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Flaws

Flaws are the mirror image of Boons - disadvantages, quirks, or complications a player can choose for their character.

Flaw List

Flaw Points Effect
Amnesia = Level Part of your past is missing - see Amnesia below for the 5-level breakdown.
Antagonist = Level Someone or something is set against you - a rival, an enemy, a hunter who doesn’t give up - see Antagonist below for the 5-level breakdown.
Anxiety = Level Anxiety that doesn’t need a reason and doesn’t switch off - see Anxiety below for the 5-level breakdown.
Berserk = Level Once you’re going, you don’t stop until it’s over - see Berserk below for the 5-level breakdown.
Code of Conduct = Level A rule you set yourself and won’t break, even when breaking it would help - see Code of Conduct below for the 5-level breakdown.
Dependent = Level Someone relies on you, and has to be protected or provided for - see Dependent below for the 5-level breakdown.
Destitute = Level You have no money - anywhere from a bad patch to nothing at all - see Destitute below for the 5-level breakdown.
Directionless = Level You get lost. Reliably - see Directionless below for the 5-level breakdown.
Fragile = Level The body works against you - see Fragile below for the 5-level breakdown.
Gun-Shy = Level When violence starts, you falter - see Gun-Shy below for the 5-level breakdown.
Illiterate = Level You can’t read, to one degree or another - see Illiterate below for the 5-level breakdown.
Impaired Senses = Level One of your senses is dulled, or gone - see Impaired Senses below for the 5-level breakdown.
Incantations = Level A Gift of yours only works if you can say a specific phrase out loud - see Incantations below for the 5-level breakdown.
Item of Power = Level A Gift of yours lives, at least partly, in something you carry rather than in you - see Item of Power below for the 5-level breakdown.
Lame = Level An old injury or condition took some of your mobility and kept it - see Lame below for the 5-level breakdown.
Notable Appearance = Level Something about how you look draws stares and reactions - see Notable Appearance below for the 5-level breakdown.
Notoriety = Level How widely, and how badly, you’re known - see Notoriety below for the 5-level breakdown.
Overconfident = Level You underestimate danger, or overestimate yourself, and you do it consistently - see Overconfident below for the 5-level breakdown.
Pariah = Level People hold a specific prejudice against you. Name it with your GM.
What I have in mind is the kind this setting invented: visibly not human, known to carry a Gift, marked by something that happened and never explained. The ordinary human bigotries exist in this world too, because it is our world - but they are not what this Flaw is for.
Reliance = Level Something you need - a compulsion, a substance, or a condition that has to be managed - see Reliance below for the 5-level breakdown.
Ritual Required = Level A Gift doesn’t answer the instant it’s reached for - it has to be called, coaxed, or earned each time - see Ritual Required below for the 5-level breakdown.
Secret = Level Something you badly don’t want getting out - see Secret below for the 5-level breakdown.
Shaken Confidence = Level One specific humiliation took your footing in a room, and you never got it back - see Shaken Confidence below for the 5-level breakdown.
Short Fuse = Level You anger fast, and everybody can tell - see Short Fuse below for the 5-level breakdown.
Soft-Hearted = Level You struggle to act against the vulnerable, even when it costs you - see Soft-Hearted below for the 5-level breakdown.
Speech Impediment = Level A stutter, an accent, something that gets between you and being understood - see Speech Impediment below for the 5-level breakdown.

Berserk

Each level’s effect is cumulative - it keeps every lower level’s restriction and adds its own.

Level Effect
1 Once triggered by real danger, cannot voluntarily disengage from the current fight - must keep engaging until an enemy is defeated or flees.
2 Level 1, plus: while triggered, cannot declare a Slow Action Bracket - full aggression only, no called shots or concentration.
3 Levels 1-2, plus: must always act against the nearest hostile target - no picking tactically who to engage.
4 Levels 1-3, plus: the trigger doesn’t end just because the original threat is gone - any new hostile that appears keeps the fight going.
5 Levels 1-4, plus: keeps fighting even when badly hurt - won’t retreat or stop to protect themselves, only stopping when physically unable to continue (unconscious, restrained, or no hostiles remain).

