Flaws

Flaw basics

You can choose some Flaws when making your character sheet, to bring your character to life.

Each Flaw gives Flaw points equal to its level. To make it easy to see at a glance, Flaw levels are written as negative numbers, but think of them as positive when counting Flaw points.

Every 2 Flaw points can be exchanged for 1 Talent point, which you can spend on Talents, following the same rules as Feats.

Note: no Flaw can be removed by having the Overseer repair your body or limbs. Flaws that can be removed by some other means say so.

Flaws come in three kinds: physical, mental, and anomalous.

Physical: these Flaws and Talents work through your body. If you have body snatching or a similar ability to switch bodies, or an ability to leave your old body behind such as projecting your primordial spirit, you are no longer affected by physical Flaws and physical Talents in the new body. If you can still go back to the old body, you are still affected by the physical Flaws and Talents of the old body.

Mental: these Flaws and Talents work through your state of mind. If you have an ability to switch personalities or something similar, the old personality's mental Flaws and Talents don't carry over when you switch to a new personality, until you switch back.

Anomalous: how these Flaws and Talents work simply can't be explained. What is certain is that the way to be rid of them is death, and sometimes perhaps not even death can remove them.

Unless stated otherwise, Flaws and Talents give feat bonuses and feat penalties.

Physical Flaws:

Lame (-1 to -5):
Something is wrong with your legs; perhaps you were injured once.
You have lasting leg limb impairment points equal to this Flaw's level, which can't be saved against.
If this Flaw reduces your speed to zero, you are crippled and permanently lose your land speed.

One-Armed (-5):
You lost a limb for some reason, perhaps in an accident.
You have a lasting 5 points of limb impairment, and with only one arm, you can't use spells with a somatic component, two-handed weapons, and so on.
Special: you can choose this Flaw twice, which leaves you with no arms.

Clumsy (-1 to -4):
You are a walking human disaster: wherever you go, chaos follows and nothing is left standing, all thanks to your devastating clumsiness.
Level 1: you take a 1-point penalty on Physical Skill rolls.

Level 2: you take a 1-point penalty on rolls tied to Physical Attributes, stacking with level 1.

Level 3: the level 1 penalty rises by one.

Level 4: the level 2 penalty rises by one.

Old Wound (-1 to -3):
You once suffered a near-fatal injury and still feel its effects.
Your maximum Health drops by this Flaw's level. You can't use this Flaw to drop your maximum Health to 5 or lower.

Weak Immunity (-1 to -2):
Prerequisite: once you choose this Flaw, you can't have the Endurance Feat, the Diehard Feat, or similar Feats and Talents that give resistance to poison and disease, and vice versa.
Your immune system is very weak; even a cold could kill you.
You take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on Fortitude rolls to oppose poison and disease.

Poor Eyesight (-1 to -5):
Something is wrong with your eyes: maybe nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia, glaucoma, cataracts, or the like.
You have lasting dazzle points equal to this Flaw's level, which can't be saved against.
Your sensory sight range becomes Perception x (10 - this Flaw's level) meters, which also affects your approximate sight range.
At level 5, you are blind.

Poor Hearing (-1 to -4):
Your hearing isn't very sharp; perhaps your ears were injured or diseased.
You have lasting tinnitus points equal to this Flaw's level, which can't be saved against.
Your sensory hearing range becomes Perception x (10 - this Flaw's level) meters.

At level 4, you are deaf.

Insomnia (-1 to -3):
You can't sleep. It's that simple. For a human, what could be more painful?

The time you need to finish a long rest rises by this Flaw's level x 1 hour. Normal rest takes 8 hours; you have to toss and turn longer before it counts as rest.
If you don't sleep long enough, then naturally you are sleep-deprived the next day, and you don't get natural recovery until you take a full long rest.

Shaky Hands (-1 to -3):
You often make mistakes because your hands shake, and it has become a habit.

All your attack rolls that use your limbs take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level.

