From publisher blurb:
The world of gothic horror is not one of grand heroes and legendary warriors—it is a world of gaslit streets, fog-choked alleyways, and the creeping dread of the unknown. It is a world where ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary terrors, where those who have spent their lives as scholars, servants, detectives, and laborers find themselves facing horrors beyond human understanding.
This collection of thirty new backgrounds is designed to help players create characters who feel like they truly belong in a Victorian-era horror setting. Rather than the traditional paths of adventurers who have already encountered the supernatural, these backgrounds focus on the mundane, the everyday, and the familiar—characters who have spent their lives as factory workers, apothecaries, reporters, and governesses before being drawn into dark and twisted mysteries.
Each background provides a unique foundation for a character, granting skill proficiencies, tool proficiencies, starting equipment, and a special feature that reflects their place in society. Whether a player wishes to be a grizzled detective who has seen too many crimes go unsolved, a cab driver who knows the streets better than anyone, or a grave robber who has spent more time among the dead than the living, these backgrounds offer the opportunity to build a character that feels grounded in the setting.
How to Use These Backgrounds
When creating a character, select one of these backgrounds just as you would any other. These backgrounds can replace those found in other materials and provide a more immersive foundation for campaigns set in a world of gothic horror. The features and proficiencies granted by these backgrounds are designed to reflect the reality of a society driven by industrial progress, rigid social classes, and dark secrets lurking beneath a veneer of civility.
These backgrounds are not tied to any specific city, kingdom, or world. Whether your game takes place in a sprawling metropolis filled with shadowy figures, a mist-laden countryside haunted by the past, or a coastal town where the tide washes up more than just seaweed, these backgrounds can fit seamlessly into your setting.
A World of Shadows and Secrets
Unlike other genres of fantasy, gothic horror does not always call for legendary warriors or seasoned monster hunters. The true horror comes from the realization that no one is prepared for what lurks in the dark—not the doctor who has spent his life studying the human body, nor the playwright who thought ghosts only existed in stories, nor the dandy who never expected his charmed life to take a terrifying turn.
These backgrounds are meant to immerse players in the world before the horrors begin. They are meant to create ordinary people who will face the extraordinary, to explore how individuals react when their understanding of the world is shattered. Do they become investigators, seeking the truth? Do they become survivors, doing whatever it takes to escape? Or do they descend into madness, unable to cope with what they have seen?
The choice is yours. But no matter who you are, one thing is certain—the darkness is coming, and no one is truly ready for it.
This booklet contains backgrounds to replace those in the core rulebooks, aimed towards a Victorian Horror setting.