It's all your Fault!

Thanks to the author, Aggran

Making the most of your character's flaws.

Great characters are as defined by their debilitating flaws, as much as by their great powers.

What’s so interesting about playing a minotaur with incredible strength who can bash down foes with his huge maul? Not much, as we’ve seen this character hundreds of times before.

But show me that same strong minotaur who is nearsighted, somewhat clumsy, and fears muirhauts, and he’s beginning to become interesting.

You see, many of literature’s greatest characters were also striving to overcome their own personal flaws and faults. Cyrano de Bergerac had a fabulous wit and was a wicked swordsman, but he had a huge nose that rendered him disgustingly ugly. Don Quixote of La Mancha, champion of the oppressed and righter of wrongs, was quite a warrior, except that he was just a little insane. The hunchback of Notre Dame had a great heart and was incredibly strong, but he was outcast from society because of his twisted frame.

These flaws galvanized their personalities, and sometimes gave them a reason to fight harder, run faster, overcome the odds, or just be funny.

You can use this concept to create more interesting, fun player characters. Find a fault that is memorable, something that you can really ham up during play, so that no one can deny the interest of your character. Without colorful flaws, most characters are not much more than ho-hum.

Why are faults good?

Flaws give you some framework and direction when playing your PC.

Luftar's Player: “Luftar won’t go in the sewers! He’s hydrophobic!! He insists that there is a better way inside of the castle! (Instead of getting wet.)

Luftar: “Are you pigs?! Where is your Nobility?! Come friends, we’ll find another way!”

Faults can lend insight into your character’s inner being.

“Lovan, drunk again, wanders the street looking for Tevery, even though he knows that she’s been dead for three years now. Instead of telling us that Tevery is a troubled soul, his player shows us with his drinking flaw.

Flaws can make it more fun to play a character.

The nearsighted and clumsy minotaur that fears muirhauts is much more entertaining to play than a faceless and armored tank. Just think of the possibilities as the glasses slip off of the minotaur’s nose and he stumbles through the dungeon, smashing everything in sight. (So to speak.)

Faults can define personality.

If you had a death-cult that had been looking for you since you were a child, don’t you think that would change your outlook on the world? You bet it would. You would probably be introverted, quiet, and always on the lookout for those dark cloaks.

Flaws create more variety.

Sure, any 2 thieves are more or less the same characters, but if they are each given diverse faults and personalities, they will soon act quite different from one another.

Faultless Characters are boring.

“Lord Pheonix Steel isn’t afraid of anything! He’s the most powerful warrior in all of Blurtark County, and he single-handedly defeated the…blah, blah, blah. These types of characters from our early gaming days are as stale as pizza cardboard. Flaws add some humanity to archetypes that have lost all evidence of it long ago.

Another possibility when creating a new character, is to choose a fault first. Faults sometimes force us to make decisions in ways that we wouldn’t normally. They can define how we learn, what we like, and ultimately, who we are. “Since Luftar is afraid of water, he won’t take any seamanship skills. Because he won’t sail from place to place, he has become quite a good rider, with great Ride skill.”

In conclusion, choose faults that matter. So go for the gusto and find the one(s) that will add the most to your PC. You will certainly end up with a character that is more fun to play, week after week.

And it will be All Your Fault.