Origins

Your Origin is your upbringing: where and how you grew up, and where you learned some of the skills that will carry you through this dangerous world. Your Origin gives you +1 to one ability score, a bonus Talent, 2 skills at rank 2, a special Feature, a Quirk, an Ideal, a Pledge and a Flaw. Drag an Origin from the Origins compendium onto your sheet to apply it.

Arcanist

You gain: +1 Intellect; the Spell Attunement I talent; 2 ranks in Mysticism and Crafting.

A wizard, sorcerer or arcane institution took you on as an apprentice. You learned the language of magic, the discipline of study, and the practical craft that keeps spellwork stable: inks, sigils, components and implements.

Starting equipment:

• Apprentice robes or travel clothes with an arcane mantle
• Artisan's tools (your choice)
• Notebook of diagrams and formulas
• Component pouch (chalk, ink, sand, twine)
• 15 gp

Feature — Apprentice Access. Arcane-friendly circles will usually give you basic shelter, archive access, or an introduction to a local hedge mage, and you can trade a few hours of menial lab work for workspace. This covers apprentice-tier help, not free spells or rare secrets.

Specialty (1d6). Your apprenticeship focused on one branch of the arcane arts. Pick or roll the field you know best.

1. Scrolls and warding circles
2. Battlefield evocation
3. Transmutation craft
4. Alchemy and reagents
5. Illusion and stagecraft
6. Summoning theory

Quirk (1d8)

1. I can't stop taking notes, even when we're in danger.
2. I speak precisely and correct sloppy magical thinking.
3. I'm curious to a fault; a locked door feels like a personal insult.
4. I treat my gear with reverence: tools are promises made solid.
5. I'm the calm one when things get weird.
6. I love showing off a little harmless magic.
7. I distrust 'natural talent' and respect hard study.
8. I'm irrationally afraid of mispronouncing a word of power.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Knowledge. Every secret deserves to be understood. Locking knowledge away only breeds ignorance and fear.
2. Discipline. Raw power without control is a catastrophe waiting for a spark. Mastery comes from restraint.
3. Innovation. The old ways are a foundation to build on, not walls to live inside.
4. Responsibility. If I have the power to act, I answer for what happens when I do, and when I don't.
5. Freedom. Magic shouldn't be hoarded by the rich and the mighty. Anyone willing to learn deserves the chance.
6. Perfection. There's always a cleaner rune, a stronger alloy, a safer method, and I won't stop looking for it.

Pledge (1d6)

1. My mentor saved me from ruin; I won't disappoint them.
2. I stole (or was given) a page of forbidden research, and someone wants it back.
3. I owe an arcane guild a debt paid in favors, not coin.
4. A fellow apprentice vanished, and I'm still looking for them.
5. My tools were made by someone important to me, and they've been lost, stolen or broken.
6. I carry a thesis, formula or prototype that could change everything.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I overestimate my preparation and underestimate chaos.
2. I get defensive when anyone questions my expertise.
3. I'm tempted by dangerous shortcuts to prove myself.
4. I freeze when a spell goes off-script.
5. I can't resist experimenting at the worst possible moments.
6. I keep secrets too well, even from my allies.

Entertainer

You gain: +1 Charisma; the Virtuosic Performer talent; 2 ranks in Perform and Society.

You thrive in front of an audience. You know how to entrance, entertain and even inspire a crowd: your poetry can stir grief or joy, laughter or anger; your music lifts spirits or captures sorrow; your dancing captivates and your humor cuts to the quick. Whatever your technique, your art is your life.

Starting equipment:

• A musical instrument
• An admirer's token
• A costume
• 15 gp

Feature — By Popular Demand. You can always find somewhere to perform. Where you perform nightly you get free modest or comfortable room and board, and townsfolk who recognize you tend to like you.

Routines (1d10). Good entertainers keep their act fresh with a range of routines. Choose one to three routines, or roll, to define what you perform.

