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Gnomes2169
2014-09-28, 03:53 AM
So because I'm bored and this (admittedly silly) idea has been swimming around in my head, I'ma try my hand at my second 5e background. Now with -3000% more paradoxes! :smalltongue:

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The Time Lost

Usually, the gods and constants of the universe are stable, reliable, predictable and do their job of keeping an order to the multiverse. Unfortunately, sometimes something or someone slips through the cracks and reality does not have the time to catch them and bring them back. Often, these things and beings are lost forever, fading even from history... But sometimes, the universe is able to find them again if they are lucky.

And you are exceedingly lucky.

Unfortunately, the universe not only failed to put you in the right where, it also managed to muck up enough the when as well. Now in a strange new land with its unusual and alien ideals, with everyone you knew and loved either long dead and ash or not even born yet, you only have a few questions to ask yourself; Where and when am I? What am I going to do? And finally, how can I get back?

As you journey, you will find that something happened to you out there that made you change somehow, something that makes creatures naturally... afraid of you, and that gives you insight into the current happenings of the world. And then there was the learning of a language that you shouldn't even be able to learn, which threw you off the first time your tongue spoke that ancient or dispicable language. So I suppose there is one more question you must ask yourself.

How did my jaunt through the black abyss of oblivion change me?

Skill proficiencies: History, Intimidation
Languages: Primordial and Deep Speech
Equipment: A broken compass and one of two packages:

Package one, Future equipment; A journal resilient to fire and acid, "futuristic garb", a time piece, a high quality quill and two ink wells, 10 gold
Package two, Past equipment; A signet ring, a blank scroll, a dagger, flint and steel, an "old fashioned" outfit, a waterskin, any one tool, 9 gold


Defining event: At some point in your past, events or a specific set of circumstances came together and caused enough strain for you to fall completely out of time. When you were drawn back in, you were lost and confused, and tried to figure out what had happened... Either decide or randomly determine what this event was and how you reacted to it by referencing the following table (alternately, discuss some options with your DM).

RollResult
1Past: I was in my master's study as he experimented with powerful and dangerous magics. The failure of the experiment sent me spiralling through time, landing me where I am today. I hope that if I can find my master's notes, that I can somehow find my way back home.
2Past: Being chased by an abomination, I fell into a chasm that held a rift in time. After reappearing, I immediately looked for shelter, only to find that the threat had long since passed and that I was not when I had been.
3I remeber very little of the events that led to leaving behind my time, only a bone chilling cackle and the words "Immortality is mine!"
4I happened to be arrogant and stupid enough to confront a sphynx in its layer. It took offense to this, and punished me for my hubris by pinning me to the floor and taking me for a ride through time...
5Past: I was a soldier in a wizard war, and was one of the thousands of good men and womem who history considers dead when the universe buckled under the weight of the raw magical energies. Now I am here, and a new war threatens to break out... Perhaps I am cursed to chaos?
6Future: A coming cataclysm rippled over the world, sending me and a handful of others flying back to a few decades before the end of the world. I think I might know a way to stop it, but it will be dangerous, and I could live a nice, full life before hand.
7While I was looking into time magic, I accidentally opened a hole in reality. After figuring out the magnitude of my mistake, I am now looking for some way to leave this primative time... Or at least improve it to my standards.
8I was sent back in time to end the rule of one particular tyrant who will ravage my kingdom in years to come. I only hope that I was sent to the right century... And that this compass leads me to who I seek.
9Reading in a grand library of lore gone by, my hand brushed a particular tome that happened to be from my favorite time period. For a second there was a ripple in space, and I, being the explorer that I am, decided that the best option was to poke it. When I woke up, I was here in this place, and imagine my surprise when I found out I was in the time period of the book!
10Future: I stepped into the Void, seeking power beyond the limits of time and space, but only found myself ruined, lost in a primative time without my skill or my allies, punished for my arrogance. But I have been given a second chance. I will not waste it.

