Draft
General Flaws
Flaw | Cost | Allowed | Type | Source | Details |
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Anosmia | 1 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 | Synopsis: Whether from birth or due to some illness or accident, you’ve lost all sense of taste and smell. System: You automatically fail any roll involving these two senses, including Primal Urge rolls for tracking or hunting. In Lupus form, it’s even more crippling, since smell is a wolf’s most acute sense; this Flaw cancels out the –2 difficulty to Perception rolls a Garou gets in that form. There’s a slight benefit, however: At the Storyteller’s discretion, you may be immune to the debilitating effects of environmental conditions, Gifts and supernatural abilities that rely on odors. |
Hard of Hearing | 1 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 V20 Core, pg 480 |
Synopsis: You have problems hearing certain sounds or ranges of sounds, or have some other problem that affects your auditory senses. System: You have a +2 difficulty to all rolls involving hearing sounds. You do not receive the normal bonus for Perception in Lupus form for auditory checks. |
Monochrome Vision | 1 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 | Synopsis: You cannot distinguish between colors, but see the world in varying shades of black and white and gray. This is not true color-blindness, which usually refers to the inability to distinguish between certain colors (such as red and green). System: Color has no meaning for you, though you can differentiate intensities of shade — dark gray, light gray, dull gray, etc. This Flaw occurs more frequently among lupus Garou. |
Short | 1 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 V20 Core, pg 481 |
Synopsis: You are well below average height — four and a half feet (1.5 meters) tall or less. Your diminutive size causes you problems, making it difficult to see over obstacles, reach high shelves, or manipulate things built for average individuals. System: This lack of stature is mirrored in all of your forms. Your running speed is halved, and your Storyteller may choose to levy additional penalties as appropriate in any given situation, although occasionally, this Flaw can give you a concealment advantage. |
One Eye | 2 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pf 473 V20 Core, pg 481 |
Synopsis: You lack depth perception and have limited vision, due to the fact that you only have one eye. Your blind side has no peripheral vision. System: The difficulties of all Perception rolls involving eyesight are increased by two, and when depth perception is involved (such as during ranged combat), the difficulty is increased by an additional +1. |
Bad Sight | 2 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 V20 Core, pg 481 |
Synopsis: You have a hard time seeing due to an uncorrectable visual defect. System: The difficulties of all dice rolls related to sight increased by two. Your Lupus form does not receive the standard bonus to Perception for visual checks, though the bonuses to other senses are not affected. Unlike nearsightedness or farsightedness, this defect cannot be corrected. |
Lame | 3 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 V20 Core, 482 |
Synopsis: Either from birth, an accident, or a major battle scar, your legs are damaged, which prevents you from running or walking easily. You have a pronounced limp and may need assistance from a cane or walking stick. System: Your walking speed is one-quarter that of a normal human, and running is impossible. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their metis disfigurement. |
One Arm | 3 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 | Synopsis: You were either born with only one arm or lost your arm through an injury of some sort. You suffer no secondary-hand penalty, since you have adapted to using your one hand for most activities. System: When you need to use two hands, however, you lose two dice from your dice pool. Your running speed in Hispo and Lupus form is 1/2 of normal. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inherent deformity. |
Deaf | 4 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 V20 Core, pg 483 |
Synopsis: You were either born profoundly deaf or have lost your hearing entirely. You may feel sound vibrations from sufficiently loud noises, but you hear nothing. System: The difficulty of any Perception rolls related to sound is increased by three. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn disfigurement. |
Mute | 4 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 V20 Core, pg 483 |
Synopsis: You cannot speak, in any form. Even communicating via Garou Tongue or lupine language (which relies upon both vocalizations and body movements to communicate) are beyond you, as is Spirit Speech. System: As a player, you may communicate with the Storyteller and describe your actions, but your character cannot talk to other characters unless everyone concerned possesses a commonly understood sign language (via the Language Merit). Otherwise, your character must communicate through writing or body language. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn disfigurement. |
Blind | 6 | General | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 V20 Core, pg 484 |
Synopsis: You cannot see. System: ou automatically fail any rolls based solely on vision. Difficulties on all Dexterity-based rolls are increased by two as well. All rolls made to step sideways are at +1 difficulty, as you cannot use the usual method of visualizing the other world. This flaw can be taken by metis characters as their disfigurement (for no freebie points). |
Compulsion | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 476 | Synopsis: You feel compelled to take certain actions at certain times or under specific circumstances. System: This psychological quirk sometimes takes a highly ritualized form (constant hand-washing or grooming) or else manifests in trigger situations (compulsive gambling, swearing, talking, stealing). This Flaw not only causes problems for you, but for your packmates as well. You may spend a Willpower point to avoid your compulsion temporarily. Check with your Storyteller to find out how long you can resist before you must spend another Willpower point or succumb to your compulsion. |
Impatient | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 V20 Core, pg 485 |
Synopsis: You have no patience for standing around and waiting. Now is the time for action. System: Make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) any time you try to wait rather than act immediately. Failure means you’re off to tackle what’s got to be done, on your own if necessary. |
Intolerance | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 | Synopsis: You have an irrational dislike of a certain thing: an animal, class of person, situation, or object. System: You gain a +2 difficulty on all dice rolls involving the focus of your intolerance. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what you can choose to have an Intolerance of: some dislikes may be too trivial to count (doughnuts or mechanical pencils) while disliking “the Wyrm” is already a common mindset for Garou and hardly counts as a Flaw. |
Nightmares | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 V20 Core, pg 485 |
Synopsis: You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. System: Upon awakening, you must succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or lose a die on all actions for that day. |
Overconfident | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 | Synopsis: You can do anything — or so you think. No challenge is too big for you to tackle, regardless of whether you actually have the skill to succeed. System: Never refuse to attempt something due to being outgunned, outclassed, or outnumbered. If you fail, you will find someone or something else to blame; it couldn’t have been any lack on your part, of course. |
Shy | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 V20 Core, pg 485 |
Synopsis: You dislike being the center of attention and feel uncomfortable in crowds. System: Difficulties for all rolls involving social interaction with strangers are increased by two. If you are the focus of the situation, even amongst those you know, the difficulty increases by three. |
Soft Hearted | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 V20 Core, pg 485 |
Synopsis: Whether because of an abundance of empathy and compassion, or simply a weak stomach, you cannot stand to watch others suffer. System: You must avoid or leave any situation that involves someone in physical or emotional pain, unless you succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). |
Speech Impediment | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 V20 Core, pg 485 |
Synopsis: You have a stammer, lisp, or other speech impediment that interferes with verbal communication. System: This impediment affects not only your human voice but also carries over into the Garou tongue, marring your howls and snarls so that they are difficult to understand. The difficulties of all die rolls involving verbal communication are increased by two. This Flaw must be roleplayed whenever possible. |
Curiosity | 2 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 | Synopsis: You find mysteries of any sort irresistible. Whether it’s a closed drawer, a whispered conversation, or a mysterious light just beyond the trees, you have to know what is going on at all times. System: Anytime you are presented with the unknown, make a Wits roll or else you must go investigate. The difficulty varies with the roll involved: 5 for simple things (“What is in that storage unit?”) and up to 9 for intense circumstances (“I wonder what those fomori are planning. I’d better go listen in. What could possibly go wrong?”) |
Phobia | 2 or 3 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 V20 Core, pg 486 |