1. Actor
2. Dancer
3. Fire-eater
4. Jester
5. Juggler
6. Instrumentalist
7. Poet
8. Singer
9. Storyteller
10. Tumbler

Quirk (1d8)

1. I know a story that fits almost any situation.
2. Wherever I go, I collect the local rumors and spread gossip.
3. I'm a hopeless romantic, always looking for that special someone.
4. Nobody stays angry around me for long; I can defuse any tension.
5. I love a good insult, even one aimed at me.
6. I get bitter when I'm not the center of attention.
7. I'll settle for nothing less than perfection.
8. My mood and my mind change as fast as a song changes key.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Beauty. Every performance leaves the world a little brighter than I found it.
2. Tradition. The old songs and stories remember who we are. They must be kept alive and passed on.
3. Creativity. The world is starving for fresh ideas and bold moves, and I intend to feed it.
4. Greed. Applause is nice, but the coin and the fame are what I'm really here for.
5. People. A crowd's smiles are my true payment. Nothing else really matters.
6. Honesty. Real art comes from the soul and shows people who they truly are, flaws and all.

Pledge (1d6)

1. My instrument is my most treasured possession; it reminds me of someone I love.
2. Someone stole my precious instrument, and one day I'll get it back.
3. I want to be famous, whatever it takes.
4. I idolize a hero of the old tales and measure my deeds against theirs.
5. I'll do anything to prove myself better than my hated rival.
6. I'd do anything for the members of my old troupe.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I'll do anything to win fame and renown.
2. I'm a sucker for a pretty face.
3. A scandal keeps me from ever going home, and that kind of trouble follows me around.
4. I once mocked a noble who still wants my head, and I'll probably make the same mistake again.
5. I can't hide my true feelings, and my sharp tongue gets me in trouble.
6. Despite my best efforts, my friends can't rely on me.

Farmer

You gain: +1 Fortitude; the Train Animal talent; 2 ranks in Athletics and Nature.

You were what most common folk are: a farmer. You worked a lord's estate, your own land or a company's, producing resources from the land in return for food, shelter, clothing, protection and other benefits. Farmers raise living things and harvest useful goods (mostly food) from the land. With miners, fishers and other raw-resource producers they make up most of the peasantry: hardy, enduring folk who work long hours under the sun at dirty, exhausting and sometimes disgusting jobs.

Starting equipment:

• Farm implement (pitchfork or shovel)
• Work clothes
• Wide-brimmed hat
• Sack of trade goods worth 5 gp
• 10 gp

Feature — Of the Land. Without formal schooling you still read the sky: you track time and date, predict the weather hours or days ahead, and understand the basic needs and patterns of living things.

Specialization (1d6). No two farms are alike. Most focus on one product or a small handful of goods. Choose or roll what your farm produced.

1. Rancher (livestock for meat and hides)
2. Grazier (milk, eggs, wool)
3. Stockman (bred working animals)
4. Peasant (crops and orchards)
5. Forester (timber trees)
6. Silk (exotic silk producers)

Quirk (1d8)

1. I'm always early to bed and early to rise.
2. I keep my gear and supplies in careful order.
3. I speak with the drawl or accent of the folk I grew up among.
4. I save everything I can and spend only what I must.
5. When work needs doing, I do it.
6. I keep constant track of the sun, moon, stars, seasons and weather.
7. I like to nap in the sun whenever I can.
8. I'm always chewing on something: a grass stem, a toothpick, tobacco, seeds or jerky.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Fill the Need. There are a lot of hungry mouths out there. Enough willing hands could feed every one of them.
2. It's a Living. I do what I'm good at because it keeps a roof over my head. No shame in that.
3. Brutal Practicality. Bury a fish or bury a man, the job gets done the same way: quickly and without fuss.
4. Hard Work. Honest labor gives life meaning. Sweat spent on something you love is never wasted.
5. A Simple Life. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Plain living has served folks fine for generations.
6. Amusement. Watching things grow, and having a hand in it, brings me real joy.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I want to find that special someone and raise a home full of children.
2. I'll never forget the family farm I grew up on.
3. One day I'll be lord of my own land.
4. I'll become the biggest and best in my trade, to prove I'm the best.
5. My son went to war and never came back. I have to find him.
6. I'm out to start my own homestead in unexplored frontier country.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I can be lazy, sneaking off for a nap whenever work can wait.
2. I'm absurdly sheltered, naive or pious.
3. I believe in and obey my nation's nobility blindly.
4. I fled home to dodge taxes, conscription or the courts, and I can't go back.
5. I'm not used to money, and I overindulge when I have it.
6. I show off too much in front of attractive people.