Amnesia

Level Effect
1 A single traumatic event is missing - one specific memory gone, everything else intact.
2 A cluster of related memories is missing - the days or weeks around a specific incident, or one relationship entirely forgotten.
3 A significant span of time is missing - months or years, not just one moment. Name, identity, and abilities are intact, but real gaps exist in personal history and relationships.
4 Most personal history is gone - only fragments remain. Still knows their own name and can act normally, but life before a certain point belongs to a stranger.
5 Forgotten their entire identity - may not know what Skills or Boons/Gifts they have.

Antagonist

Level Effect
1 A minor rival - someone who competes with or needles you personally. Low capability, mostly a nuisance.
2 A capable individual enemy, or a small hostile group/local authority keeping an eye on you.
3 A well-resourced enemy or organized hostile group actively working against you.
4 A powerful, dangerous enemy or organization with real reach, actively hunting you.
5 A nemesis-tier antagonist - extremely powerful, far-reaching, and personally invested in your downfall. Relentlessly hunts you as a top-priority target.

Anxiety

Level Effect
1 A specific, narrow fear or recurring nightmare - unsettling, but rarely interferes with function.
2 A phobia that actively triggers avoidance or hesitation when confronted with its source.
3 Generalized anxiety - chronic worry and disrupted sleep color everyday decisions, not just one trigger.
4 Panic attacks - sudden, incapacitating episodes of panic under stress, not just avoidance.
5 A pervasive anxiety disorder - constant hypervigilance, frequent panic attacks, and deeply entrenched avoidance that fundamentally limits day-to-day life.

Code of Conduct

Level Effect
1 A minor, low-stakes personal restriction - inconvenient, rarely costly. Strict vegetarian/vegan; never tells even a white lie; always pays a debt the moment it’s owed; won’t enter a home uninvited.
2 A real behavioral rule that occasionally costs something. Never draws a weapon first; refuses payment for helping someone in genuine need; never abandons a task once started, however small; always keeps a promise made to a friend.
3 A binding code that actively shapes major decisions. Once I draw my blade, it must taste blood; any promise made must be kept regardless of personal cost; a formal challenge, once accepted, can’t be walked away from; a secret entrusted to them is kept even under real pressure.
4 A severe restriction that limits options in dangerous or critical moments. Refuses to harm anyone significantly weaker than themselves; an enemy must always be given a chance to surrender before a killing blow; cannot break a vow even to save their own life.
5 An absolute, life-defining restriction. I cannot kill anything, no matter the cost; a vow that cannot be broken under any circumstance, even to save the people they love; can never refuse a genuine request for help, regardless of personal danger.

Reliance

Level Effect
1 A minor compulsion or mild reaction - inconvenient, rarely costly. A nervous habit like nail-biting; a mild seasonal allergy; a harmless lucky ritual before anything risky.
2 A real pull or trigger that occasionally costs something. A gambling habit that drains resources; an allergy requiring real caution (shellfish, bee stings); a compulsive need for background noise or routine that disrupts focus when broken.
3 A genuine dependency that shapes daily life. Regular substance use requiring a fix on a schedule; a chronic condition needing daily management (insulin, medication); hoarding or obsessive behavior that actively strains relationships.
4 A severe dependency with real danger if unmet. Hard addiction with physical withdrawal symptoms; a severe, life-threatening allergy on exposure; a compulsion strong enough to override better judgment in the moment.
5 A life-controlling dependency. An addiction that incapacitates without regular access; a condition requiring constant, uninterruptible support to survive; a compulsion so absolute it defines every decision you make.

Dependent

Level Effect
1 A dependent who mostly manages on their own - checks in occasionally, needs a little financial or emotional support now and then.
2 A dependent who needs regular, real support - time, money, or care on a recurring basis, though not helpless.
3 A dependent who can’t protect themselves and needs real intervention when trouble finds them - a young child, an elderly parent, someone seriously ill.
4 A dependent who is a frequent liability - regularly endangered by your own life (enemies, work, reputation), requiring real risk to protect.
5 A dependent who is entirely helpless without you and a prime target - enemies know exactly who to threaten to get to you.

Destitute

Each level’s effect is cumulative - it keeps every lower level’s complication and adds its own.