Synopsis: You have an overwhelming fear of something. Spiders, snakes, crowds, and heights are examples of common phobias. System: If you have a mild phobia (2 points), you must make a Willpower roll every time you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of the roll is determined by the Storyteller and based on the circumstances of the encounter. You must make at last three successes in order to approach the object of your fear or deal with the fearful situation. If you fail the roll, you must run away. The three-point version of this Flaw requires that you make a frenzy check to resist fox frenzy when you are faced with what you fear. Your Storyteller must approve your choice of phobia. |
Absent Minded | 3 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You forget things: important things like names, phone numbers, and which route to take to the caern. You often forget tasks you’ve been assigned, what day or time certain happenings are taking place, or even when you last ate. System: Although you don’t forget Skills, Talents, or Knowledges, in order to remember specific details about anything more significant than your own name, you need to make an Intelligence roll (difficulty is set by the Storyteller). |
Hatred | 3 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: Certain types of people or situations arouse an uncontrollable and irrational hatred in you, causing you to make a frenzy roll whenever you confront the object or objects of your hatred. Furthermore, you actively look for opportunities to wreak destruction on your chosen targets. System: You should choose your nemesis carefully, since the Flaw can affect your relationship with your pack or sept, and can get in the way of your duties as a Garou. Hatred of the Wyrm is assumed and doesn’t count as a suitable object for this Flaw. |
Weak Willed | 3 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 V20 Core, pg 486 |
Synopsis: You have little resistance to attempts to dominate or intimidate you. System: Domination-focused Gifts such as Staredown, Roll Over, etc. automatically succeed against you. Your difficulties to resist Social Talents such as Intimidation or Leadership, as well as mind-altering spells or magic, are increased by two. Your Willpower may never rise above 4. |
Ability Deficit | 5 | General | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: Whether due to poor education, lack of opportunity, or simple laziness, you’ve fallen short of your potential. System: You have five fewer points to distribute in one of your Ability categories: Talents, Skills, or Knowledges. Therefore, the most you could initially take in that category would be eight points, and the least would be zero. Of course, you can still spend freebie points to take Abilities in the affected category. However, you cannot have any Ability in that category at three dots or higher at the start of the game. This Flaw is particularly appropriate to lupus characters that have yet to learn much about life as Garou. |
Conniver | 1 | General | Social | W20 Core, pg 480 | Synopsis: There is no honor among thieves, nor trust among liars. You are known as someone whose word cannot be trusted. System: Whether earned or not, you have a reputation for deceit and treachery, and you lose one die from all Social rolls involving any extension of trust, truth, or believing your words. |
Naive | 1 | General | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You are hopelessly naïve about the nature of reality and see everything through “rose-colored glasses.” You may have been brought up in wealth and privilege or be a survivor of abuse and trauma that you have repressed. System: You are hesitant to suspect evil or foul play in others, which can be a serious problem. The difficulty for any rolls for you to detect another person’s ill intent, from the Sense Wyrm Gift to Empathy rolls, is raised by 2. |
Gullible | 2 | General | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: Maybe you’re slow on the uptake, or maybe you just never learned to separate truth from fiction. Whatever the cause, you’re particularly susceptible to lies and half-truths. System: You lose three dice from all dice pools relating to guile and subterfuge (not stealth), whether perpetrating your own feeble lies or attempting to penetrate someone else’s words to find the truth. |
Cursed | 1-5 | General | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 483 | Synopsis: You have fallen afoul of someone with supernatural abilities that has cursed you with a specific effect. This curse may have been laid during your prelude, or perhaps even at your birth; it may even be inherited from your ancestors System: Your curse is very specific and difficult to dispel without undertaking some major quest or atoning for whatever offense you have committed. Some examples include:
Notes: |
Dark Fate | 5 | General | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 485 | Synopsis: You labor under some future doom, marked by Fate for a horrible end. All you strive for will amount to nothing. From time to time, you receive flashes of visions regarding your destined fate, causing you to suffer prematurely. System: You can overcome your morbid moods by spending Willpower, but this only works temporarily. Sooner or later, you will meet your fate (when is left up to your Storyteller, but it will happen during the course of the chronicle — otherwise, this Flaw would be worth no points). In the meantime, however, you can still attempt to achieve something worthwhile. You may do so with a sense of freedom and abandon, since you know that unless a situation leads directly to your ultimate doom, you stand a good chance of surviving and succeeding. This Flaw works well in conjunction with the Fate Background (W20 Core, pg 137), which allows you to survive lesser potential bad ends so that you can meet the true doom laid on you. |
Airhead | 1 | General | Mental | W20 Kinfolk, pg 63 | Synopsis: Your personal concerns are so important that you tend to be clueless about the real world or what is going on around you. This may be your means of avoiding problems or retreating from your fears; nevertheless, you don’t often use your brain to its best advantage — or any advantage, it seems. System: Those who know you describe you as “spacey,” and their patience often wears thin around you. You fade in and out of conversations, insert non sequiturs, or just plain fail to get it. The Garou and even your own Kin make fun of you behind your back. |
Flashbacks | 1-3 | General | Mental | W20 Kinfolk, pg 63 | Synopsis: You may have left the battlefield, but it never left you. Alternately, you survived a traumatic catastrophe in your childhood or some other time in your past. Whatever the source of your “episodes,” you re-live the horror of those hideous moments as if they were happening all around you. System: As a one-point Flaw, you have momentary flashes of the event, enough to rattle you for a single action or a few minutes. As a two-point Flaw, the flashback can last as long as an entire scene and requires action on the part of someone you trust to bring you back to the present. No roll is required. As a three-point Flaw, you feel the terror anew and you struggle to get away from it as you did way back when. Everyone around you becomes part of your horror scenario. A family member or close friend may try up to three times to bring you back using a contested Willpower roll. After that, you need professional help. Medications may reduce the difficulty of bringing you back to speed by lowering your Willpower, but only for purposes of calming you down. |
Tic/Twitch | 1 | General | Mental | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You have some sort of repetitive motion that you make in times of stress, and it’s a dead giveaway as to your identity. Examples include a nervous cough, constantly wringing your hands, cracking your knuckles, and so on. System: It costs one Willpower to refrain from engaging in your tic. |
Disfigured | 2 | General | Social | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: A hideous disfigurement makes your appearance disturbing and memorable. System: The difficulties of all die rolls relating to social interaction are increased by two. You may not have an Appearance rating greater than 2. |
Addiction | 3 | General | Physical | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You suffer from an addiction to a substance, which must now be present in the blood you drink (or you automatically frenzy, as per the Prey Exclusion Flaw). System: This can be alcohol, nicotine, hard drugs, or simply adrenaline. This substance always impairs you in some fashion (see “Poisons and Drugs,” V20 Core, pg 301, for particulars). |
Lazy | 3 | General | Physical | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You are simply lazy, avoiding anything that requires effort on your part. Preferring to let others do the hard work, you lounge around. System: For any action that requires preparation, there’s a good chance you didn’t properly prepare. Difficulty rolls for spontaneous Physical actions (including combat, unless it’s part of a planned offensive) increase by one. |
Disease Carrier | 4 | General | Physical | V20 Core, pg 483 | Synopsis: Your blood carries a lethal and highly contagious disease. System: The disease can be anything from rabies to HIV, and Kindred who drink your blood have a 10% chance of becoming a carrier as well. You must spend an extra blood point each night on awakening, or you will begin manifesting symptoms of the disease (increased chance to frenzy for rabies, reduced soak rolls for HIV, etc.). |
Deep Sleeper | 1 | General | Mental | V20 Core, pg 485 | Synopsis: When you sleep, it is very difficult for you to awaken. System: The difficulty of any roll to awaken during the day is increased by two. |
Enemy | 1 to 5 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. System: The power of the enemy depends upon how many points the player wishes to spend (five points indicate the wrath of a Methuselah or other potent supernatural foe). |
Cursed | 1-5 | General | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: You are the recipient of a supernatural curse. System: The strength and pervasiveness of the curse depend upon how many points you wish to incur. Examples follow: |
Beacon of Evil | 2 | General | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: You radiate palpable evil. System: Clergy and devout mortals know instinctively that there is something horribly wrong with you, and react accordingly. |