Doctor

You gain: +1 Intellect; the Battle Medicine talent; 2 ranks in Medicine and Investigation.

Doctors come in many shapes and sizes: apothecaries, shamans, field medics and more, far beyond the healer of faith. They're known for talking with their patients and treating ailments through accessible, non-magical methods, and also for invasive procedures that save lives, like surgery or helping a difficult birth. Doctors are expected to be paragons of good, bound by a code to do no harm and give their best, so it's no surprise they often see the worst of people. Moral dilemmas follow those who hand out a limited good, and temptation can easily turn a doctor into a monster.

Starting equipment:

• Bedroll and blanket
• 2-person tent
• Notes on your specialty
• Common clothes
• Healer's tools
• 15 gp

Feature — This Ought to Help. Choose a non-humanoid creature type: you know what helps and harms it, can extrapolate to new species, and owners of valued beasts (steeds, familiars) respect you greatly.

Field of Practice (1d6). Healers differ widely in method. Some treat everyday aches, some specialize, and some keep old traditional remedies alive. Your healer's tools look like whatever suits your field of practice.

1. Shaman (ancestral remedies)
2. Modern (family medicine)
3. Plague (humors, leeches, surgery)
4. Holistic (home remedies, acupuncture)
5. Cosmic (energies, stones, meditation)
6. Folk (poultices and brews)

Quirk (1d8)

1. All I think about is saving lives, or the lives that were lost.
2. I practice in the name of my faith, nation or clan.
3. I'm cold and calculating in every word and act, even when furious or afraid.
4. When the bodies hit the floor, my hands go to work on their own.
5. I see magical healing either as cheating or as the future partner of real medicine.
6. I'm waging a personal war on death itself.
7. The brilliance of the living body enthralls and inspires me.
8. I'm deeply involved in the medical society and love theoretical debate.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Life. I was put in this world to preserve life. Everything else comes second.
2. Oath. I swore an oath when I took up medicine, and I'll live by its every word.
3. Vigilantism. No one gets to decide who dies, or when. If the law won't stop them, I will.
4. Profit. Suffering people pay well for relief. Is it my fault the sick always come with coin?
5. Survival. We're all in this together, for better or worse. Keeping each other alive is the whole job.
6. Right. Every person deserves a chance to live, no matter who they are or what they've done.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I owe everything to my village or clan, who pooled their money to have me trained.
2. My parents pushed or encouraged me into medicine; one of them may have been a doctor.
3. My professor is the most important person in the world to me.
4. My patients are everything; losing one is like dying, over and over.
5. I became a healer because someone close to me died of something treatable.
6. I taught myself from texts I got hold of by my own means.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I took the healer's vow without understanding everything it meant.
2. No one can know I've broken my promises before...
3. I feel contempt for many of my patients.
4. I think I'm better than other doctors, and other people in general.
5. Sometimes I go too far in my search for knowledge.
6. Human suffering frightens or sickens me.

Hunter

You gain: +1 Reflex; the Experienced Tracker talent; 2 ranks in Survival and Stealth.

You've devoted your life to honing your hunting skills. You're not the very best, but you're a cut above most at bringing home your quarry. You know how many creatures live in their habitats, which traps work on them, and how they feed and move. Perhaps you were your town's food-gatherer, perhaps you hunt for love of the game, or perhaps you had to learn to hunt just to survive.

Starting equipment:

• Shortbow with 20 arrows
• Compass
• Notebook of local game
• Trinket from your first kill

Feature — Hunter's Quarry. In most habitable places you can hunt enough to feed up to ten people a day, or sell the catch for fair coin (GM permitting).

Hunting Grounds (1d6). You've spent most of your life hunting one kind of terrain and know it better than anywhere else. Choose or roll your home ground.

