Book of Distinctions and Drawbacks

Table of Contents
FOREWORD INTRODUCTION SELECTING FLAWS, GAINING COMPENSATION MASTER LIST OF FLAWS PRIMARY FLAWS SECONDARY FLAWS DM OPTION: FLAW SYNERGY ADVANTAGES: SELECTION AND USE MASTER LIST OF ADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES THE EXPERIENCE TITHE RANDOM FLAW TABLE OPEN GAME LICENSE TEXT
2 3 4 5 7 14 24 25 25 26 36 36 37
Foreword
Howdy! This PDF contains the bulk of the original Book of Distinctions & Drawbacks, originally released for the 3.0 version of the d20 System in February, 2003. With an all-new, 3.5-compatible revision of the BODD now available, there seems little purpose for me to cling tenaciously to this older system, so Ive released almost all of it as freeware. Distribute this PDF as you see fit pass it out to your grandparents, your pets, your Rabbi, etc. Please remember that any re-use of this material will be limited by the terms of the d20 System Trademark License and the Open Gaming License; other than that, I relinquish my claim to sole control over the game-related content of this PDF and release that content into the public domain. This system is relatively simple and almost binary in nature; those looking for a more flexible and granular drawback/advantage system for fantasy d20 should check out the Revised edition of the BODD, a blatant commercial plug for which may be found on page 38. Hey, Im an author , not a saint. Cheers and best! SL St. Paul, Minnesota November 3, 2003
Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product utilizes updated material from the v.3.5 revision. d20 System and the d20 System logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com. Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries and are used with permission.
This product is not published or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Introduction: Messing with Characters for Fun and Profit

The Book of Distinctions & Drawbacks is a character embellishment sourcebook that is, a set of character flaws and advantages for the d20 system that is designed to allow the customization of characters beyond the degree allowed by the combinations of race, class, and occupation alone.DMs thinking of using this book in planning their next campaign should be advised of two things:
Primary Flaws
This set of character flaws is meant to be as clearly and explicitly defined as possible. Their drawbacks are predominantly mechanical in nature. As a result, most of them require very little roleplaying mainte nance or obtrusive attention from the DM. Thus, they may generally be used the most freely and with the least amount of DM oversight.
1. The use of this book will add a layer of additional complexity to the character creation process.
One admirable feature of character creation in the d20 system is its swift and efficient checklist approach a character can be generated rel atively quickly just by rolling a few dice and making a few choices. There is usually little need to waste time balancing extreme minutiae; simply roll the bones and fill in a few blanks and youre done... unless you decide to use this book, too. If you do, you should also understand:
Secondary Flaws
These are flaws of personal inclination or flaws representing background difficulties. Although they can be just as debilitating as primary flaws, they tend to require continual roleplaying attention and/or a great deal of thought on the part of the DM. Without such attention, many secondary flaws will become nothing more than words on paper and will cease to penalize a character. DMs are cautioned to study them thoroughly before allowing their use.
Advantages 2. The use of this book will require a heightened degree of oversight on the part of the DM.
One of the rules of thumb of the d20 system is that a character can eventually have just about anything (trait, item, weapon, exotic class level, spell, etc.) the player wishes, though there will be a trade-off or a price for it. Many powers and abilities arent available until higher levels of experience; every feat or special ability selected carries a lost oppor tunity cost (as other feats or special abilities must be skipped); every racial bonus is countered by some sort of racial limitation. In short, there aint no such thing as a free lunch. The use of any flaw/compensation system, even the one presented in this book, will be viewed by some players (for reasons innocent or otherwise) as an excuse to strive for that nonexistent free lunch, by wringing maximum benefit from the least damaging or hindering set of choices possible. I have tried to make this as difficult as I could without turning the system utterly dreary and draconian. DMs, please remember that the first and only valid defense against that sort of system abuse is your own vigilance and oversight. Advantages are background benefits, material goods, and other awards or inheritances that can be of great use to a character. Unlike feats, which represent intrinsic qualities or trained abilities, advantages have nothing at all to do with the character himself and can be lost, stolen, or taken by a variety of means. Advantages are loosely divided into social, material, and special categories.
3.5 Revision Notes

Some flaws contain notes describing new or modified guidelines for use with the 3.5 revision of the d20 System; otherwise, you may assume that all text refers to the 3.0 version but need not be changed for use with 3.5.
Types of Embellishments
This book is all about embellishments, good or bad elements that help or hinder a character in a way not already addressed by existing character creation rules.
