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Mentally Ill
You are afflicted by maladies of the mind that have plagued you since birth or have recently arisen. Even while society doesn’t understand and your life is hard, it is nothing compared to the trials conjured by your own mind. Slaying dragons is easy, living is hard, say the mentally ill that take up a cause in spite of their afflictions. The most dangerous monsters of all are living in my head.
Skill Proficiencies
Intimidation, Perception
Languages
Choose one of Abyssal, Celestial, or Infernal though you do not know what it is called or if it is a real language at this time unless told by a native speaker.
Equipment
Tattered clothes, an item of comfort such as a small blanket or religious icon, a jar of medicine that has middling successes with 1D4 doses, and a makeshift dagger, club or quarterstaff that is a -1 weapon.
Starting Gold
1D4 minus 1 GPs
Features
Scared Mind
Creatures that attempt to peer into your mind must make a DC 8 + your INT modifier (Minimum 1) + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) WIS saving throw or take 1D6 Psychic damage or half as much on a successful save.
Mental Illness
Roll 1D12 to determine the nature of the mental affliction that ails you:
Mental Illness
| 1D12 | Illness | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jitters | You cannot find peace and are plagued with feelings of anxiety. You have disadvantage on saving throws against being Frightened. |
| 2 | “Two Faced” | It seems at times that you are two different people. You swing from deep lows and incredible highs unpredictably. You have advantage on saving throws against your emotions being manipulated by effects such as the Calm Emotion spell. |
| 3 | The Blues | Deep and profound sadness and depression assails you. Creatures take an additional D6 damage through your Scared Mind feature. |
| 4 | Crowded Mind | A second or sometimes more voices are in your head and sometimes they take over. If you are Unconscious or similarly Incapacitated a different personality runs your body. It can come out in times of duress or through the influence of drugs or alcohol. |
| 5 | The Dread | You are constantly and randomly assailed by bouts of fear. At any point your DM can have you make a DC 8 + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) saving throw and on a failed save you are Frightened for one minute. |
| 6 | Tossing Malady | No matter how hard you try, sleep seems to evade you. You can go 24 hours at a time without suffering a level of Exhaustion but if you do this 48 hours in a row or more than hour times in a week you suffer two levels of Exhaustion. |
| 7 | The Terror | At times you are completely overwhelmed by violent memories of a past trauma. You have a trigger such as a male yelling, or a loud bang, or something similar that will force you to relive the experience. Whenever you hit your trigger you must make a DC 8 + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) WIS saving throw and on a failed save you are Incapacitated for 1D4 minutes. |
| 8 | Gaunt Disease | You have trouble eating. Either keeping food down or starving yourself for long periods giving you a skeletal appearance with thinning hair. You must make a DC 8 + your CON modifier (Minimum 1) CON saving throw whenever you try to eat more than one a day and on a failed saving throw you do not eat or throw up what you eat. You have Resistance to Ingested Poisons. |
| 9 | “Loosecannon” | You sometimes act out when you get stressed. You always act out the same way either shouting obscenities or thrashing about violently or a similar way of acting out. In times of stress such as being in a crowd or listening to loud music or not getting your way you must make a DC 8 + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) WIS saving throw or act out. Your DM can call for this saving throw at any time. |
| 10 | Restless Plague | Despite your best efforts you have a hard time focusing and staying still. You have disadvantage with Insight and Stealth checks and you have advantage on Initiative rolls. |
| 11 | Shell Mind | When you are stressed you retreat within yourself. If you take Psychic damage or become Frightened you must make a DC + your CHA modifier (Minimum 1) WIS saving throw or retreat within yourself. When you retreat within yourself you cannot communicate and your movement speed is halved and you have disadvantage on STR and DEX based attacks and ability checks for one minute or unless a trusted ally succeeds a DC 18 Persuasion check. |
| 12 | Loop Trapped | Certain things have always bugged you and needed fixing. Uneven cutlery, bad hygiene, not touching every post in a fence, or clutter drive you wild. If you try to resist your tendencies you have a 1D4 penalty to all D20 tests while you can see the source of your compulsion you are avoiding. |
Personality Tables
Personality Traits (1D8)
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am defined by my mental illness. |
| 2 | I am highly empathetic of others' struggles. |
| 3 | My mind is obviously under attack from an otherworldly force. |
| 4 | I am highly self conscious of my mental illness. |
| 5 | My mind is a prison I can’t escape. |
| 6 | Nothing is as scary as my own mind so bring on challenges. |
| 7 | I cling to sources of hope and comfort like my life depends on it. |
| 8 | I’m just cursed and a burden. |
Ideals (1D6)
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cure. I am constantly looking for a way to escape my illness. (Any) |
| 2 | Compassion. There are many like me and they need love and support. (Good) |
| 3 | Balance. If I have to hurt and be afraid, everyone else should as well. (Evil) |
| 4 | Faith.Fate dealt me a shitty hand but the scales must be balanced at some point if in the next life. (Lawful) |
| 5 | Nihilism. Fate dealt me a shitty hand and will continue to do so until I’m ground to dust. (Chaotic). |
| 6 | Insanity. Everything is luck, nothing really matters. Might as well flip a coin. (Chaotic). |
Bonds (1D6)
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | My item of comfort is the sole thing that keeps me sane. |
| 2 | Those that support me are my whole world. |
| 3 | My trusty coin will always keep things interesting as long as I keep flipping it. |
| 4 | A doctor gave me peace for a time and I will love them forever. |
| 5 | When my world came crashing down a stranger saved me, I can barely remember their face but I’m always looking for them. |
| 6 | Faith is the only thing keeping me grounded and is everything to me. |
Flaws (1D6)
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alcohol and drugs keep me safe from myself. |
| 2 | I would gladly kill the one who wronged me and made me this way along with everyone they love. |
| 3 | Sometimes I’ll hurt myself just to remind myself that I’m alive. |
| 4 | Just surviving is hard enough, things like hygiene and kind words are luxuries I don’t care for. |
| 5 | I am slow to trust anyone but those who have passed the tests I have mentally prepared. |
| 6 | Those that aren’t similarly afflicted like me are soft and ungrateful. |