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Character Backgrounds

Backgrounds represent ways in which events in your character’s past have affected them and which impact their day-to-day life as a member of The Equinox Institute. Backgrounds serve two purposes:

  • Mechanical Challenges – Some Backgrounds make mechanical changes to your character which add additional complications or challenges to them when they carry out their role. This could be a lingering injury or vulnerability but these increase the difficulty of the event mechanically for those who select them; 
  • Plot Complications – Other Backgrounds provide plot hooks which can be used by the game team or, alternatively, provide interesting scenarios for roleplay between attendees who want their game to have a greater focus on interpersonal roleplay. 

You must select one Background at character creation and answer the accompanying questions that come with it as part of your character submission. 

Please note some Backgrounds contain prerequisites (such as a specific Class or Specialisation) before they can be taken. If your character does not fulfil these prerequisites then your chosen Background will be denied and you will be asked to select a new Background and to complete the corresponding question. Likewise some contain Game Team Notes which provide useful clarifications or roleplay requirements surrounding the portrayal of the Background in play.

The below is a list of all current Backgrounds available:

Addiction

Your character suffers from an addiction that impedes their day-to-day life. This can be a substance (drugs, alcohol) or a compulsive behaviour (gambling). Whatever form this takes, your character regularly needs to indulge in this in order to remain in control of their faculties. At the start of each Act, your character must indulge in their addiction and until such time as this has been completed, they may not use their Class Skill (though may use their Specialisation and General Skills). This effect resets the first time a character is the target of a Damage Call, Condition Card or Show-Me-Lammie each Act.

IC Question: What are you addicted to and how is your character handling their addiction? 

Additional Game Team Note: Please note that the game team will work with you to finalise your addiction and how this should be handled in-character. Addictions should be roleplayed safely and sensitively with the use of appropriate phys-reps throughout (for example, it is fine to use water as a substitute for vodka but it is not fine to drink real vodka to the extent that you pose a threat to yourself, attendees, or the safe running of the game).  

Alien Physiology

Prerequisite: Must be Paranatural, Phys-rep required (see additional Game Team Note below)
The character is clearly not human in appearance and must be phys-repped with extensive make-up and prosthetics. This can lead to difficulties with other characters who are not aware of the paranatural. Similarly your character cannot be healed except by a Physician with the Alien Biology specialisation.

IC Question: How is your physiology different from others and when did it first manifest for you?

Additional Game Team Note: In order to take Alien Physiology, your character must look notably alien and inhuman. Examples may include wings, animal or alien features (such as bark or stone skin, animalistic eyes, fangs, claws, horns, etc) or an obviously inhuman skin tone. An attendee must not wear body or face paint which is one solid colour and must make use of at least three shades. These are not prescriptive requirements and we leave it to our attendees to design their own signature alien look.

That being said, we also expect all attendees with this background to take extra steps to ensrue that any make-up, body or face paint cannot be interpreted as “blackfacing” or any other racial equivalent. This is in breach of our policies and we reserve the right to ban anyone who fails to comply with this requirement.

As set out in our Content and Themes Policy, attendees are allowed to discriminate against characters in relation to the paranatural. This includes in response to people who have overtly paranatural physical features. By selecting Alien Physiology as a background your character may experience discrimination against them in a manner which is seperate to and potentially worse than paranaturals who are seemingly human. Please consider if this is a topic you are comfortable playing around before selecting this Background.

Amnesia

Your character has missing memories. These can stem from before the character joined Equinox or even during their time as a member. Further to this, the length of missing time can vary from an hour to even years of an individual’s life. This can drive a character to look into the mysteries surrounding their past – for better or worse. 

IC Question: How much time is your character missing and when did they realise they had missing memories? How are they handling this? 

Doomed

A dark fate awaits your character. Your character will die during the course of the event though how this occurs will be unknown to you. It is not possible to use a Touchstone to avoid this fate. 

IC Question: Does your character have a premonition of their death and if so, how are they coping with this? 

Easily Influenced

Despite extensive training and counselling, your character’s mind is easily controlled and manipulated. You may never resist any Mental Conditions except by expending Touchstones.

IC Question: Has your character been influenced mentally by the paranatural before and, if so, what happened? 

External Consultant

Restriction: Cannot be taken by a Paranatural.
The character is not a member of The Equinox Institute and is either an independent consultant or is from one of the following external agencies working closely with the Institute:

  • The Agrippina Athenaeum
  • The Central Paranatural Bureau;
  • The Noblesse Oblige; or 
  • The Unified Arts Coalition.

Your character is known to The Equinox Institute but there may be restrictions on what you can do and you may fall outside the express protections of The Equinox Institute. The outside organisation is chosen by the attendee at character creation and the character will receive a briefing sheet granting them further details on their chosen organisation. A character with this Background can never be a Spokesperson for an Equinox Cell.  

IC Question: How long have you worked with your organisation and how did you come to work with Equinox?

Additional Game Team Note: Upon selecting this Background, an attendee will be provided with a Briefing Sheet providing further information on the organisation which is not publicly available knowledge. Once received, the attendee will be given the option to make further amendments to their character to take into account this additional briefing (if they so choose).

Please note that by taking this flaw, you acknowledge that you are potentially exposing your character to political and physical PvP. While Equinox will protect its allies (and will take steps to help its consultants), it will prioritise what limited resources it has for its official members and may instruct members to take action against anyone who is not a member of the organisation – including any allies present. 

Hunted

The character is being hunted by someone or something. Whatever is hunting them will use any weapon or opportunity at their disposal to find and secure the character in some capacity. Hunted does not necessarily denote that the person hunting the character wants them dead but does imply they want them for some purpose. 

IC Question: Who or what is hunting your character and for what purpose? Does your character know they are being hunted? 