1. Arctic
2. Desert
3. Forest
4. Mountain
5. Plains
6. Swamp

Quirk (1d6)

1. The wild is full of mysteries, and I want to record every creature I meet.
2. Hunting is a way to survive, nothing more and nothing less.
3. The thrill of the hunt drives me; I'm always looking forward to the next one.
4. This life is hard, and I deeply respect anyone who respects my work.
5. I'm never satisfied with my catch; there's always a bigger one, and it'll be mine.
6. I'll hunt for anyone willing to pay a fair price.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Perfectionist. I'll hone my craft until no hunter alive can match me.
2. Ecologist. The wild must stay in balance. I hunt to keep it healthy, and I mend what others have broken.
3. Honorable. I never take protected game or a creature tending its young, unless a life depends on it.
4. Unworthy. A beast's life means little to me. Anything in my way gets dealt with.
5. Inescapable. Once I'm on a trail, nothing stops me, and I don't much care what I trample along the way.
6. Enjoyable. I hunt for the coin and the love of the chase, and I'm glad to lend a hand when it's needed.

Pledge (1d6)

1. My mentor taught me to hunt, and I want to make them proud.
2. I treasure a trinket from my first hunt.
3. A mysterious creature left its mark on me, and I'll find it.
4. I hunted down a creature that threatened my village's lands, and the thrill still gives me chills.
5. A researcher taught me about wildlife; since then I explore to fill the gaps in their notes.
6. The world is full of hungry people like I once was, and I swore to help feed them.

Flaw (1d6)

1. My curiosity gets the better of me, and I end up in messy situations.
2. I must document every creature I see, in case I never get another chance.
3. My research is everything; I won't let my notes be destroyed at any cost.
4. The thrill of the hunt overwhelms me, and I often burn out afterward.
5. I'll ignore my party if it means hunting or recording a new creature.
6. Sometimes I feel the thrill of the hunt when I fight a person, and that worries me.

Soldier

You gain: +1 Might or Reflex; the Rugged talent; 2 ranks in Athletics and Firearms or Melee Weapons or Missile Weapons.

War has been your life for as long as you care to remember. You trained from youth with weapons and armor and learned the basic survival skills that keep a soldier alive on the battlefield. You might have served in a standing army or a mercenary company, or been a local militia member who rose to prominence in a recent war.

Starting equipment:

• Uniform
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Rations (1 week)
• Flint and steel
• Unit insignia
• Starting package: your Specialty's gear (see Starting Packages)
• 5 gp

Starting packages (armor and culture choices are under Starting Packages, below):

Feature — Fellow at Arms. Your military bearing earns respect: you can forge friendly ties with other military factions and request sanctuary or safe passage, especially from your own organization.

Specialty (1d8). You filled a particular role in your unit or army. Roll or choose the job you did.

1. Officer
2. Scout
3. Infantry
4. Cavalry
5. Medic
6. Quartermaster
7. Standard bearer
8. Support staff

Quirk (1d8)

1. I'm always stern, polite and respectful.
2. I'm haunted by memories of war and the things I did to survive.
3. I've lost so many friends that I'm slow to make new ones.
4. Whatever the fight, I have a war story to match it.
5. Nothing and no one can shake my resolve.
6. I like being the strongest, or the one in charge.
7. I have a very, very dark sense of humor.
8. There's rarely time for debate; I like simple, direct solutions.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Co-existence. Live and let live. Few causes are truly worth a war.
2. Greater Good. Protecting others is worth any sacrifice, even my own life.
3. Duty. Orders exist for a reason. I follow the chain of command and respect those above me.
4. Might. The strong are meant to lead, and the weak to follow.
5. Independence. Tyranny starts with rules that strip away other people's rights. I won't stand for it.
6. Responsibility. Nothing matters more than the people and places I've sworn to protect.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I'd lay down my life for those who've fought beside me.
2. I'll never leave a friend behind in danger.
3. My honor is my life.
4. I'll never forget the losses of a battle we lost, and I mean to get justice for the fallen.
5. My companions' lives are worth far more than mine.
6. I'll always fight for those who can't fight for themselves.

Flaw (1d6)

1. A particular enemy haunts my thoughts and dreams, and terrifies me.
2. I have little respect for anyone who can't handle themselves in a fight.
3. A grave mistake of mine cost the lives of those under my command; I mean to take that secret to the grave.
4. I tend to fly into a blind rage against my enemies.
5. I'll obey any established law, even if it causes misery and suffering.
6. I never admit my mistakes, and I double down on my proven falsehoods.

Monastic

You gain: +1 Reflex or Might; the Grappler or Powerful Fist talent; 2 ranks in Martial Arts and Stealth.

