Need some ideas

[Nightwish]

I'm running a Kingmaker campaign ... with a twist. I thought it would be fun to throw the entire region into Ravenloft so that we could incorporate some of the rules and elements of Ravenloft into the game, which has been challenging, to say the least.

One thing that I asked of my players is that when creating their back stories, each character should have some dark secret or ignominious past that could somehow be exploited at key points by the Mists or by the Dark Powers or by the seeming near-sentience of Ravenloft itself. I've got some ideas, but I wanted to hear a few other thoughts on just how those secrets could come into play.

One thing you need to know about the characters is that most of them come from modern 20th and 21st century America (some were pulled from the 80s, some were pulled from now), and were pulled into the Mists and found themselves in a Ravenloft that has grown to include all of the relevant portions of Golarion.

So here are the characters and their dark secrets or embarassing pasts:

Dexter - Soulknife - accidentally responsible for the death of his younger brother

Roland - Samurai - was a lawyer who knowingly defended guilty politicians

Lizzy - Druid - was formerly a prostitute who reformed and became a veterinarian

Jimi - Cleric - murdered his abusive father (this character is the only one who didn't come from the modern day)

So, just looking for some interesting and clever ideas about how those pasts could rear their ugly heads in game.

[Liz Courts]

Moved thread.

[fallenvash]

Candlemere can be a huge huge huge opportunity for you, with some tweaking. Also there is that rabble rouser from Pitax I believe, maybe have him hint at some of the dirty secrets.

[jtokay]

Dexter

Spoiler:

Jhod, too, was responsible for the death of another. Maybe they have common ground, but this being a dark place, maybe Jhod’s self-loathing over his own incident can rub off on Dexter if he sees something in him that is recognizable. At least Jhod’s victim wasn’t totally innocent, after all! Especially if Jhod learns the details of Dexter’s secret after the Temple of the Elk is reclaimed and the quest is completed, having a redeemed cleric of LG god judging you for something you already feel guilty for is delightfully shame-driving in a Ravenloft-esque manner.

Lizzy

Spoiler:

As a former prostitute, she may find common ground with the circumstances of the women who join the Cult of Gyronna in book 2, or maybe have sympathy with them, or they for her. Or heck, perhaps it’s something the cult can exploit and make her vulnerable to brainwashing or joining them.

Jimi

Spoiler:

His situation is somewhat similar to the Stag Lord’s. Maybe he could get visions of his own face when looking at him, or of his father when they confront the Stag Lord’s crazy father in the cellar. Could also be fodder for nightmares regarding the Stag Lord in a Luke-in-the-Dagobah-cave kind of way.

[Archmage_Atrus]

Along the same lines as jtokay's ideas:

Roland:

Spoiler:

Later on, around the time of War of the River Kings, Roland can have increasing nightmares/flashbacks to some of his dealings with some of his less savory politician clients.

And on a personal note, as a criminal defense attorney, honestly, I can tell you that the guilty ones are the easiest to defend - it's the innocent ones that give you nightmares.