FLAWS
Absent-Mindedness - Requirements: None; You have trouble focusing on anything not of immediate interest. You have -2 on all rolls, save those for the task you are currently concentrating on. If no engaging task or topic presents itself, your attention will drift to more interesting matters within a few minutes, and you will ignore your immediate surroundings until something catches your attention and brings you back. Once adrift in your own thoughts, you must roll Notice -4 in order to notice any event short of personal physical injury. You may attempt to rivet your attention on a boring topic through sheer strength of will. To do so, make a Will -4 roll once every five minutes. “Boring topics” include small talk, repetitive manual tasks, guard duty, driving on an empty highway... Absent-minded individuals also tend to forget trivial tasks (like paying the bills) and items (like car keys and checkbooks). Whenever it becomes important that you have performed such a task or brought such an item, the GM should call for a roll at -2. On a failure, this detail slipped your attention.

Addiction - Requirements: None; You are addicted to a drug, which you must use regularly or suffer withdrawal. The GM will call for periodic Investigate rolls to determine if you can find the drug of choice, on a failure you may start suffering from withdrawal. Addiction to a drug that causes psychological dependency is a mental disadvantage; withdrawal from such a drug requires a series of Will rolls, and may result in mental problems. Addiction to a drug that induces physiological dependency is a physical disadvantage; withdrawal is a function of your Physique, and may cause physical injury. Any mental or physical issues result in a Minor Injury that cannot be cleared until you successfully Withdraw or score a hit. Should you successfully withdraw from an Addiction, you must immediately remove this Flaw and any Perk that may be attached to it.

Amnesia - Requirements: Story/Background Justification; You have lost all or part of your memory, usually as a result of severe physical or emotional trauma. When the character recovers from a Fatal Injury, make a Will roll. On a result of 5+, you recover normally. If you roll 5 or less you have Partial Amnesia (see below). If you roll snake eyes, you are instead suffering from Total Amnesia (see below).

Amnesia, Partial: You have partial amnesia. Roll 1d6, the result is the number of days before your memory recovers. You may use all of your skills and Perks with a -2 penalty, though you cannot always remember how you do the things that you can do. Any important story details that have been revealed since your character suffered a Fatal Injury cannot be acted upon without GM intervention.

Amnesia, Total: You cannot even remember your own name. The GM may set a goal or event (such as confronting the person who nearly tortured you to death, or finding your way to a particularly important location) that will return your memory. If not, roll 3d6 with the result being the number of weeks before your memory recovers. You may use all of your skills and Perks with a -4 penalty, though you cannot always remember how you do the things that you can do. Any important story details that have been revealed since your character suffered a Fatal Injury cannot be acted upon without GM intervention.

Bad Back - Requirements: None; For whatever reason, your spinal column is in bad shape. During strenuous physical activity, you may “throw your back” and suffer crippling pain or further injury. Whenever you make an Athletics or other physical activity roll that results in a critical failure, you take a Minor Injury related to hurting your back.

Bad Grip - Requirements: None; You have a penalty on tasks that require a firm grip. Each level (maximum three levels) gives -2 with such tasks. This penalty is overall--not per hand. Affected tasks include melee weapon use, climbing, catching things, and anything else the GM deems requires a firm grip.

Bad Vision - Requirements: None; You have poor vision. This applies to all your visual senses. You may be nearsighted or farsighted--your choice. You have a -4 to all visual tasks, including reading. Special: You can acquire glasses or contact lenses that compensate totally for Bad Sight while they are worn. But remember that accidents can happen... and that enemies can deprive you of these items.

Bad Smell - Requirements: None; You exude an appalling odor that you cannot remove. This causes a -2 reaction from most people and animals (although pests or carrion-eating scavengers might be unusually attracted to you!). You can mask the smell with perfumes, but the overpowering amount needed results in the same penalty.

Bad Temper - Requirements: None; You are not in full control of your emotions. Make a Will roll in any stressful situation. If you fail, you lose your temper and must insult, attack, or otherwise act against the cause of the stress.

Battle Rage - Requirements: Berserk; You go berserk in any combat situation, regardless of whether you have been injured. To avoid this, you must make a self-control roll when you first enter combat (even a barroom brawl or a boxing match).

