Prior History Tables

Prior History

EVENTS SUBTABLE A (1D10)

1. Animal Companion: Your PC begins the game with a pet he has trained up from infancy. The animal is a normal creature but very loyal (with a Morale score of 8+/- the PC’s CHA bonus). It has average intelligence for its species but can have been trained to follow simple commands of the sort that would be normal for its type. Roll 1d6: 1-2: dog (can fetch and guard) ; 3: wolf (can guard and fight) ; 4: hawk (can hunt and fight) ; 5: raven (can find owner or home, to transmit messages) ; 6: monkey (obtained from a merchant ship, can dance or steal)
2. Banished: The character was either banished from or forced to flee his home territory. The GM should decide with the player what was the cause of his banishment; return to the home area could still be dangerous for the character.
3. Brawler: The character has a particular background in combat for show. If he was from the lower classes, he spent time in his youth as a wrestler or show fighter; if higher class, he trained for tourneys and swordfighting. The character gets a +1 bonus to suitable skill checks for the purposes of intimidation.
4. Cavalry Trained: Whether as a horse-breeder, horseracer, jouster, or through military training; the PC has spent a lot of time on the saddle. The character gets a +1 bonus to any rolls related to horsemanship.
5. Courtier: Whether as a servant, a squire, or a young noble’s son or daughter, the PC has spent time in the court of a high noble, or even the Royal court. The PC may have people who know them, for good or ill, in the nobility. Their understanding and training in court situation grants them a +1 bonus when dealing with the nobility.
6. Disinherited: Regardless of social class, the character has found themselves stripped of their birthright. They have lost their plot of land, their possessions, or meager savings, or their family title. Neither they or their family have any lands or holdings. The GM should decide with the player the reasons why this happened: the character’s family may have been driven out of their home, or lost it in consequence of being on the wrong side of a war/revolt, or a noble’s family may have been attaindered (to have their title revoked and lands and properties confiscated by Royal Decree) for corruption or treason. Such a PC may have enemies (the ones who did this to them), but they may also have sympathizers who feel the PC’s family was done an injustice.
7. Heartbreak: The PCs’ great first true love was lost. Did their beau die? Reject them? Was it a forbidden romance for reasons of class, wealth, or gender? The player and GM should work out the details. Meanwhile, this failed romance may have left the PC scarred and melancholy, but the air of tragedy and romantic sadness around them will give them a +1 bonus to resist with those who might feel romantic attraction to the PC.
8. Kitchen Trained: The PC spent time working in a kitchen in a manor house or palace. Alternately, if they are from the upper classes, they have developed a particular interest in the gastronomical arts. In either case, they are probably not sufficiently skilled to qualify as a master chef, but their cooking will be considerably above the average. They gain a +1 to cooking skills.
9. Pious: Even in a highly-religious culture, this PC is exceptionally devoted to the Church. The PC will be very well-versed in theology and religious history and symbolism. They gain a +1 to religious skills.
10. Stolen by Barbarians: At some point in their youth, the PC was captured by some kind of barbarian tribe, most likely to be used as slave labor (if lower class) or as a hostage (if upper class). The PC will have spent enough time in that area to have a knowledge of the region, will gain the language of their captors, and will have knowledge of their former captors’ culture, religion and traditions. If applicable, the GM may grant bonuses to skill or ability score checks based on this experience.

