Animist

Not everyone may believe you, but for you there is no doubt about it: you are able to communicate with spirits. The spirits of animals, the spirit of every object, the spirits of storms and rivers… maybe even the spirits of the dead. You may not have complete mastery over your talent, but you feel the auras, hear the voices, and receive the visions. Were you born with this gift, or did it strike you at a momentous time?

If your culture of origin traditionally accepts gifted people such as you, your condition probably did not bring you any trouble, but if you were part of a more skeptical or superstitious society, you most likely had to deal with bullying, slander, and perhaps even the threat of being burned at the stake. Fortunately, whatever your community was like, you received help from people who see in you an intermediary with the afterlife.

Proficiencies

Skills: Choose two from Insight, Perception, Persuasion, and Religion
Tools: Herbalism kit or alchemist’s supplies
Languages: One of your choice

Proficiencies

A set of traveler’s clothes, various knick-knacks (of an essentially ornamental nature), and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

Feature: Esoteric Appeal

Within any community, you can find people interested in your spiritual experiments, willing to listen to you and aid you. Some of them even get teary-eyed when you mention the possibility of speaking with the invisible and the heavens. In time, you have learned to recognize these more receptive individuals who will be glad to lend you a hand if you are in trouble. You can always rely on being welcomed and supported (possibly in financial ways) by a generally small part of the population, provided you bring them what they expect from you.

Suggested Characteristics

All animists are aware of their uniqueness. Some take advantage of the influence it grants them while others genuinely seek to help other people. However, all are aware that their talent is not universally recognized and that they are often taken for madmen or charlatans. Among groups of adventurers, it is rare for every party member to be amenable to what might pass for hocus-pocus, but as long as the animist does not overstep any boundaries, they should, at worst, only suffer bemused smiles from the more incredulous of their companions.

Communion with souls is not always the main subject of preoccupation for a hero with this background, but it is generally a recurring theme.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I often open my eyes wide, the better to see the spirits that wander about.
2	My resounding peals of laughter sometimes startle people, even those who are familiar with me.
3	Sometimes, I get carried away and go into speeches about entities or concepts, then remember that I am the only one able to wholly understand these truths.
4	A metaphor is better than a long speech, and not all sentences deserve to be finished.
5	People think I am full of quirks and odd habits, when I am actually communicating with the afterlife and exorcising demons.
6	When others give in to panic and adversity is overwhelming, I feel great serenity.
7	Most people are surprised, or even repulsed by my dietary or hygienic habits.
8	This being refers to himself in the third person, just like he does with other people.

d6	Ideal
1	Sway. The spirits allow me to influence other people and dominate the weak. (Evil)
2	Protection. Every thing has a spirit, but some of them are ill-intentioned, and I must protect the innocent against them. (Good)
3	Harmony. The balance and hierarchy of souls and spirits must be reestablished for the universe to thrive. (Lawful)
4	Flame. Certain entities seek to silence the more creative souls, which must be freed at any cost. (Chaotic)
5	Compromise. I must take care that no form of conscience becomes ascendant to the detriment of others. The future of the world depends on it. (Neutral)
6	Enlightenment. The gift of communing with spirits is sometimes a burden, but one I bear in the pursuit of revelation. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	An entity regularly comes to haunt me. As long as it is more powerful than me, I cannot defy it.
2	I must restore the honor of my ancestors through an exemplary existence.
3	The spirit of my tribe has been unresponsive, and I must understand why.
4	When I was younger, I made a secret promise that I know I will regret one day.
5	One person at least is convinced that I am the cause of her troubles and intends to make me pay.
6	I must find a relic related to a spirit, for I am certain that the future of the world depends on it.

d6	Flaw
1	I have become addicted to a substance supposed to facilitate my communion with souls.
2	Sometimes, I feel tempted to destroy the bodies of those who doubt the existence of spiritual energy, if only to prove to them that the soul is immortal.
3	The spirits appear more real to me than the “living,” with whom I grow increasingly disinterested.
4	I frequently overplay my bond with the spiritual to impress other people and am starting to doubt my own talent: am I just a fraud?
5	It is said that a dark fate awaits those with my gift. Indeed, I have seen some get lost on this winding path, and I sometimes feel I am not myself any longer. The worst thing is, it does not even frighten me.
6	I have performed unspeakable acts in the service of things no one can understand, and I am willing to do more.