TEXT: Character Background
  209
  Monster Hunter’s Pack
  You can buy a monster hunter’s pack for 33 gp, which is 
  cheaper than buying the items in it individually. It includes 
  a chest, a crowbar, a hammer, three wooden stakes, a holy 
  symbol, a flask of holy water, a set of manacles, a steel mir-
  ror, a flask of oil, a tinderbox, and 3 torches.
  During character creation, players can select the follow-
  ing background for their characters, with your approval. 
  It is appropriate for any character or campaign associ-
  ated with eeriness or horror.
  Haunted One
  You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare 
  not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from 
  it, to no avail. Whatever this thing is that haunts you 
  can’t be slain with a sword or banished with a spell. It 
  might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a blood-
  curdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or 
  a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken 
  its toll, isolating you from most people and making you 
  question your sanity. You must find a way to overcome it 
  before it destroys you.
  Skill Proficiencies: Choose one of Arcana, Investiga-
  tion, Religion, or Survival
  Languages: Choose one exotic language (Abyssal, Ce-
  lestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, 
  Sylvan, or Undercommon)
  Equipment: Monster hunter’s pack (see sidebar), one 
  trinket of special significance (choose one or roll on 
  the Gothic Trinkets table in this appendix)
  Feature: Heart of Darkness
  Those who look into your eyes can see that you have 
  faced unimaginable horror and that you are no stranger 
  to darkness. Though they might fear you, commoners 
  will extend you every courtesy and do their utmost to 
  help you. Unless you have shown yourself to be a danger 
  to them, they will even take up arms to fight alongside 
  you, should you find yourself facing an enemy alone.
  Harrowing Event
  Prior to becoming an adventurer, your path in life was 
  defined by one dark moment, one fateful decision, or one 
  tragedy. Now you feel a darkness threatening to con-
  sume you, and you fear there may be no hope of escape. 
  Choose a harrowing event that haunts you, or roll one 
  on the Harrowing Events table.
  Suggested Characteristics
  You have learned to live with the terror that haunts you. 
  You are a survivor, who can be very protective of those 
  who bring light into your darkened life.
  Character Background
  Harrowing Event
  d10
  Event
  1
  A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocent people 
  spared your life, and you don’t know why.
  2
  You were born under a dark star. You can feel it 
  watching you, coldly and distantly. Sometimes it 
  beckons you in the dead of night.
  3
  An apparition that has haunted your family for 
  generations now haunts you. You don’t know what it 
  wants, and it won’t leave you alone.
  4
  Your family has a history of practicing the dark arts. 
  You dabbled once and felt something horrible clutch 
  at your soul, whereupon you fled in terror.
  5
  An oni took your sibling one cold, dark night, and you 
  were unable to stop it.
  6
  You were cursed with lycanthropy and later cured. You 
  are now haunted by the innocents you slaughtered.
  7
  A hag kidnapped and raised you. You escaped, but 
  the hag still has a magical hold over you and fills your 
  mind with evil thoughts.
  8
  You opened an eldritch tome and saw things unfit for 
  a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and 
  images are burned into your psyche.
  9
  A fiend possessed you as a child. You were locked 
  away but escaped. The fiend is still inside you, but 
  now you try to keep it locked away.
  10
  You did terrible things to avenge the murder of 
  someone you loved. You became a monster, and it 
  haunts your waking dreams.
  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast 
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  210
  Character Background
  Personality Traits
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me.
  2
  I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm 
  and brings me fleeting moments of happiness.
  3
  I spend money freely and live life to the fullest, 
  knowing that tomorrow I might die.
  4
  I live for the thrill of the hunt.
  5
  I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d 
  rather not burden others with my curse.
  6
  I expect danger around every corner.
  7
  I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others 
  to be victimized.
  8
  I put no trust in divine beings.
  Ideals
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  I try to help those in need, no matter what the 
  personal cost. (Good)
  2
  I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any)
  3
  I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to 
  exorcise my own demons. (Good)
  4
  I have a dark calling that puts me above the law. 
  (Chaotic)
  5
  I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses 
  before rushing into battle. (Lawful)
  6
  I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and 
  anything else that gets in my way. (Evil)
  Bonds
  d6
  Bond
  1
  I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My 
  journal is my legacy.
  2
  I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the 
  innocent.
  3
  My torment drove away the person I love. I strive to 
  win back the love I’ve lost.
  4
  A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find 
  redemption through my actions.
  5
  There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set 
  free.
  6
  I have a child to protect. I must make the world a safer 
  place for him (or her).
  Flaws
  d6
  Flaw
  1
  I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can 
  never break them.
  2
  I assume the worst in people.
  3
  I feel no compassion for the dead. They’re the lucky 
  ones.
  4
  I have an addiction.
  5
  I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a 
  world without hope.
  6
  I talk to spirits that no one else can see.
  9
  9
  Conjurer
  Conjurer
  Darklord
  Darklord
  Where can I find Curse of Strahd?
  Curse of Strahd is available in hobby stores that are part of 
  the Wizards Play Network on March 4. It’s also available 
  online and at other retailers starting on March 15. You can 
  pre-order it today on Amazon.com.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Adventure League/S04 - Curse of Strahd/Character Background - Haunted One.pdf