Description

What hidden shames dominate the heroes of Waterdeep?

Not every person is an open book and most lives are filled with hidden shames and regrets. Player characters are no different—some players even wish to embrace a checkered past when designing their characters. However, without work on the DM’s part, there is little chance for these shames and sins to come to light or even factor into the campaign. Cue the Character Secrets system: a lightweight method of tying the player characters’ dark pasts to the present. This supplement adds twenty-eight character secrets that tie the player character to the events, characters, and locales of the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign.

What are Character Secrets?

Pioneered by Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, character secrets are hidden sins or regrets drawn during character creation. They are meant to foment distrust, suspicion, and intrigue among the player characters. Some carry mechanical benefits, such as a skill, language, item, or damage resistance, while others are wholly narrative in nature. When the player is drawing up their character, they also draw a secret card from an assembled deck (provided in a printer-friendly format in this supplement). If their character does not meet its prerequisites (e.g. “You must be a human, half-elf, or half-orc) or if it doesn’t fit the character they wish to play, they may discard it for another. Through this system, you can tie their past to campaign’s affairs. The supplement includes extra information related to the secret, as well as advice for the DM on how to incorporate the secret such as by sending assassins, changing an NPC’s demeanor, or allowing the character to bypass obstacles in the campaign.