{"name":"Investigator","ability_scores":"","feat":"","skill_proficiencies":"Choose two from among Insight, Investigation, or Perception","tool_proficiency":"Disguise kit, thieves\u2019 tools","equipment":"A magnifying glass, evidence from a past case (choose one or roll for a trinket from the Horror Trinkets table after this background), a set of common clothes, and 10 gp","details":"[quote]You relentlessly seek the truth. Perhaps you\u2019re motivated by belief in the law and a sense of universal justice, or maybe that very law has failed you and you seek to make things right. You could have witnessed something remarkable or terrible, and now you must know more about this hidden truth. Or maybe you\u2019re a detective for hire, uncovering secrets for well-paying clients. Whether the mysteries you\u2019re embroiled in are local crimes or realm-spanning conspiracies, you\u2019re driven by a personal need to hunt down even the most elusive clues and reveal what others would keep hidden in the shadows.[\/quote]\r\n[h1]Features[\/h1]\r\n[li][b]First Case[\/b][\/li]\r\nYour first case influenced the types of mysteries you\u2019re interested in. Why was this case so impactful, personal, or traumatic? Whom did it affect besides you? Why and how did you get involved? Was it solved? How did it set you on the path to investigating other mysteries? Roll on or choose details from the First Case table to develop the mystery that started your career as an investigator.\r\n[br][spoiler]\r\n[table][tr][td]d8[\/td][td]First Case[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]1[\/td][td]A friend was wrongfully accused of murder. You tracked down the actual killer, proving your friend\u2019s innocence and starting your career as a detective.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]2[\/td][td]You\u2019re told you went missing for weeks. When you were found, you had no memory of being gone. Now you search to discover what happened to you.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]3[\/td][td]You helped a spirit find peace by finding its missing corpse. Ever since, other spectral clients have sought you out to help them find rest.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]4[\/td][td]You revealed that the monsters terrorizing your home were illusions created by a cruel mage. The magic-user escaped, but you\u2019ve continued to uncover magical hoaxes.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]5[\/td][td]You were wrongfully accused and convicted of a crime. You managed to escape and seek to help others avoid the experience you suffered, even while still being pursued by the law.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]6[\/td][td]You survived the destructive use of a magic device that wiped out your home. Members of a secret organization found you. You now work with them, tracking down dangerous supernatural phenomena and preventing them from doing harm.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]7[\/td][td]You found evidence of a conspiracy underpinning society. You tried to expose this mysterious cabal, but no one believed you. You\u2019re still trying to prove what you know is true.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]8[\/td][td]You got a job with an agency that investigates crimes that local law enforcement can\u2019t solve. You often wonder which you value more, the truth or your pay.[\/td][\/tr][\/table]\r\n| Case Details[\/spoiler]\r\n[br][br]\r\n[li][b]Official Inquiry[\/b][\/li]\r\nYou\u2019re experienced at gaining access to people and places to get the information you need. Through a combination of fast-talking, determination, and official-looking documentation, you can gain access to a place or an individual related to a crime you\u2019re investigating. Those who aren\u2019t involved in your investigation avoid impeding you or pass along your requests. Additionally, local law enforcement has firm opinions about you, viewing you as either a nuisance or one of their own.\r\n[h1]Suggested Motivations[\/h1]\r\nCharacters in a horror-focused campaign might have distinct motivations and characteristics. Use the following tables to supplement your background\u2019s suggested characteristics or to inspire those of your own design.\r\n[br][spoiler]\r\n[table][tr][td]d12[\/td][td]Personality Trait[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]1[\/td][td]I had an encounter that I believe gives me a special affinity with a supernatural creature or event.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]2[\/td][td]A signature piece of clothing or distinct weapon serves as an emblem of who I am.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]3[\/td][td]I never accept that I\u2019m out of my depth.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]4[\/td][td]I must know the answer to every secret. No door remains unopened in my presence.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]5[\/td][td]I let people underestimate me, revealing my full competency only to those close to me.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]6[\/td][td]I compulsively seek to collect trophies of my travels and victories.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]7[\/td][td]It doesn\u2019t matter if the whole world\u2019s against me. I\u2019ll always do what I think is right.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]8[\/td][td]I have morbid interests and a macabre aesthetic.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]9[\/td][td]I have a personal ritual, mantra, or relaxation method I use to deal with stress.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]10[\/td][td]Nothing is more important than life, and I never leave anyone in danger.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]11[\/td][td]I\u2019m quick to jump to extreme solutions. Why risk a lesser option not working?[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]12[\/td][td]I\u2019m easily startled, but I\u2019m not a coward.[\/td][\/tr][\/table]\r\n| Traits[\/spoiler]\r\n[spoiler]\r\n[table][tr][td]d12[\/td][td]Ideal[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]1[\/td][td]Adrenaline. I\u2019ve experienced such strangeness that now I feel alive only in extreme situations.