Complications¶
Complication
Advanced Studies
You somehow obtained the notebook of a brilliant but eccentric member of your class. The knowledge held within those notes should help you unlock powerful new abilities—if you can ever figure out what the notes mean.
Complication
Amnesia
You have no memory of your past before the... incident. Hopefully, you'll regain your memory soon and find out what the incident was. In the meantime, you need friends so you won't be alone when your past catches up to you.
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Animal Form
Due to a magical accident, your being has fused with that of a small, harmless animal. You turn into this animal when it's convenient—and sometimes when it's inconvenient as well.
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Antihero
You used to be a villain. You're (mostly) reformed now, but in desperate moments, you sometimes draw on the rage and hatred that fueled your old life. In those moments, even your friends aren't sure whose side you're on. They don't need to worry, though. Once you leave evil behind, you can't go back. You've made too many enemies on the other side.
Complication
Artifact Bonded
A powerful artifact has bonded to you, though you don't know whether you're destined to wield the artifact or to destroy it. You're not powerful enough to use it at the moment, although you might be someday. For now, though, the artifact has no effect beyond getting you in trouble.
Complication
Bereaved
The most important person to you—perhaps a family member, mentor, or lover—was killed. The only thing that keeps you going is the faint connection you have with this person's spirit, and the hope that one day you can tie up their unfinished business and let them rest.
Complication
Betrothed
Your parents made a deal, and as part of that deal, you're supposed to marry someone—or something—you didn't choose. But no one is going to tell you what to do! They'll all be sorry to find that you've run away to become a mighty adventurer.
Complication
Chaos Touched
You came into contact with a mote of pure chaos energy, or were subjected to a supernatural effect or object that fused chaos into your very being. Now you can sprout and retract your limbs in a way that horrifies unprepared onlookers.
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Chosen One
Perhaps the stars marked you out at birth, or maybe your name appears in an ancient prophecy. In any case, a sinister cult has decided that you're important to their plans—though you don't particularly like the fate those plans have in store for you.
Complication
Consuming Interest
Ever since you were a kid, you've been obsessed with a certain topic. During your travels, you spend your free time gleaning all the information you can on that obsession. You might not be the world's leading expert quite yet, but people should certainly trust your opinion on the topic.
Complication
Corrupted Mentor
Your mentor taught you everything and you trusted them completely until they went rogue, betraying you or the organization you both belonged to. Their current whereabouts and activities are unknown, though disturbing rumors are heard from time to time. Even worse, as their former pupil, you're now under suspicion as well.
Complication
Coward
Some call you a coward, just because you shriek and run when you encounter danger. Sure, you might not have the natural bravado of less-imaginative people. And sure, you're always imagining the many horrible ways you could die, but you're used to fear. When you run in terror, you run toward the enemy.
Complication
Crash Landed
You used to flit around the stars in your own ship. But an ugly run-in with a pirate (or a pirate hunter) has left you marooned on this backwater world. You're prepared to carve out a life here—at least until you can hitch a ride somewhere else.
Complication
Cult Victim
Cultists captured you while raiding your home, then began an unholy ritual to turn your body into an undead spirit. Though the ritual failed, your body became infused with corrupted magic, turning you partially incorporeal.
Complication
Curse of Caution
When you were young, you did something reckless and unthinking that endangered a hag or cost them something dear. The hag cursed you to always take your time, forcing you to be cautious and thorough—even to your detriment. The curse has saved you from trouble a few times, but not being able to get away from trouble might be your downfall if you can't shake it.
Complication
Curse of Immortality
For as long as you can remember, you've never gotten older. You've simply adventured through one age after another. Still, your memory of past events—even those you were involved with—is a little hazy. Apparently, your memory isn't as long-lived as you are.
Complication
Curse of Misfortune
You should have never pissed off that mage! Maybe they deserved your ire, or maybe you were just being a bully. But whatever the case, they cursed you before skipping town. Now, in moments of pressure that require great skill, you have a tendency to choke, falling and flailing in such a dramatic fashion that you take everyone else with you.
Complication
Curse of Poverty
A soothsayer once predicted you would have a long life, even as they told you you'd never be rich. But you're determined to prove them wrong. You'll get rich or die trying!
