# Flaws

Flaws are the mirror image of [Boons](boons.md) - disadvantages, quirks, or complications a player can choose for their character.

- **Every Flaw is Leveled, rated 1-5**, the same shape as [Resources](resources.md). There are no flat, non-Leveled Flaws.
- **No numeric penalties in most cases** - a Flaw is usually a narrative complication or rule restriction, not a flat -N to some roll.
- **Taken only at character creation**, in exchange for something at creation.
- **Points granted**: **equal to the Level taken** - Level 3 Amnesia grants 3 points, Level 5 grants 5.
- **A Flaw with no actual effect grants no points.** If a Flaw doesn't create any real difficulty for you, it isn't worth anything at character creation - e.g. a one-eyed character with no depth-perception penalty or narrative disadvantage from it (a common anime trope) doesn't collect points for Impaired Senses just for having taken it cosmetically.

## Flaw List

| Flaw | Points | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Amnesia | = Level | Part of your past is missing - see [Amnesia](#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](#antagonist) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Anxiety | = Level | Anxiety that doesn't need a reason and doesn't switch off - see [Anxiety](#anxiety) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Berserk | = Level | Once you're going, you don't stop until it's over - see [Berserk](#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](#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](#dependent) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Destitute | = Level | You have no money - anywhere from a bad patch to nothing at all - see [Destitute](#destitute) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Directionless | = Level | You get lost. Reliably - see [Directionless](#directionless) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Fragile | = Level | The body works against you - see [Fragile](#fragile) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Gun-Shy | = Level | When violence starts, you falter - see [Gun-Shy](#gun-shy) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Illiterate | = Level | You can't read, to one degree or another - see [Illiterate](#illiterate) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Impaired Senses | = Level | One of your senses is dulled, or gone - see [Impaired Senses](#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](#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](#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](#lame) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Notable Appearance | = Level | Something about how you look draws stares and reactions - see [Notable Appearance](#notable-appearance) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Notoriety | = Level | How widely, and how badly, you're known - see [Notoriety](#notoriety) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Overconfident | = Level | You underestimate danger, or overestimate yourself, and you do it consistently - see [Overconfident](#overconfident) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Pariah | = Level | People hold a specific prejudice against you. Name it with your GM.<br>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](#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](#ritual-required) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Secret | = Level | Something you badly don't want getting out - see [Secret](#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](#shaken-confidence) below for the 5-level breakdown. |
| Short Fuse | = Level | You anger fast, and everybody can tell - see [Short Fuse](#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](#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](#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](rules.md#action-brackets) - 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](resources.md#wealth-at-character-creation) 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](weapons.md#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](rules.md#action-brackets), 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](rules.md#advantage--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](gifts.md) (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](gifts.md): 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](rules.md#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](gifts.md) 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](rules.md#scars), 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. |