Vices, Flaws, and Faults: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:43, 16 December 2016

Here are common disadvantages a character may face. It is important to remember that each of this will need to be reflected in game place if your character possesses them. They determine outlook on the world, some define bits and pieces of ones past that still linger while others effect how ones future might unfold. Before taking one of these as a trait of your character, it is important to be sure you can play it and do it justice.

Physical

The most basic kind of disadvantage, those that result from physical problems.

Blind: Self explanatory.
Color Blind: A color, or a set of colors, you have difficulty seeing (either at all, or in greyscale, or as another color). Ex: Red/green.
Deaf: Self explanatory.
Deformity: You were born with a physical defect of some sort.
Hearing Difficulty: Your hearing is less than perfect. This can be minor to severe, or even specific (certain tones or timbres you have difficulty hearing).
Maimed: You have been severely injured and are deformed as a result. (You've lost an arm, hand, leg, etc.) This is temporary for vampires and were-creatures unless they possess Regenerative Dearth.
Monstrous: Others find your appearance or presence extremely distasteful and it makes dealing with them socially very difficult. Specify physical or presence when taking this Vice.
Sight Difficulty: Your vision is less than perfect at or within a certain distance. This can be minor (things are blurry but doesn't affect your day-to-day much) to severe (legally blind, needs corrective surgery..which won't take with a vampire.. etc).

Intelectual

These disadvantages come from ones intellect, or lack there of. Sometimes these can fixed over time via proper tutoring but other times a character may hold onto their lack of knowledge like a badge of honor, refusing to admit it is a problem.

Anachronistic: You either don't understand or use (or both) technology or other modern things for whatever reason.
Illiterate: You can't read or write.

Psychological

Mental issues ranging from minor to major.

Amnesia: You remember nothing before a certain point. May be either partial or total, please specify.
Compulsion: Similar to Compulsive Disorder. You are either naturally compelled to do something or have had a compulsion cast upon you. Either way, you have difficulty not performing the task even if it is dangerous or adverse to your health or someone else's.
Deep Sleeper: You have difficulty waking once asleep even if in danger, and may also be groggy for up to one hour after waking, affecting Alertness.
Driving Goal: You have an all-consuming, very difficult (if not unreachable) goal. You have difficulty doing anything that is not pushing you toward this goal.
Hatred: You possess a seething, uncontrollable hatred of something (object or race) or someone. This makes it difficult to deal in any favorable manner with this thing/person, and if the object of your hatred is living it will feel your animosity.
Insomnia: You suffer a prolonged inability to obtain adequate sleep. This affects Alertness, Endurance, and possibly Regeneration.
Low Self Esteem: You lack confidence in yourself and your actions. This will probably get you killed someday.
Narcolepsy: You fall asleep at inappropriate or inopportune moments.
Nightmares: You suffer nightmares that are worse than the average person. As a result you often have difficulty sleeping well or for adequate periods, which affects Alertness, Endurance, and possibly Regeneration.
Obsessed: You display obsessive behavior over some person, place or thing.
Phobia: You have an irrational fear of something and will do anything to escape or destroy the object, person, or situation if it is presented to you. If taken for vampire or were, being presented with the object of your fear has a 60/40 chance of tumulting you into frenzy, depending upon strength of Phobia.
Reckless: You have a certain disregard for caution. This aids you in some things, such as surprising certain types of enemies in some situations, and hinders you in others where you don't stop to count the full impact of your actions.
Revisit: Every time you sleep you experience your worst nightmare. This can be something that you've experienced, or your worst fear. You can not break out of this nightmare, nor can you distinguish it from reality. Only when the scene plays itself out can you wake, unrested, terrified. This is different from the Nightmare flaw in that your body physically reacts to whatever the trauma is, excluding open wounds and death. Example: a body that is beaten will be sore, hurting, and exhibit bruising. This flaw causes the subject to be constantly run down, frightened to the breaking point and sometimes beyond. Susceptible to mental flaws of sleep deprivation.
Sleeping Disorder: You have some form of abnormal sleep pattern.
Soft Hearted: When you witness suffering or discomfort in another, you must offer whatever assistance you can.
Somnolent: You are inclined to sleep too much, or desire sleep even if well rested.

Historical

These entries come from a characters past and must be accompanied by some explanation within a character bio.