Can't Aim (-2):
You can't "zero in" your ranged attacks. When you aim, you get none of aiming's benefits.

Mute (-5):
For some reason, you can't speak.

You can't use abilities that need speech, including spellcasting, the Librarian, and so on. You also can't talk or negotiate, which gives you a 5 DP penalty on Social Skill rolls.

Dwarfish Build (-2):

Prerequisite: you can't have the "Huge Build" Feat, and once you choose this Flaw, you can't choose the "Huge Build" Feat.

Your Size drops to 4, and your Health and speed drop by 1 to match. For carrying capacity, your Strength counts as 1 lower again.

Impaired Healing (-5):
Prerequisite: once you choose this Flaw, you can't gain any Feat or Talent that changes your natural recovery speed.
Because of disease or some other reason, your body has almost no ability to heal itself; left alone, even a cut on your finger might stay with you for life.
Your natural recovery intervals double, and your fast healing and regeneration drop by 1. If you have several fast healing and regeneration abilities, all of them drop by 1.

Flat as a Board (-0):

Only female characters can choose this Flaw. It can't coexist with "Impressive Figure". Choosing it gives you the Talent of the same name, "Flat as a Board". This Flaw fixes the character's bust at an A cup or flatter. Whenever anyone mentions your cup size, on purpose or not, you take a 1 DP morale penalty on all rolls for the rest of the scene. As a special rule, as long as a female character with the Impressive Figure Talent is within your sensory range, you take an extra 1 DP morale penalty on all rolls. You are only affected by this Flaw while your visible appearance is humanoid. When you remove this Flaw's effect by any means (including but not limited to breast augmentation, transformation, or wearing fully enclosed armor), you also lose all the benefits of the Talent of the same name.

Impressive Figure (-0):

Only female characters can choose this Flaw. It can't coexist with "Flat as a Board". Choosing it forces you to gain the Talent of the same name, "Impressive Figure". This Flaw fixes the character's bust at a D cup or larger. Your Dodge Defense permanently drops by one, and your Reflex rolls take a 1 DP build penalty. When someone lifts you, carries you on their back, or something similar, you count as 1 Size larger than you are. When buying torso armor, your ST may require you to spend an extra 10 points or 1/100 of the item's price (whichever is lower) for a custom version that fits your bust. This extra cost doesn't apply to items that reshape themselves to fit their user. Your ST may use this Flaw as a reason for you to get stuck squeezing through a cave and the like. You are only affected by this Flaw while your visible appearance is humanoid. When you remove this Flaw's effect by any means (including but not limited to breast reduction, transformation, or wearing fully enclosed armor), you also lose all the benefits of the Talent of the same name.

Mental Flaws:

Gluttony (-3):
This Flaw makes you extremely greedy for food and drink. Whenever you can, you eat far more than your body needs. You never want to miss a meal.

When you feel hungry, you take a 1 DP penalty on all rolls. Faced with a lavish feast, you make a Will roll at DC 20 to resist the temptation. If you fail, you eat and drink without a thought for the consequences, and for 1 hour after eating you take a 1 DP penalty on all rolls while you digest the excess.

Space Cadet (-1 to -2):
You are a walking broadcast tower of nonsense, and nobody can follow your train of thought.

You take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all Social rolls.

Absent-Minded (-2):
You are careless and tend to lose important things.
Each time you leave a place you stayed in for more than an hour, you must make a chance roll. If you fail, you lose a random ordinary item (a whole wallet counts as one item); on a dramatic failure, you lose a random item with a Rank. Weapons, armor, clothing, and so on aren't lost, and neither are vehicles, but a vehicle's capsule form can be lost.

Lone Wolf (-3 to -5):
You come from pirates, bandits, or some similar place where people are used to knifing their brothers in the ribs, and you are used to relying on nobody but yourself. Allies easily distract you; you need a space of your own to do your best.
When you act together with allies, you take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all rolls.

Slow Reflexes (-1 to -3):
You are always a beat late noticing danger.

