~Weaknesses~

Weaknesses and Flaws

Weaknesses and flaws are things about your character that work against them. They can be anything from personality drawbacks to supernatural weirdness. Now, giving your characters weaknesses is oftentimes the most difficult part of the creation process. What makes a good flaw? What might be fun for you to play? Since every character must have at least three flaws, we've compiled a list that people can choose from if they are having difficulties coming up with some on their own.(This does not mean you have to take anything from this list.) We also hope that this can help with the creative process, some flaws you could actually probably base a character around, or have it spark up ideas of your own (and if everyone only takes from this list, it's going to get very, very limiting very quickly!). And hell. Some of these you may want to take just because it would be damn amusing to have in play. Additionally, if you choose to pile on more flaws, you may be able to take more abilities or take on better perks, because, at the end of the day, the aim is a well balanced character.

Please also note that you will be expected to incorporate both strengths and weaknesses into the personality, history and general write up of your character. In other words, the strengths and weaknesses you choose for your character must make sense for them. Adding on random ones to make up the numbers is not acceptable.

One thing to keep in mind is that many weaknesses are great storylines in the making to overcome them. However, if you choose to pursue a storyline that overcomes one of your main three flaws, you will have to replace that flaw with another.

Physical
-Blind- Someone shut out the lights.
You cannot see. For whatever reason, either a birth defect, accident, effect of a disease, insane acid trip where you gouged out your own eyes, you don't have the visual aspect of the world.

-Deaf- What was that?
You cannot hear. You may choose the reasoning behind it. Some examples include: birth defect, trauma that blew out the eardrums, result of illness.

-Mute- Singing in the shower isn't going to work out for you.
You can't speak. This particular flaw can be used in a few different ways. One is trauma. We've all seen the movies where there's some person who saw something horrible and hasn't spoken since then. This could be you. (Note: if you overcome this during the game, it ceases to be counted as a weakness and if it was one of your main ones, you will need to replace it.) Or maybe you weren't born with working vocal chords. Maybe you were stabbed in the neck and didn't die, but it messed up your voice. Whatever reason you choose, sign language will be your new best friend, and carrying around a pad and paper is a good plan.

-Color Blind(Dyschromatopsia) -Is it red or green? What's red?
You're one of the people in the world who can't distinguish. You can choose how your character is color blind, going from the differentiating color blind duals which mean you are not completely color blind, or you may go with a total leech of color from the world. (Note: The black and white color spectrum color blindness is a common flaw taken for any supernatural creature that is closely related to animals in one way or another. ie: lycanthropes, bloodline Vetala vampires, etc.)

-One eye- Yarrrr. You're a pirate.
Or no, not really(or really weirdly, considering our location) but you nevertheless have only one functioning eye. This does not mean your other eye is absent though it certainly can. It means for whatever reason, one of your eyes doesn't work whatsoever. This effects depth perception and can be a serious inhibitor to your life until it can be gotten used to or otherwise compensated for.

-Amputee- How's it goin, Lefty?
You're down a limb or two. How it happened is your choice (including birth defects in which case it can be listed as 'one arm' etc.) but you are physically missing one or more limbs. Your mom told you to stop playing so rough, but you just didn't listen.

-Allergies(severe)- Hope you have your epipen handy.
You have an allergy to something (your choice) and it really messes with you. Reactions can be from severe (hospitalization) to potentially fatal.

-Disfigured/Deformed- At least the phantom of the opera guy wore a mask.
Somehow, either from birth or some traumatic event, you aren't so pretty anymore. You're not even average. You're the poor guy in the supermarket that people try to pretend they're not staring at. This can also include other physical deformities, such as malformed limbs(a club foot for instance).

-Paralyzed- Here's hoping they have wheelchair access.
Something's happened in your life that's made you paralyzed from a point of your choosing down. You may choose para- or quadriplegic characters, though all limitations that go along with it must be observed.

-Diseased- Have you had your shots?
You're diseased. What you have is up to you, but you've got something, and for some reason, it isn't going away. (Even if it might be curable)

-Disease Carrier- Hello, Typhoid Mary.
You may want to lock yourself away in your home. You carry a disease that you do not suffer the effects from. What this is is up to you, but you cannot get rid of this flaw. You are forever a hazard to those you spend time with.

-Migraines- Where's Bob? Oh, hiding in a dark room under the covers and crying? Right.
You suffer from debilitating migraines often. At least once a month you're down for the count, and the world could be ending around you and you might not be able to lift a finger to help.