You were brought to the monastery young and remember little or nothing of your old life. You've trained beside your brothers and sisters for as long as you can remember, and spent all your adult life within the monastery's walls.

Starting equipment:

• Calligraphy tools
• Monastic symbol (beads, ring or necklace)
• Clothes
• 15 gp

Feature — Monastic Influence. Your insignia tells those who know your order who you are—earning respect, shelter and aid from friends of the monastery, or making you a target for its foes.

Quirk (1d8)

1. I'm a leaf on the wind: I go where the road takes me and let life happen.
2. I'm a mountain, hard and unmoving, the rock my friends lean on.
3. I'm a still forest lake; my calm spills over onto those around me.
4. I'm the living flame; my fire and vigor ignite others.
5. I'm one with myself and seek balance in everything: I work hard and play just as hard.
6. I'm shattered; something shook my beliefs, and I won't find peace until I face it.
7. I've never met a problem a good boot to the head couldn't fix.
8. I'm a fraud: I can punch and kick with the best, but the inner-peace part just isn't happening. Maybe one day.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Brotherhood. As long as my brothers and sisters of the order are out there, I am never truly alone.
2. Pacifist. My training is for defense. I won't take a life unless there is truly no other way.
3. Traditions. I honor the ways of my monastery and show proper respect to my masters and fellows.
4. Power. All the training and meditation is a means to an end: strength I can use.
5. Unchained. I'm a free spirit, wandering where I'm needed and stirring change as I go.
6. Meditation. To understand the world, I must first understand myself.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I owe a duty to my order and will stand with it in all things.
2. I've found enlightenment, but the world is still dark; I must bring light to others.
3. The strong must protect those who can't protect themselves.
4. I lost a brother in battle, and I believe it was my fault.
5. I strive to bring balance to the land.
6. I love my brothers and sisters, but I can't stop wondering who my parents were and why they left me at the monastery.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I need to meditate three times a day to purify my thoughts.
2. Around certain people (those I'm attracted to, nobility, or another group I choose) I stammer, blush and lose all composure.
3. Large cities make me panic, and I avoid them when I can.
4. I have no respect for people who don't respect themselves.
5. I left my monastery after a bitter argument with my master, and I'm NEVER going back.
6. My way of peace and meditation is the only way; my companions must meditate with me daily or I won't help them.

Politician

You gain: +1 Charisma; the Charming Liar or Group Impression talent; 2 ranks in Diplomacy and Deception.

Wherever people want power, politics follows. Politics forms arenas where people compete and collaborate; nobody's hands are clean, and common folk dismiss it all as 'politics as usual'. Those who learn it see how the world is really controlled by the people in it, and those bold enough to put on a public face to seize that power are politicians.

Starting equipment:

• Fine clothes
• Fancy ring (5 gp)
• A manifesto you co-wrote
• 20 gp

Feature — Political Presence. People take you for someone of standing, often assuming noble blood; nobles and officials readily grant you audiences as one of their own.

Ideology (1d6). What kind of world do you want to build through policy? Choose or roll the ideology you champion.

1. Democracy
2. Dictatorship
3. Egalitarianism
4. Anarchy
5. Monarchy
6. Theocracy

Quirk (1d8)

1. Listen to me! Look at me!
2. I'm the only one who can make a better world.
3. I want to take over the country; the current government is a dung heap.
4. The people deserve better, and I'll be their guiding hope.
5. In this dog-eat-dog world, I look out for myself.
6. I'm patient and hide my discomfort easily.
7. I'm refined, and far above the uncultured swine around me.
8. I just want to shake things up a bit.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Dictator. One day I'll rule this land alone, and no one will dare challenge me.
2. Equality. The world must do better by those with the least. I'll make it listen.
3. Humanity. I fight for what's morally right, even when it costs me politically.
4. Self-Interest. Ideals are for the idealistic. My goal is to survive this business and come out on top.
5. Legacy. Everything I do is meant to honor my ancestors and leave a name worth remembering.
6. Divine Rule. A higher power sent me to claim a throne in this world, and I intend to take it.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I promised my family I'd change the world.
2. Friends? Others are just means to my ends.
3. I remember the old days with the other old-timers, when things were different and better.
4. We all have to pull together to reach what's best for everyone.
5. The world is a web of connections, and I need as many as I can get.
6. I'll help, in exchange for favors later.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I'm a pathological liar, and I break promises constantly.
2. I'm VERY indecisive.
3. My methods are inhumane, despite my best intentions.
4. I hate pain; I'd rather run than fight, and I let others fight my battles.
5. I... actually have stage fright.
6. I was caught up in a scandal that could ruin my public image forever.