Berserk - Requirements: None; You tend to rampage out of control when you or a loved one is harmed, making frenzied attacks against whoever or whatever you see as the cause of the trouble. If you also suffer from Bad Temper (above), any stress may trigger Berserk. Make a Will roll any time you suffer a Minor Injury and whenever you witness equivalent harm to a loved one. If you fail, you go berserk. You go berserk automatically if you fail a Will roll for Bad Temper! You must attack the nearest enemy. Treat any friend who attempts to restrain you as a foe! You get to roll again each time you down a foe, and you get one extra roll when no more foes remain. If you are still berserk, you start to attack your friends...

Blindness - Requirements: Story Justification; You cannot see at all. In unfamiliar territory, you must travel slowly and carefully, or have a companion or guide animal lead you. Many actions are impossible for you; the GM should use common sense. You are at -6 to all combat skills. You can use hand weapons, but you cannot target a particular hit location. If using a ranged weapon, you can only attack randomly, or engage targets so close that you can hear them. All this assumes you are accustomed to blindness. If you suddenly lose your eyesight, you fight at -10, just as if you were in total darkness. In either case, you suffer no extra penalties for operating in the dark.

Bloodlust - Requirements: Bad Temper; You want to see your foes dead. In battle, you must go for killing blows, and put in an extra shot to make sure of a downed foe. You must make a Will roll whenever you need to accept a surrender, evade a sentry, take a prisoner, etc. If you fail, you attempt to kill your foe instead--even if that means breaking the law, compromising stealth, wasting ammo, or violating orders. Out of combat, you never forget that a foe is a foe.

Bully - Requirements: None; You like to push people around whenever you can get away with it. Depending on your personality and position, this might take the form of physical attacks, intellectual harassment, or social “cutting.” Make an Empathy roll to avoid gross bullying when you know you shouldn’t--but to roleplay your character properly, you should bully anybody you can. Since nobody likes a bully, others react to you at -2.

Callous - Requirements: None; You are merciless, if not cruel. You can decipher others’ emotions, but you do so only to manipulate them--you don’t care about their feelings or pain. This gives you -4 on all Insight, Rapport, and Medicine rolls made to help others (as opposed to deduce weaknesses or conduct scientific research), and on any skill roll made to interact with those who have suffered the consequences of your callousness in the past (GM’s decision). As well, past victims, and anyone with Empathy, will react to you at -2. But ruthlessness has its perks: you get an extra +2 to Investigate and Provoke rolls when you use threats or torture to interogate others.

Cannot Speak - Requirements: Story Justification; You can make vocal sounds (bark, growl, trill, etc., as appropriate), but your speech organs are incapable of the subtle modulations required for language. Most animals have this trait.

Charitable - Requirements: None; You are acutely aware of others’ emotions, and feel compelled to help those around you – even legitimate enemies. Make an Empathy roll in any situation where you could render aid or are specifically asked for help, but should resist the urge. If you fail, you must offer assistance, even if that means violating orders or walking into a potential trap.

Chronic Depression - Requirements: None; You’ve lost your will to live. You’d commit suicide, but it seems like so much trouble. Make a Will roll to do anything but acquire and consume the minimum necessities for survival (for instance, to motivate yourself to go to a movie, attend a job interview, or keep a date), or whenever you must choose between two or more actions. If you fail, you take the path of least resistance. This usually means staying put and doing nothing. If your Will number is sufficiently low, you will find it almost impossible to do anything at all for yourself, unless someone physically drags you out of bed. If somebody shows up and demands that you go out and do something with him, make a Will roll. If you fail, you go along with his plan out of apathy. You may also acquire this Flaw in play through story justification or by "trading in" a Significant Injury related to mental health. This clears the Significant Injury immediately.

