
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

General Backgrounds | Legacy Backgrounds | Regional Backgrounds

Abomination Vaults | Age of Ashes | Agents of Edgewatch | Blood Lords | Crown of the Kobold King | Extinction Curse | Fists of the Ruby Phoenix | Gatewalkers | Kingmaker | Outlaws of Alkenstar | Pathfinder Society | Quest for the Frozen Flame | Season of Ghosts | Sky King's Tomb | Stolen Fate | Strength of Thousands | The Fall of Plaguestone

Season of Ghosts Backgrounds

The six new backgrounds presented on the following pages are available to all characters in the Season of Ghosts Adventure Path. Each of these rare backgrounds are tailor-made to match the themes of this Adventure Path and include a bit of flavor about the Reenactment Festival and why you were chosen to be one of the festival's abductees.

Seasonal Boon: Each of these backgrounds grants you a seasonal boon. You can use a seasonal boon at any time as a free action (with a trigger as described in your background) but only once per season (summer, fall, winter, spring—corresponding to the four adventures in the Season of Ghosts Adventure Path). If you don't use a seasonal boon during an adventure, it's lost— unused seasonal boons don't carry over into the next adventure.

Background Adjustments

You can add one of the following two adjustments to any background to further modify your choice to match your vision for your PC. Family: You and one (or more) other PCs are close family members (siblings, parent/child, married, etc.) If you take this adjustment, the other PC(s) who are your family must also take this adjustment. Choose one of the following to replace the skill feat you otherwise would've gained from your background. (You and your sibling need not share the same choice—a sibling who wants to keep their background's skill feat can pick “Typical” from the list.)
  • Bickering: You have a long-standing feud with your sibling(s). Whenever your sibling(s) critically fail a significant skill check or attack roll and you witness their failure, you gain a +1 status bonus to your saving throws until the end of your next turn as you secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) delight in their failure.
  • Close-Knit: You and your sibling(s) work well together, and you go all-out to help them when they're badly hurt. When you provide <%ACTIONS%75%%>Aid<%END> or <%ACTIONS%54%%>Administer First Aid<%END> to your sibling(s), the DC is 5 lower than normal.
  • Typical: You have a standard relationship with your sibling(s); don't change your background's skill feat.
Foundling: You aren't a native to Willowshore, but you did grow up in the town. You might have adoptive parents, or you could've grown up on the streets. Choose one of the following to replace the bonus feat you otherwise would've gained from your background.
  • Bitter: You appreciate the town of Willowshore but still resent the conditions that resulted in you being abandoned or left in the town. You gain the <%FEATS%796%%>Intimidating Glare<%END> skill feat.
  • Mysterious: You keep secrets, and very few in Willowshore (if anyone) know your history before you settled in the town, in part because you've taken to learning about Willowshore by watching rather than engaging in conversation. You gain the <%FEATS%846%%>Streetwise<%END> skill feat.
  • Outgoing: You're grateful for the sense of belonging the townsfolk of Willowshore have extended to you and always do your best to repay that kindness. Once per week when you attempt a skill check to resolve a downtime activity that could benefit Willowshore (several of these activities are detailed in the adventures, and your GM can always make the call if another activity would qualify) and you fail that check, you instead succeed at the check, or if you critically fail at that check, you instead simply fail that check.

Home And Heirloom

The final step for creating your Season of Ghosts character is to choose where you live in Willowshore. The town map presented on page 16 shows all of the buildings in Willowshore. If you chose a Season of Ghosts background, that choice suggests where in Willowshore your home is most likely to be located, but you need not be limited by this suggestion—you can pick any unlabeled smaller building on the map as your character's home (note that your GM might have suggestions or plans for certain buildings beyond the expected scope of the adventure, so before you settle on your home, you'll need GM approval).

Once you've chosen your home, pick one of the following four sets of treasure. When you start Season of Ghosts, the treasure you selected is still stored back home. While you won't have access to it when the first adventure begins, it won't be long into the adventure before each PC will have the opportunity to return home and gather their family treasures for use!

When selecting these treasures, each player must choose a different option—only if there are more than four players in the group can you choose a treasure already selected by another player.

  • Two <%TREASURE%186%%>minor healing potion<%END> and one piece of common <%TREASURE.CATEGORIES%1%%>adventuring gear<%END> worth 2 gp or less of the PC's choice.
  • One <%TREASURE%740%%>predictable silver piece<%END> and a vial containing one dose of <%TREASURE%179%%>oil of potency<%END>.
  • Supplies for an <%TREASURE%328%%>alarm snare<%END>, 10 sp, and two <%TREASURE%687%%>lesser ghost charge<%END>.
  • One <%TREASURE%272%%>cold iron chunk<%END> worth 10 gp.


 Related Sources Season of Ghosts Player's Guide, Pathfinder #196: The Summer That Never Was, Pathfinder #197: Let the Leaves Fall, Pathfinder #198: No Breath to Cry, Pathfinder #199: To Bloom Below the Web