Haunted | 3 | General | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: You are haunted by an angry and tormented spirit, most likely one of your first victims. System: This spirit actively attempts to hinder you, especially when feeding, and does its utmost to vent its anguish upon you and anyone in your presence. The Storyteller determines the exact nature of the spirit, its powers, and whether or not it can eventually be laid to rest. |
Dark Fate | 5 | General | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: You are doomed to experience Final Death or, worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, you cannot avoid this terrible fate. System: At some point during the chronicle, your Dark Fate will come upon you. Even more ghastly is the fact that you occasionally have visions of this fate, and the malaise these images inspire requires an expenditure of a temporary Willpower point to avoid, or else you lose a die from all of your actions for the remainder of the night. It is up to the Storyteller to determine the exact nature of this fate, and when it will occur. This is a difficult Flaw to roleplay; ironically, though it may seem as though it removes all free will, the knowledge of one’s death can be quite liberating. |
Changeling Flaws
Flaw | Cost | Allowed | Type | Source | Details |
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Mage Flaws
Flaw | Cost | Allowed | Type | Source | Details |
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Shifter Flaws
Flaw | Cost | Allowed | Type | Source | Details |
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Animal Musk | 1 | Shifter | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 | Synopsis: You have the odor of an animal, even in Homid form. System: Whenever you are indoors or in a crowd of people, you make all Social rolls at a +2 difficulty. Outdoors or in situations where you can distance yourself from humans, your odor is not noticeable. Wolves (and lupus-born Garou) take little notice of this Flaw. |
No Partial Transformation | 1 | Shifter | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 | Synopsis: You can only change into the complete form. System: You have no ability to mix forms; you cannot shift your larynx in Lupus to be capable of human speech, or grow a wolf’s muzzle in Glabro |
Strict Carnivore | 1 | Shifter | Physical | W20 Core, pg 473 | Synopsis: “Vegetarian” is just another way of saying “lazy hunter.” System: Vegetables and grains give you no nutritional benefit; you can only subsist on meat — the closer to raw, the better. You have real problems in areas where meat is scarce. |
Deformity | 3 | Shifter | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 V20 Core, pg 482 |
Synopsis: You have a misshapen limb, a twisted spine, or some other deformity that interferes with your physical abilities and your interactions with others. System: A hunchback, for instance, would lower a character’s Dexterity by two dots and increase the difficulty of die rolls relating to social skills by one. A withered arm might reduce Dexterity by 2 for all manual manipulation rolls, reduce your running speed in any four-legged form, and increase social skills’ difficulty by one. You should work out the nature of your deformity with your Storyteller, as well as the exact penalties offered. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their metis disfigurement. |
Double Jeopardy | 3 | Shifter | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 | Synopsis: Gaia has marked you strongly. You were born not with one, but two significant metis deformities. These may be related, but must be two clearly separate disfigurements. System: A pair of antlers, or two rows of shark teeth would only be one deformity, but antlers and hooves, or a row of shark’s teeth and a set of gills would be acceptably different. The Storyteller has the final judgment on whether the two deformities are significant enough to qualify for this Flaw. This flaw can be taken only by metis Garou. |
Monstrous | 3 | Shifter | Physical | W20 Core, pg 474 V20 Core, pg 482 |
Synopsis: Your physical appearance is truly hideous to your fellow Garou. All your forms bear some grotesque qualities; your Homid form barely looks human, while your other forms have something significant that disfigures them. You should decide what you look like. System: Your Appearance rating is zero, and cannot be raised higher with experience points barring some remarkable circumstances. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn deformity. |
Persistent Parents | 2 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: Most werewolves, unless they have Kinfolk parents, sacrifice their family ties after their First Change, in order to protect the Veil. Your parents, however, have not given up on you. System: They may hire detectives to find you, plaster posters with your picture on it around town, pester radio and television stations to run public service ads, or dedicate websites and utilize social media to recruit the aid of the internet in order to try to find you. They may be ignorant of your new life, suspecting instead that you have run away, joined a cult, or been kidnapped. They may instead have ties to Pentex or other organizations with ulterior motives in locating you. Only homids may take this Flaw. |
Notoriety | 3 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You have acquired a bad name among the Garou in your sept, either through your own actions or because of something involving your pack. System: You suffer a penalty of two dice on any Social rolls involving Garou of your sept other than your own pack. Renown (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with your reputation. Your own sept members (other than your pack) dislike you regardless of how much Renown you have. You may not take the Merit: Reputation. |
Ward | 3 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You are devoted to protecting someone, perhaps a close friend or relative from the days before your First Change. This may be a child (or wolf cub) that relies upon you for care as well as protection. Or it can be an adult who, because of their connection to you, finds themselves exposed to dangers beyond what they can handle themselves. It could even represent a small pack of wolves who rely on you to protect them from human and supernatural predation. System: Regardless, your Ward’s path is firmly tied to yours in some way, and they have a knack for finding themselves in the middle of trouble, looking to you to save the day. |
Hunted | 4 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: A dedicated werewolf hunter has targeted you as his quarry, convinced that you are a monster out of legend bent on preying upon humans. (He’s not, of course, entirely wrong.) Anyone you know, including your pack members or humans you are close to, may be in danger from the hunter. System: While your nemesis desires the elimination of all werewolves, his primary focus is on you. As fate would have it, the Delirium has no effect on your pursuer. He is also intelligent and resourceful, far more likely to set nasty traps for you than to blunder into any pitfall you leave for him. |
Metis Child | 4 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You begin play as the parent of a metis cub from an illicit relationship with another Garou. You need to decide the circumstances surrounding the birth of the child — who the other parent is, when this happened, if you are currently attempting to raise the child in your own sept, or if the cub was fostered out to another sept to avoid further embarrassment. System: The effects of this Flaw include a two dice penalty to any Social rolls made regarding Garou who know of your child, as well as the additional burden of being required to take responsibility for your cub’s welfare (you miserable charach). As a Litany-breaker, you will probably be unable to hold any important sept offices or be trusted with important tasks, no matter how much you strive to prove yourself. Metis characters cannot take this Flaw. If a character sires or bears a metis cub during the events of the chronicle, the penalties of this Flaw may apply, but no bonus points are granted for it. |
Banned Transformation | 1-6 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 483 | Synopsis: Some circumstance, event, or situation inhibits your ability to change forms, except to return to your breed form System: To overcome the restricting factor requires the expenditure of a Willpower point and a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 8). Some examples of triggers and their relative point costs include:
Notes: |
Amnesia | 2 | Shifter | Meltal | W20 Core, pg 477 | Synopsis: You have no memory of your past before your First Change. You don’t know if you still have a family, or if someone is out to get you, much less where you were born or anything about your education (although you do remember what you’ve learned). Your past, however, may catch up with you, revealing many surprising facts about your former life. System: You may take up to five more points in Flaws that remain unknown to you. Your Storyteller picks them for you and brings them into play (to your surprise) during the course of your chronicle. |
Pack Mentality | 2 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 477 | Synopsis: You are lost without your pack. Their presence not only supports you, it helps define you. System: When you are with at least one member of your pack, you have –1 difficulty on all rolls involving group activities or strategies; when you are not, your difficulty increases by 2 on any task. You sometimes have trouble making decision without your pack to help you, even if you are the pack leader. In stressful situations, you may need to make a Willpower roll to act on your own. |
Short Fuse | 2 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You are closer to the Wyrm than most Garou; your Rage burns hotter within you than most. System: Your difficulty for Rage rolls is decreased by two, and you fall more readily into the “thrall of the Wyrm.” Be careful when choosing this Flaw; it can bring worlds of trouble down upon you and your pack. |