EVENTS SUBTABLE B (1D10)

1. Conscript: The PC was forcibly conscripted to serve in a lord’s army. This may have been intended as intimidation on their family, to amend for some legal misdemeanor, or (in the case of a higher class character) to force a demonstration of loyalty from their family. The PC was later either released from their service, or is a deserter. The PC begins with one extra hit-point.
2. Encounter With Chaos: At some point in their youth, the PC had a horrific close encounter with Chaos; it may have been in the form of an encounter with a Chaos creature, demon, or Fae, or with a chaos cult. It is even possible that as a child, the PC was only just rescued (by brave adventurers) from becoming a sacrificial victim in a sorcerous ritual. The GM and the player should determine just what this encounter consisted in, and the player should consider how it left their character: have they harbored intense hatred for Chaos ever since? Or were they left with a sense of taste for the dark arts? In any case, the PC came out of the experience with a permanent +1 bonus to saving throws versus magic.
3. False Identity: For any number of possible reasons, the PC is not using their real name, and are operating under an assumed name and identity. The PC can select either a +1 bonus to the forgery skill or the disguise skill. At the same time, there should be a reason for their false identity, and consequences should certain people find out who they really are.
4. Family Vendetta: The PC’s family is embroiled in a longstanding feud with another family of roughly the same social class. This struggle has on more than one occasion resulted in bloodshed; it may be due to a dispute over territory, property, a perceived dishonor, or it may have been going on so long that there is no memory of why it actually began. The PC may find themselves embroiled in the conflict whether they like it or not, if they run across members of the feuding family.
5. Forester: Whether as a hunter, a poacher, or an outlaw (or some other reason), the PC has spent a considerable amount of time in the either the woods or mountains. He a +1 wilderness survival skill in the chosen terrain.
6. Lost Heirloom: Some particular object of value (to be determined by the GM, possibly with player input) has been lost to the PC’s family (either by the PC himself or in the past) and the family desperately wants it recovered. It could be anything from a land deed to a jewel of great price, to a magic item, to a proof of noble ancestry, to something that is evidence of a more sinister secret that could ruin the family. It should also be determined how the object came to be lost, and the GM should consider just who has it now (though of course the player or his character may not have any idea).
7. My Old Party Are Dead: This is not the first time the PC has gone adventuring. The last time, the PC barely got away with their life, and was the only one from their adventuring party to do so. There may also be family members of their dead party-mates who blame the PC for surviving, accuse them of cowardice, or look for revenge. The player may also wish to figure out just what horrible monsters killed the PC’s former friends, and what psychological scars may remain from the event (a phobia?, pathological hatred?).
8. Scandalous Affair: At some point in their past, the PC got involved in a ‘romantic’ affair that was certainly scandalous. It was most likely either a case of adultery, a same-sex relationship that came to light and ruined reputations, or a relationship with someone radically different in social class. The affair ended in public humiliation, and possibly in threats of revenge from cuckolded partners or furious family-members. In the circles the PC typically operated the scandal is well known, and may give either a penalty or bonus to reaction checks depending on what the NPC in question would think of the character’s actions.
9. Sent to the Tower: The PC has spent time imprisoned. This means that the PC was at least accused of some sort of crime, what remains to be determined is if the PC was later proven innocent, escaped, pardoned, or sentenced and “served time”. Regardless, the PC’s time spent in the horrific condition of medieval prison should grant them a +1 bonus to any saving throw against diseases.
10. Executioner: The PC either was brought into the family business or selected at random by the lord during an execution. Whatever the reason, the PC has had a short-lived career as an executioner. The PC has a +1 bonus to any rolls relating to medicine and accessing health conditions of a person.

EVENTS SUBTABLE C (1D10)