Selecting Flaws and Gaining Compensation

The simplest method of flaw use is this: A single flaw of any sort may be redeemed for either of the following at 1st level: - A single feat; or - Four additional skill points This method is meant to keep things extremely simple. As mentioned, one of the positive features (in our estimation) of the d20 character creation process is its relative lack of minute mathematical adjustments. All the flaws listed herein are designed to be more or less as bad as any other flaw, with the exception of a rare few that are so limiting that theyre worth two ordinary flaws. Flaws should generally be chosen and applied only at 1st level, before actual play begins. render flaws totally meaningless by the calculated purchase of magic items. Characters are quite free to seek out magical compensations for their handicaps as a campaign goes on, of course, but starting play with such compensations already in their hands is a bit contrary to the spirit of this system.
Variation: Flaws for Experience

If the DM sees fit, he may allow characters to gain XP in exchange for flaws. Players may therefore elect to create beginning-level characters with no handicaps, or somewhat more experienced characters with significant disadvantages. If used without much supervision or cooperation between players, this method can generate some very strange and unbalanced parties. DMs beware. Flaws Taken 1 2 3 4 5 6 XP Granted 750 1,500 2,250 3,000 3,750 4,500
Maximum Flaws Permitted

The default recommended limit is two flaws per character the fewer flaws a character possesses, the more contained will be any potential disruption to the balance of a d20 campaign. As flaws are heaped upon a character, not only does he gain compensatory feats, skill points, or advantages the amount of attention that must be paid to those flaws by the DM and the player alike increases. A character with one or two flaws is interesting; a character with eight or nine is a disaster waiting to happen. However, if the DM sees fit, a campaign may allow a higher maximum number of flaws per character: Flaw Maximum Conservative Controlled Generous Very Generous Number Permitted 2 3 4 5-6
It is strongly recommended that characters be allowed to take more than 6 flaws (or the equivalent) only in games of an experimental or oneshot nature. Too many flaws, no matter how finely-balanced and delicately played, can turn an ongoing d20 campaign silly in a variety of ways. When creating characters higher than 1st level, this system may still be used in a rewarding fashion, but the DM should watch out for attempts to
Primary Flaws
Flaw Albinism Animal Antipathy Bad Shot Blindness Butterfingers Climate Aversion Clumsy Deaf Dull Reflexes Easily Slain Easily Winded Flinching Fragile Glass Jaw Guileless Gullible Hobbled Ill-Educated Impaired Vision Impaired Voice Impatient Inattentive Inflexible Light-Headed Loathed Adversaries Lummox Magic Vulnerability Middle-Aged Nervous Oafish Obese Old Injury Old Injury (II) One-Handed Poor Fighter Predictable Fighter Psionic Vulnerability* Pug Ugly Slow Healing Slow-Moving Slow-Witted Specific Magic Vulnerability Unathletic Brief Description of Impairment Character suffers from a rare lack of skin and hair pigmentation Animals dislike the character rather intensely Dex modifier is not added to character s Ranged Attack Bonus Character cannot see at all, nor may his sight be restored Character is seriously lacking in manual dexterity. Character is extremely uncomfortable in either cold or hot climates Dex modifier is not added to character s base Armor Class Character suffers standard penalties for deafness -2 to all of character s Reflex Saves Character doesnt cling to life as tenaciously as most do Character lacks the endurance for long-duration physical activities Character suffers a limit upon his attacks of opportunity -2 to all of character s Fortitude Saves Too much subdual damage knocks character out cold Character lacks a substantial amount of wit and social perception. Character is far too credulous for his own good. Character may not run or charge Character receives fewer skill points at 1st level Character is not blind, but his vision troubles him. Character has suffered permanent damage to his vocal chords Character may never take 10 or 20 on a skill check -2 to Listen, Search, and Spot checks -2 to Escape Artist, Jump, and Tumble checks Character suffers increased effects from stun and sleep attacks Character is unable to deal with certain varieties of monster Str modifier is not added to character s Melee Attack Bonus -2 to all saving throws vs. spells and spell-like effects Character is older than most beginning adventurers -4 penalty to Will Saves vs. fear, horror, and demoralization -2 to all Hide, Jump, and Move Silently checks Character could stand to shed a few dozen pounds. Character suffers ability damage from critical hits Character suffers increased damage from critical hits Character s off hand is entirely missing Character s fighting ability is obviously sub-par. Character cannot charge, fight defensively, or aid another -2 to all saving throws vs. psionic abilities and effects Character has a face like week-dead roadkill. Character s rate of hit point recovery is diminished -10 feet to character s base speed -4 to character s Initiative checks Character is exceptionally vulnerable to spells of a single school -2 to Climb, Jump, and Swim checks
Uncoordinated Unexceptional Unhealthy Unlucky Weak Constitution Weak-Willed
Character is seriously lacking in agility Character s maximum number of skill ranks is decreased Doubled fatigue penalties and diminished carrying capacity Bad things happen when character rolls a natural 1 Character is unusually vulnerable to poisons and diseases -2 to all of character s Will Saves
Secondary Flaws
