbox
* d6 gold coins

#### Floating Head

Your body is destroyed, yet you still persist as a floating head. Your spine hangs down, nerves exposed to the elements. You should be dead. You know that. Yet, you still persist as an unholy sacrament bound by foul magicks. Was it worth the cost you paid?
Because of your... Background... You lose the ability to wear armour and wield weapons. However, you may still cast spells and perform rituals as normal. For the purposes of hit locations, you have a HEAD and TORSO, but all Injuries afflicted to you count as a HEAD shot.

##### Skills

* ☆ Bodyless +2
* ☆ Float +2

##### Bonus spells

* grasping claw [MNID]
* incinerate [MIND]
* blood boil [MIND]

#### Forgotten Monarch

Long ago you ruled your Kingdom. Whatever form it took, it is now left to ruin. Your loyal retainers have deserted you, leaving you to die. You never thought the extravagant life you lived would end this way. Remain humble, for you know not what else you may lose along your journeys.

##### Skills

* ☆ Authority +2
* ☆ Noble Blood +2

##### Possessions

* crown of ruin
* coat of plates with surcoat
* old zweihänder sword
* royal regalia
* silver chalice
* 2d8 gold coins

#### Haunted Medic

You have always been plagued by nightmares. They are so vivid they seem like memories of some distant past. When you sleep, you see things, and you often find yourself covered in wounds. But you can heal yourself with a touch. You know that there is something wrong with you, but you have always felt a deep and abiding empathy for others. You feel that your nightmares have come to warn you of terrible things to come.

##### Skills

* ☆ Healing infusion +2
* ☆ Speak with spirits +2

##### Possessions

* physician's clothes
* small bag [0/3]
* syringe (opium) [+MIND]
* healing kit, green herb x1 [+BODY], flask of rubbing alcohol [-50% Infection chance]
* bandages
* d6 gold coins

#### Hopeful Arcanist

You grew up with a loving family who taught you the value of hope. You learned that no matter how hard the struggle, no matter how bleak the situation, with enough hard work and dedication, any goal is possible. You worked in the service of a noble house as their personal alchemist. In exchange for access to their workshop, you were tasked with finding the secrets of immortality. You knew this was a fruitless task, but it was an opportunity you couldn't pass up. In the present, you spend most of your time locked away in your study in hope your inventions can one day cure the world of the Corruption.

##### Skills

* ☆ Never Lose Hope +2
* ☆ Studious +2

##### Possessions

* alchemist's clothes
* potion of healing d4
* magical invention
* small sack [0/3] (light)
* 2d6 gold coins

Bonus spell [choose 1]
[wip]

* — [MIND]

#### Lifelong Soldier

You are a soldier. You have taken many lives without a hint of regret. Or so you say. You cope with the pain of life with cheap spirits and the comfort of violence. In your years of service, you have seen sights that will haunt you forever. You have seen the depths of humanity's cruelty. And you still march on. As a good soldier does.

##### Skills

* ☆ Battlefield Tactics +2
* ☆ Survivor of the Horrors of War +2

##### Possessions

* steel salet helmet 1, 2 [HEAD]
* plate armour 10, 2 [TORSO] [ARMS] [LEGS]
* syringe (opium) [+MIND]
* steel longsword d8
* steel oval shield 1, 2 [TORSO]
* d6 gold coins

#### Lost Paladin

You seek repentance, a chance to right your wrongs, and absolution. Your armour is heavy with the sins you have committed in the name of your honour. Your heart has become callused with the grief of loss and love. You yearn to feel and love again, even if it means you may be damned.

##### Skills

* ☆ Righteous Blade +2
* ☆ Stalwart Guardian +2

Possessions

* holy symbol
* healing potion d6
* bastard sword
* steel plate armour
* steel heater shield
* 2d6 gold coins

#### Mysterious Traveller

You came from a far away land and brought your skills and strange technology with you. Many eye you with suspicion, but you heed them no mind. You are looking for something. It's hidden away in the darkest recesses of this city, and you need to find it. Until then, you're willing to take on any odd job, so long as it gets you closer to your goal.

