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weird_features

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Weird Features

The weird features deck gives features that aren't just skills, since that belongs in the background deck. They should perhaps be focused on exactly what prepared these adventurers for exploration into the unknown in the first place.

They should be formatted as a title with a block of text including flavor and a description of the benefit of the feature.

First Batch

Child of the New World
Your family fled your homes following invasion, and you grew up as a child exploring the natural majesty of the new world. You gain advantage on any checks to avoid getting lost or to navigation.

Born Collector
You come from a long line of artisans, and take pride in your collections. You gain the History Proficiency, and may reroll any checks to identify the value of the three categories of items you collect.

Framed Lawman
You are a former lawman with a keen eye for detail, you were driven from civilized society when you were framed for an atrocity you did not commit. You gain advantage to any Insight checks to know if someone is lying or not.

Double Life
You've led a double life in the past. You were part of your small village's ruling cult, as well as one of the secret fighters working to keep the cult from opening the Atlantean vault located in the nearby wood. It all came to an end when they brainwashed your wife and child and convinced them to disown you. You've gained the Religion Proficiency

Cowardice
You fled the battlefield, leaving much of your clan to be butchered. You've travelled to the new world to start a new life, with resolve never to leave a fight in shame again. You get advantage on all fear checks

Heirloom Mail
You grew up in a place of privilege as the second son of a chieftain. Following your father's death, your older brother sought to consolidate his strength and commissioned an assassin to kill you in cold blood. Discovery of your sibling's cruel intent motivated you to take your father's +1 magic Heavy Armor from his youth and run.

Escaped the Fey
You were stolen from your family by the Fey as a child. You returned as an adult and cut your Fey doppelganger's throat. You are now on the run for the murder of yourself. You have gained proficiency with Disguise Kit from your work foiling attempts to find you.

Religious Upbringing
Born into a religious family you were given an education in astrology, philosophy and the basics of sorcery. You may reroll a spellcasting check per safe rest.

Born Warrior
Born into the warrior caste, you fought against rival cities to gain sacrifices for the Undying Lord of your community. You automatically gain advantage to attack a target who has failed a check against your Intimidation skill.

Thrall of Lund
Taken from the countryside at a young age, you were forced to work in the hidden Monastery of Lund, where you were abused and forgotten until you could plot revenge and gain your freedom from their cult. You gain +2 permanent hit points

Ghostly Twin
After your twin died in a freak accident, you found that you could continue to hear his voice whisper in your ear giving you timely advice and keeping you safe. You may reroll one D20 check per safe rest.

Spiritual Ancestors
Your powerful spiritual ancestors have chosen you at a young age to continue their magical experiments from the grave. They aid you in creating magic items, guiding your eyes and hands as you experiment on yourself. Once per safe rest, you can attempt an Arcana check. On a success, you may raise one of your attributes by two. On a failure, that attribute is lowered by four instead.

Destined to Rule
You were raised in a noble court. Although pandered and privileged growing up, you developed a strong sense of your own power and destiny to rule. You start with +2 CHA.

Imaginary Friend
Growing up poor and alone, you would often play with your “imaginary friend”. They would tell you stories and scare the bullies away. Now that you study magic, you realize that this being you knew growing up was not imaginary after all. You may re-roll a spell mishap one time per short rest

Already Died Once
You’ve already been dead once. You don't remember anything about your death, just the fact that you woke up just before being buried. Your old friends and family say you've changed and treated you oddly, so you decided to try your hand at adventuring. When mortally injured in the future, you may roll twice on the injury chart and take the better roll.

Exotic Upbringing
You are the offspring of a haughty and noble trader dealing with exotic and forbidden wares. You may re-roll any checks associated with any sales negotiations.

Born to Fight
Born into one of the elite mercenary companies, you have tired of constant warfare and have traveled to find adventure across the sea. You start with +2 STR which helped you raise through the ranks.

Enchantress Mother
Your mother was a famous sorceress and courtesan. Your childhood was dominated by the turmoil that the constant stream of Sorcerers duels with rivals and lovers caused. You may add your proficiency bonus to any checks or resistance against enchantment, charms, and necromantic magic.

Born a Thrall
You were a servant to a noble family, and you became well used to their capricious whims and cruel behavior. You are so tough you start with +2 Permanent Hit Points

Healing Heart
You helped to tend to those ill with the plague, and did everything in your power to keep your patients alive. You may reroll any Medicine skill checks.

Cult Survivor
You volunteered to be a servant at the Monastery of Tribulation, only to find it controlled by a sinister cult. What hardships you’ve endured and horrors you have witnessed as a result you only need half the rest to be functional.