Flaw Aggressive Binding Honor Code Blasphemous Boastful Cold Fish Cowardly Dark Desire Debt of Honor Delusional Drunkard Duty-Bound Enemy/Hunted Estranged Explosive Temper Grandiloquent Greed Haunted Humorless Inconvenient Oath Inferiority Complex Intolerant Lecherous Lone Wolf Macho/Spartan Melancholy Miser Monetary Debt Nightmares Outlawed Overconfident Phobia Poor Reputation Provincial Risk-Addicted Tongue-Tied Brief Description of Impairment Character trusts his sword too much and his wits too little Character is sworn to live his life by a strict code of behavior Character is openly disdainful of the gods and their servants Character is a compulsive exaggerator and often an outright liar Character is markedly stiff, emotionless, and aloof Character values his skin much more than he values his dignity Character secretly years for vast cosmic power at any price Character owes favors to a powerful NPC and must repay them Character experiences hallucinations at regular intervals Character would live in the bottom of a bottle if he liked booze any more Character is compelled to serve an NPC at occasional intervals At some point in his travels, character has acquired a bitter foe Character is emotionally alienated from his family and society Character blows his top with a frightening lack of control Character is pompous, overly formal, domineering, and melodramatic Character covets material possessions with an unhealthy lack of caution Character suffers the attentions of a poltergeist Character is utterly without the slightest comprehension of humor Character has sworn to never do something very, very useful Character is a show-off, overly sensitive about any perceived mistreatment Character has an extremely regrettable streak of racial prejudice Character chases his compatible sex with single-minded zeal Character dislikes working in a group and is a grating, divisive presence Character laughs at displays of weakness and shuns all creature comforts Character is brooding, introspective, and morbid Character is obsessed with hoarding the treasured he has accumulated Character owes a small fortune to a powerful NPC Character suffers from recurring bouts of sleep-destroying visions Character has been branded a criminal in a large, patrolled area Character doesnt seem to realize that he s not invincible Some common situation or encounter gives the character quite a fright Character is reviled and disparaged by quite a few people Character is a hick, even by the standards of the standard fantasy world Character loves to consign his fate to the hands of Lady Luck Character is shy and socially unpolished
Vain/Dandy Vindictive Ward
Character is image-obsessed, and possibly foppish or a clotheshorse Character has a revenge complex and cannot forgive any slight or injury Character must protect and care for a relatively helpless NPC
*This flaw may only be selected in campaigns where psionics are a fairly common hazard
Flaw Descriptions
PRIMARY FLAWS ALBINISM
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character suffers from an inherited condition that lowers the amount of pigmentation in his skin and hair, making them anywhere from merely pale to snowy white. Drawback: Your character suffers a -4 circumstance penalty to Disguise checks due to the difficulty of concealing his condition. He also suffers an inherent -1 penalty to Search and Spot checks, as albinism inevitably causes complications in the eyes. If your character suffers lengthy exposure (12 hours or more) to tropical sunlight with little or no protection, he must make a Fort Save (DC 18) or suffer painful burns across the exposed areas of his body. These burns will cause the temporary loss of 1d4 points of Dexterity, which will return at the usual rate with rest and care.
Attack, or Spirited Charge. Furthermore, he may not possess any feat which grants any sort of bonus or benefit where animals are concerned, save fighting or killing them.
BAD SHOT
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is either woefully unpracticed or naturally handicapped when it comes to the use of ranged weapons. Drawback: Your character s positive Dexterity modifier is not applied to his Base Attack Bonus whenever he uses a ranged or thrown weapon. Limitation: This flaw may only be applied to characters with a Dexterity score of 12 or higher. If at any time the character s Dexterity falls permanently beneath 12, apply a -2 penalty to all ranged attack rolls instead.
BLINDNESS
[ Primary Flaw Worth Two Flaws ]
Your character s eyes do not function at all, and magical healing is incapable of reversing the condition. Drawback: In addition to the obvious effects of blindness, your character suffers a 50% miss chance in combat, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, grants a +2 bonus to opponents attack rolls, moves at half speed, and suffers a -4 penalty on most Dexterity and Strength-based skill checks, at the DM s discretion. Limitation: This flaw cannot be applied to a character that makes natural use of Blindsight or any other power that effectively replaces the visual sense.
ANIMAL ANTIPATHY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Although your character can make limited use of pack and riding animals, neither they nor their wild counterparts have any affection for him. Drawback: Your character suffers a -2 penalty to all Animal Empathy, Handle Animal, and Ride checks. Those skills will be forever considered cross-class should he wish to improve them. 3.5 Revision: Your character suffers a -3 penalty to all Handle Animal and Ride checks. Those skills will be forever considered cross-class should he wish to improve them. Limitation: A character with this flaw may not possess any of the following feats: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Trample, Ride-By
BUTTERFINGERS
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character tends to fumble and slip when he grasps at objects in moments of stress. Drawback: Unsheathing a weapon and retrieving/stowing an item from
a pack are both treated as full-round actions for your character. Your character suffers a -1 penalty to Pick Pockets checks. 3.5 Revision: As above, save that the penalty is applied to the Sleight of Hand skill. Special: This flaw is incompatible with the Quick Draw feat.
