Another day, another post for this hashtag.

Let’s do it…

Oh boy today’s a toughie. Mind you I haven’t found the last few themes that easy.

However today’s theme had me opening up Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft (VRGtR) and looking at one of the new backgrounds it introduces.

The backgrounds introduced in VRGtR are aimed at characters being used in horror adventures. But when I’m being a DM (hopefully soon) if a player said they wanted to use one of these new backgrounds despite our campaign not being horror themed I’d say “sure why not?“ Plus I wouldn’t rule out using some horror influences at some point in the campaign.

The new background that came to mind for this theme was Spirit Medium (chapter 1, page 31). So you can see where I went with the theme of medium.

I like the idea of a character that communes with the dead. Although the official background description says the players character had a fateful experience to cause them to believe that they are “aligned with spirits and can serve as a conduit for their insights and goals.” I also like the idea of this being something that is passed on from one generation to another. Plus that fateful experience could also apply and be the thing that triggers it in the players character so that they carry on the family tradition.

For inspiration I’d watch some of the shows and films in the collage below. (They are ones that came to mind first)

They give some interesting takes to use with the character. The out and out believer with powers. Or the unbeliever, possibly ex-medium now intent in debunking others as charlatans.

I particularly like The Deadzone inspiration. It has that fateful experience for explaining this ability. And like the main character as a plot to follow some person in power that they have come in contact with could be intent on unleashing an unspeakable horror of some sort on the world that they have to stop.

I also like that from a DM point of view that the communing with spirits is a great way to feed one or two secrets or adventure hooks to the party.

See ya tomorrow