Big Book of Backgrounds
You were once a devout member of the flock. Your religion was everything to you and it defined you as a person. Now you have turned your back on it. Whatever it was that brought you to turn your back, be it the actions of religious leaders or the temptations of a different faith, your shift in beliefs and priorities has been noted by those in power within your former religion. You have been branded apostate. You will find no more comfort or succor from the clerics and lay people you once called brother or sister. Now you must mark a different path.
Why did you turn your back on your previous faith? Have you taken up with a new god, a new church? Does your new faith demand more of you than it might of others, knowing of your shift in allegiance? Or have they welcomed you with open arms? Or are you still faithful to your god, but instead are excommunicated, having learned some terrible truth the religious leaders do not want you to know?
Skill Proficiencies: Religion. Choose one from: Deception, History, Intimidation, or Persuasion.
Tool Proficiencies: Choose one from: Brewer’s Tools, Calligrapher’s Tools, Cook’s Utensils, One Musical Instrument, Poisoner’s Kit, Land Vehicles or Water Vehicles.
Languages: One Language of your choice.
Equipment: A holy symbol from the religion you abandoned; a treatise or book on another belief system; a set of common clothes; and a pouch with 10gp.
While you have fallen out of favor with your old religion, you still maintain a working understanding of it, including its beliefs, teachings, rites, expectations, and significant figures (both living and dead). At the DM’s discretion you might also know some secret truths about your former faith that they might otherwise wish kept secret. This knowledge grants you an understanding of how your former faith deals with apostasy—including policies and tactics (if they are aggressive in the persecution of Apostates)—and which rival religions or groups might be willing to offer you shelter or favors in exchange for your insider information.
- or -
Rather than simply turning your back on your faith, you believe in a doctrine that is outlawed. You may have been exiled for your beliefs, or might continue working inside the faith, sowing the seeds of your divergent beliefs. As a result, you know where and how to find heretics where your faith is represented. If there are no active heretics present, you can indoctrinate weak-willed souls if you spend a day preaching. Where heretics are present, you can always find a place to hide, rest, and recuperate, and they will help you escape if needs be.
Apostates are usually motivated by a certainty that their change of heart is a correct one. Assuming they are not one of those who have been excommunicated to cover up some darker truth within the church, they likely seek to help other members of their former religion also see the light, so to speak. Others might have simply discarded Religion entirely, and instead have moved onto to logical rationalism or pursuit of martial perfection. And all of this is to say nothing of the Heretic who likely still deeply believes in their faith… just in a way that very few others do.
| Personality Traits | |
| d8 | Personality Trait |
| 1 | I frequently quote scripture or sacred texts, as I understand them, to others. |
| 2 | I am quick to disregard the opinions of people who seek to refute my beliefs. |
| 3 | I am always quick to help others who are struggling with their faith. |
| 4 | I do not feel I have done anything wrong, and do not care what others think of me. |
| 5 | I am always polite, especially to strangers. You catch more flies with honey. |
| 6 | I keep my beliefs to myself unless pressed to discuss them. |
| 7 | I value reason more highly than faith. |
| 8 | I occasionally have second thoughts about what I have done. |
| Ideals | |
| d6 | Ideal |
| 1 | Freedom. We should be allowed to make our own choices about what we believe. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Dogma. Strict ethos is the foundation of moral belief. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Knowledge. Those who seek truth can grow wise beyond their years. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Benevolence. Belief should serve the people, not the other way around. (Good) |
| 5 | Dominance. Belief can be used to control others. (Evil) |
| 6 | Balance. There's a gray area between what is right and what is wrong and, sometimes, it must be traversed. (Any) |
| Bonds | |
| d6 | Bond |
| 1 | I left someone very dear to me behind when I struck out from the church. |
| 2 | I shall build a new faith and show people the true path. |
| 3 | There is a great artifact of my old faith that I wish to uncover for my own, selfish reasons. |
| 4 | Members of my old faith immediately turn against me when they learn the truth about me. |
| 5 | I believe I hear the voice that drives my change of faith in my dreams. |
| 6 | I had a mentor who taught me my new beliefs. I do not know what became of them. |
| Flaws | |
| d6 | Flaw |
| 1 | I try to fix things that aren’t broken, often breaking them. |
| 2 | I tend to be deliberately evasive and opaque with my words, even if it benefits me to be otherwise. |
| 3 | I tend to misjudge the faith and devotion of others. |
| 4 | I’ve become obsessed with my personal beliefs, to the detriment of other concerns. |
| 5 | I condescend to members of faiths different from my own. |
| 6 | I tend to jump into things with both feet, even before I fully know what the stakes are. |