Drawbacks

At character creation, you may select up to 25 Experience points in Drawbacks. Each Drawback selected provides Experience points which may be spent wherever the player desires, though they are most commonly spent on Boons. Additional Experience points in Drawbacks may be taken above the cap of 25, with GM permission, but you will gain no benefit from doing so (for example, a character with 20 experience from Drawbacks who selects a Drawback with a value of 7 will only gain 5 Experience from the selection).

All selections must be cleared with the Game Master, and you may not select conflicting combinations, at GM discretion. The Game Master has the final say on what combinations qualify as conflicting.

Either in childhood or later in life, you were subject to physical abuse. This has left you flinching at the slightest aggressive movement.

Effect: You take an untyped -3 penalty to Armor Class.

You have a notorious fear of heights.

Effect: When climbing or making a Reflex save to avoid falling, you must roll twice and take the lower result. Additionally, when you are climbing, flying, or within 10 feet of a dropoff of at least 15 feet, you are shaken.

A character with the Addiction quality is hooked on a substance, or particularly addictive activities such as gambling or sex. Physiological Addictions affect the Body’s functions, producing pain, nausea, shakes, and other side effects that can impair the character, particularly during withdrawal.

Effect: The effect of the Addiction quality varies dependent on the severity of the addiction. Addictions come in four tiers: Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Burnout. Each of these tiers determines how frequently your character must indulge in their addiction, and the effects thereof. Addictions get worse over prolonged periods of time without treatment. Each level of Addiction has a Starting Dosage level that tells the character how much of a substance or activity they must use for a craving to be sated. The more severe a character’s Addiction, the more substance or time devoted to the activity he needs to satisfy his cravings. Depending on the level of Addiction, the character will need to periodically make a Will save (DC 20 + your Hit Die) if they haven't indulged. This DC may be adjusted by the GM depending on the situation.

At the lower end of the spectrum for the Addiction quality (Mild, Moderate), it is easier to hide the effects of an Addiction. At the most severe levels (Severe, Burnout), there are noticeable physical and mental signs of Addiction. These signs negatively impact the character even if he is not suffering the effects of withdrawal.

Starting Dosage: 1 dose or 1 hour of habit-related activity

Mild cravings occur once a month for the character. If a character fails his Will save, he suffers symptoms of withdrawal and must actively seek out and use the substance or engage in the activity to find relief. This could mean delaying plans that the party may have meticulously put together for a job, especially if the character is busy gambling or smoking instead of preparing and making themselves available.

While the character is suffering withdrawal symptoms, they suffer a -2 penalty to all mental checks, including skills such as Profession or Knowledge, as well as to the DCs of any spells cast (if the addiction is a psychological dependency). Alternatively, if the addiction provides a more physical affliction, this -2 penalty applies to the character’s physical checks, including skills such as Athletics, and to attack rolls.

If the character succeeds on their Will save, the character does not suffer withdrawal symptoms, and does not need the substance or to participate in that habit until the character makes their next Withdrawal Test (in one month). He is able to stay clean for that month.

Starting Dosage: 1 dose or 1 hour of habit-related activity

A craving at the Moderate level occurs roughly every two weeks. If the character experiences withdrawal, he suffers a –4 to all Mental-attribute-based tests (if psychological dependency) or –4 to all Physical-attribute-based tests (if physiological dependency) until the craving is satisfied.

Starting Dosage: 2 doses or 2 hours of habit-related activity

The addiction is spiraling out of control. The addict experiences cravings once a week. If he fails the Will Save, he suffers a –4 modifier to both their Mental- and Physical-based tests while in withdrawal. In addition, he suffers a –2 penalty to Diplomacy and Bluff, whether he is in withdrawal or not. It is all but impossible now for the character to hide his addiction, even when he’s had his fix. The physical and psychological symptoms of the damage caused by his Addiction are readily apparent to the close observer.

