Fun with Imperfection - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 aradesiel May 04, 2009 23:43:06	I have never done this before, so be gentle, this is my first post. I am putting this small list out there for the dual purpose of maybe someone else can make use of it, and also for some additional ideas and suggestions for what is there. The idea is this is a list of randomly rolled for character flaws, who wants perfect heroes -- flawed heroes are more fun. These are not meant to be for serious games or serious tables -- just tables that enjoy a good laugh and willing to work creatively inside a few limits. Please feel free to reccomend, or insult the options listed here. Please do throw your own additions out there for me and others. Poor Vision Requires Glasses When without glasses -10 Perception roll twice to hit, both must succeed to hit When knocked prone, roll save to see if you lose glasses Standard action to find the glasses, possibly another save roll to see if you find them -- critical failure causes you to break your glasses Haemophilia bloodied at 75% hp instead of 50% status stays until healed by skill not spell Pyschosis (normal) sees and hears things that arent there occasionally believes people are out to get them, paranoid This would be listed as normal to a player that gets it, this is almost purely for the DM to have fun. Possibly meet characters that are not really there or find a common item and believe it to be intelligent/artifact. Thick Skin no bloodied status unaware of how much damage taken Needs a better name, and the DM never reveals how much damage they have taken. Basically the DM tracks this players HP. Clumsy Critical failure on natural 1, 2, or 3 Enochlophobia 3 or more adjecent allies or enemies and you grant combat advantage to enemies Unlucky Critical hit range reduced by 1 Normally if a weapon criticals on natural 20, you never get critical -- even on 20. If a weapon grants critical on 19-20, you only critical on 20. etc etc Melodramatic an attack that makes you bloodied or a critical forces you to roll a save, failure causes you to go prone Possibly skip the save roll and just always go prone. Emotionally Unstable After each rest (short or extended) roll a d20. 1-8 you are highly upset 9-12 you are normal 13-20 you are very happy upset = -2 diplomacy -2 insight -2 stealth, +2 to attack or damage happy = +2 diplomacy +2 insight +2 stealth, -2 to attack or damage This one needs work, I like the idea but not satisfied with the bonuses or negatives. Allergies roll a d4 to see what you are allergic too 1 = Indoor allergies 2 = Outdoor allergies 3 = Allergice to animals (I would count Dragonborn, Shifters, and the like) 4 = Allergice to plants rolls a save to see if your allergies effect you I am not sure on how often the player should roll the save, each time they go inside, or outside? Maybe only when the conditions change. Definately any time they are near plants or animals (assuming they are allergic to them). -2 to any d20 roll while under the effects of the allergy
#2 herald108 May 05, 2009 0:45:46	This is interesting. You could add a point-buy system to char gen. If you use the 22 points to buy abilities, a minor flaw such as Haemophilia might add 1 extra point (now the PC buys abilities with 23 points). A save to find glasses is pretty steep, I'd max that for an extra 3 points. Clumsy would grant an extra 2 points (but I'd tone it down to 1s and 2s). But on the flipside you could also give the PCs the option to buy benefits. Enhanced senes (+2 to Perception) might cost the PC 1 ability point, etc. However this would take a lot of balancing. If your players want this option, let 'em have it. But you should also agree that if it is found to be unbalanced, it could change in the future. But then, personality quirks like melodrama, bad luck, emotionally unstable, allergies, etc. are all things I've seen roleplayed anyway. So you don't necessarily need rules for these.
#3 drillbossd May 05, 2009 1:03:48	Interestingly, Haemophiliac dragonborn and shifters might be better than normal ones. Idea is cool though. Reminds me of Deadlands. Welcome, by the way. -Drillboss
#4 aradesiel May 05, 2009 1:03:52	A point buy might be fun and I would enjoy a series of bonuses, perhaps mixed in with the flaws. So you have a chance of getting something good. I know alot of this stuff can be done with RP without issue and most if not all can be kind of unbalancing. We are a pretty close group of friends who are just looking for a fun time, so balance and on the fly adjustments are things we are comfortable with. The random chance for something like poor vision or melodramatic would be a nice unexpected issue the player would have to work with in ways more than just RP. Clumsy is likely a little steep with 1-3, perhaps 1-2 is better.
#5 aradesiel May 05, 2009 1:05:16	Interestingly, Haemophiliac dragonborn and shifters might be better than normal ones. Idea is cool though. Reminds me of Deadlands. Welcome, by the way. -Drillboss Haha, yea I was aware of that as a possibility. The way I figure it, this is done as the last step of char creation. If it lands that way, being a dragonborn that gets bloodied easier, well -- thats life sometimes.
#6 ascottbay May 05, 2009 13:33:10	Personally, I think flaws should be behavioral, and up to the players how they incorporate it into their characters through roleplay. It's much more satisfying watching a player go out of their way to make a bad decision (because it's the decision their character would make), rather than "putting up" with something that they rolled for or were expected to choose from a list. This is good if you want to make encounters slightly more difficult, but it's not guaranteed to give the characters more depth; gimmicks ("Where are my glasses..!?") do not equal depth. Edit: These are not meant to be for serious games or serious tables -- just tables that enjoy a good laugh and willing to work creatively inside a few limits. Oh... heh... Oops...