Only the Pretty Ones Live
You grew up without an immediate family in the great mass of citizens of a debaucherous metropolis, in a drugged haze, full of wonder, spectacle and violence. You are one of the ‘pretty’ ones who charmed the masked nobles and survived as a result. You start with a +2 CHA.

Strange Fisherman
You are one of the fisher people of coast. Compared to the city dwellers, you have a simple life of singing folk songs, eating and drinking heartily and occasionally running from the monsters that live in dark caves along the coast. You may reroll any fear checks against beasts larger than human size, and you gain +1 attack and damage against any opponent at least two times the size of a normal human.

Survived a Dark Ritual
You were kidnapped as a child to serve as a human sacrifice for a dark ritual. The summoning went awry and the otherworldly horrors dragged your captors to their doom, leaving you shocked but unharmed. You can cast the light cantrip even if you aren't a Scholar or Zealot, and you gain that cantrip for free if you are.

Duplicitous Apprentice
For months you helped your master prepare the dark ritual to summon an imp from a blood sacrifice. You slit his throat before he could murder the captive children, only to complete the bloody ritual yourself to take his power. You know the ritual to create imps, and you may already have an imp servant yourself if you are a scholar.

Empath
In your nightmares, you hear dark whispered secrets of failures and desires others tell only themselves. Sometimes, you can hear these whispers during the day. These whispers give you advantage on any Persuasion checks because you can almost taste what it is that others want out of a social interaction.

Vampiric Bloodline
Your eastern European ancestor is unnaturally long lived and healthy. Uncannily so. Some say you look just like him. Perhaps your ancestor is actually a vampire. Perhaps you are one as well? You may add +4 additional hit points healed after a rest as long as you drink the blood of a sentient killed no earlier than 24 hours ago.

Missionary to the New World
With your family's blessing, you have taken holy vows and traveled to the new world as a missionary. However, once you arrived you've struggled with your promises to Jehovah. You often find yourself tempted by worldly vices, and struggle privately with the frustrating sinister needs within your soul that threaten to explode. You may enter a berserker rage. While enraged, he gains a +2 bonus to attack throws and becomes immune to fear. However, the character has a -2 penalty to AC and cannot retreat from combat. Once it has begun, a berserker rage cannot be ended until combat ends.

Leper
Once you contracted leprosy, you hardened your heart and turned away from polite society to serve a power higher than you. You have disadvantage to all Persuasion checks, but you may remove two CHA and add them to any other attributes and raise them no higher than 18. You are also immune to any further diseases.

Raised in a Cave
You were raised in a dark cave, lending you comfort to being below ground. The bowels of the earth is your preferred state. So much so that you abhor the surface world. Trees are your enemy. You miss your mother, who disappeared from the cavern when you were a teenager. You know the time of day and direction of travel despite being below ground without the sun or stars to guide you. You can see an extra 10' in dim light because your senses are so attuned to the darkness of the underground.

I See Dead People
As a young man, your responsibilities included raising barns, mining for iron, and climbing down wells. You never told anyone about the spirits of the dead you experienced while digging, but you were uncomfortable with them staring blankly at you while you did your work. You gain the ability to see invisible beings and incorporeal undead and spirits, but not demons.

Drunken Stepfather
Your stepfather would beat you regularly when in his cups. Over the years you learned how to dodge his blows. Now that he's dead, your quickness is an asset you hope to help support your widowed mother. You have gained +2 DEX for your trouble.

BATCH TWO

Angelic Blessing
The Archangel Michael appeared over your head at your birth and blessed you in the name of the Lord. If you choose the Cleric archetype, you gain 1 extra level-1 spell known.

Animal Empathy
You spent many years with a mad hermit in the forest near home. Once he ordered you to cook a “magic weasel” he found, and when you tasted some of the juices you gained a degree of animal empathy. You can now give orders to your horse, dog or any well trained animal which you have become familiar to. These orders succeed on a Cha check. The command have a range of 40' and count as quick action. If you don't have Animal Handling proficiency, you gain it.

Bestia Neptunis
One of your ancestors is rumored to have been a Bestia Neptunis (Sea Monster of some sort). It is true that you can hold your breath for 15 minutes and make simple telepathic communication with marine mammals.

Blood of Atlantis
Whenever you are near an Atlantean object that is magical, and you concentrate, you can detect that magic and sometimes even a little information about its nature and function.

Clan of the Lidless Eye
Your childhood neighbors muttered that your family were descended from Trolls or Elves or Djinni. You seem to need no sleep and are immune to sleep spells and similar sleep-related magic or sleep poisons.