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]2[\/td][td]Balance. I strive to counter the deeds of someone for whom I feel responsible.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]3[\/td][td]Bound. I\u2019ve wronged someone and must work their will to avoid their curse.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]4[\/td][td]Escape. I believe there is something beyond the world I know, and I need to find it.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]5[\/td][td]Legacy. I must do something great so that I\u2019m remembered, and my time is running out.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]6[\/td][td]Misdirection. I work vigorously to keep others from realizing my flaws or misdeeds.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]7[\/td][td]Obsession. I\u2019ve lived this way for so long that I can\u2019t imagine another way.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]8[\/td][td]Obligation. I owe it to my people, faith, family, or teacher to continue a vaunted legacy.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]9[\/td][td]Promise. My life is no longer my own. I must fulfill the dream of someone who\u2019s gone.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]10[\/td][td]Revelation. I need to know what lies beyond the mysteries of death, the world, or the Mists.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]11[\/td][td]Sanctuary. I know the forces at work in the world and strive to create islands apart from them.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]12[\/td][td]Truth. I care about the truth above all else, even if it doesn\u2019t benefit anyone.[\/td][\/tr][\/table]\r\n| Ideals[\/spoiler]\r\n[spoiler]\r\n[table][tr][td]d12[\/td][td]Bond[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]1[\/td][td]I desperately need to get back to someone or someplace, but I lost them in the Mists.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]2[\/td][td]Everything I do is in the service of a powerful master, one I must keep a secret from everyone.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]3[\/td][td]I owe much to my vanished mentor. I seek to continue their work even as I search to find them.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]4[\/td][td]I\u2019ve seen great darkness, and I\u2019m committed to being a light against it\u2014the light of all lights.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]5[\/td][td]Someone I love has become a monster, murderer, or other threat. It\u2019s up to me to redeem them.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]6[\/td][td]The world has been convinced of a terrible lie. It\u2019s up to me to reveal the truth.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]7[\/td][td]I deeply miss someone and am quick to adopt people who remind me of them.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]8[\/td][td]A great evil dwells within me. I will fight against it and the world\u2019s other evils for as long as I can.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]9[\/td][td]I\u2019m desperately seeking a cure to an affliction or a curse, either for someone close to me for myself.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]10[\/td][td]Spirits are drawn to me. I do all I can to help them find peace.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]11[\/td][td]I use my cunning mind to solve mysteries and find justice for those who\u2019ve been wronged.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]12[\/td][td]I lost someone I care about, but I still see them in guilty visions, recurring dreams, or as a spirit.[\/td][\/tr][\/table]\r\n| Bonds[\/spoiler]\r\n[spoiler]\r\n[table][tr][td]d12[\/td][td]Flaw[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]1[\/td][td]I believe doom follows me and that anyone who gets close to me will face a tragic end.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]2[\/td][td]I\u2019m convinced something is after me, appearing in mirrors, dreams, and places where no one could.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]3[\/td][td]I\u2019m especially superstitious and live life seeking to avoid bad luck, wicked spirits, or the Mists.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]4[\/td][td]I\u2019ve done unspeakable evil and will do anything to prevent others from finding out.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]5[\/td][td]I am exceptionally credulous and believe any story or legend immediately.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]6[\/td][td]I\u2019m a skeptic and don\u2019t believe in the power of rituals, religion, superstition, or spirits.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]7[\/td][td]I know my future is written and that anything I do will lead to a prophesied end.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]8[\/td][td]I need to find the best in everyone and everything, even when that means denying obvious malice.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]9[\/td][td]I\u2019ve seen the evil of a type of place\u2014like forests, cities, or graveyards\u2014and resist going there.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]10[\/td][td]I\u2019m exceptionally cautious, planning laboriously and devising countless contingencies.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]11[\/td][td]I have a reputation for defeating a great evil, but that\u2019s a lie and the wicked force knows.[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]12[\/td][td]I know the ends always justify the means and am quick to make sacrifices to attain my goals.[\/td][\/tr][\/table]\r\n| Flaws[\/spoiler]\r\n[h1]Horror Trinkets[\/h1]\r\n[li][b]The Impact of Your Craft[\/b][\/li]\r\nSinister deeds and festering evils take many forms, sometimes as stories and sometimes as physical scars. All manner of talismans, mementos, criminal evidence, mysterious devices, cursed relics, and physical impossibilities might embody just such scars\u2014summaries of terrors in material form.