Hooded Figure (5e Background)
Hooded Figure
You are a mysterious figure, with a robe and hood covering your features. You might have been a cultist who made a regrettable deal with a demon, a victim of a horrible attack by a dragon, or perhaps you were framed for a crime that you had not truly committed, requiring you to hide your identity. Those who do their best to permanently hide who they are typically are ones who would prefer to not be noticed, but they end up with the opposite happening. Hooded figures might enjoy telling others small bits about themselves, to keep them guessing, or possibly make up a false identity and adopt it. For what reason did you decide to hide your face from others, and why was it so serious that you might almost never show it? How did you handle those who already knew who you are, so they would not give your identity away? Were you the cause of whatever made you want to hide yourself, or did somebody-or something-else make it happen? And what made you decide that adventuring would be the best course of action for you to take? Did you believe that adventuring could help fix whatever it was that wronged you? Were you hoping it could allow you to run away from those who you might be hiding your features from? Or were you just tired of hiding and doing nothing, and hoped that it might take your mind off of whatever you're hiding from?
Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand and Deception
Tool Proficiencies: One musical instrument
Languages: Choose one exotic language (Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon)
Equipment: One dark robe with a hood that covers your face in darkness when you wear it, a set of dark common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.
Past
Not everyone who chooses to conceal their identity has the same origins, some may have been criminals in the past, or feel horrible about their past.
| d6 | Specialization |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cultist. You were a cultist in the past, worshiping some terrible demon, god, or being. |
| 2 | Assassin. You are a reformed assassin, and took out targets for monetary gain. |
| 3 | Mercenary. You were a mercenary, fighting for whichever side had the most money. |
| 4 | Summoner. You had attempted-or succeeded-in summoning dark beings, and might even be trying to hunt them down. |
| 5 | False Criminal. Despite never having commit crimes before, you were convicted or accused of a crime you had no part in. |
| 6 | Shamed Murderer. You had killed somebody you had no intention of killing, and now are hiding because of it. |
Feature: Eyes of Crime
Due to your mysterious and dark appearance, as well as any potential rumors surfacing about you, many criminal organizations will be willing to house you, and only you, at a comfortable lifestyle, provided you do some favors or jobs for them. If you are openly convicted for a crime that an organization is not able or unwilling to cover up, they will cut all ties with you until your name is cleared.
Alternate Feature: On the Run
You were falsely convicted of a crime, causing some guards to be very suspicious of you. However, due to this, some people that know the truth-or at least think they do-may be willing to offer you shelter, at a comfortable lifestyle. If you are convicted for a crime, and the person believes you are a criminal, than they will not be willing to shelter you, and may even turn you into the authorities.
Suggested Characteristics
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a tendency to go by many different names, and sometimes forget which one I'm using. |
| 2 | I am very quiet, and tend to fade into the background. |
| 3 | I like to change my voice or accent every few days, so people don't know I'm the same person. |
| 4 | I rarely speak above a whisper, for fear that I might attract attention to myself. |
| 5 | I constantly am looking around, to make sure I don't see anyone I know. |
| 6 | I'm always feeling my pockets, fearing that I'll drop something that might give my identity away. |
| 7 | Sometimes I just act like a normal person, dropping my shady act, but only for a few seconds. |
| 8 | I like to study how other people act, to see if they might be hiding secrets, like I am. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Redemption. Even though I might have done wrong in the past, I can do right in the present. (Good) |
| 2 | Framed. I never did anything wrong to anyone! This isn't fair, I was framed. (Any) |
| 3 | Supervillain. I only need a bit of time to hang low, before I strike again. (Evil) |
| 4 | Justified. What I did was right for me, and others should see that, too. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Vengeance. I didn't do anything bad, beforehand. But, now that I have been forced to be how I am, I will. (Evil) |
| 6 | Newfound Honor. My exile is only done from myself, from shame of all I had done. (Neutral) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'll never forget the life I had, before all of this hiding. |
| 2 | I only had to run because of I am in love with someone that is too dangerous. |
| 3 | I didn't want to hurt anybody, and still remember the one that I hurt the most. |
| 4 | A vigilante believes I am a criminal mastermind, and is hunting me down. |
| 5 | I sometimes like to visit people that I know, without revealing who I truly am. |
| 6 | Nobody must ever know who I truly am. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sometimes, I fall into the urges of crime. |
| 2 | I like to use my threatening appearance to my advantage, but sometimes get too far. |
| 3 | I am afraid of who I will hurt next. |
| 4 | Memories of my old life distract and daze me after reliving them. |
| 5 | Thoughts of whether I should turn myself in or not cross my mind. |
| 6 | I am always angry because of what I have done or what has been done to me. |
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