Chronic Pain - Requirements: None; You have an injury, disorder, or illness that leaves you in severe pain on a regular basis--perhaps even constantly. Examples include arthritis, bone cancer, migraines, and pieces of shrapnel embedded in the body (an “old war wound”). Roll Physique once per day. If you roll less than 12, you suffer a bout of pain. You may take this Flaw multiple times, decreasing the Physique roll by 2 for each level. The timing of this attack is up to the GM, but it usually occurs during waking hours--you might wake up with it, or it might be set off by stress (fatigue, exertion, etc.) during the day. While in pain, reduce your physical scores by half. Reduce Will rolls to resist flaws such as Bad Temper and Berserk by the same amount--someone in pain is more likely to lose their cool. If the GM rules that the attack occurs while you are trying to sleep, you suffer -2 to all skill rolls the next day due to sleep deprivation instead of the usual effects of this Flaw. Chronic Pain attacks endure for a scene, after which you may attempt a Physique roll to recover. If you succeed, you have dealt with your pain... today. If you fail, the attack continues for another scene, after which you may attempt another Physique roll. And so on.

Clueless - Requirements: None; You totally miss the point of any wit aimed at you, and are oblivious to attempts to seduce you (+4 to resist attempts). The meanings of colloquial expressions escape you. Sophisticated manners are also beyond you, giving -4 to social skills when manners matter. You have many minor habits that annoy others (e.g., leaving the turn signal on while driving from Chicago to Albuquerque), and most people will react to you at -2. You may make jokes--albeit lame ones--and you can appreciate slapstick and written humor. However, you rarely “get” verbal humor, especially if you are the target (roll Insight to realize you’re the butt of the joke).

Code of Honor - Requirements: None; You take pride in a set of principles that you follow at all times. The specifics can vary, but they always involve “honorable” behavior. You will do nearly anything--perhaps even risk death--to avoid the label “dishonorable” (whatever that means to you). You must do more than pay lip service to a set of principles of a Code of Honor. You must be a true follower of the Code! This is a Flaw because it often requires dangerous--if not reckless--behavior. Furthermore, you can often be forced into unfair situations, if your foes know you are honorable. The risks you take for your honor are solely on your own account. Work with the GM to create your Code of Honor, what would be considered breaking it, and what ramifications (if any) there would be for breaking the Code.

Colorblind - Requirements: None; You cannot see any colors at all (this is total colorblindness). In any situation requiring color identification (e.g., gem buying, livery identification, or pushing the red button to start the motor), the GM should give you appropriate difficulties. Certain skills are always harder for you. In particular, you are at -2 on most Craft (Art), knowledge (Chemistry), Drive, and Survival (Tracking) rolls.

Combat Paralysis - Requirements: None; You tend to “freeze up” in combat
situations, and receive -2 to all Will Checks related to fear. This has nothing to do with cowardice--you may be brave, but your body betrays you. In any situation in which personal harm seems imminent, make a Will roll. Do not roll until the instant you need to fight, run, pull the trigger, or whatever. Any roll below 12 is a failure. On a success, you can act normally. On a failure, you hesitate and are at the mercy of the GM. Once you unfreeze, you will not freeze again until the immediate danger is over. Then, in the next dangerous situation, you may freeze once again. This trait is the opposite of Combat Reflexes and you cannot have both.

Compulsive Behavior - Requirements: None; You have a habit--often a vice--that wastes a good deal of your time or money. You must indulge at least once per day, if at all possible, and do so any time you have the opportunity unless you can make a Will roll. But keep in mind that it’s bad roleplaying to try to avoid your compulsion regularly!

Confused - Requirements: None; To you, the world seems a strange and incomprehensible place most of the time. You are not necessarily stupid, but you are slow to pick up on new facts or situations. In particular, you respond poorly to excessive stimulation. When alone in the peace and quiet of your own home, you function normally. But in a strange place, or when there’s a commotion going on, you must make a Will roll. On a failure, you freeze up instead of taking decisive or appropriate action. This often prevents you from making tactical decisions and engaging in other sorts of long range planning. The GM should adjust the Will roll in accordance with the stimuli in the area. To resist confusion from two friends chatting quietly in a familiar room would require an unmodified roll, but a nightclub with flashing lights and pounding music might give -5, and a full-scale riot or battle would give -10 to the roll!