Complication
Curse of Punishment
Through ignorance, fear, spite, or selfishness, you refused to help someone in need. To teach you a lesson, a deity offered you what seemed to be a blessing—extra power to help you heal yourself in times of need, but harsh consequences should your need become excessive. You took the deal, and now benefit from the blessing but also suffer from a curse.
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Curse of Stone
As a child, you met a creature who turns people to stone, such as a medusa. You escaped half petrified, avoiding the fate of others who stand as statues now.
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Cursed Weapon
When you were young, you found or were given a magic weapon. Since then, you've carried it always at your side, letting it inspire you to lead the life of a hero—even though the weapon is cursed.
Complication
Disgraced
You're a disgraced member of a powerful family or guild, having been turned out by your relatives or peers. Those you were once close to won't give you the time of day anymore, much less lend a helping hand, until you clear your name or clean up your act.
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Dragon Dreams
You sometimes have strange dreams of a raging inferno... a gleaming pile of treasure... of spreading your wings and taking flight. You haven't told anyone about these dreams, except for your one strange relative who seems to know more than they're letting on.
Complication
Elemental Inside
When an evil mage threatened someone you loved, you blocked that foe's summoning of an elemental creature by absorbing their magic with your body. You are now infused with the power of that elemental—who isn't at all happy about it.
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Evanesceria
You have contracted a rare magical disease called evanesceria. From time to time, you're not quite yourself—or anyone else either. You simply... vanish, then return later with no memory of your absence.
Complication
Exile
Whether you're a convicted criminal, a noble stripped of their title, or a person who made one too many enemies, you've been cast forth from your homeland, never to return. At least not until you're strong enough to set things right.
Complication
Fallen Immortal
You used to be an immortal creature, dispensing justice and doing the bidding of the gods. Now, whether as punishment or reward, you have been ordered to set your true nature aside and become a mortal. Your remaining years will be short, but living alongside your fellow mortals gives your life new meaning.
Complication
Famous Relative
Sure, you're a promising young hero in your own right—but people always ask you about your famous relative. Will you equal or surpass your relative's accomplishments, or will you always live in their shadow?
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Feytouched
Your birth was attended by faeries. A friendly fairy blessed you, granting you strength so you could defend yourself. In response, an unfriendly fairy granted you a life filled with peril so that you might prove your strength.
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Fiery Ideal
A spirit beyond your comprehension instilled in you a special purpose, choosing you to be the guardian of a place, a cause, or a philosophy. The flame that now burns in your soul can sear your enemies—or you if you fall short of expectations.
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Fire and Chaos
A great monster who breathed fire burned your home to the ground. While everything around you was consumed, you somehow stood strong amid the inferno, your body adapting to ignore the effects of the flames.
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Following in the Footsteps
Your personal idol was a mighty hero, and you have modeled yourself after them. From studying the many heroic tales told of them, you hope to someday learn your idol's most famous battle technique.
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Forbidden Romance
You are in love with someone powerful, but tragic circumstances mean you cannot be with them. Whether your lover is from a feuding family, betrothed to another, or has been driven from your side, you are fated to always be apart.
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Frostheart
At the edge of the world, you were lost in a winter storm and presumed dead. But an unknown fate or power kept you alive, bringing you back with frosty skin and pale eyes.
Complication
Getting Too Old for This
You were once a renowned hero, but you've been living the last few years in blissful peace. Now you're coming out of retirement for one last hurrah. Your fighting skills might have atrophied to the point where you're no stronger than a wet-behind-the-ears novice adventurer, but you still remember some of your old tricks.
Complication
Gnoll-Mauled
As a child, you survived a gnoll attack. But that attack left you with a jagged scar and the occasional fit of bloodlust.
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Greening
You once felt the call of a great tree in the middle of a forest, whose life force was being drained by a parasitic supernatural moss clinging to its roots. As you removed the moss, you felt as if you were being filled with green elemental energy. Sadly, the great tree withered before you could finish the job, but left behind a golden sapling you now carry with you, seeking the perfect place to plant it.
Complication
Grifter
You used to be a con artist, but those days are pretty much behind you. Being a hero is an even better racket. After all, if you're saving the world, who can be mad at you for stealing a few coins along the way?
