Allergy | |
TYPE: Bio | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Minutes | DTN: Instant |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: Allergies affect many characters in many worlds. Some are minor inconveniences and others can be downright lethal. When a character is exposed to a substance they are allergic to, they suffer injury. Roll one die per level of the allergy and compare the result to the injury table. A hero may not have armor against any of their allergens directly, although they may purchase armor against them with the prop option.
EXAMPLE: Bob is allergic to methane gas, although he must inhale it before he is affected. Bob purchases an armor skill against injuries from substances which must be inhaled in the form of a gas-mask. | |
Compulsion | |
TYPE: Psychic | DIF: Narrator Fiat |
TIME: Minutes | DTN: Minutes |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: The compulsion flaw represents some behavior that an individual performs habitually and may lead to difficult situations with other characters. Examples of compulsive behavior include lying, gambling, gluttony, alcoholism, and kleptomania. A compulsion toward multiple behaviors must be designed with the skill-group option.
Any time a character is able to perform their compulsion, they must make a resolve skill roll which is passively (or actively) resisted by the compulsion. If the roll fails, they must perform their particular behavior for one hour, divided by their resolve skill level, after which time another resolve skill roll may be made. The easier it would be for the character to perform the task, the higher the difficulty value is, although the exact difficulty value is determined by the Narrator. Note that a hero with a compulsion may be persuaded as any villain or extra, only if the method of persuasion involves the hero's compulsion. EXAMPLE: Jack Abai is a compulsive liar. Whenever Jack speaks to anyone, Phil (the player) must make a resolve skill roll if Jack attempts to tell the truth. Jack's compulsion is used as only passive resistance in life-or-death emergencies when Jack is panicked. When Jack is calm and can take the time to think about what he's saying, the compulsion is only passively resistant. The Narrator determines the basic difficulty for this resolve skill roll based on how nervous Jack is. | |
Conspicuous | |
TYPE: Ph | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Nil | DTN: Instant |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: A conspicuous individual stands out in a crowd for one reason or another. The conspicuous flaw will passively resist any attempts to disguise the conspicuous individual, not to mention adding a bonus to others attempts to locate the individual in a crowd. Conspicuous flaws are most typically frequent, though they may be perpetual if the hero has many enemies, is generally wanted by the authorities, the subject of a conspiracy, etc.
The conspicuous flaw is a nuisance if most people act with indifference to the qualities which make the individual unique (unusually tall, strikingly attractive, etc). If individuals typically respond to the conspicuous qualities with anger or fear (the individual looks disturbed and or dangerous), the conspicuous flaw is harmful. Though it might be possible for a conspicuous flaw to be considered lethal, this would be an extremely rare circumstance (someone whose basic appearance includes large claws and vast quantities of a blood-like substance which continually drip off of them). Conspicuous is not the same as a stigma, which implies that there are others with the same stigma, although the individual may have a stigma as well. An individual with a stigma and who is conspicuous will stand out amongst his piers (others with the same stigma). Many conspicuous individuals end up obtaining reputations, though any reputation obtained should also be considered a separate flaw. | |
Delusions | |
TYPE: Psy | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Nil | DTN: Instant |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: A delusional individual may be paranoid, or a megalomaniac, or have their own completely distorted view of the universe. People who suffer from delusions believe things which they have no significant evidence to support. For instance, a hero may be paranoid, believing that everyone around him is involved in some form of conspiracy to destroy his life, when the truth of the matter is that he is unlucky because he is always worried about the conspiracy.
Anyone may have delusions, and in general, they can be about anything. Some delusions can be very dangerous (a normal human believing that they are immortal), while others are just plain silly (believing that fluoride is part of a government conspiracy). Delusions are usually frequent, although this is not necessary. The Narrator must determine exactly when and how this flaw affects the hero, having the player make resolve skill rolls in the same fashion as for compulsions. Often a delusion will cause penalties to a hero's persuasion skills. Like a compulsion, a delusional hero may be persuaded as any villain or extra if the method of persuasion involves the hero's delusions. | |
Dependancy | |
TYPE: Bio or Psy | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Hours | DTN: Committed |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: A dependancy is either mental or physical in nature, requiring that the character have a particular item, individual, circumstance or location to function normally. If the substance of the dependancy is common, (such as caffeine or tobacco), the flaw is infrequent. If the substance of the dependancy is something less common, but generally available (such as good luck charms, or common narcotics), the flaw is frequent. If the substance of the dependancy is particularly rare or unique (a specific item of sentimental value to the character, or a radioactive isotope), the flaw is perpetual. The range of touch may be increased, decreasing the flaw's value, and the time may be increased or decreased, also affecting the flaw's value. Note that decreasing the duration of the dependancy will increase it's karma value. The duration of a dependancy may not be increased beyond instant.