Starting Dosage: 3 doses or 3 hours of habit-related activity

Burnout is the final progression of the Addiction Drawback. The addict experiences cravings for their drug or habit of choice every day. Until they satisfy their craving with a fix, the character suffers a –6 penalty to both his Mental- and Physical-based checks while in withdrawal. Because his Addiction is now obvious to even the most casual observer, the character suffers a –4 penalty for all Diplomacy and Bluff checks, whether he is in withdrawal or not.

You can barely keep track of what you’re doing, let alone important details or facts.

Effect: You suffer a -4 penalty to saves against spells and effects that are memory related, and your character may often forget important details or facts. If the information is sufficiently valuable (such as a specific weakness of a terrible foe, or something equally important), the DM may award Hero Points, at their discretion.

You have a genetic disorder that results in a partial or complete lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin, and hair. While the lack of pigment in the hair and skin results in white coloration, lack of pigment in the eyes results in pink or crystal blue irises, with bright red pupils. Due to the lack of melanin, the compound that provides the pigmentation, characters with this quality lack ultraviolet light protection, making them very photosensitive and prone to sunburn.

Effect: Characters with Albinism suffer from Light Sensitivity. In addition, they are vulnerable to fire.

You are allergic to a particular and relatively common element in the environment.

Effect: When within 30 feet of your allergen, you are nauseated. What you are allergic to must be decided between the player and GM, but it must be a relatively common factor (gold is a good selection, albino beavers are not). This Drawback is worth 5 Experience for an uncommon allergen, or 10 for a common allergen (such as gold in the aforementioned example).

The creatures of the natural world have an unnatural aversion towards you.

Effect: You suffer a -2 penalty on all Handle Animal and Ride skill checks, and cannot take 10 with these skills. Additionally, animals and magical beasts select you as a target in preference to other targets (as long as doing so does not put the attackers into an obvious additional risk), and such creatures gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls made against you.

You never seem to know what you’re doing in combat.

Effect: You always move last in combat, regardless of whether it is normal initiative or a surprise round.

After suffering terribly for not being tight-lipped enough as a child, you developed a habit of being overly cautious with your words.

Effect: You take a –4 penalty on Diplomacy checks and must speak slowly due to the concentration required. Unless stated otherwise, you are assumed to not be speaking at a volume above a whisper. You cannot gain Diplomacy as a Key Skill.

You suffer from chronic asthma attacks, which may be onset by physical duress or airborne pollutants.

Effect: When exposed to airborne pollutants (small airborne particles), you may suffer an attack. You must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1d6 rounds. This may be triggered by appropriate spells, such as Glitterdust, cloud spells, or natural causes such as a sandstorm.

Secondly, your asthma inhibits your physical abilities - anytime you double move or charge more than once within a single minute, or take the run action, you become fatigued for 1d6 rounds.

You have a strong emotional attachment to a person or object that you’re terrified of losing.

Effect: Work with the GM to determine an object or person who you are attached to. Whenever the object of your attachment is either threatened, in danger, or in someone else’s possession, you take a –3 penalty on Will saves and a –4 penalty on saves against fear effects (these penalties stack, if the fear effect in question requires a Will save). If the person or object to which you’re attached is ever lost, killed, or destroyed, exchange this drawback for the Paranoid Drawback.

You are exceptionally unlucky, and it comes through at the worst times.

Effect: When you spend a Hero Point, roll 1d6. If you roll a 1, the Hero Point is spent, and the exact opposite effect happens (the nature of this is up to the GM).

You are blind, either from birth or an accident later in life, and must deal with all the consequences. You wish you were Ichi right now.

Effect: You’re blind.

Special: This flaw can’t be taken if you already possess the blinded Oracle curse. This flaw cannot be removed through magical means outside of GM permission.

The wounds of old battles never fully healed on you.

Effect: When you are at half of your total hitpoints or less in nonlethal damage, you are staggered. When nonlethal damage meets your hitpoint total, you fall unconscious.

You often trip over your own feet.

Effect: Any time you fail a Reflex save, an Acrobatics check, or an Athletics check, you fall prone.

Special: This Drawback prohibits you from taking Nimble Moves, Acrobatic, and similar Talents.

