Psychological Flaws

Addiction: (1 -3 point Flaw)

You are addicted to any one of a variety of things. A one point Flaw would indicate a mild addiction to an easily obtained substance, such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. A two-point Flaw would indicate either a severe addiction to any easily obtained substance, or any "mild" drug, such as painkillers, sleeping pills or marijuana. A three-point Addiction might involve heavy street drugs or hard-to-find drugs. The need for these drugs varies from once a day for some to two to three times a day for others, depending on the strength of the drug and the addiction. If, for whatever reason, you are denied access to the drug, you lose a number of dice in all rolls equal to the level of your addiction (one, two or three) until you get your "fix." If you are deprived of the drug for an extended length of time, you will be forced to make a Willpower check (difficulty of 4 for the first day, + 1 for each additional day). If you fail, you will forgo everything and actively seek the drug. This would be an easy way for you to be either controlled or forced to do favors for your supplier, especially if the drug is hard to obtain due to its rarity or price.

Compulsion: (1 point Flaw)

You have a psychological compulsion of some sort which can cause you a number of different problems. Your compulsion may be for cleanliness, perfection, bragging, stealing, gaming, exaggeration or just talking. A compulsion can be temporarily suppressed at the cost of a Willpower point, but it is in effect at all other times.

Dark Secret: (l point Flaw)

You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah among your peers. This can be anything from having murdered a noble to secretly being a member of the Shadow Court. While this secret weighs on your mind at all times, it will only surface in occasional stories. Otherwise, it will begin to lose its impact.

Intolerance: (l point Flaw)

You have an unreasoning dislike of a certain thing. This may be an animal, a class of person, a color, a situation or just about anything else. The difficulties of all dice rolls involving the subject are increased by two. Note that some dislikes may be too trivial to be reflected here — a dislike of left-handed Lithuanian plumbers or tissue paper, for instance, will have little effect on play in most chronicles. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on what you can pick to dislike.

Nightmares: (1 point Flaw)

You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Sometimes the nightmares are so bad they cause you to lose one die on all your actions for the next day (Storyteller's discretion). Some of the nightmares may be so intense that you mistake them for reality. A crafty Storyteller will be quick to take advantage of this.

Overconfident: (l point Flaw)

You have an exaggerated and unshakable opinion of your own worth and capabilities. You never hesitate to trust your abilities, even in situations in which you risk defeat. Because your abilities may not be enough, such overconfidence can be very dangerous. When you do fail, you quickly find someone or something else to blame. If you are convincing enough, you can infect others with your overconfidence.

Phobia ( M i 1 d ) : (l point Flaw)

You have an overpowering fear of something. You instinctively and illogically retreat from and avoid the object of your fear. Common objects of phobias include insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces, heights and certain animals. You must make a Willpower roll whenever you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of this roll is determined by the Storyteller. If you fail the roll, you must retreat from the object.

Shy: (l point Flaw)

You are distinctly ill at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. The difficulties of all rolls concerned with social interactions are increased by one; the difficulties of any rolls made while you are the center of attention are increased by two. Don't expect your character to make a public speech.

Speech Impediment: (l point Flaw)

You have a stammer or some other speech impediment that hampers verbal communication. The difficulties of all relevant rolls are increased by two. Do not feel obliged to rolcplay this impediment all the time, but in times of stress, or when dealing with outsiders, you should attempt to simulate it. Sluagh may not purchase this Flaw in respect to their Frailty.

Curiosity: (2 point Flaw)

You are a naturally curious person, and find mysteries of any sort irresistible. In most circumstances, you find that your curiosity easily overrides your common sense. To resist the temptation to investigate, make a Wits roll (difficulty 5) in cases of mild curiosity; "I wonder what is in that cabinet." Increase the difficulty up to 9 under more pressing circumstances; "I wonder what those strange sounds coming from the Unseelie duke's freehold are. I'll just slip in and check it out — no one will ever know. What could possibly go wrong?"

Obsession: (2 point Flaw)

There is something you like, love or are fascinated by to the point where you often disregard common sense to cater to the drive. You react positively to anything related to your obsession, even if it's not in your best interests. For example, if you are obsessed with supernatural creatures, you will go out of your way to talk to and befriend vampires, werewolves and stranger things, and find out as much as you can about them, disregarding all warnings. If you are obsessed with Elvis, you have your house decorated with black velvet paintings and annoy your friends with your constant talk of the King. You don't necessarily believe that Elvis is still alive, but you buy every supermarket tabloid that carries an article about him. There are many other obsessions, including British royalty, guns, football, roleplaying games... you know the type.

Sadism/Masochism: (2 point Flaw)

You are excited either by causing pain or receiving it. In many situations, you will seek either to be hurt or to hurt someone for your pleasure. For a masochist (someone who enjoys pain), your soak roll for actual physical damage is increased by one because you really want to feel the pain. A sadist (someone who likes to hurt others) must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 5) to stop combat (modified depending on how much you are into the attack and how much you enjoy hurting the other person). If you fail, you are so caught up in the event that you are unaware of anything else happening around you.

Vengeance: (2 point Flaw)

You have a score to settle — a freehold was wiped out, a friend was corrupted, a parent was slain; you are obsessed with wreaking vengeance on the guilty parry. Revenge is your first priority in all situations. The need for vengeance can only he overcome hy spending a Willpower point, and even then, it only temporarily suhsides. Someday you may have your revenge, but the Storyteller won't make it easy.

Wyld Mind: (2 point Flaw)

Your mind is extremely chaotic and unpredictable. As a result you have difficulty concentrating on any one task. You must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 4) for every extended action roll after the second.

Flashbacks: (3 point Flaw)

You are prone to flashbacks if you are in high-pressure situations or situations similar to previous events in your life. Flashbacks can be caused by almost any trauma — torture, extended combat or repeated drug experimentation. Either positive or negative stimulation could result in an episode. Emotional anxiety and stress are the usual catalysts for flashbacks to begin. Returning to a good and happy vision can be just as dangerous or distracting as suddenly being surrounded by demonic hallucinations. During the flashback, you are not awate of what is really around you. Even people speaking to you will be viewed as people or objects from the vision. You can mistake men for women, people for animals and even inanimate objects for people. To you, reality has shifted, and you ate back there again.

Driving Goal: (3 point Flaw)

You have a personal goal which sometimes compels and directs you in startling ways. The goal is always limitless in depth, and you can never truly achieve it. It could be to restore equality for commoners or to return to Arcadia. Because you must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods hy spending Willpower), it will get you into trouble and may jeopardize other actions. Choose your driving goal carefully as it will direct and focus everything your character does.

Hatred: (3 point Flaw)

You have an unreasoning hatred of a certain thing. This hatred is total and largely uncontrollable. You may hate a species of animal, a class of person, a color, a situation or just about anything else, and you constantly pursue opportunities to harm the hated object or to gain power over it.

Lifesaver: (3 point Flaw)

You believe that human life is a sacred gift and will not take a person's life except in the most extreme of circumstances. You may not ever willingly endanger the lives of innocents or in any way participate in a killing. You have no problems with killing animals (for the right reasons), and will kill evil and inhuman creatures to protect others if necessary. (Be very careful, however, of your definition of "evil"....) Senseless death in all forms repulses you, and you feel that those who commit murder should be punished.

Phobia (Severe): (3 point Flaw)

You have an overpowering fear of something. Common objects of fear include insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces, heights and certain animals. You must make a Willpower roll to avoid freaking out when faced with the object of your fear. The difficulty depends on the circumstances. If you fail the roll, you must retreat in terror from the object of fear. If you score less than three successes, you will not approach it. The Storyteller has final say over which phobias are allowed in a chronicle.