Level Effect
1 A rough patch. Creation-Wealth is 0 instead of the default 2 for gear shopping at creation, and no Resources Pool or Discretionary points may be spent on Wealth while this Flaw is held - buy it off first - see Starting Packages for what’s still available at Level 0. Doesn’t follow you past creation; whatever put you here (a lost job, a bad breakup, a bad month) is already turning around.
2 Chronically tight. As Level 1, and it doesn’t go away - living paycheck to paycheck, or with no paycheck at all, is an ongoing fact of your life, however your Resources ended up built.
3 Real precarity. As Level 2, and something concrete is currently unstable - unreliable housing, an unreliable income source, or a debt actively being chased.
4 Genuinely impoverished. As Level 3, and it’s visible enough that people react to it on sight - shapes first impressions the same way Notable Appearance or Notoriety do, just for money instead of looks or reputation.
5 Nothing left. As Level 4, and there’s no safety net at all - no one to call for a loan, no fallback plan, and whatever put you here is bad enough to be a real, ongoing story hook (GM’s call on specifics).

Directionless

Level Effect
1 A mildly unreliable sense of direction - occasionally turns around even in familiar places, rarely costs more than a moment.
2 A poor sense of direction - regularly gets turned around in unfamiliar areas, needs to double-check directions rather than trust instinct.
3 Actively bad - gets lost even in semi-familiar places without a map, guide, or other aid to follow.
4 Severe - cannot reliably navigate even short, familiar routes without external aid; easily disoriented under any pressure or unfamiliar layout.
5 No functional sense of direction whatsoever - completely dependent on others or tools to get anywhere; could get lost in their own home under stress or darkness.

Fragile

Level Effect
1 Mildly delicate - bruises easily, tires a bit faster than average, but functions fine day to day.
2 Noticeably weaker - real physical exertion (lifting, running long distances) is harder, minor injuries take a bit longer to heal.
3 Frail - the body struggles under real exertion or stress; a condition flares up under pressure; recovery from harm is markedly slow.
4 Seriously compromised - sustained exertion risks real harm; even routine physical demands can trigger a flare-up or setback; wounds that would be minor for others become serious.
5 The body is failing - barely able to sustain ordinary physical demands without real risk; any injury is dangerous and slow to heal; a single hard fight could be life-threatening regardless of what actually connects.

Gun-Shy

Each level’s effect is cumulative - it keeps every lower level’s penalty and adds its own.

Level Effect
1 First round of combat, act last within your declared Action Bracket, regardless of Initiative.
2 Level 1, plus: for the first round, Fast actions are treated as Normal and Normal actions are treated as Slow - Slow actions can’t be taken that round at all.
3 Levels 1-2, plus: unless 1 Ki is spent, they don’t act at all in the first round of combat.
4 Levels 1-3, plus: while in combat, they act at Disadvantage.
5 Levels 1-4, plus: the Ki-to-act requirement from Level 3 applies every round, not just the first - without spending Ki each round, they’re frozen entirely; when they do act, it’s at Disadvantage throughout.

Illiterate

Level Effect
1 Illiterate only in the local language/script - fully literate (possibly exceptionally so) in their own.
2 Illiterate in every language/script they’re likely to encounter while traveling, though still fully literate at home - the gap is broader than just “here.”
3 Only semi-literate even in their native language on top of that - basic reading/writing is possible, but real fluency isn’t there anywhere.
4 Functionally illiterate everywhere, including their own native language - cannot meaningfully read or write at all.
5 No concept of written language whatsoever - doesn’t register that symbols represent language in the first place.

Impaired Senses

A reminder of the general rule above: if the impairment doesn’t actually impair you - no depth-perception penalty, no missed cues, nothing a compensating sense or trained-around habit doesn’t fully cover - it isn’t worth points. This Flaw is the most obvious anime-trope case for that rule (the one-eyed swordsman who fights exactly as well as anyone with two eyes).

Level Effect
1 A minor gap in one sense - reduced but functional (mild nearsightedness beyond normal correction, slight hearing loss in one ear, a dulled sense of smell). Real but manageable.
2 A significant impairment in one sense - noticeably worse than normal, actively affects tasks that rely on it, but not total loss (poor low-light vision, muffled hearing, no sense of smell at all).
3 Total loss of one sense - fully blind in one eye, fully deaf in one ear, or a complete loss like smell/taste. Other senses compensate, but real gaps remain.
4 Total loss of a primary sense - fully blind or fully deaf, relying entirely on other senses and/or tools/training to compensate.
5 Total loss of multiple primary senses - both blind and deaf, or similarly extreme. Complete reliance on remaining senses and outside support.