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Grounded
Once when you were a child, your settlement was in danger and you called out to the earth for aid. That call was answered by a summoning of protective dirt-and-stone walls, and ever since then, you've felt the earth's presence as a friend and protector.
Complication
Guilty Conscience
The world is in trouble—and it's partly your fault. Maybe you helped a villain rise to power or inadvertently released a demon from imprisonment. Now it's your mission to repair the damage you caused.
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Hawk Rider
You travel with a giant hawk who you stole from the Hawklords (see Vasloria in Chapter 1: The Basics). You might once have been a Hawklord yourself, or perhaps you escaped their captivity. Having a giant hawk companion comes with its share of inconveniences and dangers, but those are a small price to pay for the freedom of the open sky.
Complication
Host Body
Do not be alarmed! We are not the humanoid we appear to be. We are an intelligent fungal collective, using this body as a host. No, we are doing nothing unsavory! This body was dead when we found it, and we merely gave it another chance at life. We are friendly. Please put down those torches!
Complication
Hunted
You have long stayed one step ahead of a pursuer—perhaps a bounty hunter determined to bring you to justice, a revenant, or an assassin intent on your death. Someday, you'll be strong enough to face your pursuer. But for now, you live your life on the run.
Complication
Hunter
You are hunting someone or something—perhaps a wanted criminal, a person who wronged you, or a dangerous monster or beast. You won't rest until you face off against your quarry!
Complication
Indebted
A deal you made went south, or you got involved with the wrong people. Now you owe a debt or a ransom that would bankrupt a minor noble. To pay it off, you'll need to take some dangerous risks.
Complication
Infernal Contract... But, Like, Bad
You made a deal with a devil. Not a very good deal, because it wasn't a very good devil. It's too late for regrets, though, because your soul is forfeit unless you find a loophole or can convince the devil to void the deal.
Complication
Infernal Contract
You made a deal (perhaps unknowingly) with an archdevil that has tied you to that fiend's service. When you first learned of this deal, you were taken to the Seven Cities of Hell, where some of the timescape's best minds taught you the ways of battle. The archdevil allows you to use these gifts as you will... until they require a favor from you.
Complication
Ivory Tower
You studied in an academy or other educational institution. Your training was thorough and your reading list was wide-ranging. But when you left school, you discovered there were serious gaps in your education. Maybe some of those books were a little out of date.
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Lifebonded
In a sinister ritual, your soul has been bound to that of another creature. This might be a companion, a creature you are beholden to, or an enemy. When they die, you die—making you the perfect bodyguard.
Complication
Lightning Soul
You were caught in a storm and struck by lightning—but something saved you from death. Perhaps it was a gods—given miracle, a latent psionic gift, or the magic of a helpful elementalist, but you absorbed the lightning into your body. It's always there now, simmering under the surface.
Complication
Loner
You've always been a lone wolf. With no one else to lean on, you've picked up a million survival tricks. Which made it all the more surprising when you joined your current adventuring group and found the family you'd never known you needed.
Complication
Lost in Time
In a long-ago age, a cataclysm overtook your city. You weren't killed, but some arcane accident caused you to be suspended in time until now. Alone, you must navigate the world around you with a head full of outdated memories—and a few ancient secrets.
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Lost Your Head
A bredbeddle stole your head! Usually, being beheaded by one of those magical giants is fatal (see Draw Steel: Monsters), but your latent psionic ability allows you to survive despite your decapitation.
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Lucky
You've always had a lucky streak. When you leave things in the hands of fate, you succeed more than you fail. But luck is fickle—and when you don't trust it, it deserts you.
Complication
Master Chef
Before you were a hero, you were a chef—and when you retire, you have big plans for your next restaurant or inn. In the meantime, you're on the lookout for rare ingredients that only a wandering adventurer can find. After all, it's food that makes the world go round.
Complication
Meddling Butler
You're not sure what you did to deserve it, but for some reason, your family saddled you with an old, trusted, and extremely irritating family servant. They're supremely competent, of course, but they sometimes seem to forget who's in charge.
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Medium
You can perceive ghosts and spirits that others don't sense. These supernatural entities constantly whisper unsettling secrets in your mind—when they're not trying to kill you.