-Addiction- Dude, hold on a second! I need my fix! Then I'll call 911, promise!
You are addicted. What to, is your choice (though we do not count cigarettes or caffeine) generally it's serious drugs of some kind, but can be adrenaline, etc. You have to have it. It effects your life heavily, influencing your decisions to cater to whatever your addiction may be and often times is detrimental to everyone around you because the addiction comes first.

Psychological
-Insane- You so crazy! Now get the hell off my lawn.
You're cracked in some significant way. Whether it's because you have had a screaming mental breakdown or you developed a mental illness, or you've had it since birth, it's there. And it isn't really going to go away. While mental illness can be treated, the vast majority of it is simply learning to cope with the symptoms. Meaning it's not going to suddenly clear up. It can be anything from Schizophrenia to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but something is fundamentally wrong with the way you view or deal with the world.

-Overconfident- Oh, I've got that covered, no problem! I'm the best person around to deal, don't worry!
You? Are the bomb. Or, well, you're decidedly not the bomb. You just happen to think you are. This? Tends to land you into situations you can't possibly handle. Because you really can't pull off what you think you can. Unfortunately, this also puts everyone with you at risk if they're depending on you to be able to do what you say you can.

-God Complex- I'm the king of the world!
You think you are invincible and it never occurs to you that you are, in fact, not. You never think twice before doing things which could be classed as terminally stupid. You think you can handle any situation, despite all evidence to the contrary. God complex is a flaw often found in characters who have vast power in very limited circumstances. For example, this is a common flaw in DreamWalkers - in dreams yes, they really are that good. They just tend to forget that those rules don't apply in real life.

-Low Self Esteem- I'm sorry, I suck.
This might be your most common phrase. Your trouble is that even if you're proficient at something, you can't seem to give yourself credit for it. You don't have a very high opinion of yourself, and this causes various problems with the world around you. For one, you're more likely to mess everything up if you don't have the confidence to back things up. (For instance, this is a crippling weakness for a willworker or witch whose abilities are in fact based on how much you believe in yourself) It can also wear on social relationships as your continual self doubt can get trying for others to deal with on a constant level.

-Compulsion- You have a quirk that you can't get past.
It's a tick, some minor little thing you can't get yourself not to do. It's like OCD, only it pertains to just one little thing as opposed to everything. For example, due to some internal paranoia switch being flipped permanently to 'ZOMG THEY'RE OUT TO GET ME!!!' Susie feels the need to wipe her fingerprints from anything she touches outside of her home. She may even deliberately wear clothing with long sleeves to pull down over her hands to avoid even leaving them. Not everyone will understand why they have a certain compulsion.

-Personality Disorder- Dude, what is the matter with you?
It may be something you can't do much about. You have a personality disorder which dictates odd and often times destructive behavior. There are several different types. Your specific one will need to be chosen at character creation, and played consistently. (No, we're sorry, but True Love does not fix your disorder. It just makes you lucky you found someone that patient.)

-Phobia(Severe)- Why are you hiding in the car? That's...that's a butterfly.
Irrational? Certainly. Stupid? Probably. But that's what a phobia is. It's irrational, crippling fear over something. While phobias can range from mild to severe, a true weakness must be a severe one. It cannot be something you can get over or ignore for any length of time. If you are afraid of heights? Someone else will have to come over to climb the ladder to change that lightbulb for you. Keep in mind, if it's something that will not affect your character in any way during the course of the game, you may be asked to change it to something that may. Because while Alektorophobia (Fear of chickens) may be a real and serious phobia, it probably isn't going to be something that will come into play for you (perhaps unless you have a friend who insists on eating at KFC all the time...but still, NO.)

-Paranoid- What are you doing calling me on a cell!? Landlines ONLY! They're listening, you know!!!
You? Are That Guy. The one who's conspiracy theories are lingering around the back of your head, if you aren't loudly vocal about them. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you, and you're convinced they are. Now, this isn't only limited to crackpot government paranoia. It is possible to just be driven to a point where you mistrust the world around you and have to second guess everything and everyone that crosses your path. This means you have trouble making friends as they have to pass through that stage where you're convinced there's an ulterior motive involved, and even after that it may lose you friends considering you may never actually fully trust them. Trust with you could very well be sacred, and you don't hand it out unless you're absolutely sure.