DEAF
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is stone deaf (whether thanks to birth or misfortune), and magical healing is incapable of reversing the condition. Drawback: Your character automatically fails any Listen check, suffers a -4 penalty to Initiative, and has a 20% chance to miscast any spell with a verbal (V) component. Nothing less than a full Wish spell can restore your character s hearing. Limitation: This flaw may only be applied to characters without a natural power or ability that effectively replaces the sense of hearing. A deaf character may not possess the Blindsight power.
CLIMATE AVERSION
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character s body has a hard time adjusting to the rigors of either very hot or very cold climates. Drawback: If your character is averse to cold climates, he suffers a -2 penalty to all saving throws and skill checks in temperatures at or below the freezing point of water. He also suffers an inherent -2 penalty to saving throws made against cold-based magic or area effects. Cold-weather clothing alone cannot negate this flaw; it can only prevent the character from actually freezing to death. Hell still be miserable. If your character is averse to hot climates, he suffers a -2 penalty to all saving throws and skill checks in tropical or desert conditions (or in artificial conditions of extreme heat, such as steam baths). He also suffers an inherent -2 penalty to saving throws made against heat-based magic or area effects. Special: A character may possess both types of climate aversion, meaning that he will be comfortable only in relatively temperate climates. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken by a character with any sort of intrinsic resistance to the range of temperatures he is supposed to be averse to. For example, a PC fire mephit or magmin could hardly be expected to have an aversion to tropical or desert heat.
DULL REFLEXES
[ Primary Flaw]
Your character isnt as fast as he could or should be when attempting to dodge incoming disaster. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to his Reflex saving throw. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Lightning Reflexes feat, as the two cancel each other out entirely. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission.
EASILY SLAIN
[ Primary Flaw]
Your character s will to live is weaker than usual, and when seriously injured his natural inclination is to give up the ghost rather than fight to stay alive. Drawback: Your character dies at -5 hit points rather than at -10 hit points. Furthermore, he suffers a -2 penalty to any Fort Save made to avoid instant death (as from massive damage, for example). Limitation: This flaw may not be applied to characters with regeneration or fast healing as natural powers. 3.5 Revision: This flaw is incompatible with the Diehard feat.
CLUMSY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character s defensive footwork needs a great deal of polish. His opponents find him somehow quite hittable. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to his Armor Class rating. Furthermore, if your character wears armor of any sort, his Armor Check Penalty is increased by -1. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
EASILY WINDED
[ Primary Flaw]
Your character s ability to engage in lengthy bouts of physical activity is somewhat limited. Drawback: Your character suffers a -4 penalty to all skill checks or saves made to reflect exertion over an extended length of time. Furthermore, when holding his breath, he is treated as though his Constitution score were 4 points lower than it really is. 3.5 Revision: Your character suffers a -4 penalty on the following specific checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage, Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to hold your breath, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments, and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Endurance feat.
GLASS JAW
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character tends to wobble and swoon when an opponent lands a solid blow to his head or chin. Drawback: When an opponent scores a successful critical hit against your character with an unarmed attack or a bludgeoning weapon, your character must make a Fort Save, [DC 10 + points of damage taken], or become stunned for 1d4+1 rounds. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken by a character naturally immune to critical hits.
GUILELESS
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is somewhat deficient in shrewdness and social awareness. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to all Bluff, Innuendo, and Sense Motive checks. 3.5 Revision: Your character suffers a -2 penalty to Diplomacy checks rather than Innuendo checks.
FLINCHING
[ Primary Flaw]
Your character tends to flinch and hesitate when opponents press close in combat, meaning that his attacks of opportunity are poorly directed. Drawback: When an opponent triggers an attack of opportunity within the area threatened by your character, your character suffers a -4 penalty to his attack roll.
GULLIBLE
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is far too credulous not only does he tend to swallow lies, exaggerations, and tall tales put forth by others, he does so with enthusiasm. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -3 penalty to all Bluff checks and Sense Motive checks. It s against his nature to challenge the word of others except when he has direct proof that theyre wrong, and his friends and allies will have many occasions to swat their foreheads in embarrassment at his gullibility.
FRAGILE
[ Primary Flaw]
Your character suffers from a certain exceptional lack of vitality. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to his Fortitude saving throw. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Great Fortitude feat, as the two cancel each other out entirely. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
HOBBLED
[ Primary Flaw ]
Although he does not show it when moving at an ordinary rate of speed, your character has suffered permanent knee or ankle damage, well beyond the ability of magical healing to correct. Drawback: Your character may not run, overrun, or charge. He may still take a double move, though his curious skipping gait when he does
so will immediately betray his condition. Limitation: Your character may not take the Improved Bull Rush feat or the Run feat. 3.5 Revision: This feat is also incompatible with the Improved Overrun feat.
circumstance penalty.