(In)famous

Due to some action or event, your character is well known to the public. You could be a well known member of The Equinox Institute or be famous for some other reason. This means they may be contacted or approached by members of the public or external organisations regarding the Institute and its affairs. 

IC Question: How is your character famous and how does this affect your personal life and life in Equinox? 

Newbie

Prerequisite: Must be the character’s first event. 

Your character is a new member of Equinox. While this is a rigorous process, you’ve clearly been chosen for a reason – whether due to natural talent or years of expertise,you’re clearly ready to face the paranatural world before you. Alas no amount of skill can bypass the experience of getting to know your fellow team members through thick and thin and accordingly you’re yet to have established long lasting bonds with others in your cell or the wider organisation. You start play with one Touchstone. 

IC Question: How did you join Equinox? What are your feelings ahead of your first mission?

Additional Game Team Note: Please note, should you survive your first event this Background will be resolved. You will for your second event be invited to select another Background option from this list, or, alternatively, may choose for the game team to assign you an appropriate Background based on the outcome of the last event. For the avoidance of doubt, the character will start their next event with the benefit of two Touchstones, regardless of how many Touchstones they ended their first event retaining.

Not Dead Yet

Prerequisite: Specialisation: Immortal

You’re an immortal – an undying paranatual. The only issue? You don’t know that yet. Your character has lived a normal human lifespan and detects as paranatural, though has no means of determing what powers (if any) they might have. Finally the character does not start play with the “Scrambled Memories” Condition Card.

IC Question: How did you join Equinox? What are your feelings ahead of your first mission?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Your character was involved in a traumatic event which has left them beset with nightmares, flashbacks and lingering feelings of guilt and isolation. This is severe and can, in select circumstances, impact on the character’s day to day life. Pick one of the underlying triggers below:

  • Loud Noises – Gun shots, persistent shouting, screams and other loud noises;
  • Monstrous Entities – Overtly monstrous and clearly non-humanoid paranatural creatures; or
  • Biological – Physical injuries to individuals and surgery.

The first time a day your character encounters or experiences one of the triggers above, your character’s mind shuts down. They may only move at a walking pace, speak quietly and may not use any skills or specialisations. This effect continues until the character is either treated by:

  • A Counselling Psychologist; or 
  • 30 uninterrupted minutes pass for the character where they are away from the trigger of their PTSD and are in the presence of a Touchstone. 

IC Question: What underlying event gave rise to your PTSD? Are Equinox aware of your condition? 

Additional Game Team Note: Please note any underlying cause of your character’s PTSD must not be in violation of our Content and Themes policy. We also ask any attendees taking this background to be aware of how their roleplay may affect others and to check in with others where appropriate. 

Sensitive

Your character experiences their emotions more intensely then other individuals. Your character experiences all roleplay effects (whether as a result of Condition Cards, Show-Me Lammies or another source) for the longer of either:

  • The Show-Me Lammie or Condition Cards duration; or 
  • For as long as you as a player finds roleplaying the effect enjoyable. 

IC Question: Has your character always been sensitive and, if not, what caused this change? 

Terrible Secret

Your character has a terrible secret – one which could affect them personally or professionally and which they will stop at nothing to keep hidden. Such a secret could be Equinox’s undoing if anyone were to use this as leverage against your character. At least your secret remains safe…for now…

IC Question: What terrible secret haunts your character? What are the consequences of it being revealed?

Additional Game Team Note: Please note, we will not accept any Terrible Secret which is in violation of our Content and Themes policy or which suggests your character is a spy or agent who has infiltrated Equinox on behalf of another agency. This is because we expect all players to be loyal to Equinox (though perhaps some more than others) and for any allegiances to other groups to develop naturally in game (or through the use of Specialisations or other Backgrounds accordingly). Likewise a Terrible Secret should not mimic another Background on this list. 

Touch of the Paranatural

Prerequisite: Any Class other than Paranatural

Your character is paranatural but not in a particularly useful or helpful manner. Maybe they simply detect as paranatural to any appropriate sensors, were born of paranatural parents or an interaction with a paranatural object has left them marked. Your character classes as a paranatural entity for the purposes of all effects or interactions in game but otherwise gains no additional Skills or Specialisations. 

IC Question: Does your character suspect they may be paranatural? If so – why? If not, how do they feel about the paranatural?

Underlying Health Issue

Your character has an underlying physical health issue. Your death count time is halved and surgery takes twice as long on you as it does on other individuals.  

IC Question: What is your character’s underlying health issue and how does this affect them in their life at Equinox? Does your character know about this issue? If so, how does your character feel about this? 

Unlucky

For whatever reason your character is unlucky. Sure when it comes to entering the lottery or playing slot machines this is annoying but when it comes to life-critical situations the outcome can be absolutely deadly! In a situation where an outcome is based on chance:

  • Your character will always suffer the worst possible result; or
  • Be the first possible target for a negative effect out of a group of characters. 

IC Question: Does your character know they are unlucky? What is the unluckiest thing that has happened to them?

Work Life Balance

Prerequisite: Must have a physical item that they hold on their person that reminds them of their family. 

Somehow, someway, you’ve managed to maintain some semblance of a normal life. Whether your family and friends know about your work is up to you but they’re one of your greatest strengths and one of yours (and, depending on the circumstances) and Equinox’s greatest weaknesses. If anything were to happen to them, you wouldn’t know what to do.

One of your starting Touchstones is replaced by a family member outside of Equinox and who is not present at the event. You may call upon this Touchstone at any time by interacting with an item that relates to your family or by speaking about them in the presence of another Equinox member. However once your Touchstone lammie is torn, there will be consequences for you and your family…

IC Question: Who are your family and friends? Do they know you work for Equinox? How does your work affect your relationship with them? What item do you always hold on your person that reminds you of them?