Territorial | 2 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You have the wolf’s territorial nature. You dislike leaving your home turf or having people you don’t know infringe upon your claimed space. System: Before play starts, work with your Storyteller to define your territory. You must roll to avoid frenzying whenever strangers enter your territory without your permission, and are reluctant to leave there except under desperate circumstances. |
Vengeful | 2 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You have a score to settle; perhaps Black Spiral Dancers murdered your family or a Pentex First Team destroyed your original pack. System: Taking revenge on the individual or group responsible is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter them, or have the opportunity to come closer to your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower point. |
Deranged | 3 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You suffer from a permanent form of insanity, either due to a congenital defect or some past trauma. System: Pick a derangement from those available on W20 Core, pg 485. Willpower may allow you to overcome your insanity temporarily, but it always returns. |
Driving Goal | 3 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You are driven by a personal goal that compels you in sometimes startling ways. The goal is always unachievable: reform the Black Spiral Dancers, balance the Triat, make amends for your ancestors’ crimes in the War of Rage. But while many Garou may empathize with your objectives, few are as consumed by the singular nature of your focus. System: You must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), and your one-track mind continually gets you into trouble with those who do not share the intensity of your vision. Choose your goal carefully, as it will be the focus of everything your character does. |
Flashbacks | 6 | Shifter | Mental | W20 Core, pg 478 | Synopsis: You managed to make it through your First Change, but not wholly intact. The most insignificant thing can throw you into a different mood or state of mind, and as such your behavior is extremely unpredictable. Because of your precarious emotional state, your Willpower fluctuates. System: At the beginning of each story, make a Willpower roll (you may not spend Willpower for an automatic success). If you succeed, you may participate in the story as normal. If you fail, however, your Willpower score is considered to be 1 for the duration of that session, and you have only one Willpower point to spend. You may roll again at the beginning of the next session to see if your Willpower for that session works as normal. |
Dark Secret | 1 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 480 | Synopsis: You possess a hidden past which, if revealed, would cause you great embarrassment at best and make you an outcast or even hunted in Garou society at worst. Perhaps you had a lover who is a Black Spiral Dancer. Maybe you were responsible for the slaughter of your former pack or the mysterious death of a sept leader. This secret preys on your mind at all times, even though your friends and packmates are unaware of your shame. System: Occasionally, hints about your secret may arise in stories and you must take precautions to keep the knowledge from coming out into the open. So long as your secret remains unknown to those who might use it against you, you may keep the Flaw, even if a few individuals discover it. If your Dark Secret ever resolves itself so that it is no longer a factor in your life, you must sacrifice the experience points to buy it off. |
Enemy | 1-5 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 480 | Synopsis: You have acquired an enemy (one or more individuals) that not only knows what you are, but also has power of their own. System: The 1-point version of this Flaw may signify that your enemy is another Garou of your own rank who has taken a strong dislike towards you or who blames you for some past wrong. The 3-point version may represent a pack of Black Spiral Dancers who bear a particular grudge against you or a small group of supernaturally potent werewolf hunters who have tagged you as a specific target. A 5-point Enemy may mean that you have angered one of the legends of Garou society or a powerful elder vampire. |
Twisted Upbringing | 1 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: The Garou who found you after your First Change, and who oversaw your Rite of Passage and early entry into Garou society, taught you everything they knew — and it was all wrong. Whether they did this out of ignorance or perversity is up to you and your Storyteller to decide. System: Your wrong assumptions and skewed beliefs cause you a great deal of grief until someone straightens you out. Eventually you may overcome the problems caused by this Flaw (and be able to pay the experience point cost to buy it off), but in the meantime, it should present you with a number of good roleplaying opportunities. |
Camp Enmity | 1 | Shifter | Social | W20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You have earned the attention and disfavor of a particular Garou tribal camp. Perhaps you’re a former member of the camp, or have refused to join them and they feel slighted. Perhaps they feel you’ve done them wrong, or the camp you are a part of is ideologically opposed to what they stand for. System: Regardless, all Social rolls when interacting with that camp are made at +1 difficulty. You may not already be a member of this camp when you first take this Merit, although you can become recruited (or re-recruited) into the camp during play at the Storyteller’s discretion. You may take this Merit multiple times for different camps. Storytellers are encouraged to incorporate Storyteller characters of the appropriate camp into their storylines, so as to make this a meaningful Flaw. |
Foe From the Past | 1-3 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: You have inherited an enemy, not because of anything you’ve done, but because one of your ancestors incurred his wrath. System: The strength of the enemy determines the point value of the Flaw. |
Forced Transformation | 1-2 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: Certain circumstances force you to undergo an uncontrollable shift in form. System: You may resist the change by spending a Willpower point, but once you have made the forced change, you may not change back until the triggering situation has passed. You may use the following examples or design your own circumstances and point costs (with Storyteller approval).
Notes: |
Insane Ancestor | 1 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: An insane ancestor of yours occasionally takes over when you seek help from the spirits of your forebears. Usually, this ancestor appears only under certain common circumstances, such as when Black Spiral Dancers threaten you or whenever a certain common rite is performed in your presence. System: When the Storyteller deems this circumstance has come about, roll your Ancestors Background, difficulty 6. Any successes indicate that your ancestor takes control of you for the scene, or until someone recognizes what is happening and manages to convince him to relinquish control once more. You should create your ancestor, name him, and describe his madness. You may spend a Willpower point to stifle the ancestor-spirit for the scene. You must purchase the Background: Ancestors to take this Flaw. |
Slip Sideways | 1 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: System: You find it difficult to control travel between the physical world and the Umbra, sometimes entering the spirit world when you don’t intend to. |
Docile | 1-3 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: Your distance from “the wolf” dampens the fires of Rage within you, hampering your ability to access them in Gaia’s service. System: For every point of Docile you take, your maximum Rage is lowered by 2, and can never be bought above that level. Others may see you as “domesticated” or “more dog than wolf” and react with derision. |
Mark of the Predator | 2 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: You give off emanations of a predatory nature. Herbivores shy away from you, while carnivores see you as a potential threat and may offer challenge. System: You may not possess the Skill: Animal Ken. |
Sign of the Wolf | 2 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: The folklore of werewolves holds true as far as you’re concerned. Like the shapechangers of myth and legend, you possess eyebrows that meet in the middle of your forehead, hair grows on the palms of your hands, and the second and third fingers of your hands are the same length. You may even manifest a pentagram on your palm before and during your auspice’s phase of the moon. System: While most people may simply wonder at these bizarre physical manifestations, werewolf hunters who notice these signs suspect your true nature. |
Pierced Veil | 3 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: Unlike most Garou, your Crinos form does not trigger the Delirium in mortals. System: This makes you particularly vulnerable to werewolf hunters, who may find it less difficult to pursue you back to your caern, putting the members of your sept in considerable danger. |
Harano Prone | 4 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: Characters suffering from this Flaw are prone to bouts of deep depression, indolence, and mood swings. System: You must make a Willpower roll every scene in which you suffer some form of setback. If the roll fails, you fall into a bout of temporary Harano. You may become morose and inactive, or suddenly spring into self-destructive activity. Your perceptions go awry, causing you to lose a die from every dice pool. If you botch the Willpower roll, you also acquire a temporary derangement (see below). You may delay the Harano attack for a single scene by spending a Willpower point. |
