Criminal
Tales of the Valiant Players Guide (pg. 120)
Criminal
You were a cutpurse, grifter, thief, or assassin. Surviving in the criminal underworld while plying your nefarious trade taught you patience, resourcefulness, and careful planning.
Perhaps you were a pickpocket jailed one too many times, a con artist hoping to fleece nobles out of their ill-gotten gains, or an assassin ready to turn over a new leaf after being left for dead. Regardless, a life of crime has left you tied to society’s underbelly
Criminal Secret
Criminals collect secrets as often as coin during their life of crime. Roll on the Criminal Secret table to determine such a secret, choose one, or create your own. This secret is known only to your closest allies and fiercest enemies at the start of your adventuring career.
| d12 | Secret |
|---|---|
| 1 | I inherited a massive fortune but lost it all. |
| 2 | My closest friend wants me dead, and I deserve it. |
| 3 | I am not who I claim to be. I borrowed this life from a dying criminal. |
| 4 | I have a rare terminal illness, and it’s making me reckless. |
| 5 | My loving family regularly sends me messages begging me to come home. |
| 6 | I only pretend to be a criminal to make life exciting. |
| 7 | I sometimes make mistakes on purpose just so things will turn violent. |
| 8 | I am terrified of the person I was becoming and pray that I can still change. |
| 9 | I used to be a royal spy until my sovereign betrayed me. |
| 10 | I plan to manipulate adventurers who trust me into destroying the enemies of my guild. |
| 11 | My family doesn't know I am a criminal, and I’ll kill to keep that secret. |
| 12 | I am a celebrity in some parts of the world. |
Choose two from Stealth, Investigation, Insight, or Deception.
You know Thieves’ Cant. If you already know this language, you learn a different language of your choice. Gain proficiency with a tool and a vehicle.
Five pieces of chalk, a grappling hook, a set of dark traveler’s clothes or a costume, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
You have eked out a living on the fringes of lawful society. Choose a talent from this list to represent your experience: Covert, Scrutinous, or Touch of Luck.
Most criminals are content with life in a guild or gang, trusting a select few and staying near their next mark. At the start of your adventuring career, decide what—or who— made your character step away to face a less certain life.
d8 | Adventuring Motivation |
|---|---|
1 | The bounty on my head is too high! I adventure to keep ahead of those who seek to claim it. |
2 | An adventurer got me out of prison, and I’ll never go back. |
3 | My allies turned on me and left me for dead. Adventuring will help me build a new life. |
4 | Adventuring is easy coin, nothing more. |
5 | Adventuring tests the limits of my skills, something crime hasn’t done in years. |
6 | I’ve done too many dark things to ever sleep well, but adventuring might help me make amends. |
7 | It’s time to dismantle the criminal guild I helped create, and adventuring will give me the power to do so. |
8 | A dogged constable is after me, but even they won’t go where adventuring will take me. |
Find your way!
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