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

aradesiel

May 04, 2009 23:43:06

I have never done this before, so be gentle, this is my first post. I am putting this small list out there for the dual purpose of maybe someone else can make use of it, and also for some additional ideas and suggestions for what is there.

The idea is this is a list of randomly rolled for character flaws, who wants perfect heroes -- flawed heroes are more fun. These are not meant to be for serious games or serious tables -- just tables that enjoy a good laugh and willing to work creatively inside a few limits. Please feel free to reccomend, or insult the options listed here. Please do throw your own additions out there for me and others.

Poor Vision
Requires Glasses

When without glasses
-10 Perception
roll twice to hit, both must succeed to hit

When knocked prone, roll save to see if you lose glasses
Standard action to find the glasses, possibly another save roll to see if you find them -- critical failure causes you to break your glasses

Haemophilia
bloodied at 75% hp instead of 50%
status stays until healed by skill not spell

Pyschosis (normal)
sees and hears things that arent there occasionally
believes people are out to get them, paranoid

This would be listed as normal to a player that gets it, this is almost purely for the DM to have fun. Possibly meet characters that are not really there or find a common item and believe it to be intelligent/artifact.

Thick Skin
no bloodied status
unaware of how much damage taken

Needs a better name, and the DM never reveals how much damage they have taken. Basically the DM tracks this players HP.

Clumsy
Critical failure on natural 1, 2, or 3

Enochlophobia
3 or more adjecent allies or enemies and you grant combat advantage to enemies

Unlucky
Critical hit range reduced by 1

Normally if a weapon criticals on natural 20, you never get critical -- even on 20. If a weapon grants critical on 19-20, you only critical on 20. etc etc

Melodramatic
an attack that makes you bloodied or a critical forces you to roll a save, failure causes you to go prone

Possibly skip the save roll and just always go prone.

Emotionally Unstable
After each rest (short or extended) roll a d20.
1-8 you are highly upset
9-12 you are normal
13-20 you are very happy

upset = -2 diplomacy -2 insight -2 stealth, +2 to attack or damage
happy = +2 diplomacy +2 insight +2 stealth, -2 to attack or damage

This one needs work, I like the idea but not satisfied with the bonuses or negatives.

Allergies
roll a d4 to see what you are allergic too

1 = Indoor allergies
2 = Outdoor allergies
3 = Allergice to animals (I would count Dragonborn, Shifters, and the like)
4 = Allergice to plants

rolls a save to see if your allergies effect you

I am not sure on how often the player should roll the save, each time they go inside, or outside? Maybe only when the conditions change. Definately any time they are near plants or animals (assuming they are allergic to them).

-2 to any d20 roll while under the effects of the allergy

herald108

May 05, 2009 0:45:46

This is interesting.

You could add a point-buy system to char gen.

If you use the 22 points to buy abilities, a minor flaw such as Haemophilia might add 1 extra point (now the PC buys abilities with 23 points).

A save to find glasses is pretty steep, I'd max that for an extra 3 points.

Clumsy would grant an extra 2 points (but I'd tone it down to 1s and 2s).

But on the flipside you could also give the PCs the option to buy benefits.

Enhanced senes (+2 to Perception) might cost the PC 1 ability point, etc.

However this would take a lot of balancing.

If your players want this option, let 'em have it. But you should also agree that if it is found to be unbalanced, it could change in the future.

But then, personality quirks like melodrama, bad luck, emotionally unstable, allergies, etc. are all things I've seen roleplayed anyway. So you don't necessarily need rules for these.

drillbossd

May 05, 2009 1:03:48

Interestingly, Haemophiliac dragonborn and shifters might be better than normal ones.

Idea is cool though. Reminds me of Deadlands.

Welcome, by the way.

-Drillboss

aradesiel

May 05, 2009 1:03:52

A point buy might be fun and I would enjoy a series of bonuses, perhaps mixed in with the flaws. So you have a chance of getting something good.

I know alot of this stuff can be done with RP without issue and most if not all can be kind of unbalancing. We are a pretty close group of friends who are just looking for a fun time, so balance and on the fly adjustments are things we are comfortable with.

The random chance for something like poor vision or melodramatic would be a nice unexpected issue the player would have to work with in ways more than just RP.

Clumsy is likely a little steep with 1-3, perhaps 1-2 is better.

aradesiel

May 05, 2009 1:05:16

Interestingly, Haemophiliac dragonborn and shifters might be better than normal ones.

Idea is cool though. Reminds me of Deadlands.

Welcome, by the way.

-Drillboss

Haha, yea I was aware of that as a possibility. The way I figure it, this is done as the last step of char creation. If it lands that way, being a dragonborn that gets bloodied easier, well -- thats life sometimes.

ascottbay

May 05, 2009 13:33:10

Personally, I think flaws should be behavioral, and up to the players how they incorporate it into their characters through roleplay. It's much more satisfying watching a player go out of their way to make a bad decision (because it's the decision their character would make), rather than "putting up" with something that they rolled for or were expected to choose from a list.

This is good if you want to make encounters slightly more difficult, but it's not guaranteed to give the characters more depth; gimmicks ("Where are my glasses..!?") do not equal depth.

Edit:

These are not meant to be for serious games or serious tables -- just tables that enjoy a good laugh and willing to work creatively inside a few limits.

Oh... heh...

Oops...