Stormbringer:Flaws

Flaws

"Every pact has a price. Every soul bears a crack. Through those cracks…something enters."

In the Young Kingdoms, no one is whole.

Flaws represent weakness, doom, obsession, or the cost of power. They are not inconveniences—they are the hooks by which fate, Law, and Chaos take hold of your life.

Most Flaws impose a Penalty Die in appropriate situations. Others grant the GM narrative leverage or the right to introduce complications.

Combat Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Freezes in Battle	Lose d3 rounds before acting when combat begins	Combat
Reach Vulnerability	+1 Penalty Die when closing inside a reach weapon	Combat
Tunnel Vision	+1 Penalty Die when attacked from outside your engagement	Combat

Enemies & Trouble

Flaw	Effect	Category
Blood Feud	A rival seeks revenge	Story
Enemy of a Power	A powerful figure or organization opposes you	Story
Hunted	Enemies actively pursue you	Story
Sorcerer’s Enemy	A sorcerer seeks your destruction	Story
Wanted	Authorities or factions seek your capture	Story

Fate & Doom

Flaw	Effect	Category
Cursed	Begin with −1 Hero Point	Fate
Doom-Touched	Once per adventure, the GM may twist a success into a complication	Fate
Ill-Starred	Once per adventure, the GM may force a reroll of your success	Fate

Mental & Emotional Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Cold-Hearted	+1 Penalty Die when empathy or compassion would help	Mental
Craven	+1 Penalty Die resisting fear or supernatural terror	Mental
Curious	Must investigate the strange or forbidden	Mental
Empty Head	You forget plans, names, and key details	Mental
Fearful (Phobia)	+1 Penalty Die when confronting a specific fear	Mental
Gold Fever	+1 Penalty Die when treasure clouds your judgment	Mental
Greedy	Always want more than your share	Mental
Ignorant	+1 Penalty Die on lore or knowledge rolls	Mental
Impulsive	+1 Penalty Die when patience or planning is required	Mental
Loner	+1 Penalty Die when relying on others or acting as part of a group	Mental
Lustful	+1 Penalty Die when resisting temptation	Mental
Naïve	+1 Penalty Die when detecting lies or hidden motives	Mental
Obsessive	Driven by a fixation that distracts you	Mental
Reckless	Rush into danger without thought	Mental
Superstitious	+1 Penalty Die when omens or curses unsettle you	Mental
Vengeful	+1 Penalty Die when confronting those who wronged you	Mental

Moral & Binding Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Code-Bound	Follow a strict code and will not break it	Moral
Fanatical	+1 Penalty Die when acting against your beliefs	Moral
Soft-Hearted	Cannot ignore suffering or cruelty	Moral
Vow-Bound	Bound by an oath that constrains your actions	Moral

Physical Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Delicate	−2 Lifeblood	Physical
Doomed Flesh	Cannot reduce damage by more than 1 step with Hero Points	Supernatural
Drunkard	+1 Penalty Die when resisting intoxication	Physical
Frail	First hit in a fight inflicts +1 step of damage	Physical
Glass Jaw	A Great Success against you inflicts +1 step of damage	Physical
Missing Limb	Certain physical tasks become difficult or impossible	Physical
Old Bones	+1 Penalty Die on sustained physical exertion	Physical
Slave to the Pipe	Without your substance, suffer +1 Penalty Die on all rolls	Physical

Social & Reputation Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Alien Outlook	+1 Penalty Die when interpreting or relating to human behavior	Social
Arrogant	+1 Penalty Die when dealing respectfully with those beneath you	Social
Big Mouth	Your boasting attracts trouble and attention	Social
Brute	+1 Penalty Die in refined or polite situations	Social
Gullible	+1 Penalty Die resisting deception	Social
Ill-Reputed	Distrusted on first meeting	Social
Infamous	Your reputation precedes you—and it is not kind	Social
Marked Face	Easily recognized; difficult to disguise	Social
Out of Place	+1 Penalty Die navigating unfamiliar cultures	Social
Plain-Spoken	+1 Penalty Die when attempting deception	Social
Shifty	+1 Penalty Die when trying to appear trustworthy	Social
Unsettling Presence	Others react poorly upon meeting you	Social

Survival & Skill Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
All Thumbs	+1 Penalty Die on delicate manual tasks	Skill
Landlubber	+1 Penalty Die when performing tasks at sea	Survival

Supernatural Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Demon-Tainted	+1 Penalty Die in polite society and with priests	Supernatural
Half-Learned Arts	+1 Penalty Die on all sorcery attempts	Supernatural
Rune-Bound	Bound by supernatural obligations or restrictions	Supernatural
Soul-Debt	Owe a supernatural entity a service	Supernatural
Chaos-Tainted	Strange effects surround you; reactions are unpredictable	Supernatural
Wary of Sorcery	+1 Penalty Die when dealing with sorcery or its effects	Supernatural

Tactical Flaws

Flaw	Effect	Category
Clumsy	+1 Penalty Die when moving through obstacles or tight spaces	Movement
Cowardly	Must test to move toward danger	Mental
Lumbering	Rough ground costs +2 movement per space	Movement
Marked Target	Enemies gain +1 Bonus Die when attacking you at range in open terrain	Defense
Off-Balance	If you move more than 2 spaces, attackers gain +1 Bonus Die against you	Defense
Poor Footing	+1 Penalty Die on Agility tests for difficult footing	Movement
Short-Winded	Cannot run more than 4 spaces	Movement
Slow	Move 2 spaces normally (4 when running)	Movement

On Doom and Weakness

Flaws are not disadvantages. They are the shape of your fate. Through them, the world finds you. Through them, Chaos whispers. Through them, Law judges. Choose them not to weaken your character…but to make their fall inevitable.

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