-Burn Out- I can't do this anymore.
You're burned out. You've hit the end of your rope. You're spent, used up, emotionally drained. You just can't be bothered, or just can't care anymore. This generally is a flaw gained by people involved in the active fight between good and evil. They've seen too much, lost too many friends and lost faith in themselves. They take a look around and see that nothing matters.

-Death Wish- Rock n roll. You guys hang back. I got this.
Bluntly put, you want to die – you’re just not interested in doing it yourself. Some people with a death wish simply cannot bring themselves to take the pills, or pull the trigger and just keep hoping that fate will do the job for them, others may wish to go out in a blaze of glory. Whatever the reason, you go out of your way to put yourself in situations which may – indeed, probably will – get you killed. That suicide mission from which there is no possible hope of return that’s looking for volunteers? You are the front of the cue there, baby and you consider Russian Roulette a fun hobby.

-Cowardice- I'll be back here. Behind the six feet of steel and nowhere near the line of fire. Have fun.
You are the biggest chicken known to man. Even when you really want to be helping, you just can’t bring yourself to do it – somehow you always end up running away, or hiding under the bed.

-Curiosity- Oh it won't hurt just to peek, right?
Well, it might. Often times, it probably will. But you really can't help it. You just have to know. Closed doors bug you. Locks are the bane of your existence. You have an insatiable curiosity that you really can't seem to shake, even when it may be in fact, fatally stupid to poke around with whatever you're dying to know.

-Clueless- Huh?
You don't get it. You just don't get it. This is true with most things. You're the person who doesn't understand most of the world around you, and it may only hit you a few days later what actually happened. This particularly extends to supernatural circumstances of one description or another. This doesn't necessarily mean you are stupid. It just means you don't process the world around you terribly well all the time. This often means you exasperate everyone around you when everyone else has figured things out and you're still staring blankly.

-Distracted- So as I was saying---ZOMG!SHINY!!!
You, to put it mildly, are not the most focused individual in the world. In fact, you're down right distracted. It's easy to sway your attention from one thing to another. Even when it's really required for you to be giving a person or situation your undivided, that doesn't work out for you. It's something you can't very easily overcome even in the most dire of circumstances.

Social
-Enemy- Why is it everywhere I go with you, we're dodging sniper rounds?
Well, that's because at some point in your existence, you pissed someone off. And they're no slouch. This isn't a vindictive mailman who bends your letters marked 'do not bend' and makes sure to rattle any packages with the world 'fragile' on them. This is someone who is actively out to either kill you, or ruin your life. They are driven, and unreasonable. Tea and cookies are not going to fix this. In fact, you have no idea how to go about stopping them--if indeed there is a way.

-Social Pariah- What, are you gonna cry now, crybaby? C'mon, CRY.
That kid everyone picks on at school, the guy at the office that constantly gets stuck with every crap job that comes along...that's you. You're the total outcast. People tend not to like you or be sympathetic to your plight. Whether this is justified or not is up to you. However if taken, this flaw does mean that most social interactions must start with a jaded opinion against you. Rumors fly in every walk of life, and you're everyone's favorite subject. So chances are, everyone's heard something bad about you, regardless of it's validity.

-Loner- Go away, leave me alone.
You have taken liking your own company to a whole new level and can probably list your social contacts on the fingers of one hand. You go through days without talking to people – you are the guy whose name people who you’ve worked with for years cannot remember. Whatever the cause – whether social ineptitude, a crippling speech impediment or just that you hate the world and everyone in it, you and other people? Don’t get along. And you want to keep it that way.

-Naive- Don't worry, it'll all work out.
The world isn't a bad place. Not to you, anyhow. You see the world through rose tinted lenses. Whether it's from lack of experience, a sheltered upbringing, or a blind eye to the horrors the world has to offer, you just don't get bogged down by the bad. Which leaves you wide open, since you won't ever see it coming. You have yet to be disillusioned, and by now, it may be a hard lesson to learn once it does happen.

-Gullible- Oh, right, that was sarcasm, right. Funny.
You're one of those people who's easy to get. You don't really expect others to lie to you, even jokingly. So you often wind up being the last one to get the joke, because information you've been told before that was untrue you didn't understand til later. You're also easy to dupe into doing things. It's that inherent belief in people and what they say that does it. Unfortunately for you, it doesn't really seem to teach you a lesson. You just keep on trucking along.