Feature: Fragmented hero
In your possession is a compas that everyone assures you is broken, as it never points north. However, you know different... Something tells you that a great and terrible evil lays in wait in this world, and you know that if you follow this compass that you will eventually find it. However, you do not know how far this threat is, nor do you know what it is, only that you and your companions are the only hope of stopping it. As well, you are prone to blackouts where random visions of times past, happening and yet to come explode in your mind, sometimes granting you useful information, but typically leaving you with more questions than answers. As you draw closer to the threat, these visions become more common and clear, but they all stop the moment you discover the evil you must stop. If you are successful, then there is a chance that a new evil and new visions related to it will rise up and call for you to defeat it.

Suggested characteristics:
Terror is often a common reaction to being warped through time, and the Time Lost tend to be a paranoid bunch for the first few months. They are often unfamiliar with customs, and awkward in social situations that are unlike their own. Despite all of this, they tend to have a sense of duty about their calling (despite their fear about what evil they may find), and any connections they make in this alien world are precious to them.

RollTrait
1Past: I want to learn all I can about what has happened during my absence.
2Past: I long for simpler times, when customs were understandable and my prejudices were seen as acceptable
3Past: The past is past, but since I plan on going back, I do not want to have anything spoiled for me, ever.
4Future: My knowledge of what will come torments me, but I try my best not to tell anyone of what is to come or interfere.
5Future: Hoping to avert the tragic events that lead to my future, I am more than willing to shepard the people around me in a way that I think will help.
6Future: I am more than willing to do anything to get home and away from this primitive time with its backwards culture.

RollIdeal
1Responsibility: I am these people's past, it is as much my job now as it was back then to ensure their future is bright// I am these people's future, it would be foolish not to try and lead them properly. (Law)
2Adaptability: One should be able to react to and roll with any situation that arrises, even spontanious time travel. (Chaos)
3Non-interference: This is not where I belong, and I should not interfere with what happens here. (Neutral)
4Ambition: With my knowledge and potential, I can... No, I deserve to be a leader of the people, and I deserve the power and rank these pathetic mortals claim! (Evil)
5Protection: The future belongs to everyone, and it must be protected from those that would corrupt it. (Good)
6Exploration: What any good adventurer should do! Even if it's the same place I was just standing in, there is always more to look at! (Any)

RollBond
1I know that there is someone else/ a group of others who were also scattered throughout time. I do not know when or where they went, but they are my team and I will do my best to find them.
2I must find a way back to my own time! I have a destiny to fulfill, and I will not let anything stop me!
3I found my very, very distant relatives in this time, and I will do anything to protect my family line.
4I know that I brought an entity from my own time back with me, though how powerful and how disruptive this entity is remains to be seen, as well as where it reappears.
5Those that speak the strange tongue that I possess know of me, and come to me with requests from time to time.
6I must find some way to stop my visions, they are painfully distracting and strike at the most inconvenient of times.

RollFlaws
1I am more than a little racist, especially against one race in particular. It surprises me how common they are in this time.
2I refuse to let go of my home and culture, regardless of what conflict it causes.
3I am often hunted as an abberation by outsiders due to my aura being too... Aberrant. This has led to my paranoia of all celestial and feindish creatures.
4I am paralyzed with doubt whenever I need to make a major decision, because what happens if I rewrite history for the worse?
5In an unfamiliar time and place, I have turned to wine and women to drive away the loneliness.
6My experiences with magic have made me weary of what it can do, and I treat casters accordingly.

Variant feature: Overclocked Ever since your return to the time stream, your passage through it seems to have been... altered. You never seem to be tired, you hardly sleep, and even stopping to take a breather seems to take hardly any time at all for you. You only need to rest half as long to be treated as if you had a short or long rest, and you do not require food, sleep or meditation to avoid levels of exhaustion from those sources.

Gnomes2169
2014-09-28, 09:54 AM
And now with 90% fewer typos and Delorians! So, comments, questions, concerns?

Ralanr
2014-10-21, 06:59 PM
Makes me want to play someone from the 21st century. Which is pretty damn hilarious. Very cool.

Gnomes2169
2014-10-21, 09:14 PM
Makes me want to play someone from the 21st century. Which is pretty damn hilarious. Very cool.