Privateer

You gain: +1 Perception; the Instinctive Shooting talent; 2 ranks in Survival and Firearms.

You spent your youth under a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you to survive among sharks and savages. You've plundered on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a watery grave. Fear and bloodshed are old friends, and you've earned an unsavory reputation in many a port.

Starting equipment:

• Traveler's clothes
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Rations (1 week)
• Flint and steel
• Starting package: the Privateer gear (see Starting Packages)
• 5 gp

Starting packages (armor and culture choices are under Starting Packages, below):

Feature — Bad Reputation. People fear you. In civilized settlements you can get away with minor offenses—skipping a tavern bill, kicking in a shop door—because few dare report you.

Quirk (1d8)

1. My friends know they can count on me, no matter what.
2. I work hard so I can play hard once the work is done.
3. I love sailing into a new port and making friends over a flagon of ale.
4. I stretch the truth for the sake of a good story.
5. A tavern brawl is a fine way to get to know a new town.
6. I never pass up a friendly wager.
7. My language is as foul as a chum bucket.
8. I like a job well done, especially if I can talk someone else into doing it.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Respect. Mutual respect between captain and crew is what keeps a ship afloat.
2. Fairness. We all pull the ropes, so we all share the spoils.
3. Freedom. The open sea means going anywhere and doing anything. No one will take that from me.
4. Mastery. I'm a predator, and every other ship on the water is prey.
5. People. My loyalty is to my crewmates, not to causes or flags.
6. Aspiration. Someday I'll captain my own ship and chart my own course.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I'm loyal to my captain first and everything else second.
2. The ship matters most; crews and captains come and go.
3. I'll always remember my first ship.
4. In a harbor town I have a sweetheart whose eyes nearly stole me from the sea.
5. I was cheated out of my fair share of the profits, and I want what I'm owed.
6. Ruthless pirates murdered my captain and crew, plundered our ship and left me to die. I will have vengeance.

Flaw (1d6)

1. I follow orders, even when I think they're wrong.
2. I'll say anything to get out of extra work.
3. Once someone questions my courage, I never back down, however dangerous it gets.
4. Once I start drinking, it's hard to stop.
5. I can't help pocketing loose coins and trinkets.
6. My pride will probably be my downfall.

Cultist

You gain: +1 Charisma; the Charming Liar talent; 2 ranks in Deception and Society.

You were once an obedient member of a religious cult, following a dark god, a demon prince, a twisted fey or just a power-hungry fanatic; which hardly matters now. What matters is that you found the strength to break free of blind servitude and see the wrong you did. Innocents died by your hand, sacrificed on altars or slain in raids. Brainwashed, drugged or simply misled, you committed crimes you can hardly ask forgiveness for, but you've left the cult determined to make a new life.

Starting equipment:

• Traveler's clothes
• Your cult's identifying mark
• Dagger
• Scroll of a minor ritual
• Pack of candles
• 15 gp

Feature — The Black Sheep. You readily spot members of cults like yours, and people with similar patterns of manipulation or dependency. Some former brethren may not know you defected and could still offer you shelter.

Cult Identification (1d6). Cults mark their members so they can recognize one another. Choose or roll how your old cult marked you.

1. Markings (tattoos, brands)
2. Ritual disfigurement
3. Accessories (rings, medallions)
4. Distinctive clothing
5. Passwords or signs
6. Several—roll twice (reroll 6s)

Quirk (1d8)