Supernatural
-Haunted- You see dead people! Or, actually, dead person.
There's a spirit haunting you. How they are connected to you is up to you but must be specified at character creation(even if your character is unaware of the reasoning behind it.) Whatever the reason is, however, it's not going away on it's own. The spirit can be any temperament you like, but it's consistently around.

-Unsettling Presence- I'll....just be over there. Way, way over there. In another state.
(Only available to supernatural beings) People find you eerie. They don't know what it is about you, but they can sense something off. Which means you have to try all the harder to get past their initial wariness about you to further engage in social interactions. This is true of all people around you.

Angels/Demons
-Weak Blessing/Cursing- Your curse...it...tickles! Who's a cute little demon!
All angels and demons can bless and curse things respectively speaking. You, however, aren't very good at it. For some reason, your blessings or curses don't have the same punch as others of your species. Why this is no one knows, but it's permanent. You won't ever get any better at it.

-Damaged Wings- I'll be there as soon as possible, just let me get a cab...
Something's happened to one or both of your wings that makes flight either extremely ill advised, or impossible. Either they were broken at some point and never healed properly, or one got shorn off, either way it's not helping you out any.

Vampires
-Allergies- You have the vampire version of a food allergy and whilst a human can ask ‘does this have nuts in it’ you don’t always get to do that. Because you are allergic to things in people’s blood stream. Be it narcotics, alcohol, they affect you and if you feed from someone on them? There are side effects! (Side effects must be chosen at character creation and no, there are no anti-allergy meds for vampires.)

-Heavy sleeper- Let's doodle on him!
You are a night owl, to an extreme degree. You tire before dawn, by the time the sun rises, you’re out for the count and nothing will raise you until night falls once more. Your house could be invaded and you would sleep on.

Selective Tastes- I prefer the blood of virgins...
And by 'prefer' you mean 'can't drink anything but the blood of virgins'. For some reason, your vampiric lineage has mutated in some form, and you cannot digest all types of blood. What specific type you can digest needs to be chosen at character creation, and this is a weakness that cannot be overcome. It can be near anything, and some can be broader than others. Note: any vampires turned by a vampire with this weakness will also have this flaw, though their own category of digestible blood can be different than their maker.

-Light sleeper- My god, what was that, man! Stop breathing so loud!
You are the opposite – a pin drop would wake you up. No matter what you do, the slightest noise, change in the temperature, lighting, whatever – you wake up. It’s exhausting.

-Offensive to animals- Woah...how about you back off before my dog eats your face?
Quite frankly, they loathe and despise you. No animal can stand to be in your presence and if one is? It will freak out and act in whatever way is natural for that animal – fight or flight is the name of the game. (Note: if you’re choosing this weakness, you can either write it up that it’s only actual animals that it relates to, or that it also affects lycanthropes. Either would be acceptable, but please be specific!)

-Cannot cross running water- Why did I get stuck with the lame mythology?
Sorry – if you’re on one side of a river, you’re screwed. Yes, you are, in fact, the vampire who has to track the river to its source to get to the other side. Hope you like traveling!

-Sire's resentment- Daddy is not happy.
Whoever made you? Does not like you any more. You may still be trying to exist within your clan, but this makes your existence difficult. Alternately, you may be forced to go it alone - or be being actively hunted down by your sire.

-Infertile- Maybe it'll work if I try it just this one more time! You're the One, I can feel it!
You can't make other vampires. For some reason, even if you go through the process a million times, it just doesn't work out for you.

DreamWalker
-Insomnia- M-m-m-more c-c-coffee p-please.
Unlike normal insomnia, you do not want to sleep. You fear your power. This is often found in lower level DreamWalkers who haven’t found out how to stop themselves Walking yet. You are the person who drinks endless cups of coffee and will stay awake until the edge of insanity. As a result, you usually feel like the living dead. Rational thought is hard for you, as is holding even a basic conversation. You do not function on anything but the basic levels and your main goal is getting through the next day.

-Avoidance- Stay the night? I er...have a thing. That I'm late for. See ya!
Another common weakness in low level DreamWalkers, you have clued into the fact that you Walk in the dreams of people who you are physically or emotionally close to and your reaction to this is simple - do no be physically or emotionally close to anyone! You don't like being around people, you cannot live in proximity to them, if people try and get to know you, you push them away. You find it nigh-on impossible to form relationships or friendships. Congratulations - you have taken anti-social to a whole new extreme.