Black-Listed: You are for some reason shunned by the employment community. It could be for political reasons, crimes, past fiascoes or due to some personal conflict with someone of the power to affect your employable status. You may be unemployable within a certain sector (film, software, the military etc) or it may extend to more jobs, making it extremely difficult to get hired by legit businesses.
Blackmailed: Someone has dirt on you and they want something in return for not revealing the evidence. Only take this Vice if the blackmail is successful. If you're ferreting out the person trying to blackmail you in order to exterminate them, do not take this Vice. Turned may not take this Vice.
Dangerous Secret: You know something you probably shouldn't, and someone else will probably kill you if they find out.
Enemy: Someone is out to get you. This can be mild (some teenager you pissed off that couldn't take you in his dreams) to severe (someone that could kill you or make you suffer some excruciating event has it out for you). Which means you're anywhere from consistently annoyed to potentially soon to be true-dead.
Hunted: Someone intends to kill you and is actively pursuing this interest. This differs from Enemy in that the person hunting you is fully capable of carrying out his intent, though Enemy can be taken in addition to Hunted.
Twisted Upbringing: Your ideas about society or life are drastically different from everyone else's because of the way you were brought up, either intentionally or not. In vampires this can be taken from a mortal upbringing or from 'rebirth'.

Supernatural

Supernatural entries are due to some otherworldly or unexplained phenomena, usually something to do with the occult, but not always.

Cursed: You've been cursed in some way by something.
Dark Fate: Fated to lose at life and die horribly.
Demon-Loved: A demon has taken an interest in you, for good or ill and may have claimed you as its property.
Demon-Bound: You are bound in some manner to a demon. Strict adherence of 'bound' indicates that you have been joined or merged with one, usually a lesser that can not traverse the physical plain on its own and requires you as a host to experience your realm, but whose essence is not powerful enough for possession.
Eerie Presence: Other people or beings are unnerved by your presence. This can be useful in certain situations but in day to day activities can hinder social abilities.
Grave-touched: You're tainted by either the dead (Necromancers) or the infernal (dealers with hell-bound). In either case, your aura appears sickly, you're more susceptible to death magics and/or the desires of infernal's, and those that can sense this taint either avoid you or become hostile toward you.
Haunted: A ghost or spirit dislikes you for some reason. It can be either a nuisance or potentially fatal. Depending on the ghost/spirit and its strength, its haunting can range from whispers in the corner to pushing you in front of a bus. Not available for Spirits or those that dwell in the spirit world.
Inept Sorcerer: For some reason, you have difficulty mastering sorcery. Available for magic users only. Can be partial (certain types of magic) or total, please specify.
Magic Susceptibility: Certain or all forms of magic have a much higher chance of achieving success if cast upon you. Must specify whether this flaw pertains to certain magic, such as element-based (list which element or all), or all magic.
Pacted: You have made a pact with a demon. It has performed a service or supplied you with something in exchange for something it wanted of you.
Possessed: You suffer from a demon possession. The strength of this possession can range from mild (you are in control of yourself most times) to severe (you see your life but can affect very little, if any of it).
Regenerative Dearth: You either can not regenerate/heal at a normal rate or at all.

Miscellaneous

These either cross too many different categories or don't really fit an existing category.

Breed Enmity: You are of a race or breed that is hated by another. This makes dealing favorably with any member of that race or breed difficult.
Conspicuous: Wherever you go, you are always out of place. This makes Stealth extremely difficult if not impossible, as you stick out even in the dark.
Nobless Oblige: Literally, 'nobility obliges' or 'noble obligation'. If one is capable of performing a task to benefit another, one is obligated to do so.

Can't Cross Running Water

Flaws (and reasons) that would prevent a character from crossing running water (either through belief or other means).

Vampire

You firmly believe, possibly through erroneous teaching or too many late night movies, that you are incapable of crossing running water. You believe this so strongly that it has become a physical impossibility for you.

Fae

Something in your genetic make up prevents you from crossing rivers and streams. This could mean that you are completely incapable, or that you have the choice to accept harm of some sort for the act.

Repelled by Crosses

Flaws that cause a character to be repelled by a cross (or other holy symbol when a cross is not appropriate).

Vampire

You firmly believe, possibly through erroneous teaching or too many late night movies, that crosses will harm you, generally by burning your skin. This belief is so strong that it has become physically possible for crosses to do so, even when wielded by a layman.

Demon / Fae

You've been on the receiving end of True Faith once or twice and the object through which it was wielded was a cross. You are now terrified of the objects and will go to great lengths to escape them when presented, including fleeing or destroying the one who dared display it.

Anything Else

Pretty much anything can be made into a vice or flaw, depending on the character, just giving you some options in case you start thinking too hard and need some inspiration.

DSM IV
DSM V

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ; Deaf : Self explanatory.
 ; Deformity : You were born with a physical defect of some sort.
-; Hearing Difficulty ; Your hearing is less than perfect. This can be minor to severe, or even specific (certain tones or timbres you have difficulty hearing).
+; Hearing Difficulty : Your hearing is less than perfect. This can be minor to severe, or even specific (certain tones or timbres you have difficulty hearing).
 ; Maimed : You have been severely injured and are deformed as a result. (You've lost an arm, hand, leg, etc.) This is temporary for vampires and were-creatures unless they possess Regenerative Dearth.
 ; Monstrous : Others find your appearance or presence extremely distasteful and it makes dealing with them socially very difficult. Specify physical or presence when taking this Vice.