You are a known criminal in a given area relevant to the campaign, and are wanted by the appropriate governing body for a crime you previously committed.

Effect: You are constantly at risk of being found and incarcerated or killed for your crimes (whether you actually committed them or not). The GM has the final say on the severity, influence, and issues that this brings. You must be a criminal in the eyes of a major nation within the campaign (for example, this Drawback cannot be taken for a nation on the opposite side of the world which will never come into play during the course of the campaign). This Drawback requires GM approval and consultation.

You can’t seem to ever get used to the carnage of the battlefield.

Effect: You are always flat footed for the first round of combat, even after moving. This applies even if you have uncanny dodge or a similar effect which would prevent you from being flat footed.

You see fighting as the solution to everything, and usually it causes more trouble than it solves.

Effect: Any time the character is in a stressful situation, they must make a DC 20 Will save, in order to restrain themselves from fighting their way out of the situation. The GM is the arbiter of what qualifies for this situation and what doesn’t. The character is always allowed to forgo the save and initiate combat, dealing with whatever results may come of their actions.

You have a psychological need to perform a specific action whenever you are presented with the opportunity.

Effect: In every game session, the character must act upon their habit whenever they are presented with the opportunity, else they suffer an untyped -3 penalty to all d20 rolls until the action is completed. Work with the GM to determine an action appropriate to the character, as well as the resulting Experience value of this Drawback (most fall between 3 and 10). Common habits include collecting specific items, counting windows in a room, holding doors open for crowds, and obsessive cleaning of themselves or their possessions.

You can’t help but spew bullshit constantly, even against your better judgment.

Effect: Any time the character attempts to tell the truth about a situation, they must lie, at a -10 untyped penalty to the corresponding Bluff check.

A common affliction amongst Warforged.

Effect: You are vulnerable to electricity. In addition, whenever you are stunned by any effect, you are shaken for one round afterwards.

You likely come from an influential, high lifestyle, and must continue to have the luxuries you grew up with, or you become miserable.

Effect: You cannot go without an extravagant life; you must sustain a minimum Lifestyle of Gentry. If you fail to do so, or lose access to your luxuries, you become sickened for the duration. This condition falls upon you any time that you must function outside of civilization capable of providing you these luxuries, and does not stop until you return to civilization to have a bath and eat gold-leaf cherries.

You are deaf - the GM may allow you to mitigate some of the penalties through various means, but this is entirely up to them.

Effect: You’re deaf, and suffer all of the penalties thereof.

Special: You cannot take this Flaw if you possess the Deafened Oracle Curse. This flaw cannot be removed through magical means outside of GM permission.

You are fully responsible for another’s well being.

Effect: A character with the Dependents flaw has one or more loved ones who depend on them for emotional support and financial aid. Dependents may include children, parents, a spouse or lover, a sibling, or an old friend. Meeting the needs of a dependent should take up a fair amount of the character’s time, as well as some of the character’s money. Increase the amount of time it takes to retrain or to spend Experience by 50% - this cannot be reduced in any way.

In addition, the dependent is a regular inconvenience: needing attention and commitment on a regular basis, getting involved in the character’s affairs, or even sharing living space. Examples of dependents include: a live-in lover/wife/husband or family member, a child for whom the character shares custody, or a young child or close sibling for whom the character is responsible.

The dependent will not or cannot assist the character in any way, shape or form - they are purely a leech on the character’s time and resources. What manner this fully takes is up to the GM, but common manifestations involve taking the player’s time (in and out of downtime) and money. Experience values for Dependents vary, though they are usually between 5 and 15 Experience points.

This character is prone to dark moods and harsh introspection.

Effect: At the beginning of a game session, make a DC 20 Will save (rolling a 1 on this test is an instant failure). Upon failure, the character suffers a depressive episode, resulting in them being fatigued for the next 2d6 hours. This fatigue may only be cured with time.

You are pledged to a specific cause, moral code, organization, or similar entity.