IMPATIENT
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is notoriously incapable of focusing his attention long and hard enough to accomplish tasks requiring great dedication. Drawback: Your character may never take 10 check. or take 20 on any skill
ILL-EDUCATED
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character might be bright, enthusiastic, and talented, but his formal training is sadly lacking. Drawback: At 1st level, your character suffers the loss of 4 skill points. All Knowledge skills are thereafter treated as cross-class skills should he wish to place ranks in any of them. Limitation: Although this flaw could be exchanged for four bonus skill points, why would anyone ever do that?
INATTENTIVE
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is frequently oblivious to the fine details of what s happening all around him. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to Listen, Search, and Spot checks. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Blindness flaw (page 7). If taken in conjunction with the Deafness flaw (page 8), the character suffers no penalty to Listen checks (since he cant perform them anyway) and a -3 penalty to Search and Spot checks. There is little point in taking this flaw in conjunction with the Alertness feat.
IMPAIRED VISION
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character isnt completely blind, but his vision is a constant source of trouble to him. Magical healing will not suffice to alleviate this condition. Drawback: The character suffers a -1 penalty to all attack rolls and also suffers a -2 penalty on all Spot and Search checks. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Blindness flaw (page 7). Blindness is so total that the effects of this flaw would be superfluous.
INFLEXIBLE
[ Primary Flaw ]
Whether it s due to age, an old injury, or simple lack of exercise, your character isnt as lithe and nimble as he really should be. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to Balance, Escape Artist, Jump, and Tumble checks.
IMPAIRED VOICE
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character has suffered extensive damage to his vocal cords, via injury or disease. Magical healing cannot correct this condition. Drawback: Your character is unable to talk above a harsh whisper and cannot shout or sing. This should be role-played at all times. Your character suffers a 25% chance of spell failure when casting any arcane spell with a verbal component, save when that spell has been prepared with the Silent Spell metamagic feat. Any Perform check involving a verbal element (save for singing, which is already totally precluded) suffers a -4
LIGHT-HEADED
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character has serious trouble remaining steady on his feet when subjected to a stunning attack or a knockout effect. Drawback: When your character would normally become staggered due to the accrual of subdual damage, he instead falls unconscious. When he suffers a successful stun attack, he must make a Fort Save (DC 13) or instead fall unconscious for the appropriate number of rounds. Your character suffers a -2 penalty to all saves vs. sleep-inducing spells, magical effects, and drugs.
10
Special: If this flaw is taken by an elf, it removes his immunity to sleep spells and effects, but does not grant a further -2 penalty to saving throws.
MAGIC VULNERABILITY [ Primary Flaw ]

Your character is unusually vulnerable to the deleterious effects of hostile magic. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to all saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
LOATHED ADVERSARIES
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character finds certain types of monstrous creatures so gruesome or frightening that he has difficulty confronting them. Drawback: Select one of the following types of creature. Against all creatures of that chosen type, your character suffers a -2 morale penalty to all attack rolls and spellcaster level checks. Furthermore, the chosen creatures gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all attack rolls made against your character. The allowable choices are: -Aberrations -Aquatic creatures -Beasts -Dragons -Elementals -Giants -Humanoids -Magical Beasts -Monstrous Humanoids -Plants -Undead -Vermin
MIDDLE-AGED
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is quite a bit older than usual as he first steps out the door and into his adventuring career. Drawback: Your character is just entering middle age. Calculate his current age by adding 1d6 years to the minimum age listed for his species under Middle Age. Subtract 1 from his Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores and add 1 to his Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores.
NERVOUS
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character has some difficulty dealing with the horrors of battle, dark magic, and supernatural manifestations. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -4 penalty to Will Saves made to resist fear, horror, shock, or demoralization. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
LUMMOX
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character s firm muscles are a testament to his physical strength, but he s never really learned how to control that strength when swinging a weapon. Drawback: Your character s positive Strength modifier is not applied to his Base Attack Bonus whenever he uses a melee weapon or makes an unarmed attack. Limitation: This flaw may only be applied to characters with a Strength score of 12 or higher. If at any time the character s Strength falls permanently beneath 12, apply a -2 penalty to all melee attack rolls instead.
OAFISH
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is about as light on his feet as a sleepy owlbear. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to all Hide, Jump, and Move Silently checks.
