Narratives

Your character’s narrative is a description of your career, position, or calling in life. Narrative is a pillar of character identity that helps you to tell your character’s story, and differentiates you from other characters with the same race and class. There are a lot of human barbarians adventuring in the world, but is your barbarian character a hunter from the jungles of Dhar Mesh, an ice reaver from frozen Nimoth, or a tribal outcast whose people have turned their backs on her? Your narrative provides you with friends, family, rivals, enemies, ambitions, questions, and fears—and you can count on your GM using those tools to make the campaign your story.

Mechanically, narratives are represented similar to a skill or a passion with a starting value of 20 + the two highest Characteristics of the character. This can be raised or lowered with experience points. A narrative is most commonly used to augment a skill, but can be called upon directly in some situations - if one is interacting with members of their home tribe, for example.

BEARER OF THE BLACK BOOK

You possess an artifact that provides divinatory wisdom to you from time to time, though you wonder what its ultimate purpose is. Some would kill to get their hands on the Black Book, but you know you are fated to carry it through your journeys. Some uses for the book might include

    • Checks for almost anything regarding arcana— that’s the point of the book, after all.

    • Checks regarding religion, especially about the gods Mithra and Set and the Great Old One Hastur.

    • Checks to know history about events within roughly the last 1,000 years.

    • Checks to notice features within the famed ruins and dungeons found in lore.

DHARI HUNTER

The jungle of Dhar Mesh is a cruel teacher, but you have learned its lessons well. You are a hunter with the feral instincts and uncanny skill that can only be taught by a lifetime of roaming in the most beautiful and deadly wilderness of the realm. Warrior, raider, tracker, scout—a Dhari hunter must be all these things and more. Some uses for this background might include

    • Checks to forage for food and water in your native terrain (jungle or plains)

    • Checks to find game or spot dangers in your native terrain (jungle or plains).

    • Checks to hide in your native terrain (jungle or plains).

    • Checks to climb or balance in trees (Bolotanga, Kyr).

    • Checks that test your endurance, such as running long distances (Narthan).

OCCULT SCIENTIST

They called you mad, but that just shows how small-minded they are. You seek answers to the fundamental mysteries of reality, and you aren’t above cutting corners or sacrificing test subjects if that’s what it takes to make a breakthrough. Some uses for this background might include

    • Learn the source of the strange magic pulses.

    • Recall which lich’s tomb you’re currently defiling.

    • Determine that the villagers’ nightmares are influenced by the Great Old One Tsathoggua.

    • Figure out which of the appendages on the dead star-thing of Nheb emits the alluring lights.

PANJANDRUM

You are an important civic official in your home city, a member of a privileged class with sweeping powers to act in the monarch’s name. You may be an agent free to act at your discretion, an officer of the law, a diplomat, or even a royal advisor. Whatever your title, you have great authority to command your city’s resources and act on any opportunities or dangers that attract your attention. Some uses for this background might include

    • Charisma checks to influence citizens or criminals of your home city.

    • Checks to navigate the sewers or buried portions of your home city.

    • Checks to recall obscure events in your home city’s past.

    • Checks to observe nuances of court behavior or alliances.

STAR-LORE ADEPT

You are an arcane master who has learned from the strangest and most inhuman sources imaginable: The Great Old Ones, their servants, or their writings. These are not healthy matters for mortals to dwell on, but the secrets of great power are now yours. Some uses for this background might include

  • Identify magical effects created by alien creatures.

    • Treat diseases or other unusual conditions caused by contact with unearthly forces.

    • Remember lore pertaining to the Great Old Ones and their cults.

    • Disable traps or devices built by alien intelligences.

    • Recall knowledge about creatures from other worlds.