Taint of Corruption | 7 | Shifter | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 485 | Synopsis: Somehow, the Wyrm has touched you and left its taint upon your spirit. System: When other Garou invoke the Gift: Sense Wyrm, you register as strongly Wyrm-tainted. The taint is innate, and cannot be removed by a Rite of Cleansing (which serves only to make you ill and sore). Minions of the Wyrm trouble your sleep, attempting to lure you fully into the service of the Destroyer. You are at +2 difficulty on any rolls made to resist the powers of “fellow” Wyrmspawn — fomori powers, Black Spiral Dancer Gifts, Bane Charms, vampiric Disciplines, or the like. Only your pack can keep you from succumbing to the Wyrm, provided they give you their support and assistance. Ridding yourself of this Flaw requires a major quest and can provide the heart of a character-driven chronicle. |
Shark Teeth | 1 | Rokea | Supernatural | W20 Changing Breeds, pg 209 | Synopsis: Even in Homid form, the character’s teeth remain mildly pointed. System: This isn’t sufficient to do any extra damage, but it’s very noticeable. |
Cant Eat Solid Foodds | 5 | Ananasi | Supernatural | W20 Changing Breeds, pg 209 | Synopsis: For some reason, the character’s human digestive system doesn’t function; she lives on a diet of blood or liquefied flesh, and needs to consume much more of it than the typical werespider. System: The character automatically loses one blood point per day, and when her blood pool falls below three, she risks frenzying from hunger. |
Unsure Footing | 5 | Rokea | Supernatural | W20 Changing Breeds, pg 209 | Synopsis: The character just can’t get the hang of walking on two legs. She stumbles easily, and suffers from vertigo just looking up. System: All rolls involving coordinated movement on land (including combat) add 2 to their difficulty. |
Kinfolk Flaws
Flaw | Cost | Allowed | Type | Source | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barren/Sterile | 4 | Kinfolk | Physical | W20 Core, pg 382 | Synopsis: For Kinfolk who serve werewolves as perpetuators of the species, inability to reproduce is a serious Flaw indeed. Not only does it carry a social stigma, it may also incur abuse, neglect, or even exile. System: Kinfolk who can’t reproduce lose a great deal of their value in Garou eyes. For obvious reasons, vampire and wraith who were Kin can’t take this Flaw |
Inferiority Complex | 1 | Kinfolk | Mental | W20 Core, pg 382 | Synopsis: Nope, you’re not worthy. Never have been, never will be. System: In situations requiring you to take charge or be personally responsible, all your difficulties are raised by one. |
Ulterior Motive | 2 | Kinfolk | Mental | W20 Core, pg 382 | Synopsis: Something other than love and respect for your Garou relatives and Kinfolk guides your actions. This “something” may be as simple as greed or a lust for vengeance; you could also be a traitor working for an outside agency. Whatever the case, this ulterior motive holds your ultimate loyalty. System: Should someone suspect things aren’t as they seem, you could be in big trouble. This Flaw makes a good complement for the Flaw: Dark Secret (W20 Core, pg 480). |
Outsider | 2 | Kinfolk | Social | W20 Core, pg 382 | Synopsis: Because of rumors (true or not), an ill-done deed, poor decision, or some other character flaw, you have a poor reputation among Kinfolk and Garou. They don’t necessarily hurt you, but they let you know you aren’t welcome in their camps or homes. System: Make all Social rolls involving interaction with werewolves and Kin at +2 difficulty. |
Veiled | 5 | Kinfolk | Supernatural | W20 Core, pg 383 | Synopsis: For some reason, you’re not immune to the Delirium. System: Gifts such as Part the Veil and the Rending of the Veil rite have no effect on you. You do receive a +1 bonus on the Delirium chart (p. 263) and retain all memories of what you see, but the sight of a Garou in Crinos form still invokes some sort of instinctive, uncontrollable reaction in you. This may convince Garou you’re not really Kinfolk, reduce your likelihood of finding a Garou mate, or throw your heritage into question. |
Wyrm Tainted | 4 | Kinfolk | Supernatural | W20 Kinfolk, pg 63 | Synopsis: Whether through your own twisted actions in the Wyrm’s service, an unfortunate hereditary blemish, or through sheer bad supernatural luck, you reek of Wyrm-taint. System: Because certain Gifts enable a Garou to identify you as marked by the Wyrm, most werewolves may try to kill you outright! This Flaw is not to be taken lightly. You should work with your Storyteller to determine how you acquired this taint, unless you want it to be a mystery to your character. |
Unscented | 1 | Kinfolk | Physical | W20 Kinfolk, pg 63 | Synopsis: For some reason, you have no noticeable body odor. Your scent is so faint as to be practically undetectable by animals and Garou. This may work to your advantage while hiding from scent-driven predators (and many humans may prefer a neutral-smelling person), this fact is a decided disadvantage among Garou. They are likely to instinctually distrust anyone without a scent, suspecting that he or she is using supernatural means to hide Wyrm taint. System: No Gifts, such as Scent of the True Form, can reveal you as Kinfolk. Among a group of people who rely heavily on their sense of smell, you have a distinct disability. |
Vampire Flaws
Flaw | Cost | Allowed | Type | Source | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Expiration Date | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 102 | Synopsis: Your personal motto is simple: I do what I want. This has, as might be expected, caused you trouble more than once. You are wanted in several domains for various minor crimes, such as exsanguinating the Seneschal’s favorite ghoul. You haven’t been bloodhunted just yet, but the writing is on the wall. You’ve just about run out of time and no one wants you to take them with you when everything turns sideways. One more mistake and you sign your Final Death warrant. System: All social-based rolls to acquire help are at +2 difficulty, except those involving Intimidation. |
Black Sheep | 5 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 102 | Synopsis: You belong to a prestigious lineage that is considered to be paragon of another sect, or at least it did before you joined the Anarch Movement. You have embarrassed your sire, grandsire, and perhaps even farther back up the line; now the time has come to pay. Your erstwhile broodmates want to bring you back into the fold, if only to clean the stain from your reputation, and are unwilling to recognize your independence. Your sire and grandsire spare no effort to make things uncomfortable for you and any Anarchs who shelter you. System: This flaw combines the effects of Sire’s Resentment and Hunted Like a Dog, so those flaws may not be taken in conjunction with Black Sheep. (For more information on those Flaws, see pg 490 and 492 of V20 Core, respectively.) |
16th Generation | 5 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Beckett's Jyhad Diary, pg 143 | Synopsis: You were created no more than a year ago. Your vitae is so weak only four of your 10 blood points can be used for Disciplines, healing, or raising Attributes. System: For these functions, you must expend two blood points to obtain the effect a normal vampire would achieve with one. You may use the remaining six blood points for other purposes, and rising still costs a single blood point per night. You cannot create a blood bond or Cainite childe, nor can you create or sustain ghouls. You are Clanless and do not suffer from a Clan weakness. You select three starting Disciplines freely, but cannot raise any Discipline above two dots. You are likely an outcast of Cainite society and cannot start play with the Domain or Status background. Barely a vampire, sunlight only causes lethal damage to you and you can attempt to soak it with Stamina. Remaining awake during the day still presents the same difficulties as it does to other Cainites. You gain the effects (though not the actual Merits) of Blush of Health and Eat Food. You can conceive a Dhampir child. |
Smell of the Grave | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You exude an odor of dampness and newly turned earth, which no amount of scents or perfumes will cover. System: Mortals in your immediate presence become uncomfortable, so the difficulties of all Social rolls to affect mortals increase by one. |
14th Generation | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You were created five or fewer years ago by a member of the Thirteenth Generation. System: Though you have 10 blood points in your body, only eight of them may be used to heal wounds, power Disciplines, raise Attributes, etc. You can still use the final two blood points for other purposes, though. The blood point costs of nightly rising, creating and sustaining ghouls, and creating blood bonds remains the same as for other vampires. You cannot raise any Discipline above four dots. Taking this Flaw precludes you from taking the Generation Background, and you may not start with Status, either. You are likely a Clanless Caitiff, for your blood is probably too thin to pass down the distinguishing characteristics of a Clan. Most Fourteenth-Generation vampires should also take the Thin Blood Flaw (V20 Core, pg 483). |
15th Generation | 4 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: Your vitae is so weak that only six of your 10 blood points can be used for Disciplines, healing or raising Attributes. System: For these functions, you must expend two blood points to obtain the effect a normal vampire would achieve with one. (The cost for nightly rising remains a single blood point.) What’s more, you cannot create or sustain ghouls, create a blood bond, or sire a vampiric childe. You can use the remaining four blood points to survive through the day and wake up each night, nothing more. You cannot raise any Discipline above three dots. The weakening of the Curse of Caine has compensations, though (which distinguish this Flaw from the Thin Blood Flaw itself). Sunlight does lethal damage to you, instead of aggravated damage as it does to other vampires. You can hold down mortal food and drink for an hour or so; other vampires vomit immediately if they try (unless they have the Eat Food Merit). Strangest of all, once in a while you might actually have a child the normal, human way... though it will hardly be a normal, human child. |