Thank you, but it should be noted that I do plan on changing a few of the bonds/ traits/ whatever around on this homebrew.

Ralanr
2014-10-22, 05:54 PM
As it is yours to do so I see no reason to complain if I had any. Which I do not.

Gnomes2169
2014-10-23, 12:18 AM
Alright, got in the variant feature (which technically can be used with the main feature just fine for the ultimate timy wimy, wibbly wobbly shenanigans), and I decided to just change two traits. Something more interesting than the two I replaced, I hope...

Ralanr
2014-10-23, 08:15 AM
I'm a little confused on the variant. You're not affected by exhaustion but if you get five levels you die? And if you do a long rest you do not get rid of exhaustion levels?

Gnomes2169
2014-10-23, 04:07 PM
I'm a little confused on the variant. You're not affected by exhaustion but if you get five levels you die? And if you do a long rest you do not get rid of exhaustion levels?

You don't take penalties from exhaustion, but you can still die if you stay awake for too long or work yourself to death. The 1/2 as long rest does not remove any exhaustion levels, so you cannot ignore full-length long rests completely.

Edit: I'll probably fix the wording to make things a bit more clear...

Gnomes2169
2015-05-25, 07:52 PM
Okay, re-updated to look nicer and have the fewest typos I can get here.

Flashy
2015-05-25, 08:08 PM
I really like this background as a whole, but am not fond of the variant feature. To my mind it's too mechanistic and too powerful, particularly for a Frenzy Barbarian. I also don't see how the feature adds much in the way of additional roleplay options, which is a primary design goal for the archetype features.

Gnomes2169
2015-05-25, 09:02 PM
I really like this background as a whole, but am not fond of the variant feature. To my mind it's too mechanistic and too powerful, particularly for a Frenzy Barbarian. I also don't see how the feature adds much in the way of additional roleplay options, which is a primary design goal for the archetype features.

Wait, I didn't remove the variant feature? Well bugger... I guess I'll just go in there and change a few things.

Aaaaaand fixed! Ignoring the effects of exhaustion levels is no longer an issue, and that feature is plucked out. Instead, you regain energy faster and ignore the effects of not eating/ sleeping. This can be roleplayed in a few ways, from the energetic explorer who basically scampers around like a bunny with energizer max batteries shoved into its brain, the tireless sentinel that came back to stop all the bad things from ever happening again, or the warrior who's doubts and anxieties keep them awake at all times in the night. It's also a magical phenomina to dissect, perhaps opening up a side quest.

Heartspan
2015-07-07, 01:20 PM
this is really cool, i could see alot of different types of characters and plots with this background. excelent job!

Ninjadeadbeard
2015-07-07, 11:10 PM
This is awesome! I might tweak something here and there to make it fit my group's setting more...but it's seriously the coolest homebrew background I've seen yet. I love it! :smallbiggrin:

Gnomes2169
2015-07-08, 05:16 AM
Just remember, the base feature is basically "DM railroad plot device 2; the Reckoning." I'll admit that I was heavily inspired by the Knight of the Word series when I wrote that one up, and you should definitely get the feeling that your character is slowly going insane because of it.

JohnFJoestar
2018-05-30, 12:30 AM
I had an absolute blast using this background, it worked really well with my warforged monk that I ran. I essentially played him as being a cyborg from a cyberpunk future, and this allowed for a lot of really fun and interesting encounters and interactions, this is probably my favorite background I've ever used! Really well done!

Gnomes2169
2018-05-31, 07:30 AM
I had an absolute blast using this background, it worked really well with my warforged monk that I ran. I essentially played him as being a cyborg from a cyberpunk future, and this allowed for a lot of really fun and interesting encounters and interactions, this is probably my favorite background I've ever used! Really well done!

Thank you for letting me know! Also for commenting. With the release of Deadpool 2 and the popularity that Cabel is suddenly going to get, I feel like maybe people will appreciate the background that allows them to effectively play him, which this background should do! So thanks for bringing attention to it. :smalltongue: