Flaws
Most people are flawed in one way or another, but some people have truly tragic flaws, hindrances that make it a real challenge for them to achieve certain goals.
With the Storyteller's permission, a player can select one Flaw for his character during character creation from the list below. If that Flaw hinders the character adversely during a game session, the Storyteller can choose to award the character one extra experience point for that chapter.
A Flaw only awards an experience point if it adversely affects its bearer. If a character is crippled and requires a wheelchair to get around, but spends the entire game session hacking into a corporation's computer database, he does not gain an experience point for his affliction. It didn't affect his hacking in any way. Flaws reward a character for overcoming adversity. If there's no adversity to overcome, there's no special excuse for growth or betterment.
Flaws might be temporary or permanent, depending on the nature of the trait and the player's wishes. If the Storyteller deems that a Flaw has been sufficiently overcome, he can declare that a character no longer has it and no longer suffers from its effects (and thus no longer gains an extra experience point now and then). For example, a character who undergoes an experimental operation that heals his crippled legs no longer gets an experience bonus for being wheelchair-bound. Likewise, a character who suffers from Notoriety and who publicly clears his name in a dramatic manner (perhaps catching the one-armed man who was the real killer) no longer suffers social stigma, and so no longer gains extra experience points.
Events in the game might also inflict a Flaw. A character who has been reduced to dying (losing one Health point per turn to aggravated harm) twice in one game session might develop a condition associated with his injuries, if the Storyteller thinks it's appropriate. Perhaps he is now Lame or has Poor Sight. If a fight is particularly traumatic, he might become a Coward or develop Amnesia. In all cases, only the Storyteller has the power the inflict Flaws (or to not inflict them), and he should do so only if a player agrees.
The ultimate key to Flaws, however, is roleplaying. A player must fully roleplay his character's Flaw. He can't pretend it's not there and demand an extra experience point. If his character is in a wheelchair, he needs to act like it, roleplaying all the frustration that entails. The Storyteller might tell the player that his character can't be in the same room with the rest of the characters, because he had to take the elevator to get there while the rest vaulted up the stairs. His character can arrive in the next turn. If the player whines about it, he's not in the spirit of his flawed character. If his character whines about it, grumbling about the horrible Muzakª in the elevator when he arrives, then the player is doing his job.
For the most part, Flaws act as carrots rather than sticks, rewarding roleplaying rather than enforcing it. If a player doesn't incorporate a Flaw into his character's actions, he should not be made to do so. His only punishment is that he does not gain the extra experience point. If he ignores his Flaw too often, the Storyteller can declare him cured of it, and thereafter refuse to award extra experience points even if the player later attempts to play the Flaw and claim the points. Even a man with One Arm can be given an effective prosthesis.
The Storyteller is free to devise new Flaws not represented here, or to allow players to create their own.
With the Storyteller's permission, a player can select one Flaw for his character during character creation from the list below. If that Flaw hinders the character adversely during a game session, the Storyteller can choose to award the character one extra experience point for that chapter.
A Flaw only awards an experience point if it adversely affects its bearer. If a character is crippled and requires a wheelchair to get around, but spends the entire game session hacking into a corporation's computer database, he does not gain an experience point for his affliction. It didn't affect his hacking in any way. Flaws reward a character for overcoming adversity. If there's no adversity to overcome, there's no special excuse for growth or betterment.
Flaws might be temporary or permanent, depending on the nature of the trait and the player's wishes. If the Storyteller deems that a Flaw has been sufficiently overcome, he can declare that a character no longer has it and no longer suffers from its effects (and thus no longer gains an extra experience point now and then). For example, a character who undergoes an experimental operation that heals his crippled legs no longer gets an experience bonus for being wheelchair-bound. Likewise, a character who suffers from Notoriety and who publicly clears his name in a dramatic manner (perhaps catching the one-armed man who was the real killer) no longer suffers social stigma, and so no longer gains extra experience points.
Events in the game might also inflict a Flaw. A character who has been reduced to dying (losing one Health point per turn to aggravated harm) twice in one game session might develop a condition associated with his injuries, if the Storyteller thinks it's appropriate. Perhaps he is now Lame or has Poor Sight. If a fight is particularly traumatic, he might become a Coward or develop Amnesia. In all cases, only the Storyteller has the power the inflict Flaws (or to not inflict them), and he should do so only if a player agrees.
The ultimate key to Flaws, however, is roleplaying. A player must fully roleplay his character's Flaw. He can't pretend it's not there and demand an extra experience point. If his character is in a wheelchair, he needs to act like it, roleplaying all the frustration that entails. The Storyteller might tell the player that his character can't be in the same room with the rest of the characters, because he had to take the elevator to get there while the rest vaulted up the stairs. His character can arrive in the next turn. If the player whines about it, he's not in the spirit of his flawed character. If his character whines about it, grumbling about the horrible Muzakª in the elevator when he arrives, then the player is doing his job.
For the most part, Flaws act as carrots rather than sticks, rewarding roleplaying rather than enforcing it. If a player doesn't incorporate a Flaw into his character's actions, he should not be made to do so. His only punishment is that he does not gain the extra experience point. If he ignores his Flaw too often, the Storyteller can declare him cured of it, and thereafter refuse to award extra experience points even if the player later attempts to play the Flaw and claim the points. Even a man with One Arm can be given an effective prosthesis.
The Storyteller is free to devise new Flaws not represented here, or to allow players to create their own.