Effect: You must follow the tenants of your code, organization, or other cause, even in the face of certain death. Failure to do so (but not attempting, and then failing) permanently removes one Hero Point from the character.

You can’t seem to keep yourself together in a stressful situation, and end up choking.

Effect: When making any skill check during combat, you suffer an untyped -3 to the skill in question. In addition, you cannot take 10 or 20 on a skill during combat under any circumstances.

Perhaps you were traumatized, perhaps you were whisked away to a Faerie court as a baby, either way you are what some would call…touched.

Effects: You frequently and habitually see things that aren't there, hear voices in your head that don't belong to you, or other such hallucinations. The player and GM should discuss the exact nature of this Drawback in respect to the character before selecting it, though its impact should be significant enough to make the character unreliable as a source of information, distractable in a stressful situation (such as combat), or both.

You are unathletic and uncoordinated.

Effect: You take a -2 penalty on Strength-, Dexterity-, and Constitution-based ability checks and skill checks.

You are thin and weak of frame.

Effect: Subtract 1 from the number of hit points you gain from each Hit Die.

Note: Characters with this Drawback may never take Toughness.

You possess an inherent need to collect as many things as you possibly can.

Effect: You may select a specific object or object type for your hoarding obsession, or it can simply be nonspecific trinkets. Regardless of this, you must always have your hoard on you; you must always carry a load of at least Medium carrying capacity, and half or more of your carried weight must be composed of your obsession item(s). If you are unable to begin the game with a sufficient number of items to qualify, you instead must always spend the first round of any combat encounter scanning the area for potential additions, regardless of how unlikely you may be to find anything.

Additionally, your items are too precious to be entrusted to a pack animal or extradimensional storage - you must physically carry them. Lastly, your hoard is considered extremely valuable, and due to this your character will not willingly part with any of it. If you are ever forcibly separated from your hoard, you suffer a -3 to all Will saves until you either get it back, or “restock” with equivalent items.

You no read good.

Effect: You can’t read.

Due to a physical injury, deformity, or similar impairment, you are unable to move about without assistance.

Effect: You may only crawl without the assistance of appropriate equipment, such as crutches or a wheelchair. Crawl speed is set at a static 5 ft, and cannot be improved through any means. The character’s assistive equipment can be sundered, taken from them, and similarly made unavailable, depending upon the events of the campaign.

You are particularly unaware of your surroundings.

Effect: You take a -6 penalty on Perception checks. In addition, you cannot take 10 or 20 on Perception. You may never have Perception as a Key Skill.

You are particularly bad at a set of skills.

Effect: Choose one of the following categories:

The character is exceptionally terrible at using skills in the chosen category. The character receives a permanent, untyped -4 to the listed skills, and can never take 10 or 20 on the chosen skills.

Through sickness, a naturally weak body, or even magical affliction, your physical potential is stunted in comparison to others of your race.

Effect: This drawback stunts a character’s physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) - when selecting this Drawback, choose the tier (1 through 5). For each tier, the maximum value any of these ability scores may have at character creation is lowered by 2 (from the baseline maximum of 18). This limitation is not affected by racial or magical ability score adjustments.

You can’t seem to get a good night’s rest.

Effect: First, you have trouble resting, preventing you from naturally recovering in a timely manner - it takes you twice as long as normal to recuperate from drained abilities or hitpoint damage. Secondly, your restlessness is such a struggle that it impedes even magical aid - Rings of Sustenance do not provide their sleep-reduction benefits. However, they still allow you to forgo eating and drinking, if desired.

The cut of your jib is straight up squiffy.

Effect: You suffer a -3 penalty to Acrobatics and Athletics when aboard any waterborne vessel, or in water deeper than your waist, and cannot take 10 with these skills under such conditions. You may never take levels in Profession (Sailor) or any other water-based Professions.

You can’t seem to have any sense of subtlety.

Effect: You suffer a -3 penalty to all Bluff, Disguise, and Stealth checks, as you find it difficult to conceal any aspect of your activities. Additionally, you cannot take 10 with these skills. These skills may never become Key Skills for you.