Devil for the Drink
A notorious drinker, after a battle, if your character drinks a pint of alcoholic liquid, he is immediately heals 1d6 hit points of damage (once per fight).

Fire Won't Burn There, No Fire At All
On the seventh day of the seventh month of your seventh year, your family burned down around you, and you were seen protected by a shining nimbus. To this day, you gain +4 on all saving throws and attacks against Fire. You also take ½ damage from all fire attacks.

God Owes You a Favor
Due to a major service done by your father to the Church, if you are present at an Archbishop's cathedral on the first Sunday of any month, you are given a free healing potion.

I Ain't Afraid of No Bears
Your grandpa, Bearkiller Kniva, was so feared by bear-kind, that when a bear or part-bear monster tries to attack you it must make a morale check every round before it can swing.

In Tune With the Oneness of the Universe
After a strange encounter with forest mushrooms, you now see how the forces of the universe are largely illusion. You can use the Subtle Force (telekinesis) Cantrip at will, regardless of whether you normally use arcane magic or not.

Just Can't Keep You Down
Rumored to be sired by a black bear in the dark of the moon, you refuse to die. Whenever you are brought to 0 hit points, roll a Constitution check (with proficiency bonus) to immediately leap up and regain 1d4+1 hit points.

Luminous Inheritance
At birth, a scraggly stranger entered your home and gifted your parents with 6 iron rods, each 12” long, and each of which radiates light equivalent to a lantern, without need for fuel. The rods are covered with mysterious Atlantean glyphs.

Mark of Cain
You have a mysterious birthmark, which when shown to Trolls and Giants will cause them to be non-hostile to you (until you cross them).

Mind Over Matter
After studying with a strange foreigner in your off hours as a youth, you can, once a day, if you concentrate for 10 minutes, levitate up to 30' off the earth for as long as you maintain concentration.

Mysterious Blessing
On the way to meet your comrades at the first adventure, a luminous man with his face shrouded by a cloak appears in front of you and makes a sign of blessing, raising one of your Ability Scores (rolled randomly) by 1d4 points.

Natural Born Alchemist
Having spent too much time with the gnomes of the garden and forest, you have learned to identify any magic potion or alchemical concoction with a simple sniff.

Pixie Protector
You have become friends with a powerful Pixie, Fairy or Sidhe in the forest nearby. He will do you favors as long as you don't make a pig of yourself. If you do, he will make a pig of you.

Ratman
One of your ancestors was cursed as a wererat for a time. You can never be surprised by a rat, ratman or wererat of any sort. You also gain +2 to hit, damage, and other checks against any sort of rat, ratman, wererat or rat-monster.

Ruh-Roh
For some reason, you have been best friends with an otherwise normal talking dog for your whole life.

Robust Bloodline
From a long line of mountain-men, you heal one point of damage per day, in addition to any other sort of healing, whether you rest or not.

Salubrious Blood
It was told to you at your 12th birthday that you are descended from Joseph of Aramithea and so are of the Grail Family, related to Percival and Galahad of old. You may be called on one day to perform a service for the Grail, but in the meantime, you are immune to all diseases, including lycanthropy and tomb rot.

Second Sight
Descendant of prophets and witches, if you take a round of inaction to focus, you can see the true nature of things through any illusion, disguise or even invisibility. The sight lasts for as long as you concentrate.

Sign of the Magi
You were born at a strange astrological concordance of the planets Saturn and Mercury, which caused a local astrologer to warn your parents to watch for signs. On the seventh hour of the seventh day after your birth, strange writings appeared in flame on your forehead, causing you no harm. You proved to be magical prodigy in your youth and gain 1 extra cantril and 1 extra first level spell known at first level. The astrologer would never again speak of, to or near you.

Solar Attunement
Born in the middle of Stonehenge, or some similar ancient solar site, you gain +1 to AC, Hit, Damage and checks when you outside under direct sunlight.

Steeped in Holiness
From your youth minor miracles, light and a feeling of blessedness surrounded you. You are able to make healing potions, cleric scrolls, and holy water at 25% less cost in components and time.

Time Enough for the Earth in the Grave
Having saved an air-spirit from doom, your character gets +4 to saves vs. being turned to stone and takes half damage from all attacks by Earth Elementals and their earthy kin.

Trace of the True Cross
You were born in the presence of a fragment of the True Cross. Your defense against any Spiritual Attack is improved by +5.

The Kavorka
Despite your appearance, or unpleasant habits, you are strangely magnetic to the opposite sex. You are truly a dangerous person.

weird_features.1576364001.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/12/14 22:53 by andrew