Physical dependancies will cause the hero injury. For each increment of time the hero is without the dependant substance, make a dependancy skill roll and compare the results to the injury table. Mental dependancies: A character with a mental dependancy will become horribly occupied with retrieving the object of the dependancy. Until the dependant object or substance is regained, the dependancy will act as a compulsion to regain the object of the dependancy, and will be maintained with the dependancy's duration. | |
Gift | |
TYPE: Any | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Nil | DTN: Instant or greater |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: Any gift may be chosen as a flaw, provided that it adversely affects the character with a trigger, unconscious or similar option which prevents the character from controlling when the gift is used. 68 | |
Phobia | |
TYPE: Psy | DIF: Narrator Fiat |
TIME: Minutes | DTN: Committed |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: A phobia is an abject and irrational fear. Phobias cause severe penalties to any feat a hero attempts while in the presence of what they fear. When a character is exposed to the object of their phobia, the player must make a resolve skill roll, which is passively (or actively) resisted by the phobia. The narrator must determine the difficulty of the resolve skill roll and when the phobia is used as active resistance. For instance, the Narrator may rule that arachnophobia is passively resistant if the character only sees film footage of a spider, but that it is actively resistant if the character sees a spider in person. If the resolve skill roll fails, the phobia acts as a compulsion to avoid the object of the phobia, and is maintained with its duration for one hour, divided by the hero's resolve skill level, after which time another resolve skill roll may be made.
Common phobias include acrophobia (heights), agoraphobia (open spaces: perpetual), arachnophobia (spiders: infrequent), claustrophobia (enclosed spaces), demophobia (crowds: perpetual), manaphobia (magic), technophobia (machines), and xenophobia (the unknown). | |
Prejudice | |
TYPE: Psy | DIF: Narrator Fiat |
TIME: Minutes | DTN: Committed |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: Individuals who are prejudiced are horribly offended by other people who are in some way different than themselves. A prejudiced hero will never trust an individual of the appropriate type, and will go out of their way not to associate with them. Prejudice against many kinds of people is designed with a skill-group option.
Prejudice is treated as a compulsion to avoid contact with the given kind of person. A resolve skill roll is required to come within the prejudice range of the object of the prejudice, or to aid someone of the given category of people. If the resolve skill roll fails, compulsion is maintained with its duration until the character either leaves the range of the compulsion or one hour divided by the character's resolve skill level passes, after which time another resolve skill roll may be made. Decreasing the prejudice duration will increase its karma value, and it may not be increased beyond second nature. Whether a flaw is infrequent, frequent or perpetual depends upon how common individuals of the given type are in the story. Whether the prejudice is a nuisance, harmful or lethal depends upon how severe a circumstance must be before the character will lend aid to, or accept aid from an individual of the given type. A nuisance prejudice will prevent the hero from lending or accepting aid in casual circumstances. A harmful prejudice will prevent the hero from lending or accepting aid in potentially harmful circumstances, and a lethal prejudice will prevent the hero from lending or accepting aid in life-or-death circumstances. A prejudiced individual actively resists any attempts at persuasion by individuals of the given type with their prejudice flaw acting cooperatively with any other skills used to resist. Any attempts by the prejudiced individual to persuade individuals of the given type is passively resisted by the prejudice flaw. | |
Reputation | |
TYPE: Soc | DIF: Range |
TIME: Nil | DTN: Instant |
RANGE: Unlimited | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: Reputations cause heroes to be predictable, thus, even a good reputation is a flaw as it is a reputation for being good, rather than an advantageous reputation. Sometimes, a reputation may mean having enemies you aren't aware of. For instance, single-handedly foiling a major bank-robbery is bound to get you a reputation, which will make other bank-robbers wary of you, perhaps even downright paranoid.
A reputation has no inherent benefits. Fans, reporters or detractors who recognize the hero with a reputation will act as dependants do, immune to any attempts to persuade them. Any time the hero is exposed to new faces, the Narrator should make a reputation skill-roll to determine whether or not the hero is recognized by their reputation. A reputation will often almost dictate the actions of any individual who recognizes the hero, whether they are flocks of adoring fans, aggressive journalists, or obnoxious hecklers. | |
Stigma | |
TYPE: Social | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Nil | DTN: Instant |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: Stigma causes a hero to be looked down upon by the majority of their society. Heroes who have stigmas are not alone, there are others in their predicament. A hero with multiple stigmas should have the stigma flaw with a skill-group option. Other characters with the same stigma should have similar, although not necessarily identical levels of that stigma. When dealing with any individual who does not have the same stigma, all of the hero's persuasion skills are passively resisted by the stigma. If the individual is prejudiced against the stigma, the stigma will actively resist attempts at persuasion, cooperatively with the subject's prejudice.
Any time the hero must associate with others or requires their aid, the Narrator should make a stigma skill roll to determine others actions. If the character is particularly persuasive, they may alter the outcome of this die roll. Other individuals with the same stigma will act and react to the hero normally. Examples of common stigmas include known criminals, foreigners, and various races and religions. | |
Vulnerability | |
TYPE: Any | DIF: Nil |
TIME: Nil | DTN: Life |
RANGE: Touch | AREA: Self |
DESCRIPTION: A hero with a vulnerability is particularly susceptible to a specific type of injury. This may be anything from a boxer's glass jaw to a yetti's susceptibility to heat. All vulnerabilities are classified as harmful. Any time the individual is injured, the vulnerability flaw level should be added directly to the value of any weapon or other phenomena used to cause the injury.
EXAMPLE: The Yetti has a three level vulnerability to heat. When attacked with a torch, the Narrator adds three to the torch's weapon value of five for a total of eight points before subtracting the passive resistance value of the Yetti's build skill to determine any injuries it receives. |