One of your character traits will need to come from this list. You may have committed many crimes during your lifetime, but this is the crime that finally got you branded and condemned. Should you feel the need to invent your own crime, punishment and benefit, talk to me and we can tweak it together.
Feel free to incorporate this as part of your back-story. You may wish to consider how the crime was done. Was this a wellplanned criminal enterprise or a crime of passion? Did you do it alone or did you have accomplices? Was this the first time you did this crime or are you a repeat offender?
This has been said before, but it bears repeating. Your character actually perpetrated this crime. You may have done it for what seemed like noble reasons. You may have gotten entangled in this criminal enterprise unwillingly. But there is no doubt that you are
guilty. You have not been sentenced to the worse prison in Talingarde unjustly. You are here because you deserve to be.
Arson
You have willfully started a fire that destroyed property.
To be sent to Branderscar, you didn’t start just a minor
little trash fire. Your act of arson threatened a major
town, city, church or castle and likely cost someone their
life. You’ll be punished for your crime by facing the fire
yourself.
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: Whenever you score a critical hit with a fire
attack, you receive a +2 fire damage bonus to your
damage roll. This bonus is a trait bonus.
Attempted Murder
You tried to kill someone and botched the job. To be
sent to Branderscar Prison, you did not try to kill just
anyone. You likely assaulted someone of great
importance and prominence.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You gain a +2 trait bonus to Intimidate
checks, and Intimidate is always a class
skill for you.
Blasphemy
Either you have defamed the great god Mitra or you have
been found guilty of worshipping one of the forbidden
deities (who preeminent among them is Asmodeus).
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: +2 trait bonus to Knowledge (religion) and
Knowledge (religion) is always a class skill for you.
Consorting with the Dark Powers (Witchcraft)
You have been found guilty of summoning an evil outsider.
Likely you were captured by the famed witch hunter
Sir Balin of Karfeld. The last thing he said to you was,
“May Mitra have mercy upon your wretched, damned
soul.” If only you could get a chance at revenge!
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge
(planes) and Knowledge (arcana) checks, and one of
these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.
Desecration
You have violated one of the churchs, cathedrals or holy
shrines of the great god Mitra. To be sent to Branderscar
this was no minor act of vandalism. Instead you have
done something flagrant and spectacular to dishonor the
Shining Lord.
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: You receive +1 trait bonus on all saving
throws against divine spells.
Desertion
You have deserted from the Talirean military and been
recaptured. To get sent to Branderscar this was not some
minor or routine dereliction of duty. Instead, you abandoned
your post during a time of crisis -- perhaps battle
or while defending the Watch Wall. Regardless of the
exact circumstances, your laziness and cowardness must
have caused loss of life.
Punishment: Death by hanging
Benefit: You receive one bonus skill point per level
that must be spent on the Profession (Soldier) skill.
Profession (Soldier) is always a class skill for you.
Dueling unto Death
You have engaged in a duel to the death and mortally
wounded an opponent. The opponent was honorable
enough to say nothing before he expired. Alas that his
family or companions was nowhere near so honorable.
Dueling was once common in Talingarde before the
House of Darius came to power. The House of Barca all
but encouraged duels of honor. Now, dueling of any sort
is punished severely. Dueling to the death is a sure way
to be sent to Branderscar Prison.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You gain a +1 trait bonus to Fortitude saves
Extortion
You have defrauded money from someone by holding
information of their wrongdoing over their heads. To
end up in Branderscar, this was no minor act of merely
threatening to expose someone. Instead you ave attempted
extortion against someone of great prominence
and for exorbitant stakes.
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You receive a +2 trait bonus to Intimidate
checks, and Intimidate is always a class skill for you.
Forgery
You have forged documents issued either by the crown
or by the Church of Mitra. Alas, that your forgery while
competent was not entirely undetectable. To be sent to
Branderscar, this was no minor finagling of paperwork.
This forged document could have cost lives, undermined
the reputation of the Church or endangered the security
of the realm.
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You gain a +3 trait bonus to Linguistics skill
checks to commit forgery and Linguistics is always a
class skill for you.