Pariah

Level Effect
1 A minor prejudice - occasional dirty looks, mild social friction, rarely any material consequence.
2 Real but limited discrimination - some doors are harder to open (served last, passed over for a room), but nothing blocks basic life.
3 Active, meaningful discrimination - regularly denied service, employment, or fair treatment; public spaces mean dealing with real hostility.
4 Systemic hostility - the prejudice has institutional teeth: denied legal protection, actively targeted by local authority, barred from whole industries or areas.
5 Widespread, violent hostility - openly hunted, attacked, or persecuted for what they are; public life is dangerous.

Lame

Level Effect
1 A minor limp or stiffness - noticeable, doesn’t slow them down in any real way.
2 Reduced mobility that costs something under exertion - slower over distance, real effort on stairs or rough terrain.
3 A significant mobility loss - needs a cane, brace, or similar aid for anything beyond short, easy movement.
4 Severe impairment - mobility is a constant limiting factor; sustained or fast movement is difficult even with aids.
5 Effectively immobile without significant support - a wheelchair or equivalent, or unable to move under their own power at all in a fight or chase.

Notable Appearance

Level Effect
1 A minor, easily-overlooked trait - noticed only on close attention, rarely commented on.
2 A distinctive feature that people notice and occasionally remark on, but doesn’t follow them.
3 A memorable appearance that people recognize and remember on sight - recall and gossip travel with them.
4 A striking appearance that draws stares and comment everywhere, actively makes blending in impossible.
5 An unmistakable, singular appearance - described in wanted posters and rumors alike; anyone who’s heard of them would recognize them on sight.

Notoriety

Level Effect
1 Known within a small local circle - a minor local bad reputation, occasional suspicion.
2 A known troublemaker within a community or subculture.
3 Regionally known for something bad - distrust follows them beyond their home turf.
4 Widely infamous - recognized and reviled by strangers regularly.
5 A notorious name nationwide or worldwide, actively shunned or targeted on reputation alone.

Overconfident

Level Effect
1 Occasionally shrugs off a real warning - rarely costs anything, mostly just talk.
2 Regularly takes on tasks slightly beyond them without checking first - real but recoverable setbacks.
3 You habitually dismiss genuine danger and sound advice, and it costs you, and sometimes your allies, real setbacks.
4 Reliably walks into situations that are clearly beyond them, refusing help or backup even when it’s obviously needed.
5 Cannot recognize danger as danger until it’s already too late - repeatedly puts themselves and others at serious risk through sheer refusal to see their own limits.

Secret

Level Effect
1 An embarrassing detail - mildly damaging to reputation if it got out, nothing more.
2 A real secret - exposure would cost you something genuine: a relationship, a job, a bit of standing.
3 A serious secret - exposure would cause real, lasting damage to your life, or the lives of people you care about.
4 A dangerous secret - exposure invites real threats: legal jeopardy, violence, or being hunted by someone with the power to act on it.
5 A world-shaking secret - exposure would be catastrophic, reshaping your life entirely, or endangering far more than just you.

Short Fuse

Level Effect
1 Snaps at minor annoyances - sharp words, nothing lasting.
2 Loses composure under real provocation - says or does something they regret, with real (if recoverable) social cost.
3 Hard to talk down once provoked - regularly escalates situations that a calmer head could have defused.
4 A serious liability under pressure - provocation reliably leads to real damage: burned bridges, real consequences, sometimes violence.
5 You can’t reliably control yourself once triggered - provocation regularly leads to serious harm, to relationships or to people, with real consequences you can’t walk back.

Soft-Hearted

Level Effect
1 Hesitates for a moment before acting against someone clearly weaker or in distress - costs a beat, nothing more.
2 Actively looks for a way to avoid harming the vulnerable, even if it costs real effort or a worse outcome elsewhere.
3 Will take a genuine risk or loss rather than harm someone vulnerable - a real, recurring cost.
4 Cannot bring themselves to act against the vulnerable even when the stakes are severe - will let an opportunity or advantage slip away rather than cross that line.
5 Will actively endanger themselves or the mission to protect or spare someone vulnerable, every time, no exceptions.

