You were once the member of a powerful noble family. Perhaps you were from a well-known merchant family, or you came from a line of wealthy aristocrats. However, due to events beyond your control―or perhaps they were―, you or your family have fallen from grace. Maybe your family was outcast from the kingdom with their property stripped away after one of the family members committed an unforgivable crime, or they were attacked and killed by angry mobs, with you being the sole survivor. Perhaps you were disowned for not following family tradition, or left of your own accord, not wanting to be bound by the fate your parents had set for you. Work with your DM to find out your family's role and how their role and downfall affected the world in your campaign. Whatever the reasoning, you were of noble birth, yet your family is no longer considered noble. You have been forced to make a new life for yourself and adjust to life without servants at your command and money at your disposal. Will you attempt to reclaim your title or move away from it? Will you shout your true identity from the rooftops hoping someone will believe you, or keep it a secret from everyone but your closest allies for fear of being accused as a liar? It's all up to you. Downfall of the Powerful Your family was once wealthy and powerful, but something caused you to lose everything. What happened? Was it something out of your control, or did you have a part in it? Was your own family to blame? Or perhaps another noble family wanting to take you down? Discuss with your DM what caused your downfall or roll a d6 and choose from the table below. d6 Downfall of the Powerful 1 Someone in my family committed a heinous crime, resulting in our power being stripped away. 2 My family was killed by an angry mob. I was the only survivor. 3 I refused to follow family tradition or what my parents wanted for me and was disowned for it. 4 I was accused of a crime. Whether or not I was guilty, rumors began to spread, eventually causing my fall from grace. 5 Another noble family tore mine apart through lies, deceit, and sabotage. 6 A high-ranking member of my family was killed and everything slowly fell apart.
Insider Knowledge: You know exactly who to talk to in order to find out gossip, hidden secrets, or any other information about various noble families. This information could come from members of the family in question, servants who work for them, other people who either know them personally, or those who may have eavesdropped on their conversations. Not everyone is willing to reveal such private information, though― if the person believes they may be put in a dangerous situation by revealing the information you request, they will not tell you or may even lie to protect themselves.
When creating a fallen noble character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character.