Cowardice - Requirements: None; You are extremely careful about your physical well-being. Make a Will roll any time you are called on to risk physical danger. Roll at -4 if you must risk death. If you fail, you must refuse to endanger yourself unless threatened with greater danger! In some social situations, people may react poorly to you if they know you are a coward.

Curious - Requirements: None; You are naturally very inquisitive. This is not the curiosity that affects all PCs (“What’s in that cave? Where did the gunshot come from?”), but the real thing (“What happens if I push this button?”). Make a Will roll when presented with an interesting item or situation. If you fail, you examine it--push buttons, pull levers, open doors, unwrap presents, etc.--even if you know it could be dangerous. Good role players won’t try to make this roll very often... In general, you do everything in your power to investigate any situation with which you aren’t 100% familiar. When faced with a real mystery, you simply cannot turn your back on it. You try to rationalize your curiosity to others who try to talk you out of it. Common sense doesn’t help--you know you are taking a risk, but you’re curious anyway!

Cursed - Requirements: None; Like Unluckiness (See below), but worse. When anything goes wrong for your party, it happens to you, first and worst. If something goes right, it misses you. Any time the GM feels like hosing you, he can, and you have no complaint coming, because you are Cursed.

Deafness - Requirements: Story Justification; You cannot hear anything. You
must receive information in writing (if you are literate) or sign language.

Debt - Requirements: GM Approval; You owe someone a debt. Discuss with the GM and work out the details. This could be a monetary debt, a favor, etc. The debt may be called upon--in part or in full--at any time the GM decides to use it.

Delusions - Requirements: None; You believe something that simply is not true. This may cause others to consider you insane. And they may be right! If you suffer from a Delusion, you must roleplay your belief at all times. Delusions come in three levels, and each level requires the one before it:

Minor: This Delusion affects your behavior, and anyone around you will soon notice it, but it does not keep you from functioning more-or-less normally. Those who notice your Delusion will react at -1. Examples: “Squirrels are messengers from God.” “The Illuminati are watching me constantly--but only to protect me.” “I am the rightful Duke of Fnordia, stolen at birth by Gypsies and doomed to live among commoners.”

Major: This Delusion strongly affects your behavior, but does not keep you from living a fairly normal life. Others will react at -2. Examples: “The government has all phones tapped.” “I have Eidetic Memory and Absolute Direction.”

Severe: This Delusion affects your behavior so much that it may keep you from functioning in the everyday world. Others react to you at -4, but they are more likely to fear or pity you than to attack. A Delusion this severe can keep you from participating meaningfully in the campaign; therefore, you should always clear it with the GM first. Examples: “I am Napoleon.” “I am immortal.” “Ice cream makes machines work better, especially computers. Spoon it right in.” A GM who wants to shake up his players can have a Delusion turn out to be true. This does not suit all Delusions. Of those listed above, for instance, the ones about squirrels, ice cream, and Napoleon seem unlikely. But the Illuminati might really exist, or Gypsies might really have stolen the heir to the throne of Fnordia . . . Have fun! If your Delusion turns out to be true, you get to get rid of this Flaw, but you get to keep the Perk connected to it.

Dependent - Requirements: None; A “Dependent” is an NPC for whom you are responsible; e.g., your child, kid brother, or spouse. You must take care of your Dependents. Furthermore, your foes can strike at you through them. If your Dependent ends up kidnapped or otherwise in danger during play, you must go to the rescue as soon as possible. If you don’t go to their aid immediately, the GM can deny you experience points for “acting out of character.” Furthermore, you do not earn experience points for a game session in which your Dependent is killed or badly hurt.

Disturbing Voice - Requirements: None; Your voice is naturally unpleasant or obviously artificial. Details can vary. For example: You might use a technological aid to mitigate the Mute flaw. Your voice might be raspy, hollow, or squeaky, or your speech might be monotonous and without inflection. The game effects in all cases are identical to those of Stuttering (See below), although you do not necessarily stutter.

Dwarfism - Requirements: None; You are abnormally short for your species--under 4’4". You take -2 penalty on Fight because you have short arms and partly because you must use scaled-down weapons. You get -2 to Disguise--or to Survival (Tracking) if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd.

