Mythos Survivor

Your life was shattered by dangerous forces of the Mythos, but you survived. Perhaps you grew up in a wilderness or ruin vexed by otherworldly phenomena and monsters.

Maybe you spent your early life eluding or enduring alien capture for research, food, or servitude. Perhaps you had a brief but intense ordeal and took years to recover, cared for by family, friends, or sanitarium workers.

In any case, you had to watch and learn quickly simply to keep your life or your sanity. Depending on the nature of the monster or hazard you survived, you might have had to know when to hide, when to run, when to fight, or when to pointedly ignore the strangeness around you. You might have even led others who could not cope as well, or maybe you had to leave less fortunate victims behind.

Choose a Great Old One, Outer God, cult, or alien force from the table of contents or from a list given to you by your GM, and work with your GM to detail what sort of terrible circumstances you survived.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from Arcana, Religion, Stealth, Survival, and Yog-Sothothery

Languages: Two of your choice

Equipment: A lantern, a tinderbox, a trophy from a Mythos monster you killed or escaped, a set of traveler’s clothes, a knife, an ink pen, a bottle of ink, a diary, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

Feature: Desperate Insight

As a Mythos survivor, you picked up useful insights for dealing with alien entities. You know all the vulnerabilities, resistances, and immunities of three dangerous creatures you directly survived contact with, as well as at least one thing each seemed interested in or repulsed by. You automatically notice signs of unnatural influences and the passage of aberrations, fiends, monstrosities, and undead, although you might not identify them unless they are the sorts of creatures you survived. You also recognize symbols of the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods.

Suggested Characteristics: Mythos survivors are forever marked by their close calls with malign influences. Their methods of survival influence their traits, and a relationship that helped them through the ordeal is a promising choice of bond. Their ideals might have been a source of strength in the face of adversity or the result of discovering that they must find their own meaning in the face of a dangerously uncaring universe. Their flaws tend to be needed bonds taken too far or defense mechanisms that they can’t stop using even when not appropriate. If the ordeal your character survived did not occupy the majority of your adolescence or early adulthood, also choose another background to represent your character’s experiences aside from the ordeal. Consider the suggested characteristics of both that background and this background when choosing your character’s characteristics.

d8 Personality Trait
1 I had to organize other survivors or die. I seize the initiative whenever my group’s direction is in doubt.
2 I would have been lost forever without an elder survivor. I constantly mimic or refer to that person’s example.
3 I had to move quickly to make it this far. I keep interactions short and businesslike.
4 Giving up spells doom in my experience. I avoid dwelling on bad possibilities.
5 I came up with handy rhymes, mottoes, or rules to keep my head on straight. I quote them at any opportunity.
6 I know better than to trust what my eyes see. I always verify.
7 I can’t trust any benevolent power after what I experienced.
8 There are things I regret learning, so I take extra care to ensure others need to know before telling them potentially unsettling things. I use euphemisms or vague summaries rather than getting into details.
d6 Ideal
1 Adaptation. Nothing lasts, so I make the most of every opportunity. (Chaotic)
2 Nature. Natural, wholesome life must be protected at all costs from unnatural forces. (Neutral)
3 Kindness. In a cruel, uncaring universe, I work to make every bit of happiness I can. (Good)
4 Unity. If we don’t do our part, we will all fall into ruin. (Lawful)
5 Safety. Without stability, we have nothing. (Lawful)
6 Strength. Only the strong survive, and I am the strongest there is. (Evil)
d6 Bond
1 I will do anything for those who supported me while I recovered from my ordeal.
2 I will never let the monsters who hurt those I love harm anyone else.
3 I help those who can’t survive without help.
4 I would die for those who went through the most horrific time of my life with me.
5 The only way to prevent anyone else from stumbling on the horrific disaster I encountered is to destroy all evidence of the ordeal.
6 Wholesome, natural life despoiled or transformed by evil forces must be cured or contained.
d6 Flaw
1 I would do anything to forget.
2 Unnatural monsters blind me with rage or fear.
3 I regret leaving someone I cared about behind, and rebuff potential friends or allies for fear I might have to abandon them too.
4 I obsessively stockpile so many things I can’t easily store or track them all, just in case I might need them.
5 After being failed by those responsible for my safety before, I reflexively question and distrust all authority figures.
6 I will make any sacrifice to avert or stop even the possibility of a threat like the one that I so narrowly survived.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos, © 2018, Petersen Games; Authors: Sandy Petersen, David N. Ross, James Jacobs, Arthur Petersen, Ian Starcher.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos, © 2018, Petersen Games; Authors: Sandy Petersen, David N. Ross, James Jacobs, Arthur Petersen, Ian Starcher.

This is not the complete license attribution - see the full license for this page