Archetypes & Backgrounds
Characters in Maleficarum are built from two parts: Archetypes and Backgrounds. Together, they define who you are, what shaped you, and how you move through the world.
Archetypes describe how you generally deal with danger, conflict, and the unknown. They are not classes, but broad ways of thinking and acting. A Soldier handles problems differently than an Occultist. A Scoundrel spots chances where a Parson sees sin. A Barber‑Surgeon, Vagabond, Alchemist, Rabble‑Rouser, Watchman, and Huntsman each bring their own instincts into the story.
Every archetype grants a unique ability, but each ability comes with a cost—a drawback, burden, or complication that shapes how you play.
Backgrounds describe the life you lived before the game begins. They are personal histories shaped by hardship, guilt, or misfortune. Haunted, Runaway, Cursed, Deceitful, Forsworn, Dolorous—each background adds weight to your past and influences the choices you make. In a world full of suspicion and fear, these details matter. Old wounds and buried secrets can be as dangerous as any witch.
Together, archetypes and backgrounds create characters who feel grounded in the world of Maleficarum: ordinary people carrying heavy stories into a setting filled with dread, uncertainty, and the supernatural. They give you enough structure to play with confidence while still leaving room for personality, secrets, and change.
Example: Haunted
There are three tables—Origin, Manifestation, and Consequences. Roll a d6 on each to learn what shaped you, what follows you, and what it has cost.
Here is an example of a Haunted character generated from the tables:
This Haunted character was created using the three tables with the following results:
- Origin: A childhood home consumed by fire
- Manifestation: A shadow that follows but never speaks
- Consequence: Sleepless nights leave you weary and hollow
Your childhood home burned to the ground. The flames took more than walls; they left something behind. Ever since, you’ve been trailed by a shadow that never speaks, always a few steps back, always just outside the circle of light.
The years have not been kind. Sleepless nights have thinned your thoughts and frayed your nerves. People notice the hollowness in your eyes and the way you tense at empty doorways. They whisper that the fire marked you, and that whatever survived it with you has never let go.