Notes from the writer: In 5e 2024, character creation is a combination of species and background, and each background now comes with a feat in the Origin category. As you build your Dark Matter characters, you can combine the feats below with species options from the ‘Verse like amoeboid, vect, and nautilid for a character at home in the ‘Verse and molded by it!
Get the whole Origins chapter on our Patreon now, or follow the Dark Matter Kickstarter and be among the first to get it in print:
Affluent
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Heirloom. You gain an Uncommon magic item of the GM’s choice, passed down through generations of your family. A Bag of Holding or Cloak of Protection is recommended.
Stipend. You gain 100 CR and gain another 100 CR whenever you gain a character level thereafter.
*CR or “credits” are currency in Dark Matter and function exactly like gold pieces.
Creative
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Innovation. Whenever you roll a 20 on the d20 for an ability check, you gain Heroic Inspiration. Once you use this benefit, you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Double Inspiration. You can have two instances of Heroic Inspiration at one time. You can use only one Heroic Inspiration per roll.
Gambler
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Gaming Sets. You gain proficiency with all Gaming Sets and have Advantage on ability checks you make for games of chance.
Losing Streak. Record whenever you roll a 9 or lower on the d20 for a D20 Test. Roll the d20s for Advantage and Disadvantage sequentially and record them in order. If you roll 9 or lower three or more times consecutively, you can immediately change the d20 roll to a 20. If this was an attack roll, it doesn’t score a Critical Hit. Once you use this feat to change a d20 roll, discard your recorded rolls.
Industrious
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Hardworking. Choose one skill with which you have proficiency. When you gain a level, you can replace the skill you chose with a different one.
Whenever you fail an ability check using that skill, you can roll a d6 and add it to the roll, potentially turning the failure into a success. You can use this benefit a number of times equal to your Proficiency
Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Strong Core. You have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid the Exhaustion condition.
Jinx
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Mutual Misery. When you roll a 1 on the d20 for a D20 Test, choose a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target has Disadvantage on the next D20 Test it makes within the next minute.
Unlucky Number. Whenever an enemy rolls a 13 on the d20 for an attack against you or on a saving
throw against a spell that you cast, the d20 roll becomes a 1.
Silver-Tongued
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Argumentative. You can use your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for Persuasion checks.
Diplomatic. When you take the Influence action, you can treat a Hostile creature as Indifferent, and an Indifferent creature as Friendly.
Polyglot. You learn three languages of your choice.
Technical
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Cantrip Device. You build a device that allows you to cast cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list that doesn’t deal damage (choose when you build this device). When you finish a Long Rest, you can build a new device and choose a different cantrip for it, causing the old one to become inactive. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the cantrip you cast with this device (choose the ability when you select the feat).
Mind Over Matter. Choose one skill. When you make an ability check using that skill, you can use your
Intelligence modifier instead of the normal ability score for that skill. When you gain a level, you can replace the skill you chose with a different one.