Dulled Bite | 2 | Vampire | Physical | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: For some reason your fangs never developed fully, or they may not have manifested at all. System: When feeding, you need to find some other method of making the blood flow. Failing that, you must achieve double the normal number of successes in order to make your bite penetrate properly. A number of Caitiff and high-Generation vampires often manifest this Flaw. |
Infectious Bite | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 481 | Synopsis: You may not automatically lick the wounds of your feeding closed. In fact, your bites have a one in five chance of becoming infected and causing mortal victims to become seriously ill. System: The precise nature of the infection is determined by the Storyteller. |
Vulnerability to Silver | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: To you, silver is as painful and as deadly as the rays of the sun. System: You suffer aggravated wounds from any silver weapons (bullets, knives, etc.), and the mere touch of silver objects discomfits you. |
Open Wound | 2 or 4 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You have one or more wounds that refuse to heal, and which constantly drip blood. System: This slow leakage costs you an extra blood point per evening (marked off just before dawn), in addition to drawing attention to you. If the wound is visible, you are at + 1 difficulty for all Social-based rolls. For two points, the Flaw is simply unsightly and has the basic effect mentioned above; for four points the seeping wound is serious or disfiguring and includes the effects of the Flaw Permanent Wound. |
Child | 3 | Vampire | Physical | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You were a small child (between five and 10 years old) at the time of your Embrace, leaving your Physical Attributes underdeveloped and making it difficult to interact with some aspects of mortal society. System: You may not have more than two dots in Strength or Stamina at character creation, except when raising Physical Attributes with blood points, and the difficulties of all die rolls when attempting to direct or lead mortal adults are increased by two. Characters with this Flaw should also take the Short Flaw. |
Glowing Eyes | 3 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You have the stereotypical glowing eyes of vampire legend. System: This gives you a -1 difficulty on Intimidation rolls when you’re dealing with mortals. However, the tradeoffs are many; you must constantly disguise your condition (no, contacts don’t cut it); the glow impairs your vision and puts you at +1 difficulty on all sight-based rolls (including the use of ranged weapons); and the radiance emanating from your eye sockets makes it difficult to hide (+2 difficulty to Stealth rolls) in the dark. |
Permanent Fangs | 3 | Vampire | Physical | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: Your fangs do not retract, making it impossible for you to hide your true nature. While some mortals may think you’ve had your teeth filed or are wearing prosthetics, sooner or later you’re going to run into someone who knows what you truly are. System: You are also limited to a maximum Appearance rating of 3. |
Permanent Wound | 3 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: You suffered injuries during your Embrace which your transformation somehow failed to repair. System: At the beginning of each night, you rise from sleep at the Wounded health level, though this may be healed by spending blood points. |
Slow Healing | 3 | Vampire | Physical | V20 Core, pg 483 | Synopsis: You have difficulty healing wounds. System: It requires two blood points to heal one health level of bashing or lethal damage, and you heal one health level of aggravated damage every five days (plus the usual five blood points and Willpower expenditure). |
Thin Blood | 4 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 483 | Synopsis: Your blood is thin, weak, and does not sustain you well. System: All blood point costs are doubled (e.g., using blood-related Disciplines or healing damage), although you only lose one blood upon rising in the evening. Furthermore, you are unable to create a blood bond, and efforts to sire other vampires succeed only one in five times. |
Flesh of the Corpse | 5 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 483 | Synopsis: Your flesh does not fully regenerate itself once it is damaged. System: While you are able to heal yourself to the point of regaining full functionality, your skin still retains the cuts, tears, bullet holes, and other visible damage that you have incurred. Depending on the nature of the damage, this Flaw will make social dealings exceedingly difficult, and may decrease your Appearance dots over time (even to 0). |
Infertile Vitae | 5 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 484 | Synopsis: During your Embrace, something went horribly wrong, causing your blood to mutate under the stress of dying and rising again. System: All those you try to Embrace die. No matter what you do, you may not create any childer. However, your blood can still be used in blood rituals like Thaumaturgy and the Vaulderie, or for any other vampiric needs like making ghouls. |
Prey Exclusion | 1 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 485 | Synopsis: You refuse to hunt a certain class of prey. You might refuse to feed on drug dealers, policemen, accountants, or rich people. System: If you accidentally feed upon such an individual, you automatically frenzy and must make a roll to prevent Humanity or Path loss (difficulty 7). Witnessing other Kindred feeding on the object of your exclusion might also provoke a frenzy, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Ventrue, owing to the limitations already imposed on their feeding by their Clan weakness, may not take this Flaw. |
Unconvinced | 1 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 485 | Synopsis: You fail to see the need for the core ideologies of your Sect or Clan, and have gone on record as saying so. System: Taking your stand has made you suspect in the eyes of your superiors, and may have attracted the attention of your enemies as well. |
Lunacy | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You are affected by the phases of the moon, increasing your chances to frenzy System: Under the crescent moon, difficulties to avoid frenzy increase by one. Under the half or gibbous moon, difficulties rise by two. When the moon is full, difficulties increase by three. |
Stereotype | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You buy heavily into all of the vampire stories you’ve read and heard. You wear a cape or body glitter, speak with an accent, and otherwise act in a cartoonish fashion. System: Such behavior is embarrassing in the extreme to other Kindred, who are likely to ostracize or mock you (+2 difficulty to Social rolls with other vampires who don’t share your habits). You also stand out to hunters. |
Thirst for Innocence | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: The sight of innocence — of any sort — arouses in you a terrible bloodlust. System: Roll Self-Control or Instincts, or else frenzy and attack the source of your hunger. |
Victim of the Masquerade | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: he Camarilla’s propaganda machine did too good a job on you. Even after your Embrace you refused to believe you were a vampire. You remain convinced that there is some logical explanation for your condition, and spend as much time as you can searching for it. You also have problems feeding, and may insist on trying to eat regular food. None of these habits makes you particularly pleasant company for other Kindred. System: This Flaw must be roleplayed at all times, and is generally taken by Camarilla vampires. |
Conspicuous Consumption | 4 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: It is not enough for you to draw nourishment from the blood of mortals — you believe you must also consume your victim’s heart, liver, and other blood-rich tissue. System: Of course, this will necessitate the deaths of all of your victims (unless you are extremely creative), which might lead to numerous problems with maintaining Humanity (and a low profile). Characters with this Flaw should additionally purchase the Eat Food Merit. |
Guilt Wracked | 4 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You simply cannot come to grips with the fact that you must drink blood to survive. System: You suffer horrible guilt over each time you feed (roll Conscience, difficulty 7, or else frenzy every time you feed — characters with the Conviction Virtue cannot take this Flaw) and try to avoid doing so as much as possible. This means that you rarely have much blood in your system, leaving you vulnerable to both attacks and hunger-based frenzies. |
Elysium Regular | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 487 | Synopsis: You spend an unusual amount of time in Elysium. You see and are seen to such an extent that all of the movers and shakers of Elysium at least know who you are. Extended time spent in Elysium also gives you extended opportunities to interact with the Harpies and other Kindred of that stature — and they’ll know your name when you approach them. System: This Merit is generally taken by vampires that respect and attend Elysium on a regular basis. |
Monstrous | 3 | Vampire | Physical | V20 Core, pg 482 | Synopsis: Your physical form was twisted during the Embrace, and now reflects the Beast that rages inside you. System: Characters with this Flaw appear to be savage monsters and have Appearance ratings of zero. Nosferatu and other bloodlines whose weaknesses cause them to start off with Appearance zero cannot take this Flaw. |
Amnesia | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself, or your family (whether mortal or vampiric), though your past might well come back to haunt you. System: Your origins and the circumstances behind your amnesia are for the Storyteller to determine, and she is encouraged to make it as interesting as possible. |