Your Initiative takes a penalty equal to this Flaw's level.

Emotional (-1 to -2):
You are too sensitive, and always drift off at the wrong moment.
If you fight a target whose attitude toward you was Friendly or better, you take a penalty of (this Flaw's level x 2) on all rolls in that fight.

Arrogant (-1 to -2):
You think only people like you are worth trusting, and you treat people of other races, ethnicities, or nationalities quite badly.
You take a penalty of (this Flaw's level x 2) DP on Social rolls with such people.

Stickler for Honesty (-1 to -2):
You are very straitlaced and law-abiding, and try to make others obey the law too. Even somewhere with no law, you stay "straitlaced", holding yourself to the law just as you would at home. And you assume others are honest unless proven otherwise. This is a Flaw because it limits what you can do. You can't use Subterfuge rolls in negotiations; if you force yourself to, the Subterfuge roll takes a penalty of (this Flaw's level x 2) DP. Also, because of your guilty conscience, all your actions afterward take a penalty of (this Flaw's level x 2) DP for one scene.

Curious (-1 to -2):
You are curious by nature. Not the ordinary curiosity everyone has (such as: what's in that hole? where did the UFO come from?), but a drive to explore real things (such as: what happens if I press this button?). When you meet an interesting situation or thing, you have to examine and poke at it, whether or not you know it is dangerous. If you don't, you take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all rolls for the next scene.

Brat (-2):
Prerequisite: the "Curious" Flaw
You are a brat with overwhelming curiosity. When you come across something interesting, you have to investigate it no matter the consequences; if you don't, you take a 2 DP penalty on all rolls for one Film, not stacking. Of course, you can choose to send a teammate instead and watch; that also counts as satisfying your curiosity.

Sheltered (-2):
You grew up in comfort and know nothing of violence. You'll have to go through some ordeals to learn to cope with it.
When you take more than half your Health in damage at once, you become terrified of whoever dealt it, and you can't make a Gene Lock roll from that injury.

Removal: this Flaw stops working after your first Film ends.

Jumpy (-1 to -2):
You are always on edge, watching for danger around you, and can't control it even when you know you are safe.
Level 1: you take a 1 DP penalty on PER-related rolls.

Level 2: you are always watching your surroundings, even in your sleep, so you can't rest properly. Each rest recovers only half as much energy, at least 1.

Phobia (-1 to -3):
You have a phobia you can't overcome, perhaps of a particular thing or setting, such as spiders or elevators, or of a particular situation, such as arguments or gunfights.
Whenever you meet what you fear, you take unavoidable fear points toward it equal to this Flaw's level.

If what you fear is extremely rare, this Flaw's level may drop. For example, if you fear winged spiders with human faces, given that such things barely exist, this Flaw may be worth only 0. Conversely, if what you fear is very common (say you fear air), it may be worth more.

Imaginary Friend (-2):
You have an imaginary friend you often talk to, and you even pay them 50 bucks a week.
Because you are so pathetic, everyone looks down on you and gains a 2 DP bonus on Social rolls against you.

A Beat Behind (-2 to -4):
You often turn the wrong way when making a sharp turn.

You take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on Reflex rolls.

Moe Weakness (-2):
Choose a moe trait, such as glasses, sailor uniforms, striped underwear, shrine maidens, or tsundere. Whenever you see something with that trait, you are instantly drawn to it, and immediately want to hug it, squeeze it, keep it for yourself, or anything else reasonable but possibly illegal.

You gain a 1 DP focus bonus on anything that helps you do so (it should be fairly direct, not some roundabout scheme) and on opposing any attempt to stop you; meanwhile, your other actions take a 2 DP distraction penalty. If it can talk, you'll also want it to join your team.
The moe target gains a 2 DP bonus on social rolls against you.
If it rejects you, or someone stops you, you take a 2 DP morale penalty on everything you do for 24 hours.
If the moe target appears as an opponent, you suffer these effects:
While there are other targets to attack, you can't attack it;
If it doesn't attack you in a round, you can't attack it;
Any attack you make against it takes a 2 DP penalty, and you can't try to bring it near death or kill it. If it dies directly from damage you dealt or some other way you caused, your Composure permanently drops by 1, which counts as Attribute drain.
You can avoid all of the above by passing a Will roll the first time you see it, against a DC equal to the moe target's Presence.