Elementals
-Weak to the Opposite Element- I am so not getting into the water. It hates me.
Something that isn't universal, but common to elementals, is the susceptibility to the element that is opposite to their own. Which means if you're a Water elemental, you and fire do not get along so well. Burns will take longer to heal and hurt a hell of a lot worse than they would to someone else even if it was the exact same burn. (Note: Spirit and Death are opposites, this weakness can be taken by Chaos elementals--their choice what element they are weak against) Opposites: Fire/Water, Earth/Air, Spirit/Death

-Additional Elemental Weakness- Sure. I can't go rock climbing or swimming. I'm gonna have a great summer vacation.
Well, sucks to be you, doesn't it. Not only are you weak to your opposite element, but you're weak to another one as well. Which one is chosen at character creation, and cannot be overcome.

-Elemental Dependency- No. I won't put the candles out. Yes, all seventy three of them are necessary.
For some reason, you're really hooked into your element. So much so that if you're separated from it for an extended period of time, you start to get sick.

Lycanthropes
-Animal Behavior- It's a sign of affection! Don't get a restraining order!
You connect in more closely with the animal in you than the human, and therefore behave oddly in normal human society. This may come from the fact that you were born a wolf, bear, etc, and only started dealing with the human side of things after you got out of the den, but for whatever reason, your reactions are more of the animal than the person. This makes social situations awkward for all involved.
-Tells- ...so that's six nipples, huh. Look, I've had a really nice time, but--
You have something strange about you, a ‘tell’ that you are a shifter that people label ‘weird’. There’s a variety of these, but they are – hairy palms, forefinger longer than your middle finger, extra nipples – all the weaknesses listed in common folk law about your kind.

Psychics
-Crazy Crazypants- Good christ, stop picturing me naked already!! Why does everyone do that?! BLARGH!!!
One of the main things that happens when psychics are starting to manifest their abilities, is they believe they are going crazy. A lot of the things they experience are textbook descriptions of some very serious mental disorders. Often times it's near impossible to tell in the early stages if someone really is crazy, or if they've actually started hearing people's thoughts. The stress of this sometimes has the adverse effect of literally driving one mad--even if they do have the real ability. Sometimes, it happens later in life as well, a result of hearing too much of what people really think of you, feeling how they really feel about you, etc. Some people really can't deal with the strain.

Other
-Unturnable- Oh, god, please stay back...please don't bite me! I'll scream!
Nobody knows why, but your family line has proven to be unturnable. Vampire, lycanthrope, (either or both), every member of your family that has tried to be turned has died. Sorry, game over, end of the line – you are in that unlucky percentage. Vampiric and lycanthrope "viruses" are fatal to you.
-Strangeness- Explain to me again why your reflection doesn't reflect you?
You have some weird quirk. It might be that your hair/clothes blow in the opposite way the wind is blowing. It could be that you have no shadow. Or that your shadow points in the opposite direction everyone else's does, regardless of the light source. Or it could be something small and stupid like every digital clock you pass immediately goes back to blinking 12:00 like you can't program your vcr.

-Interference- My kingdom for a weather report!!
For some reason, you interrupt signals. Radios can't find a station around you, you can't use cell phones, hell, even the internet isn't your friend. It's in effect for about three feet around you.

-Bright Presence- My, don't you look tasty. I could just eat you right up.
You just shine. This is something that is both a merit and a flaw. It can get you a lot of good things. It can garner you favor from the people around you, it can smooth over rough situations if you get into them. There's something about you that draws attention. Unfortunately, there's something about you that draws attention. Which means you're like a bright neon sign that says 'VICTIM HERE!' Just as it can help you out, you're also going to be the first person picked out of the crowd by the vampire who's trolling for a neck to nibble on.

EXAMPLE
Playing weaknesses and flaws can be some of the most fun you can have with a character not only for you, the person you're writing with, and for others reading your scenes. When considering weaknesses, it might be a lot of fun to come up with something that would be amusing for you. For example, say you want to play someone who was a lighter hearted sort of character.

So you take the overconfident flaw combined with cowardice. Which means you're that guy. You're the one who's talking shit non stop, who's got a story for everything, who's constantly talking himself up. Until, of course, everything goes to hell, and then? You are out of there. So fast people don't even know when you left. Then maybe you could reappear later to tell everyone about how you could have taken it no problem, you just didn't want to show everyone else up. Really!