Short Fuse | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You are easily angered. System: Difficulties to avoid frenzy are two greater. Brujah vampires cannot take this Flaw, as they already suffer from a similar weakness. |
Territorial | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You are extremely territorial, staking out a particular area as your hunting ground and reacting aggressively to trespassers. System: If another vampire enters your territory uninvited, you must make a frenzy roll. If you fail, you immediately attack the interloper and continue attacking until the intruder is dead or has left your hunting grounds. You are reluctant to leave your territory except in desperate circumstances. |
Vengeful | 2 | Vampire | Mental | V20 Core, pg 486 | Synopsis: You have a score to settle, incurred either during your mortal days or after the Embrace. System: You are obsessed with taking your revenge on an individual or group, and it is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter the object of your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower point. |
Botched Presentation | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 489 | Synopsis: When your sire presented you to the Prince of the city, you flubbed it. Now you’re convinced His Majesty hates you (whether he does or not). System: You need to succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) just to stand in front of the Prince or one of his duly authorized representatives without running, blubbering, or otherwise making a fool of yourself. This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires. |
Dark Secret | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 489 | Synopsis: You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah in the local Kindred community. System: This could be anything from having murdered an elder to being a member of the Anarchs. |
Expendable | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 489 | Synopsis: Someone in power doesn’t want you around. Maybe she wants territory you possess, or is jealous of the attention you’re getting from a prize mortal retainer — the details are irrelevant. System: What does matter is that she has the power to maneuver you into dangerous situations “for the good of the Sect,” and has no compunctions about doing so. |
Incomplete Understanding | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: The whole matter has been explained to you, but you’re still not quite sure how things in your Sect work. System: Your imperfect understanding of the rules and regulations of your new existence means that sooner or later, you’re going to make a mistake. It’s only a matter of time... |
Infamous Sire | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: Your sire was, and perhaps still is, distrusted and disliked by many of the city’s Kindred. System: As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well. |
Mistaken Identity | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You look similar to descriptions of another Kindred, which cause cases of mistaken identity. System: This can prompt numerous awkward or even dangerous situations, especially if your “twin” has a terrible reputation or is wanted for some crime. |
New Arrival | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You’ve just arrived in your new city of residence, and don’t know anyone in the place. System: Existing factions may try to recruit or eliminate you, while vampires in positions of authority size you up and take your measure. Meanwhile, your ignorance of the city’s current events, history, and politics (not to mention the personality quirks of the vampires already in place) may cause you to make a serious blunder. |
New Kid | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You’re the latest in the city to be Embraced or have yet to prove yourself to your Sect, and everyone knows it. That automatically puts you at the bottom of the social totem pole. Other neonates take every opportunity to demonstrate your inferiority, or rival packs constantly test your worthiness to the Sabbat. Even if someone else is added to the ranks of the unliving, you’re still regarded as something as a bit of a geek by your peers — a distinction that can have dangerous consequences if bullets start flying. System: All Social-related rolls are at +1 difficulty when you are dealing with other neonates. (Ancillae and elders lump you in with all the other neonates under their general disdain.) |
Recruitment Target | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: Someone in one of your Sect’s enemy organizations wants you, and they want you bad. System: Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or no, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time. |
Sire's Resentment | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: Your sire dislikes you and wishes you ill. System: Given the smallest opportunity, she will actively seek to do you harm. Your sire’s allies also work against you, and many elders may resent you. |
Social Responsibility | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: Shortly after your Embrace, you volunteered for some task in order to gain respect and approval from the vampires around you. Now, you wish you had never opened your damn mouth! System: While you are not given any special credit for performing this duty, you would lose a lot of respect if you were to stop. The nature and the details of your duty should be worked out with the Storyteller in advance. Ideas can range from lending money to other Kindred to acting as a messenger or possibly gathering victims for ritae (such as Blood Feasts). |
Sympathizer | 1 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You have publicly expressed sympathy for some of the goals and policies of the enemies of your Sect. System: Your outspoken views on the subject have made you suspect in the eyes of the city’s hierarchy, and you may be suspected of (or arrested for) treason. |
Bound | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You are blood bound to another vampire. Your regnant may not necessarily treat you badly, but the fact remains that your will is not entirely your own. System: The knowledge gnaws at you, even as you find yourself lost in devotion to your vampiric master. Sabbat vampires cannot take this Flaw. |
Catspaw | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 490 | Synopsis: You’ve done dirty work for someone high up in the city’s hierarchy in the past — the Sheriff, the Bishop, or even someone higher. However, instead of granting you favor, your deeds have made you an embarrassment or a liability. System: For the moment, your former employer’s concern is to keep you quiet. In the long term, it’s to get rid of you. |
Escaped Target | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 491 | Synopsis: You had targeted a mortal for the Embrace, but someone else got there first System: You cannot stand the humiliation of being cheated of your prize, and fly into a rage (+2 difficulty to avoid frenzy) whenever you see the one who got away. This hatred may lead you into other irrational behaviors, like Embracing enemies of the neonate, creating unauthorized childer, or even trying to kill your rival. Furthermore, your petty and irrational behavior is well-known and quite noticeable, and as a result you are at + 1 difficulty on all Charisma rolls until the situation is resolved. |
Failure | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 491 | Synopsis: You once held a title in the city, but failed catastrophically in your duties. Now you are branded incompetent, excluded from circles of power and responsibility, and generally ostracized by those on their way up. System: Your exclusion may make you a target for recruitment by the Sect’s enemies (or so the whispers run, making you even more distrusted). Conversely, the consequences of your error might come back to haunt you. |
Masquerade Breaker | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 491 | Synopsis: In your first nights as a vampire, you accidentally broke the Masquerade — and were spotted doing so. Someone else covered for your mistake, but holds the favor over you. Now you exist in fear that your error will be revealed. In the meantime, your “savior” takes pitiless advantage of you. System: This Flaw can only be taken by vampires in Sects or Clans that respect the Masquerade. |
Hunted | 4 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 491 | Synopsis: You are pursued by a fanatical witch-hunter who believes (perhaps correctly) that you are a danger to humanity. System: All those with whom you associate, be they mortal or Kindred, may be hunted as well. |
Old Flame | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 491 | Synopsis: Someone you once cared deeply for is now with the enemy. He still attempts to play on your sympathies “for old times’ sake” while working against you. System: Unless you succeed on a contested Manipulation + Expression roll against your former friend, you cannot act against him unless the situation becomes life-threatening. |
Rival Sires | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 491 | Synopsis: The flip side of Escaped Target, two vampires wanted to gift you with the Embrace. One succeeded, one failed — and she’s not happy about that failure. You, your actual sire, or both of you have become the target of the failed suitor’s ire. System: Regardless, your persecutor is at +2 difficulty to refrain from frenzy in your presence. In addition, she may well be working actively to discredit or destroy you. |
Uppity | 2 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: You are proud of your new status in the Sect — so proud that you’ve shot your mouth off to other Kindred and made some enemies. Wiser vampires laugh at you and chalk your rudeness up to youth, but others find you arrogant and insulting. These enemies will take action to embarrass or harm you. System: Furthermore, you are at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls against any vampires you have alienated through your yammering — and you may not know who they are. At Storyteller discretion, you may also be required to make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to keep your mouth shut any time the opportunity presents itself for you to brag about your pack, your Clan, or your status. |