Speech Impediment

Level Effect
1 A mild, noticeable quirk (a stutter under stress, a thick accent) - rarely actually hampers being understood.
2 A real impediment that occasionally causes miscommunication or draws unwanted attention.
3 A significant impediment - regularly slows or garbles speech enough that real effort is needed to be understood.
4 A severe impediment - verbal communication is unreliable; often misunderstood or unable to get a full thought out under pressure.
5 Effectively unable to communicate verbally in any reliable way - must rely on writing, gestures, or another person to speak for them.

Item of Power

Your capability isn’t fully your own - it lives, at least in part, in something you carry. Distinct from a Gift’s own Limiters (which discount that specific Gift’s point cost): this is a full character-creation Flaw, its points added to the general Flaws total like any other, chosen against one or more Gifts you already have.

Level Effect
1 One specific Gift only works while you’re in possession of a particular item - well-secured or hard to casually separate from you (a tattoo, an implant, something bonded to you), but losing it locks out that one Gift entirely until it’s recovered.
2 As Level 1, but the item is a real, ordinary object - a ring, a blade, a pendant - that can be stolen, confiscated, or lost in a struggle like any other possession.
3 Two or more Gifts are bound to the same item instead of just one - losing it locks out everything tied to it at once.
4 Every Gift you have depends on retaining the item - lose it, and you’re left with nothing but your ordinary Skills, Boons, and Attributes until it’s recovered.
5 As Level 4, and the item itself is something genuinely easy to take, damage, or lose - not secured, not bonded, not hard to separate from you at all. Anyone who thinks to try has a real shot at disarming you completely.

Ritual Required

Your power doesn’t answer the instant you reach for it - it has to be called, coaxed, or earned each time. Distinct from a Gift’s own Limiters: this is a full character-creation Flaw, its points added to the general Flaws total like any other, chosen against one or more Gifts you already have.

Level Effect
1 One specific Gift requires a short ritual - roughly a minute of chanting, gestures, or preparation - before its first use each Scene. Once performed, that Gift stays primed and usable normally for the rest of the Scene.
2 The same Gift now requires that ritual before every single use, not just once per Scene - each activation costs the full minute of setup again.
3 The ritual itself grows heavier - roughly ten minutes, real focus required. Anything that would normally cause Distracted interrupts it outright, forcing you to start over.
4 Every Gift you have requires the Level 3 ritual before its first use each Scene, not just one - priming your full capability takes real, dedicated time.
5 Every Gift requires the full ritual before every single use, with no priming grace at all - full setup, every time, for everything you can do.

Incantations

A Gift only answers to a spoken word - distinct from a Gift’s own Limiters like Animal Friendship’s Vocal Component: this is a full character-creation Flaw, its points added to the general Flaws total like any other, chosen against one or more Gifts you already have.

Level Effect
1 One specific Gift requires speaking a short trigger phrase aloud to activate - audible to anyone nearby, and it simply doesn’t work if you’re unable to speak (silenced, gagged, underwater, and the like).
2 The phrase grows more specific - a full sentence, verse, or exact wording - long and distinct enough that garbling or rushing it fails the activation outright.
3 Two or more Gifts each require their own spoken incantation to activate.
4 Every Gift you have requires its own spoken incantation - none of your capability works if you can’t speak clearly.
5 As Level 4, and the incantation must be spoken clean, with no other exertion that Round - sprinting, grappling, or taking a hit while attempting one fails it outright, forcing you to start over next round.

Shaken Confidence

One specific, defining humiliation left a real mark - not on the body, on the nerve. It reads a lot like a Social scar, but a scar heals and this doesn’t. Take it at creation like any other Flaw.

Level Effect
1 A specific type of social situation (public speaking, a rivalry, one particular person) triggers a flicker of doubt - costs a beat, nothing more.
2 Real hesitation in that situation - a genuine, recoverable setback if pushed through anyway.
3 Active avoidance of that situation where possible; forced into it, performs at a real disadvantage.
4 The doubt bleeds into adjacent situations, not just the original trigger - a broader loss of confidence.
5 A pervasive, crippling lack of social self-assurance - even routine interactions carry real hesitation, not just the original trigger.