Superstitious (-2):
Everyone where you grew up believed that all supernatural power is dangerous, whatever its source. You can't even bring yourself to trust spells that help you.
Whenever you are affected by a harmless ability with a duration that another character used on you (including but not limited to Skills and spells), even a helpful one, you take a 1 DP penalty on all rolls for each such ability, until it ends. Buff spells you cast on yourself don't count.

Cowardsky (-1 to -2):
You are a coward through and through; wetting yourself isn't a figure of speech for you, it's a habit.
In combat, you must have an overwhelming advantage, cover, concealment, an active parry, or total defense to fight normally; otherwise you take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all rolls.

Timid (-1 to -3):
You are no good at fighting at all; you couldn't even kill a chicken.
You take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all attack rolls.
Special: opening your first-stage Gene Lock reduces this Flaw by 1 level, opening the second stage reduces it by another level, and opening the third stage by another.

Paranoid (-4):
You always feel others are using you, so you find it hard to truly trust anyone.
Whenever anyone tries to help you, including but not limited to combat aid, becoming a teammate, medical care, giving you items, or trading points, you must pass a Will roll against a DC equal to your Resolve, or you refuse the help. Also, if you were helped without knowing it, such as being treated while unconscious, then once you find out, you take a 4 DP penalty on all actions for one horror film, not stacking.

Compulsion (-1 to -5):
You have a compulsive behavior you can hardly resist: maybe you must wash your hands every two hours, or say a eulogy after every shot you fire.
This Flaw's level depends on how much it actually affects you: the more easily your compulsion is triggered, and the longer it takes, the higher the level. Several compulsions are chosen separately.
For example, spending a swift action to say a prayer after every kill might be level 1, while spending a swift action to say a prayer every time you fire might be level 3. Washing your hands every eight hours is worth about level 1, while washing for five minutes every half hour might be level 3. Spending 1 minute introducing yourself to every living thing you see, or washing your hands for three minutes every five minutes: congratulations, you've earned the level 5 achievement.
Whenever you can carry out your compulsion, you must, even if it puts your life in danger. When you truly can't (say you need to wash your hands but there is no water for a hundred miles), you sink into a deep low, taking a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all rolls until you carry it out.
Although it is called a compulsion, this Flaw can also model bad habits, addictive behavior, or bizarre beliefs, since the effect is similar.

Emotionless (-1 to -2):
You are silent and expressionless, with no idea what emotion is, let alone how to express your own. The difference between you and a stoic anime girl is that she might be cute, and you might not.
You gain a bonus equal to this Flaw's level against mental effects, reading people, mind probes, and similar effects. But all social rolls you start take a penalty of (this Flaw's level x 3).

Sadistic (-2):
Since childhood, you have loved breaking your opponents completely, body and soul, and taken pride in it; you especially enjoy grinding an enemy's face into the mud.
In combat, if you spot a badly wounded or helpless enemy within your sensory range, you gain a 1 DP bonus on all hostile actions against it, and when you kill it, you recover 1 Willpower, at most once per scene. But at the same time, your active rolls for all actions against anyone else take a 4 DP penalty, and you can't spend Willpower, for one scene.

Masochist (-2 to -4):
You are the legendary M.

While your Health is undamaged, you take a 1 DP penalty on all rolls.
At level 2, you take the penalty whenever your Health has no lethal damage.

At level 3, you take the penalty whenever your Health has no aggravated damage.

Greedy (-1):
You drool over wealth. This covers any wealth on offer at any time, such as pay for a job, adventure loot, stolen goods, or money used as bait, including Rank and points.