11
OBESE
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is substantially overweight. Although his mother might
insist that he s just stocky, she s wrong. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -1 penalty to his Armor Class rating, as he has difficulty moving nimbly when he needs to. Furthermore, he cannot wear most armor and clothing found in the course of an adventure without having it taken to a craftsman to be adjusted to his size first. Lastly, he suffers a -4 penalty to Disguise checks because his corpulence is a rather memorable trait. On the positive side, he does gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all Swim checks.
shield with that hand, save a buckler which can be strapped to his forearm; - Your character may not wear rings or bracelets on his off hand. Magical items in the form of gloves or gauntlets may not be used if both must be worn to achieve the magical effect; - Your character suffers a -2 circumstance penalty to all Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Open Lock, and Use Rope checks; and -Your character may not use ordinary bows, although he may load and fire crossbows as per normal. Limitation: Your character may not possess the following feats: Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, or Improved Two-Weapon Fighting. Your character may not have a Weapon Focus or a Weapon Specialization for any two-handed weapon. 3.5 Revision: Your character may not possess the Greater TwoWeapon Fighting feat. Special: The DM may see fit to assign penalties to actions not described here if the lack of an off-hand could be reasonably determined to hinder those actions.
OLD INJURY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character suffers from an old wound, long healed on the surface but ready to flare up again when aggravated by new injuries. Drawback: Whenever your character sustains a successful critical hit, he suffers a -1 penalty to both Strength and Dexterity. These lost ability points must be recovered at the ordinary rate, with rest and care. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken by a character with the natural ability to rapidly regenerate lost ability points, nor by a character naturally immune to ability point loss or critical hits.
OLD INJURY (II)

[ Primary Flaw ]
This is another form of old injury. Drawback: Whenever your character sustains a successful critical hit, the damage multiplier of that critical hit increases by 1 (x2 becomes x3, x3 becomes x4, and so forth). Special: This flaw may be taken in conjunction with Old Injury. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken by a character naturally immune to critical hits.
POOR FIGHTER
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character, whether because of a lack of training, natural ability, or simple enthusiasm, does not fight as skillfully as he should. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -1 penalty to all attack rolls. Limitation: With the DM s explicit permission, this flaw may be taken twice. Its effects are cumulative.
ONE-HANDED
[ Primary Flaw Worth Two Flaws ]
Your character s off hand was completely severed from his wrist, leaving him with nothing but a rounded and useless stump. Drawback: This flaw has a variety of effects: -Your character cannot wield a weapon in his off-hand, nor use any
PREDICTABLE FIGHTER
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character fights in a woefully limited and straightforward fashion. Drawback: Your character is incapable of using the full defense, aid another, trip, or disarm actions in combat. Limitation: Your character cannot possess the Expertise feat or any feat requiring it as a prerequisite.
12
3.5 Revision: Your character cannot possess the Combat Expertise feat or any feat requiring it as a prerequisite.
Drawback: Your character s base Speed is reduced by 10 feet.
PSIONIC VULNERABILITY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is unusually vulnerable to the deleterious effects of hostile psionic powers. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to all saving throws against psionic powers and effects. Limitation: This flaw may only be taken by characters in campaigns where psionic abilities will be encountered relatively frequently. Special: This flaw may be taken multiple times, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
SLOW-WITTED
[ Primary Flaw ]
When danger looms, your character is slower to react than those around him. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -4 penalty to his Initiative checks. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Improved Initiative feat, as the two will simply cancel each other out. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
PUG UGLY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Although his friends would probably be quick to point out that he has a sparkling personality, your character s face looks like someone put it on an anvil and tried to beat it into a wall decoration. Drawback: Your character suffers a -4 penalty to all Diplomacy and Disguise checks. At the DM s discretion, his appearance may alarm or upset NPC strangers, creating tension or complication where none would otherwise exist.
SPECIFIC MAGIC VULNERABILITY

[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is extremely vulnerable to the effects of one specific school of magic. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -4 penalty to all saving throws against spells and spell-like effects from one of the following schools of magic: -Enchantment -Evocation -Illusionism -Necromancy -Transformation Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. If taken again, it is applied to a second school. Its effects are cumulative with the penalty inflicted by the Magic Vulnerability flaw (page 11).
SLOW HEALING
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character finds that recovery from serious injury is a slow and aggravating process. Drawback: Your character recovers 1 hit point per day of rest per two character levels (or fraction thereof). If he receives complete bed rest, he recovers 1 hit point per day of rest. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken by any character for whom fast healing is a natural condition.
UNATHLETIC
[ Primary Flaw ]
Whether your character is out of shape, aging, or just disinclined to throw himself around is up to you. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to Climb, Jump, and Swim checks.
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SLOW-MOVING
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character is something of a laggard, forever unable to keep up with others when forced to rely on his feet for transportation.
UNCOORDINATED
[ Primary Flaw ]
Right foot in front of left foot, then repeat is about the most compli cated action your poor, clumsy character can undertake without trouble. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to Balance, Ride, and Tumble checks. Any Perform check involving dexterous moment (dancing or juggling, for example) also suffers a -2 circumstance penalty.