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Medusa Blood
Your mother and father never saw eye to eye. You know this because your father is still alive and your mother is a medusa. This made your childhood difficult, and now it's making your adulthood complicated as well.
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Misunderstood
Your appearance marks you as part of a group that is universally feared. You might be a gentle soul, but you're not often given a chance to prove it. It's no wonder you usually wear a hood.
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Mundane
You're hopelessly nonmagical. When you try to use magic abilities, or even when they're used on you, they never work right. Even magic devices seem to fizzle in your presence.
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Outlaw
You might be a common bandit or an idealistic freedom fighter, but in any event, the authorities don't approve of your actions. You've managed to stay one step ahead of the law so far, but until your name is cleared, you've got to keep a low profile.
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Pirate
You have a piratical past (and maybe a piratical present and future as well). Though you're not well-known ashore, other pirates have a way of recognizing their own.
Complication
Preacher
When you were young, you almost died in an accident or attack, but a vision of a god or saint showed you the way to save yourself and others you loved. That event drove you into the church and gave you a strong belief in a particular religion or cause—and you can't wait to tell other people all about it.
Complication
Primordial Sickness
You once contracted a terrible illness for which no one could find a cure. You sought out a primordial swamp said to be either cursed or miraculously salubrious. It turned out to be both, keeping your illness at bay while corrupting your body with its unnatural energy.
Complication
Prisoner of the Synlirii
You were captured by the psionic beings known as voiceless talkers (see Draw Steel: Monsters). You escaped them, but you can''t escape a feeling that''s lingered since then in the back of your mind-the feeling of being watched.
Complication
Promising Apprentice
You were apprenticed to learn a crafting trade. Your mentor said you had a special gift and might well become a master of your craft someday. But before your training was complete, your mentor was killed.
Complication
Psychic Eruption
In times of stress, you get headaches. Psionic energy builds up in your mind until you feel as though your head might explode. And if you're not careful, it actually does explode, radiating psychic waves that harm friends and enemies alike.
Complication
Raised by Beasts
You were orphaned or lost in the wild, and a friendly animal pack (perhaps apes, bears, or wolves) took you in. Returning to so-called civilization was a shock, but you're now determined to learn all you can about your own kind.
Complication
Refugee
A hostile army—perhaps the forces of Ajax, the Iron Saint—conquered your homeland. Your family escaped, but you can't return home until your oppressors are defeated once and for all.
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Rival
Whatever your accomplishments, you'll forever measure yourself against a former companion who always seemed to stay one step ahead of you.
Complication
Rogue Talent
You are the only survivor of a cataclysmic psionic event—an experiment gone wrong, a voiceless talker attack, or some naturally occurring phenomenon of a far-off part of the timescape. It left you with a psionic talent, but also made you vulnerable to telepathic attacks.
Complication
Runaway
To your embarrassment, no sinister omens attended your birth and your closet contains no skeletons. You're just an ordinary person raised in a hardworking family. You're expected to carry on the family business—but who can settle down to a boring job when adventure calls! That's why you ran away.
Complication
Searching for a Cure
Your homeland has been corrupted by some terrible curse or plague, and you're the only one who escaped it. The members of your family still exist, but in changed forms—perhaps as vampire spawn, zombies, or living statues. People tell you the situation is hopeless, but you're determined to find a cure that can undo your loved ones' suffering.
Complication
Secret Identity
You're secretly important—but it's not safe for your true identity to be known. Perhaps you're the witness to a crime or a member of a royal family on the run from a usurper. Until you are no longer at risk of being hunted, you'll maintain the guise of an ordinary adventurer.
Complication
Secret Twin
You have an identical twin—either a sibling or someone who looks so much like you that no one would ever know the difference. Your secret twin had a life you coveted, or perhaps had obligations that couldn't go unfulfilled. So when they went missing, you stepped in and started living their life. Most folks are none the wiser.
Complication
Self-Taught
While your peers were learning their trades in fancy schools, you honed your capabilities on the mean streets with nothing but your own instinct as a guide. What you lost in polish and tactical acumen, you now make up for in raw power.