##### Skills/statements

* ☆ [write your own] +2
* ☆ [write your own] +2

##### Possessions

* torches
* exotic clothing
* item from another world
* rations (3 days)
* foreign currency equal to 60 gold pieces
* d8 gold coins

#### Nameless

Your existence has been driven by pain, guilt and loss. You are a victim of the world, but no longer a slave. You have found your power in suffering. Your capacity for grief is beyond the understanding of most, but it gives meaning where there was none. You have seen many things and survived, but have found no solace. You live with pain, and will die with pain, until you find your Name again.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Easily Forgotten +2
* ☆ Searching for a Purpose +2

##### Possessions

* rags, black cloak
* green herb x3 [+BODY]
* map of the known world
* crossbow, 15 bolts (quiver)
* iron knife
* d6 gold coins

#### Old Guard

The foundations of Kingdom you loved and fought for has changed forever. You were the last servant loyal to your Master before their untimely demise. And you were the scapegoat. Remain honourable and open-hearted and you will be rewarded, old soldier.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Blade of Ruin +2
* ☆ I've Seen It All +2

##### Possessions

* steel armet
* half-plate
* bag of assorted gems (50 tr. worth)
* longsword decorated with gold
* heater shield bearing the sigil of the King's Royal Guard
* d10 gold coins

#### Profane Psyker

Profane Psyker
You were intended to be a psychic weapon, a tool to be used by the Elysian Empire against the enemies of man. But it failed. You were bred from the strongest stock, and when you were brought to term, they placed a number of implants in your brain that gave you the power to manifest your psychic abilities. But instead of becoming the powerful weapon they had intended, you have been driven mad by the trauma of what they did to you. The horrors of the mindscape are too much for your fragile human psyche. Now you are a conduit for the profane energies that have seeped into the world. Your psychic energy is volatile, and it takes its toll on your body. The energies of this power are corrosive, damaging your mind and body. The more you use your power, the more you risk permanent debilitation. At its worst, you will become a living battery, unable to move or think without using your power.

##### Skills

* ☆ Meditative Focus +1
* OR: Psychic Sensitivity +1
* ☆ Mental Resilience +2
* OR: Intuitive Instincts +2

##### Possessions

* Psionic implant (Choose one)
	+ Crushing Force
	+ Psiblade
	+ Psychic Empathy
	+ Telekinesis
	+ Vertigo Pulse
* clothes
* dagger
* d6 gold coins

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Don't Forget to Smile =) +2
* ☆ Spectral and Ethereal +2

Possessions

* black suit
* blasting powder
* shortbow, 25 arrows (quiver)
* two pistols, [1/1]
* steel daggers x2
* d6 gold coins

#### Recently Deceased

You woke up in a morgue, declared 'Deceased' with no memories of your old life. Were you raised from the dead or were you never truly dead at all? Perhaps you can remember in time. For now, explore the world of Havok and decide who you are in the present, wretched one.

##### Skill statement

* ☆ Death Cannot Stop Me +3

Possessions
nothing of value.

#### Repentant Pilgrim

Life was not kind to you, but you have come to believe you deserve it. Everyone has regrets, but the sins you've committed disgraced the very gods. No matter how hard you pray, you do not feel your god's presence. You are forsaken. You have decided to visit the six Holy Sites and pray to the gods as an act of repentance. Your penance is the toll your pilgrimage has taken on your body.

##### Skills

* ☆ Far Traveller +2
* ☆ Survive the Wilds +2

##### Possessions

* gambeson
* religious talisman
* torches x3
* steel shortsword
* traveller's pack [0/3]
* d6 gold coins

#### Skeletal Warrior

You are a walking corpse, animated by some kind of dark magic. What remains of your skin is stretched tight over your bones, like a leather bag filled with wriggling maggots. Your face has rotten away, leaving two empty eye sockets in which glowing embers constantly burn. The rags that once covered your body have rotted away, but you don't feel the cold. You feel nothing at all. The stench of death follows you, flies crawling around your flesh. Whoever you used to be is lost to time, leaving you with a profound feeling of loss.
You have no need for sustenance or sleep, and you can survive almost anywhere.

##### Skills

* ☆ Death Sense +1
* OR: Follower of the Corpse King +1

You are an undead warrior of the Corpse King's army. Your flesh has long since rotted away, leaving only a skeletal frame covered in rusting armour. You carry a rusty sword in your hand, but it is not the weapon of a true warrior. It is the weapon of a servant. A tool. A blade of cold iron. There is a small hole on the palm of your left hand.

* + item: Hand of the Corpse King
	+ replace weapon: cold steel longsword
* ☆ Worms For Brains +2

stats: [BODY] 0 [MIND] 3 [PRESENCE] -4 [LUCK] 0

* OR: Lurk in The Shadows +2

##### Possessions

* dirty rags
* fresh meat
* war horn
* rusted iron breastplate
* rusted iron round shield
* rusted scimitar d6

This character can also be reskinned as a robot or any other non-fleshbound creature.