\r\n[in]Before you finish making a character, roll once on the Horror Trinkets table for a unique object your character has with them at the start of their adventuring career. These trinkets hint toward various horrific tales and might lead to dreadful revelations or be nothing more than grim keepsakes. At the GM\u2019s discretion any of these trinkets might also be a [blocklink:1554893], a focal item that can lead the bearer through the Mists to a particular Domain of Dread.[\/in]\r\n[spoiler][table][tr][td]d100[\/td][td]Trinket[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]1[\/td][td]A picture you drew as a child of your imaginary friend[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]2[\/td][td]A lock that opens when blood is dripped in its keyhole[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]3[\/td][td]Clothes stolen from a scarecrow[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]4[\/td][td]A spinning top carved with four faces: happy, sad, wrathful, and dead[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]5[\/td][td]The necklace of a sibling who died on the day you were born[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]6[\/td][td]A wig from someone executed by beheading[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]7[\/td][td]The unopened letter to you from your dying father[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]8[\/td][td]A pocket watch that runs backward for an hour every midnight[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]9[\/td][td]A winter coat stolen from a dying soldier[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]10[\/td][td]A bottle of invisible ink that can only be read at sunset[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]11[\/td][td]A wineskin that refills when interred with a dead person for a night[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]12[\/td][td]A set of silverware used by a king for his last meal[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]13[\/td][td]A spyglass that always shows the world suffering a terrible storm[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]14[\/td][td]A cameo with the profile\u2019s face scratched away[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]15[\/td][td]A lantern with a black candle that never runs out and that burns with green flame[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]16[\/td][td]A teacup from a child\u2019s tea set, stained with blood[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]17[\/td][td]A little black book that records your dreams, and yours alone, when you sleep[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]18[\/td][td]A necklace formed of the interlinked holy symbols of a dozen deities[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]19[\/td][td]A noose that feels heavier than it should[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]20[\/td][td]A birdcage into which small birds fly but once inside never eat or leave[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]21[\/td][td]A lepidopterist\u2019s box filled with dead moths with skull-like patterns on their wings[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]22[\/td][td]A jar of pickled ghouls\u2019 tongues[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]23[\/td][td]The wooden hand of a notorious pirate[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]24[\/td][td]A urn with the ashes of a dead relative[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]25[\/td][td]A hand mirror backed with a bronze depiction of a medusa[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]26[\/td][td]Pallid leather gloves crafted with ivory fingernails[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]27[\/td][td]Dice made from the knuckles of a notorious charlatan[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]28[\/td][td]A ring of keys for forgotten locks[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]29[\/td][td]Nails from the coffin of a murderer[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]30[\/td][td]A key to the family crypt[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]31[\/td][td]A bouquet of funerary flowers that always looks and smells fresh[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]32[\/td][td]A switch used to discipline you as a child[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]33[\/td][td]A music box that plays by itself whenever someone holding it dances[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]34[\/td][td]A walking cane with an iron ferrule that strikes sparks on stone[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]35[\/td][td]A flag from a ship lost at sea[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]36[\/td][td]A porcelain doll\u2019s head that always seems to be looking at you[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]37[\/td][td]A wolf\u2019s head wrought in silver that is also a whistle[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]38[\/td][td]A small mirror that shows a much older version of the viewer[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]39[\/td][td]A small, worn book of children\u2019s nursery rhymes[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]40[\/td][td]A mummified raven claw[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]41[\/td][td]A broken pendant of a silver dragon that\u2019s always cold to the touch[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]42[\/td][td]A small locked box that quietly hums a lovely melody at night, but you always forget it in the morning[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]43[\/td][td]An inkwell that makes one a little nauseous when staring at it[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]44[\/td][td]An old doll made from a dark, dense wood and missing a hand and a foot[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]45[\/td][td]A black executioner\u2019s hood[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]46[\/td][td]A pouch made of flesh, with a sinew drawstring[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]47[\/td][td]A tiny spool of black thread that never runs out[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]48[\/td][td]A tiny clockwork figurine of a dancer that\u2019s missing a gear and doesn\u2019t work[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]49[\/td][td]A