Fraud
You tried to bilk someone out of their cash. To end up
in Brandescar Prison, this was no petty con job or penny
ante racket. Instead, you brazenly tried to defraud someone
important of a huge sum of money. And it almost
worked too!
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You receive a +2 trait bonus to Bluff checks
and Bluff is always a class kill for you.
Grave Robbery
It is forbidden by sacred law to dishonor a corpse after it
is been sealed in its tomb by a clergy of the Mitran faith.
Some may not honor this ban: necromancers, golem
crafters, self-styled scientists, and alchemists delving into
the forbidden secrets of life and death. These ghouls can
expect no mercy from the Talirean Magistrates. And by
sending you to Branderscar Prison, you have received
none.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to confirm critical
hits
Heresy
You have denied the supremacy of Mitra and been condemned
for it. For this to be a crime, you were not content
to keep your heresy to yourself. You tried to sway
others. Likely you were captured by the famed witch
hunter Sir Balin of Karfeld. The last thing he said to you
was: “Mitra may forgive you yet for your lies. Talingarde
will not.” If only you could get a chance at revenge!
Punishment: Death by burning.
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus on all saving
throws against divine spells.
High Theft
You had a foolproof plan to steal some great treasure.
Alas, the scheme had a fatal flaw and went horribly awry.
To be sent to Branderscar prison, this was no ordinary
robbery attempt. You tried to steal something of great
value or religious significance.
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Reflex saves.
High Treason
You have willfully worked to bring down the current
Monarch of Talingarde -- the beloved King Markadian V
called the Brave of House Darius. To be successfully tried
for High Treason you have done more than merely dislike
the king, you did something tangible to undermine his
rule. Alas, that you failed at your plot and are now headed
to Branderscar Prison. Treason is the only crime that
is still punished by the gruesome ritual of being drawn
and quartered. Your stay at Branderscar will be brief.
Punishment: Death by drawing and quartering
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Will saves.
Kidnapping
You have abducted someone perhaps to ransom them
or do unspeakable things to them. Unfortunately, you
were caught and your victim was rescued (if they weren’t
rescued -- you would be guilty of murder instead). To
be sent to Branderscar Prison, you must have abducted
someone of great importance or in a particularly gruesome
manner.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to both Disarm
and Grapple attempts.
Murder
You have killed without just cause and been condemned
for it. To be sent to Branderscar Prison, this was no typical
killing but a particularly savage and unforgiveable act.
You may also have killed someone with powerful friends.
Note: You are not allowed to have killed someone in
the royal family of Talingarde. You may have tried (his
would instead be High Treason -- see above) but ultimately
they are too well protected.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You deal 1 additional point of damage when
flanking a foe. This additional damage is a trait bonus.
Piracy
You have been caught in the act of piracy on the high
seas. This is a rare crime these days since Markadian I
called the Victorious burned the last major pirate fleet to
threaten these isles. Still the crime is punished harshly.
Likely you are the sole survivor of your ship.
Punishment: Death by hanging
Benefit: You may select either Bluff or Intimidate.
The selected skill receives a +2 trait bonus and is always
a class skill for you.
Sedition
You have attempted to covertly stir up rebellion against
your rightful sovereign. This differs from high treason
in that you attempted to convince others to make war
against Talingarde instead of taking direct action yourself.
A subtle difference to be sure. But it is the difference
between receiving the swift justice of the axe instead
of the slow suffering upon the rack.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Bluff checks
and Bluff is always a class skill for you. Further if you
ever take the Leadership feat, you gain a +1 trait bonus
to your Leadership score.
Slave-Taking
Slavery is illegal in Talingarde and a very rare crime. Still,
once in a great while, slavers from the mainland will foolishly
make an incursion into Talirean protected territories.
When they are captured alive they are always made
an example of.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to both Disarm
and Grapple attempts.
Slave Trading
Slavery is legal in other parts of the world and it can be
tempting to the most decadent of Talingarde’s nobility
to acquire a “souvenir” when traveling abroad or to
purchase the object of their desire from a less reputable
merchant. However you ended up trading slaves in Talingarde,
you were caught red handed and now you will
lose more than simply your freedom.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive one bonus skill point per level
that must be spent on the Appraise skill. The Appraise
skill is always a class skill for you.