Complication
Sewer Folk
Impoverished or on the run, you spent your formative years living in the sewers of a major city. There, you learned lessons that have served you well, although the miasma of the sewers did permanent damage to your health.
Complication
Shadow Born
You were born in the dusk land ruled by the Queen of Shadows, and its darkness has seeped into your bones. (See The Myriad Worlds of the Timescape in Chapter 1: The Basics.)
Complication
Shared Spirit
A supernatural spirit occupies your body, with each of you controlling your body by turns. You and the spirit share the same short-term goals and work equally well with your companions, though you might have different personalities, mannerisms, and long-term goals.
Complication
Shattered Legacy
You''re the heir to a powerful supernatural treasure that has been in your family for generations. One problem, though: that treasure is broken. Some ancestor of yours sundered it while saving the world. Or maybe they tripped and smashed it on a rock. Either way, it''s your job to fix it.
Complication
Shipwrecked
You are the sole survivor of a shipwreck that left you stranded on a remote and inhospitable island for years. Your struggle to survive there granted you insight into the natural world but distanced you from who you once were.
Complication
Sibling's Shield
You were tasked with delivering a ceremonial shield to your older sibling, a celebrated warrior, for their years of service. When you arrived at their homestead, you found them dead on their doorstep with their own sword lodged in their back. To find out who did this to them—and why—you decided to step into their shoes. It will take a while to match up to your sibling's legacy, though.
Complication
Silent Sentinel
You were trained by a group of spies, who psionically infused silence into your every step and enhanced your ability to hear distant whispers. But your enhanced hearing has some nasty side effects.
Complication
Slight Case of Lycanthropy
Maybe you were bitten as a child, or maybe it's a family curse. Either way, you have a malady that is best not discussed in public, lest torches and pitchforks make an appearance.
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Stolen Face
An evil fairy cursed you, leaving you with a blank visage instead of a face. Although you're able to imitate other peoples' features, you'd like to have your own back.
Complication
Strange Inheritance
Your siblings each inherited money or land, but you received a strange, seemingly useless trinket—along with the advice that maybe you weren't cut out for an ordinary, peaceful life.
Complication
Stripped of Rank
You were trained as an officer, but you no longer serve. Whether you fled from a battle, were dishonorably discharged, or defected from an evil army, you make your own way in the world now—though your military training will never truly leave you.
Complication
Thrill Seeker
You live for danger. Whether in battle or mundane peril, you can transcend your usual limits—and once you've tasted that excitement, you want more.
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Vampire Scion
A vampire has bitten you. You're not undead—or not yet, anyway—but your connection with your vampire progenitor fills you with urges you fight to control.
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Voice in Your Head
You occasionally hear a voice in your head, giving you orders or offering advice. You don't know who the voice is or why it comes to you, but when you've followed the advice, it's usually proved to be sound.
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Vow of Duty
You have sworn an oath to an organization. That organization is your rock, and as long as your faith in it remains unshaken, you are immovable.
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Vow of Honesty
You were brought up to a strict standard of behavior. You cannot tell a lie.
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Waking Dreams
You broke a magic amulet, immersing your mind in weird energy that granted you the power of premonition. However, you struggle to control this new gift. Whenever you take a respite, make a Reason test to determine whether you gain this complication's benefit or drawback.
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War Dog Collar
You wear a loyalty collar from one of Ajax''s war dogs (see Draw Steel: Monsters). You''ve managed to rig the collar so it explodes outward while keeping you safe.
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War of Assassins
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time saw you caught in the middle of a conflict between two warring assassins' guilds. Whether by choice or by accident, you wound up helping one faction at the expense of the other.
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Ward
Your childhood sweetheart was royalty, and the two of you stayed close throughout the years. When your former sweetheart died, you swore an oath to dedicate your life to become a role model for their child, advising them in the ways of being a benevolent monarch.
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Waterborn
You nearly lost your life at sea, but then you heard the voice. Someone—or something—in the water called out to you, telling you to swim. The ocean was suddenly no longer your doom but your parent, granting you a fragment of its power. But for what purpose, you can't be sure.
Complication
Wodewalker
You were dying in the wode, collapsing while starving and wounded. When you woke, you discovered that a group of green elementalists had saved your life by infusing the regenerative bark of a tree to your body.