You gain a 1 DP bonus on all positive actions toward getting that wealth, and recover 1 Willpower when you get it. But at the same time, if you don't reach the goal, or give it up, your active rolls for all later actions take a 4 DP penalty, and you lose 1 Willpower.

Airhead (-1):
Being an airhead needs no reason! You're just that naturally dense!

Your INT and PER rolls take a 2 DP penalty, but your chance die results get +1.

Naive (-1):
You believe nobody is born bad. Some may laugh at your misplaced optimism, but you don't care.
You take a 2 DP penalty on rolls opposing a target's "Subterfuge", "Larceny", or "Stealth". Most people have a good first impression of you.

Illiterate (-1 to -3):
You can't read, even in your native language. At level 1, this Flaw halves the language points you can get; at level 2, your native language is forced to level 1 only; at level 3, you can't read or write at all, not even the simplest words.
This Flaw shuts you out of many upgrades, especially text-based ones, such as Grimoires.
Removal: you can spend (this Flaw's level x 3) XP to remove it.

Dependency (-1 to -3):
You have a strong emotional dependency and are terrified of losing someone or something.
Choose one thing you depend on (it must be something you can carry or a creature that stays near you; the ST and PC can agree on it together). Whenever it is threatened, in danger, or taken by someone else, you take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all rolls. If the person or thing you depend on is lost, dies, or is destroyed, this Flaw is replaced by the "Self-Doubt" Flaw at the same level.

Self-Doubt (-2 to -4):
You lack confidence and always feel you aren't good enough.
Whenever any of your rolls fails (including a missed attack), you take a penalty equal to this Flaw's level on all rolls for one scene.

Guarded (-2):
As a child, you suffered for failing to keep your mouth shut; for example, you accidentally gave your family away to an enemy interrogator. Since then, you have always spoken with great care.
You take a 2 DP penalty on social rolls, and must speak slowly while weighing your words; in combat, speaking becomes a swift action for you.

Combat Jitters (-1 to -3):
Fighting makes you shake and feel sick.

After each round of combat, you make a Will roll at DC = 5 + this Flaw's level. If you fail, you gain 1 stacking nausea point.

"Char Reborn" (-2):

Description: like the great "Red Comet", Supreme Leader of Neo Zeon, you are forever searching for a woman who could be your mother.

Level 2: after talking it over with the ST, the ST names one character as "a woman who could be your mother".

This character can be a Reincarnator, a follower, or even an NPC, and can be someone met partway through a Film.

While you are in the same scene as her, you gain a 3 DP morale bonus on Will saves; but if she isn't in the same scene as you, you take a 3 DP morale penalty on Will saves. If she dies, you are immediately helpless for one round, and permanently lose 3 successes on the three saves. After that Film ends, the ST names another "woman who could be your mother".

The successes lost this way stack and don't go away (unless you revive that "woman who could be your mother").

(Special: if the ST names an NPC from the Film as your "mother", and you leave that world because the mission ended, you don't take the morale penalty.)

(Special: in principle, STs shouldn't name characters who are certain to die as your "mother", such as Irisviel in Fate/Zero.)

"Servant of Three Surnames" (-2)

Description: in some ways you are like the Lü Bu of history: for example, you love taking people as your adoptive father.

Level 2: in a Film world or the Reincarnator realm, you can name one person who, if willing, becomes your "adoptive father".

You can have at most one adoptive father at a time. If you have no adoptive father, you take a 3 DP penalty on attack and defense rolls.

Also, if your adoptive father is caught in a surprise attack, you immediately suffer an A-Rank flat-footed effect.

If your adoptive father dies, you lose 3 successes on all rolls for one Film.

(Special: if you killed your adoptive father with your own hands, you don't suffer this drawback, and you can ignore all of this Flaw's drawbacks for the next 24 hours.)

Anomalous Flaws:
Luck E (-3):
You are unlucky; things always get worse at the worst possible moment.

When you roll a chance die, a success becomes a failure, and a failure becomes a dramatic failure.