black wooden pipe that creates puffs of smoke that look like skulls[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]50[\/td][td]A vial of perfume, the scent of which only certain creatures can detect[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]51[\/td][td]A stone that emits a single endless sigh[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]52[\/td][td]A rag doll with two red dots on its neck[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]53[\/td][td]A spring-loaded toy with a missing crank[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]54[\/td][td]A mason jar containing a harmless but agitated, animate ooze[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]55[\/td][td]A black wooden die with 1\u2019s on all the faces[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]56[\/td][td]A child\u2019s portrait with \u201cborn\u201d written on the back, along with next year\u2019s date[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]57[\/td][td]A dagger-sized shark tooth[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]58[\/td][td]A finger that\u2019s taken root in a small pot[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]59[\/td][td]A toolbox containing the remains of a dangerous but broken clockwork arachnid[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]60[\/td][td]A pitcher-sized, opalescent snail shell that occasionally, inexplicably shudders or tips over[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]61[\/td][td]The logbook of an ice-breaking ship called The Haifisch[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]62[\/td][td]A small portrait of you as a child, alongside your identically dressed twin[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]63[\/td][td]A silver pocket watch with thirteen hours marked on the face[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]64[\/td][td]A woodcut of a wolf devouring its own hind leg[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]65[\/td][td]A planchette etched with raven skulls[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]66[\/td][td]A moist coral figurine of a lamprey with arms, legs, and a bipedal stance[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]67[\/td][td]A bronze fingertrap sculpted with roaring tigers[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]68[\/td][td]A pearl necklace that turns red under the full moon[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]69[\/td][td]A fossil of a fish with humanoid features[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]70[\/td][td]A plague doctor\u2019s mask[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]71[\/td][td]A paper talisman with smudged ink[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]72[\/td][td]A locket containing the smeared image of an eyeless figure[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]73[\/td][td]A canopic jar with a lid sculpted like a goat[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]74[\/td][td]A jack-o\u2019-lantern made from a small, pale gourd[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]75[\/td][td]A single high-heeled, iron shoe[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]76[\/td][td]A candle made from a severed hand[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]77[\/td][td]A clockwork device that beats like a heart[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]78[\/td][td]A blank masquerade mask[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]79[\/td][td]A glass eye with a live worm inside[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]80[\/td][td]A sheet with two eyeholes cut in it[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]81[\/td][td]The deed to someplace called Tergeron Manor[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]82[\/td][td]An ornate, wax-sealed crimson envelope that resists all attempts to open it[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]83[\/td][td]A mourning veil trimmed in black lace[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]84[\/td][td]A straitjacket covered in charcoal runes[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]85[\/td][td]A tattered, burlap mask with a crooked smile painted on it[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]86[\/td][td]A green ribbon designed to be worn as a choker[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]87[\/td][td]Dentures with mismatched, sharpened teeth[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]88[\/td][td]A warm, fist-sized egg case[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]89[\/td][td]A copper ring with \u201cmine\u201d engraved on the inside[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]90[\/td][td]A glass ampoule containing a neon green fluid[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]91[\/td][td]An eye patch embroidered with a holy symbol[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]92[\/td][td]A severed big toe with a nail that continues to grow[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]93[\/td][td]A journal that has been heavily redacted[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]94[\/td][td]A glove with a mouth-like design stitched on the palm[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]95[\/td][td]An ornate but empty reliquary made of silver and fractured glass[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]96[\/td][td]A ceramic figure of a cat with too many eyes[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]97[\/td][td]A crumpled paper ticket bearing the words \u201cadmit none\u201d[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]98[\/td][td]An electrum coin with your face on one side[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]99[\/td][td]A shrunken gremishka head that twitches when anyone casts magic nearby[\/td][\/tr][tr][td]100[\/td][td]A sunburst amulet with a red stone at the center[\/td][\/tr][\/table]\r\n| Trinkets Table[\/spoiler]","imageid":"","source":"Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft","vintage":"0","tags":"","templateId":"17143","blockId":"1554928","world":"f23bfee1-fef1-458a-9e5d-7b8dc747c3db","folder":"39103","isShared":"on"}