WEAK CONSTITUTION
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character lacks resistance to pathogens and harmful substances. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to all saving throws made to resist poisons, drugs, and diseases. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
UNEXCEPTIONAL
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character displays no particular brilliance or excellence in any of his abilities. Drawback: Your character may never have any natural ability score higher than 13. He may place a maximum number of ranks in any class skill equal to his current level +1. Cross-class skills may be given no more ranks than his current level.
WEAK-WILLED
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character lacks the mental fortitude one might wish to have before venturing out into a world full of giant monsters, supernatural horrors, and bizarre enchantments. Drawback: Your character suffers an inherent -2 penalty to his Will saving throw. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Iron Will feat, as the two cancel each other out entirely. Special: This flaw may be taken twice, with the DM s permission. Its effects are cumulative.
UNHEALTHY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character suffers from a variety of physical ailments that could be the result of age, injury, disease, or even plain old hypochondria. Drawback: All numerical fatigue penalties (to Strength and Dexterity) are doubled for your character. His allowed light load is decreased by 10 pounds, his medium load is decreased by 20 pounds, and his maximum load is decreased by 30 pounds. He suffers an inherent -1 penalty to all saving throws against poison and disease.
SECONDARY FLAWS
Secondary flaws are divided into two types: Personality Conflict flaws, which arise from your character s psyche or nature, and External Trouble flaws, which deal with forces or events in the world around the characters.
UNLUCKY
[ Primary Flaw ]
Your character might not be fortune s fool, but he s almost certainly fortune s rubber chew toy. Drawback: Any time your character rolls a natural 1 on a skill check, that skill check fails in the most picturesque and potentially complicating fashion possible, at the DM s fiendish discretion. Whenever your character rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll, he drops the weapon he used to make that attack roll. If he is incapable of dropping the weapon (for example, if it is clenched inside a locked gauntlet), he will instead injure himself for 1d4 hit points.
AGGRESSIVE
[ Secondary Flaw: Personality Conflict ]
Your character is impulsive and belligerent, favoring threats and combat over all other means of problem-solving. Drawback: Your character tends to strike first and think later; he assumes hostility on the part of strangers and unknown beings, and he believes that they are logically expecting hostility in return. He knows no means of negotiation save threats and demands, and he responds poorly to anything less in turn. Your character is not necessarily murderous his friends and allies can talk him out of foolish courses of action, but they
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had best do so with extreme swiftness, or your character will pull steel and lead the way to glorious chaos! Special: Your character suffers a variable circumstance penalty to any Diplomacy check made against any character used to more civilized methods of persuasion than overt threats and warlike banter. Limitation: This flaw may not be combined with the Cowardly flaw.
-Never back down or flee from any fight in a righteous cause; die willingly and honorably in a futile fight before turning your back to evil; -Never speak anything against the honor of a lady, and never question the word of a nobleman or woman save when you have clear and direct proof of wrongdoing; at all other times bite your tongue and be humble; -Never show disrespect to your god(s), or to the servants of those gods; -Be generous and charitable; do not hoard what has come to you. Share everything you have with those in need. -Never break a promise to anyone, living or dead; die before forsaking your sworn oath. Limitation: This flaw may be incompatible with a variety of flaws based upon the specific code selected. DMs should pay careful attention to flaws selected in concert with Binding Honor Code.
BINDING HONOR CODE

Your character is sworn (before the god or gods he holds dear) to hold to a system of personal honor that precludes certain forms of behavior. Your character would sooner die than violate this code. Drawback: Two sample codes of honor are provided below. Players and DMs are free to define new ones. The only requirement of the code is that it firmly constrain character behavior in several respects this places the character at a disadvantage in certain situations by removing the choices left available to characters not bound by a code of honor. All characters possessing such a binding code should shun, abhor, or openly seek the death of those that swore to the same code and then broke it. Vindictive/Criminal Code of Honor -Never go to the authorities when you have been wronged by another; never inform the authorities of wrongdoing by another. Personal insults and affronts must be settled personally to ask someone in power to protect or compensate you is unworthy and cowardly; -Justice must be of an equal measure to the crime; injury for injury, theft for theft, death for death. A direct personal insult (to one s manhood, womanhood, or sense of honor) must be met with a duel or with murder if a duel is not accepted; -Never, under any circumstances, forgive any insult or injury on anyone s terms but your own, after full satisfaction has been achieved. The sole exception is when you are forced to extend forgiveness by a figure in authority over you; and -Never betray a close friend; Never reveal information to anyone that would be harmful to a friend; In turn, never forgive a betrayal by a former friend. Chivalrous Code of Honor -Never lie for any reason to do so is an affront in the eyes of the gods;
BLASPHEMOUS
Your character doesnt take the gods or their power seriously at all he makes them the butt of jokes, and he finds their servants misguided at best or contemptible at worst. Drawback: Your character has no faith, or has lost that faith through a series of misfortunes. He trusts no god and has a hard time trusting any god s servant. He curses loudly and frequently, abusing the name of any god that springs to mind. Indeed, discovering new ways to take the names of a god or gods in vain is one of his favorite means of passing the time. Special: There is a 25% chance that any beneficial divine spell cast on your character will fail to work. There is also a chance (at the DM s discretion) that blasphemy on the part of your character in places of holy or unholy power may result in some misfortune. Nothing so obvious as lightning bolts from the sky, but some subtle or annoying setback that will cause your character grief. Curiously, this continued affirmation of the gods power only makes your character more annoyed with them. Lastly, as you might expect, your character gets along less than famously with most priests and clerics.