Planning is not your strong suit. Following other people’s plans is not your strong suit. Rushing in swinging with both fists is the only plan you ever need.

Effect: The character must succeed on a DC 20 Will save to resist attacking any identified threat immediately to the best of their ability (rolling a 1 on this save is an automatic failure). The character doesn’t care if the odds are against him, if the attack is downright suicidal, or if it's just plain stupid: they will attack. Crucially, they will also not bother sharing their attack plan (such as it is) with their teammates.

The character can, however, recognize they are in a losing situation and back out of the fight, but only after a minimum of 2 rounds have passed.

If the character roars his or her name as a Free Action right before the first blow is struck, they gain an untyped +1 bonus to their first attack. Good luck.

You have trouble holding your drink.

Effect: You suffer a -4 penalty to Fortitude saves against all ingested poisons (alcoholic or not). In addition, you’ve gotten into the habit of drinking slowly to avoid it coming out the wrong end - you must always take a full round action to drink a potion or similar liquid, even with the aid of magical items (such as the sipping vest).

You don’t get along well when by yourself.

Effect: When you are isolated with no other people around, you take an untyped -2 penalty to all d20 rolls.

You’re not entirely cut out for the adventuring life.

Effect: Whenever you are below maximum hitpoints, you are sickened. When you are below half hitpoints, you are nauseated.

You are plagued by magical mishaps.

Effect: You must always roll twice when making a Use Magic Device check, taking the lower result.

Special: Use Magic Device must be one of your class skills to take this Drawback.

You are sickly and weak of stomach.

Effect: You take a -3 penalty on all Fortitude saves. Whenever you would normally be sickened, you are instead nauseated for the same duration.

You suffer from an illness, which although luckily there is a cure, it must be constantly reapplied to avoid further complications.

Effect: Choose an ability score. Your condition threatens that ability score - every week you must take alchemical medicine for your illness which may only be sourced in civilized areas. The medicine costs a negligible amount of money (nuless your Lifestyle is Vagrant or lower), but any week in which the character does not take this medicine, they suffer 1d3 points of Ability Damage to the relevant score. If a character goes two weeks without taking medication, the Ability Score in question permanently reduces by one from the stress.

At GM discretion, medication may be sourced elsewhere, or made independently. Determine this during character creation.

Your vision is obscured.

Effect: In combat, every time you attack an opponent that has concealment, roll your miss chance twice. If either or both results indicate that you miss, your attack fails.

And I must scream.

Effect: Through a physical condition, magical affliction, or some other effect, you are completely incapable of using your vocal cords (if they exist at all). Not to be confused with the simple lack of speaking that comes with being Deaf, this drawback actually removes you ability to vocalize. You may still communicate with sign language or telepathy, but any effort to speak, shout, or to fulfill verbal components for spells is automatically unsuccessful.

If you're a spellcaster with Verbal Casting, this drawback is worth 15. Otherwise, it is worth 5.

You can’t seem to keep yourself awake and alert.

Effect: Whenever you are awake for more than 6 hours, you must make a Will save (DC 15 + your character level) every hour, or fall asleep (the specific timing within a given hour is at the GM’s discretion). In addition, you cannot stay awake for more than 10 concurrent hours. If you are standing at the time of failure, you fall prone. In addition, you automatically fail any save versus a sleep effect. The GM is the arbiter of when a sufficient amount of time has passed to require a save.

You possess a mortal enemy, who will do anything to bring you down.

Effect: Someone in the character’s life will do everything in their power to ruin the character. This person may have been slighted by the character, or perhaps only believes they were slighted. They should be a constant interference in the character’s life, either as a nuisance or a legitimate threat. The GM and the player should discuss this Drawback, and who the Nemesis is, and why they exist.

You're not prone to the same circadian rhythm as everyone else.

Effect: During the daytime, you are Fatigued.

You’re not the…what was the phrase? Largest tool in the pantry? Whatever it was, you’re not very bright.

Effect: You take a -4 penalty on all Intelligence ability and skill checks.