1. My past haunts my dreams; I often wake screaming, or don't sleep at all.
2. I anger fast and lash out when someone tries to control me or give me orders.
3. After being a pawn in someone else's game, I can't make choices of my own; I'm indecisive.
4. I'm having second thoughts about leaving; the right circumstances could pull me back.
5. My boundaries were broken so often in the cult that I've lost my sense of them; I often behave oddly or inappropriately.
6. Shame, helplessness and inferiority swing my moods without warning.
7. I feel immense guilt for what I've done and welcome suffering as atonement; I barely look after myself.
8. I expect a knife in the gut any day and see assassins in every shadow.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Protective. Cults meddle with forces beyond their control. Someone has to stop those fools, and I know how they think.
2. Nihilist. Nothing really matters. People are small, and their struggles change nothing.
3. Repentant. I can't undo the harm I've done, but I can spend my life trying to make amends.
4. Anarchist. No one should rule over anyone else. No gods, no masters.
5. Faithful. The cause may have been true, but its leaders were rotten. I follow my faith, not them.
6. Selfish. The world's doomed anyway, so I might as well enjoy what's left of it.

Pledge (1d6)

1. When I left the cult I took one of its relics, and for some reason I can't part with it.
2. They were meant to be sacrificed; I helped them escape, and now I feel responsible for them.
3. It breaks my heart that a close friend, lover or relative is still loyal to the cult.
4. The cult leader made me kill an old friend during my initiation. I haven't forgotten, and I want revenge.
5. I can't stand by while more young people are turned into fanatics or used for someone's gain.
6. No one can ever know I was part of the cult.

Flaw (1d6)

1. Sometimes I hear voices telling me to do terrible things, and sometimes I give in.
2. I trance out and lose touch with reality; at times I'm delusional or delirious.
3. I find great solace in self-punishment; the road to salvation runs through blood and pain.
4. Before I left, my dark master or the cult leader gave me a task I've yet to complete.
5. The cult fed us drugs, and I still crave them badly enough to do anything for a dose.
6. I dread killing another thinking creature; I've spilled enough blood.

Criminal

You gain: +1 Reflex; the Pickpocket talent; 2 ranks in Sleight of Hand and Thievery.

Thief, killer, forger, smuggler, spy or some other kind of malefactor, you were a criminal. Some rogues are guilty only of crossing an oppressive government or offending a powerful lord; others have done things no civilized society could tolerate. Either way, your knack for dealing with desperate, dangerous contacts and navigating less-than-legal ventures makes you a valuable partner for a crew chasing profit and glory more than strict legality.

Starting equipment:

• Traveler's clothes
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Rations (1 week)
• Flint and steel
• Starting package: your Specialty's gear (see Starting Packages)
• 5 gp

Starting packages (armor and culture choices are under Starting Packages, below):

Feature — Criminal Contact. A reliable liaison connects you to a criminal network. You know the couriers, crooked caravan masters and sailors who can carry your messages far.

Specialty (1d8). Every criminal has a line of work they prefer, whether inside a thieves' guild or working alone. Choose or roll the role you played.

1. Blackmailer
2. Burglar
3. Enforcer
4. Fence
5. Highway robber
6. Hired killer
7. Pickpocket
8. Smuggler

Quirk (1d8)

1. I always have a plan for when things go wrong.
2. I stay calm whatever happens; I never raise my voice or let my emotions rule me.
3. The first thing I do anywhere new is note where everything valuable is, or could be hidden.
4. I'd rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
5. I'm very slow to trust; the fairest faces often hide the most.
6. I ignore the risks. Never tell me the odds.
7. Tell me I can't do something and I'll do it.
8. I blow up at the slightest insult.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Honor. There's a code among thieves. I never rob others in the trade.
2. Freedom. Chains are made to be broken, and so are the people who forge them.
3. Charity. I take from those who have plenty and give to those with nothing.
4. Greed. I'll do whatever it takes to get rich, and I won't apologize for it.
5. People. I'm loyal to my friends, not to any cause. Everyone else can fend for themselves.
6. Redemption. There's a spark of good in everyone, even the worst of us, and it's worth finding.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I'm trying to pay off an old debt to a generous benefactor.
2. My ill-gotten gains support my family.
3. Something important was taken from me, and I mean to steal it back.
4. I'll be the greatest thief who ever lived.
5. I'm guilty of a terrible crime, and I hope I can redeem myself.
6. Someone I loved died because of my mistake. It will never happen again.

Flaw (1d6)

1. When I see something valuable, all I can think about is how to steal it.
2. Choosing between money and my friends, I usually choose the money.
3. If there's a plan, I'll forget it. If I don't forget it, I'll ignore it.
4. I have a tell that gives me away when I'm lying.
5. When things look bad, I turn tail and run.
6. An innocent person is in prison for a crime I committed, and I'm fine with that.