1. Auspicious Birth: There was some kind of unusual sign or omen at the time of the PC’s birth, generally interpreted as a blessing from Unconquered Sol. It was assumed throughout the character’s youth that he or she was destined for greatness. This may have opened doors for the PC in terms of education or access that would otherwise have been closed, and that would excuse the PC from some of the limitations of social, class or gender roles (to a certain extent). The PC gains a +1 bonus to all saving throws.
2. Fae-Touched: In childhood or youth, the PC had a “close encounter” with a Fae. They survived/escaped, but the fae did something to the PC that changed them. If the PC is any kind of non-clerical spellcaster, they gain a +1 bonus to spellchecks. Note that if anyone realizes the special gifts the PC has, particularly if they know of the PC’s fae encounter, they will view the PC with extreme suspicion of potential mutation or heresy.
3. Lady’s Favorite: The PC became a favorite of an aging noblewoman. Whether the PC was a common serving girl or stableboy, or a young aristocrat, the Lady bestowed patronage and favors on the PC. She may or may not have had romantic intentions toward the PC, which may or may not have been fulfilled, and would certainly have been secretive and scandalous. The PC has moved on, and there is a 50% chance that the Lady has died since that time; if not, she will be quite old but may be called on for some favor (she has little in the way of authority, but she does have access to wealth and connections). If she is deceased, she will have left the PC a small inheritance, meaning that if the PC is below Lordly social class they will still have starting funds and equipment equal to that class; if they are of that class or higher, they will begin with that amount as extra funds.
4. Local Hero: The PC is already known for some brave act in their own home area. The GM and player should determine what the PC did: they may have done something as simple as saving a child from drowning or scared off a bear, or they might have played some heroic role in an ill-fated local rebellion, or any number of other possibilities. The PC will have favorable reaction bonuses among anyone from their local area and people will be naturally well-disposed to give the PC information and assistance, as long as their action didn’t act against the personal interests of the NPC in question.
5. Lost at Sea: At some point the PC was caught in a shipwreck, their survival being considered nothing short of miraculous. The PC gains the sailing and swimming skills at +1, and potentially a phobia of deep water.
6. Prosperous Family: The PC comes from a family that is considerably wealthier than their social class would indicate. Through good fortune or craftiness, their family has reached the higher end of the economic scale for their group. The PC gets starting funds as though they belonged to one social class higher than their actual social class; if they are from the aristocracy, they begin with double their usual funds.
7. Renaissance Person: The PC has a very high level of education by standards of the time, whether self taught or by attendance at one of the Universities of the realm. The PC will be literate in an additional language, and have a +1 in three skills.
8. Saved a Lord: The PC saved the life of an important Lord (or Earl, or Duke). How they did this is up to the GM to decide, with player input: the PC may have taken an arrow for their lord, or dragged their badly-injured sire through miles of woodland to medical attention, or have obtained rare herbs that saved the ailing lord from the plague, or any number of other possibilities. In any case, the Lord in question has promised the PC a single favor; naturally, the quality of that favor depends on the reasonable expectations for the PC’s social class. It could be a letter of introduction, help getting out of a sticky situation, or (if the PC is remarkably unimaginative) a gift of money commensurate to the PC’s social status. It could also be a job, or even some minor office. It will NOT be a knighthood, a large keep, marriage to his daughter, or anything like that, of course.
9. Spared by God: The PC was actually sentenced to death at some point, for a crime they did or did not commit. Whether they were truly guilty or not is for the player to decide, but what matters is that the execution was in some way botched, and it was the judgment of the lord in charge of the execution (possibly at the insistence of the gathered crowd) that it was the will of the God that the PC’s life be spared. They were released, and now superstitious people of any class (more commonly the lower classes, but there are those of higher classes who are equally superstitious) will believe that the PC has some special rapport with the divine. Whoever ordered the PC’s execution may still be watching to see some new evidence of criminality or culpability. The PC’s great fortune grants them a +2 bonus to any “save or die” saving roll scenario.
10. Wildling: The PC, even if not of barbarian stock, spent the formative part of their childhood living in the wilderness. This could be for any number of reasons: their parents might have been outlaws, the child might have been kidnapped by mountain barbarians, they might have been an orphan raised by a hermit, or have gotten lost in the woods and raised by some kindly forester before being restored to their family some years later. The PC will have, even years later, less training in proper manners and behavior, and possibly a lower level of overall education than their social class peers. But they will also have a +2 skill bonus to hunting and wilderness survival (in the terrain in which they were raised), and may also know local lore about a wilderness region (including the location of its ruins or other notable sites, and knowledge about dangerous monsters found therein).