You are relatively inept at melee combat.

Effect: You take a -2 penalty on all melee attack rolls.

You’re a bit armless.

Effect: You take a -4 to Athletics checks which make use of arms, such as climbing and swimming, and also to combat maneuver checks to grapple. You may not use any weapon which requires two hands, and Disable Device checks take you twice as long.

Note: For one leg, see Slow. You may take this drawback twice at GM discretion, at the cost of a significant increase to these penalties.

You have a lot of trouble with intentionally bringing harm to another.

Effect: Any time you attack a sentient creature in an attempt to deal lethal damage for the first time in a session, you must spend a Hero Point. This spent point covers further attacks for the remainder of that game session. Dealing nonlethal damage to a creature exempts you from having to spend any points.

You can’t seem to get it together enough to work with anybody.

Effect: You can never willingly give up information about yourself to anyone. In addition, your skittish nature causes you to suffer a -5 penalty to Diplomacy.

You are weaker in an attribute than you should be.

Effect: Permanently reduce one of your ability scores by 2.

You are exceptionally afraid of a particular thing. Common phobias include darkness, vermin, magic, crowds, goblins, and other such subjects.

Effect: Whilst within 40 feet or within sight of the phobia source, the character is stricken with fear and unable to act properly - they must do anything in their power to get out of sight of their phobia. If they are unable to flee, they gain the equivalent of the nauseated condition for as long as they are within the vicinity of their fear. Work with the GM to determine the Experience gained from a given phobia - most are worth between 5 and 15 Experience, depending on their rarity.

Due to a medical condition or perhaps some vampiric origins in your ancestry, you are unnaturally affected by sunlight.

Effect: If you spend at least an hour in direct sunlight, you gain the fatigue condition. If you continue to be exposed to sunlight for an additional hour, you gain the exhausted condition, and after three hours of exposure to sunlight you fall unconscious. Resting for an hour in an area shielded by the sunlight restores the fatigued and exhausted conditions or causes you to awaken from unconsciousness (you then need an additional hour of rest to remove the exhausted condition). You may shield yourself from the sun with an umbrella or other equipment to mitigate this.

You enjoy causing pain towards others, and find it hard to resist when given the opportunity.

Effect: When you have a clear chance to cause pain or discomfort (physical or emotional) to another person, and your character is reasonably certain that they can get away with it, they must do so. To let such an opportunity pass, the character must make a Will save (DC 15 + Character Level). Failing this save spends one Hero Point from the character for the remainder of the session. This can happen multiple times in a given session, if the character has the Hero Points to lose. Finally, if the character has a particular dislike of their potential target (such as if they are the subject of the character’s Nemesis Drawback), the character takes a penalty on the Will save equal to their Character Level.

You jump at your own shadow.

Effect: Any time you would normally be shaken, you are instead frightened. Any time you would normally be frightened, you are instead panicked.

Your hands are far from the steadiest.

Effect: You take a -2 penalty on ranged attack rolls, Disable Device, and Sleight of Hand checks, and you cannot take 10 with such skills.

On account of a permanent injury or similar issue, you move exceptionally slowly.

Effect: Your base land speed is halved (round down to the nearest 5-foot interval).

The average backpack has more mass than you.

Effect: Your carrying capacity is halved from its normal value.

You have a lot of trouble focusing on a task.

Effect: The character suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and in turn cannot focus on a single task for long. When making any check with a time interval greater than five minutes and shorter than one day, or if they must make repeated checks within a period of time (such as repeated Perception checks whilst on guard duty at camp), they must make a Will Save (DC 15 + Character Level) every interval after the first. In addition, the character suffers an untyped -1 penalty to this check for each cumulative test they are made to make.

Failing the Will save indicates that the character cannot focus on the task at hand, and must take a break for a minimum of one interval, plus any other consequences that result from this. After the break, the penalty is considered removed, until the process starts all over again.

You are highly suggestible and easily duped.

Effect: You take a -3 penalty on Will saves, and a -5 penalty on all Sense Motive checks.