Mad Scientist

You gain: +1 Intellect; the Alchemical Crafting talent; 2 ranks in Investigation and Crafting.

Fools! They could never understand the grand nature of your work, and you were the greatest fool of all for trusting anyone else with it. You're a few steps from unlocking the secrets of life, reality, death, magic or some other improbable thing, and one more breakthrough would finish it. But you know it won't end there: there's always more to research, more to discover, more rules to break. Let the fools call you insane and enjoy their small lives. Ignorance is bliss, and you're downright mad.

Starting equipment:

• Common clothes
• Lab coat and protective gear
• Alchemist's tools
• 10 empty bottles
• Research notes
• A warrant for your arrest
• 15 gp

Feature — Efficacy Enhancer. With at least an hour of work and supplies you can alter potions and poisons: delay or subtle their effects, change color or texture, or sometimes boost them (up to one die). Work out stronger alterations with the GM.

Quirk (1d8)

1. I was tricked into servitude when I was young; now I bow to no master, not even the laws of reality.
2. I've seen the cracks in what we call truth, and I'll widen them by any means.
3. Discovering something new is a rush I'm addicted to.
4. I'm tired of being tangled in other people's lives and their weak minds.
5. In the grand scheme nothing matters, so let's make our own meaning.
6. I crave power above all, and I'll take my research to terrible lengths to get it.
7. If we don't teach the next generation everything we know, they'll suffer as we did.
8. Magic is silly and fake, and I can prove it.

Ideal (1d6)

1. Power. My intellect is vast enough to rule the world, and one day it will.
2. Light. I'll make the world better, no matter how many times villains tear it down.
3. Arcana. Magic is the one true constant, and I will master it more completely than anyone ever has.
4. Puppetry. Everyone dances on strings. I'm simply the one who can see them, and pull them.
5. Supremacy. Godhood doesn't interest me. The gods themselves are beneath me.
6. Rule-breaking. The fastest way to learn how the world works is to break every rule it has.

Pledge (1d6)

1. I've seen the future, and I'll stop at nothing to prevent it.
2. Each of my creations is sacred, and I loathe anyone who'd destroy them.
3. I've always wanted the comfort of a family, but nobody seems to understand me.
4. A mentor showed me I could be more; I'll never forget their lessons and want to do the same for others.
5. Animals are my only true companions, at least the ones I don't experiment on.
6. Who needs to win friends when you can build them from raw components?

Flaw (1d6)

1. I've done more than my share of experiments on people, and I plan to do far more.
2. I'm the smartest person in the room, and I don't understand why people mind me saying so.
3. You're wrong, I'm right. End of discussion.
4. I've left behind everything I cared for so many times that I don't know if I can connect to anything anymore.
5. My plans keep getting ruined by people clearly beneath me, and it enrages me.
6. I have no respect for any kind of law: mortal, religious, moral, ritual, physical or intangible.

Starting Packages

Soldiers, Privateers and Criminals start with a gear package that fits the work they did, plus a basic kit and 5 gp. Every package is worth about the same.

• Basic kit: Uniform, Backpack, Bedroll, Waterskin, Rations (1 week), Flint and steel, Unit insignia (Soldier), or Traveler's clothes, Backpack, Bedroll, Waterskin, Rations (1 week), Flint and steel (Privateer and Criminal).
• Armor: choose light (leather armor, plus 2 gp) or heavy (scale mail, Might 2).
• Weapons by culture: the packages list firearms, the settlers' weapons. A character from another culture takes that culture's weapons in place of each long gun or sidearm. If they cost less, take the difference in coin.

Custom Origin (optional)

If none of these fits your concept, modify one or build a new origin from scratch by choosing:

• +1 to one ability score.
• 2 ranks in two skills.
• 1 talent (you count as meeting its prerequisites from the origin alone).
• A feature that gives a story-oriented benefit or plot hook.
• A Quirk, an Ideal, a Pledge and a Flaw.
• Starting gear: 15 gp and the starting equipment of one existing origin of your choice (for the Soldier, Privateer or Criminal, its basic kit and one package, with 5 gp instead of 15).