Disgrace to the Blood | 3 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: Your sire regards the fact that he Embraced you to be a titanic mistake, and has let everyone know it. System: You are mocked at gatherings, taunted by your peers, and actively despised by the one who should be giving you guidance. Any request or petition you make is likely to be looked down upon by friends of your sire, and your achievements are likely to be discounted. |
Former Prince | 3 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: Once, you held near-absolute power in a city, but those nights are gone now. Perhaps you stepped down, perhaps you were deposed, or perhaps your city fell to the Sabbat; it matters little in your reduced state. System: What does matter is that the Prince in the city where you now dwell is aware of your prior employment, and has concerns that you might be trying to make a comeback. The machinery of the Camarilla in the city where you now make your home is subtly stacked against you, and if the Prince sees an opportunity to get rid of you he just might take it. This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires. |
Hunted Like A Dog | 3 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: Another Sect or group of vampires has decided that you’re a target for extermination, and pursues you relentlessly. System: On the bright side, the enemies of your enemy may well wish to help you out, potentially garnering you allies. |
Narc | 3 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: You are known to be a snitch, an informer firmly planted in the pocket of the vampires in charge. System: Those on whom you might yet inform loathe you as a result, feeding you misinformation when they can in an attempt to discredit you. Given the opportunity, they might do you mischief. Regardless, your reputation as a weasel precedes you, putting you at +1 difficulty on all Social rolls against those who don’t agree with your politics. |
Sleeping With The Enemy | 3 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: You have some sort of intimate connection with a member of an opposing Sect or inimical Clan. System: You may have a lover, a childe, a friend, or a contact working the other side of the fence, but regardless of politics you retain a friendly (or more than friendly) relationship with your putative foe. Your close ties to someone on the other side would be regarded as treason by your superiors within the Sect, and if you are discovered, the penalty will surely be death. |
Clan Enmity | 4 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: One Clan in particular wants you dead. System: You have offended the entire Clan, from elders to neonates, and as a result every member of that bloodline wants your head on a plate. The effects of the Flaw may manifest as anything from very public snubs and insults to actual attempts on your unlife. You are also at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls relating to members of the Clan in question. |
Loathsome Regnant | 4 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: Not only are you blood bound, but you are also in thrall to a vampire who mistreats you hideously. System: Perhaps you are publicly abused or humiliated; perhaps your master forces you to commit unspeakable acts for him. In any case, existence under the bond is a never ending nightmare, with your regnant serving to conduct the symphony of malice. Sabbat vampires cannot take this Flaw. |
Overextended | 4 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 492 | Synopsis: You’ve got your fingers in too many pies, and people are starting to notice. System: You have too many ghouls, too many retainers, or too much influence, which means that a lot of people have a vested interest in trimming back your operations. These enemies take every opportunity to reduce your power and influence, and if that means lying, cheating, or killing, so be it. Furthermore, your enemies block every attempt you make to move into new areas of control. You’re boxed in, and the box is getting smaller. |
Probationary Sect Member | 4 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 493 | Synopsis: You are a defector. System: You turned traitor to the Camarilla, Sabbat, or other Sect, and you still have much to prove before you are accepted by the Kindred you have defected to. Other vampires treat you with distrust and even hostility, and your reputation might even sully those whom you regularly associate with. |
Blood Hunted | 4 or 6 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 493 | Synopsis: You have been made the target of a blood hunt, and for you to return to your home city is death. System: For four points, this Flaw means that only your home city is off limits to you. For six, it means that the entire Camarilla is howling for your vitae. This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires. |
Laughingstock | 5 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 493 | Synopsis: Somehow you’ve drawn the scorn of the local Harpies, who make you their favorite target. System: You are at a +2 difficulty on all Social rolls in Elysium and a +1 anywhere else in the city. In addition, you are at +2 difficulty to use Intimidation or any Dominate powers on anyone who has heard the stories mocking you. This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires. |
Red List | 7 | Vampire | Social | V20 Core, pg 493 | Synopsis: You are either being considered for or are already on the dreaded Red List, the registry of those vampires the Camarilla most wants extinguished. System: Any Camarilla vampire will either attack you on sight or, more likely, call in for a great deal of help. |
Cast No Reflection | 1 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: You actually cast no reflection, just like the vampires of legend. This can have a detrimental effect when trying to pass as a human. System: Vampires of Clan Lasombra automatically have this Flaw (and you may be mistaken for one of them if you possess this). |
Cold Breeze | 1 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: A chill wind follows you everywhere you go. System: While it may make for dramatic entrances, this effect also discomfits mortals (+1 difficulty on all appropriate Social rolls) and marks you as obviously supernatural. Cold winds sweeping through executive offices or crowded nightclubs can raise all sorts of questions. |
Repulsed By Garlic | 1 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: You cannot abide garlic. System: The smallest whiff of its
scent will drive you from a room unless you make a successful Willpower roll (difficulty based on the strength of the odor). |
Touch of Frost | 1 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: Plants wither as you approach and die at your touch. System: Your touch leeches heat from living beings, as though you were made of ice. |
Deathsight | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 494 | Synopsis: Everything appears rotted and decayed to you. System: The world appears to you as a corpse; mortals look diseased or skeletal, buildings seem decrepit, and your fellow Kindred seem to be walking, moldering cadavers. You are at -2 difficulty to resist all rolls based on Appearance, but by the same token you are at +2 difficulty on all Perception-based rolls. In addition, you find social interaction difficult and are at +1 difficulty on all Social-based rolls. |
Eerie Presence | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: Mortals have an unconscious awareness of your undead nature, which makes then anxious and ill at ease in your presence. System: Because of this, difficulties of all rolls relating to social interaction with mortals are increased by two. |
Lord of the Flies | 2 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: Buzzing harbingers of decay swirl around you everywhere. System: Their constant presence makes it difficult for you to interact socially (+1 difficulty when appropriate) and nearly impossible to sneak up on someone or hide effectively. The buzzing of the flies inevitably gives you away — all Stealth rolls are at +2 difficulty. |
Cant Cross Running Water | 3 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: You believe in the old folklore, and cannot cross running water unless you are at least 50 feet (15 meters) above it. System: Running water is considered to be any body of water at least two feet (half a meter) wide in any direction and not completely stagnant. |
Repelled by Crosses | 3 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: You are repelled by the sight of ordinary crosses, believing them to be symbols of holy might. System: When confronted by a cross, you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) or flee from the symbol for the duration of the scene. If you botch the roll, not only must you attempt to flee, but the touch of the cross can cause aggravated damage (one health level of damage per turn that the cross touches your skin). This damage cannot be soaked, even if the vampire possesses Fortitude. |
Grip of the Damned | 4 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: There is no ecstasy in your Embrace — only terror and pain. System: Mortals upon whom you feed struggle and shriek while you attempt to feed, requiring you to grapple with them for as long as you wish to take their blood. For vampires with high Humanity, this experience may require a Humanity roll, at the discretion of the Storyteller. Giovanni cannot take this Flaw. |
Light Sensitive | 5 | Vampire | Supernatural | V20 Core, pg 495 | Synopsis: You are even more sensitive to sunlight than other vampires are. System: Sunlight causes double normal damage, and the light of the moon can cause lethal damage in a manner similar to the sun, though it must shine directly upon you. Even bright lights hurt your eyes, requiring the use of sunglasses. Followers of Set and related bloodlines cannot take this Flaw, as they already have a worse version of it. |
Ghouls and Revenant Flaws
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Wraith Flaws
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