Dyslexia - Requirements: None; You have a crippling reading disability. Even simple maps and road signs are beyond you. You can learn “book-learned” skills at normal speed if you have a teacher to substitute for your inability to use texts. Attempts to learn such a skill without a teacher progress very slowly--if the skill is one you can teach yourself without books. The GM’s word is final in all cases.

Easy to Kill - Requirements: None; You have health problems that leaves you prone
to series injury. Each time you take Easy to Kill, you lose one Injury slot starting with your one Fatal Injury, then your two Serious Injuries, and finally your three Minor Injuries. You may take this Flaw every time, each time you do you lose another Injury slot.

Easy to Read - Requirements: None; Your body language betrays your true intentions. Easy to Read gives others +4 on all Empathy, Insight, and Rapport rolls to discern your intentions or the truth of your words.

Enemies - Requirements: None; An “Enemy” is an NPC, group of NPCs, or organization that actively works against you, personally, on your adventures. Some Enemies want to kill you... others have more devious goals. Determine the nature of your Enemy when you create your character, and explain to the GM why the Enemy is after you. The GM is free to fill in additional details as he sees fit. You may take this Flaw multiple times, creating a new enemy each time.

Epilepsy - Requirements: None; You suffer from severe epilepsy. You are subject to seizures during which your limbs tremble uncontrollably and you cannot speak or think clearly. Make a Will roll whenever you are in a stressful situation (especially if your life or the life of a friend is threatened). If you have any sort of Phobia, exposure to the object of your fear counts as a stressful situation. On a failure, you suffer a seizure that lasts 1d6 minutes. You can do nothing during that time. You may attempt to induce a seizure. This requires one minute of concentration and a successful Will roll.

Extra Sleep - Requirements: None; You need more sleep than most people. A normal human requires 8 hours of sleep per night. Each level (maximum of four levels) means you need one additional hour of sleep. Thus, you must go to bed early or sleep in for a few hours each day. This gives you less time each day in which to study or work on other projects.

Fanaticism - Requirements: None; You believe so strongly in a country, organization, philosophy, or religion that you put it ahead of everything else. You might even be willing to die for it! If the object of your Fanaticism demands obedience to a code of behavior or loyalty to a leader, you oblige willingly and unquestioningly. You must roleplay your unwavering dedication. Fanaticism does not make you mindless or evil. A glaring priest of Set, brandishing his bloody dagger, is a fanatic. But so is a kamikaze pilot, exchanging himself for an aircraft carrier. And so is a patriot who says, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Fanaticism is a state of mind; it is what you are fanatic about that makes the difference.

Fat - Requirements: None; You are overly heavyset for your height. You get -2
to Disguise--or to Survival (Tracking), if you are trying to follow someone in a crowd. However, your extra weight gives you +2 to any roll to resist being physically pushed around.

Fearfulness - Requirements: None; You are nervous and timid. Subtract your Fearfulness level from your Will whenever you make a roll versus fear, and whenever you must resist intimidation. This trait is the opposite of Fearlessness; you cannot have both.

Flashbacks - Requirements: None; You tend to experience “flashbacks” when under stress. These are vivid hallucinations, full-participation replays of memories, or similar phenomena. You should choose the type of flashback you experience when you take this flaw. The content of each episode is up to the GM. In any situation that the GM feels is stressful, he will roll 3d6. On a 6 or less, you have a flashback. The GM will roll whenever you fail a Will roll for another stress-related Flaw. The flashback occurs in addition to any other results!

Frightens Animals - Requirements: None; Animals react to you with fear and aggression. Horses do not permit you to ride them, dogs shy away from you or attack savagely, and your mere scent is enough to panic most creatures. You get -4 on all reaction rolls made by animals. Anyone who sees how animals react to you--and those with Animal Empathy--reacts to you at -2. Note that guards or police with guard animals, “sniffer” dogs, etc. decide how to deal with you based on the animal’s reaction roll, not their own!



Mute - Requirements: None; You cannot vocalize at all. All communications with others must be nonverbal: writing, sign language, Morse code, etc. No roll is required (or allowed!) when you try to communicate with PCs who don’t know your sign language--roleplay this on your own! You cannot have any other voice related traits.