#### Slayer of Monsters

Man or beast, there are many monsters to seek in this crumbling world. One day, you may join them. But that day is not today.

##### Skills

* ☆ Discern Intent +2
* OR: ☆ Stalwart Pugilist
	+ replace: chain hauberk with half-plate
	+ replace: Pugilist's Gloves d6+2 (unarmed)
* ☆ Weedkiller +2
* OR: ☆ Berserk
	+ replace: dane axe with zweihänder
	+ replace: chain hauberk with quarter-plate

##### Possessions

* backpack [0/3]
* chain hauberk
* sack of rations [d4 day's worth], waterskin
* spear, buckler
* dane axe
* d6 gold coins

#### Spirited Trickster

You were born with a healthy lust for life. Your spirit is full of vitality and joy. You have a sense of adventure and a love of travelling and experiences. You are also curious and will try anything once. The terrors of this world have not impeded your jovial nature and love of light-hearted pranks.

##### Skills

* ☆ Lighthearted Trickery +2
* ☆ Snapes and Japes +2

##### Possessions

* jester's outfit
* fresh meat
* vial of poison
* cowbell
* knife x2
* 2d8 gold coins

#### Starved Prisoner

You know what you did to end up locked away in dungeon. But it doesn't matter now. You spent the better part of your life in chains. Now, whether a sign from your god or a cruel joke, you are free to explore yourself and the world of Havok.

##### Skills

* ☆ Bottomless Stomach +2
* ☆ Glutton for Punishment +2

##### Possessions

* dirty rags
* rations (d4 days)
* torch
* iron shiv d4
* potion of healing d4
* d6 gold coins

#### Temple Knight

From birth, you were destined to live the life of a Temple Knight. You protect the Halls of the Dead from the ever-approaching corruption. To your fellow Knights, you are known as kin. The folk of Havok see you as an embodiment of your ideals, however that looks for you. Perhaps soon you will reach the rank of Templar and learn the secrets of antimagic.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Final Sacrament +2
* ☆ Rites to Death +2

##### Possessions

* great helm
* half-plate
* chestnut horse
* knightly sword
* kite shield
* 2d6 gold coins

#### Thaumaturge

You travel from city-to-city spreading word of the Light of the Watcher. You are known as a miracle worker and are gifted with the Sight. You are a special one. Your kind is few and far between these days. Your faith is tested each day you live. Will you succumb to the voices of the Deep or hold onto your ever-slipping psyche?

##### Skills

* ☆ Future Sight +2
* ☆ Miracle worker +2

##### Possessions

* leather cuirass, cloak emblazoned with the symbol of The Watcher
* rations (d6 days)
* Book of The Watcher
* Book of Miracles
* shortsword
* 2d6 gold coins

#### Tormented Soul

You feel a profound sadness over what was done to you in your youth. Your death was swift, but it turns out the afterlife promised by your faith is a lie. Your eternal saviour never came for you. You have tasked yourself with rooting out and cleansing whatever is causing the Corruption, if only to finally earn your final rest.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Go Back From Whence Ye Came +2
* ☆ Release Me From This Mortal Coil +2

##### Possessions

* leather cuirass
* sketch of the city of Keshet
* silver candlestick
* silver ring
* shortsword
* d6 gold

#### Unscrupulous Condottiere

You've double-crossed countless people for money, and now you're the one whose been betrayed. You have no loyalty, no love and no coin. No matter. You have a cache of valuable treasure buried out in the Great Wastes. And besides, you are a mercenary by trade. Your skills are in high demand.

##### Skill statements

* ☆ Deep Pockets +2
* ☆ Everything Has a Price +2

##### Possessions

* steel morion helmet
* steel breastplate
* torch
* steel shortsword
* steel longsword
* steel buckler 1

#### Wrathful Witch Hunter

Long ago, you were a faithful member of the church. .... Branded a heretic and under pursuit by dark forces, the only way you can rebuild your reputation is hunting down heretics and bringing their bounties in.

##### Possessions

* black traveller's garb, witch hunter's hat
* plague bearer's mask (RES Disease 1, Poison 1)
* Blutjäger order insignia
* pistolet x2
* pistolet bullets x10 (pouch), black powder
* 2d6 gold coins