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BOASTFUL
Your character is full of hot air concerning everything about himself, his
deeds, his horse, his drinking capacity, his skills at fishing and carpentry, the important people he knows, his personal weapons, his romantic conquests, his close friends, and his aspirations in life. Drawback: Your character cannot discuss himself or his friends without embellishing the facts and exaggerating the details. Unlike most veteran soldiers and ale-house regulars, he doesnt regard this behavior as a playful sort of game he s a compulsive liar with some personal deficiency or thirst for attention. He cannot bear to be upstaged, and will exaggerate his stories to the point that demands will usually be made for him to prove his claims. Your character can no more back gracefully down from such a challenge, even a foolish one, than he can cease telling stories in the first place. Special: If your character must bite his tongue when discretion is obviously called for, he may attempt a Will Save (DC set by the DM, moderate difficulty) to do so. If he must bite his tongue as a matter of life or death, he can swallow his pride for a short while without a Will Save.
COWARDLY
Your character has an excessive fear of personal injury, death, failure and abandonment. He is not inclined to take risks, hates to enter a dangerous situation before others, and will often engage in pitiful displays of cowardice that would shame a character made of sterner stuff. Drawback: Your character will frequently attempt to maneuver himself physically to place others between himself and danger. He has very little shame about cringing displays of cowardice. While he wont completely abandon close friends in need, he certainly wont step boldly forward to risk his neck on their behalf. Hell do the minimum necessary (fleeing with an unconscious friend over his shoulder, for example, as opposed to fighting the monster that knocked the friend unconscious). Whenever possible, he will fight in the least honorable and risky way imaginable, taking cover or using potent magical weapons even if such actions arent strictly necessary. Special: This flaw exerts a powerful pull on your character s actions. It may be combined with other personality conflict flaws, provided that when one cancels out the other the character will still suffer some penalty. For example, a cowardly character would never imagine leaping into a freezing river to save a drowning pack animal. However, a cowardly miser would do so in an instant if that pack animal carried his bags of treasure, exposing himself to extreme risk without thought of his usual cowardice. While the character s cowardice is temporarily subsumed, his behavior could by no means be termed healthy. Limitation: This flaw may not be combined with the Aggressive flaw, nor may a Cowardly character be Overconfident or Risk-Addicted.
COLD FISH
Your character is an unusually taciturn and emotionless person. He has no interest in sports, wagers or amusements (save those of the quietest and most cerebral sort). He has little flair for personal interaction and seems decidedly uncomfortable around celebrants, drunkards, children, attractive members of the opposite sex, and open displays of emotion. Drawback: Your character isnt necessarily condescending or disdain ful about the habits of other people. He s just far removed from any ability to appreciate those habits. Imagine him as an alien presence, forever trying to comprehend what s going on around him and forever failing. Frequently, it s more comfortable for him to withdraw from contact with others than to tolerate exuberance, rashness, relaxation, and camaraderie. Although he may value others, he has few ways of expressing this value. He gives praise only rarely and matter-of-factly, because he does not grasp that others might enjoy it. His emotional displays are generally limited to anger and its near-cousins. Special: At the DM s discretion, your character may suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to certain Charisma-based skill checks made against strangers or new acquaintances. Special: If your character has the Leadership feat, he does not add his positive Charisma modifier (if any) to the Leadership check total.
DARK DESIRE
Your character s innermost desire is to possess some unimaginably powerful or evil thing, or to transcend his mortal condition by ascending to a higher level in the celestial scheme of things... perhaps even by becoming a god. Drawback: This is not an idle fascination of your character it is the core of his very existence, a black secret that he shares with no one. At all times, your character is pondering, scheming, seeking information, and carefully moving himself in what he believes to be the proper direction for his goal. He will seek out forbidden and dangerous tomes of magic lore, quest after artifacts and treasures that have driven others insane, and enter into bargains with any supernatural being that can
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advance his cause or lead him to the next step in his grand plan. Although your character is infinitely patient, at the very end of his quest, when the goal is in sight, there is no betrayal he will not make and no bond he will not forsake to grasp what he has always desired. Special: If your character attains his dark desire, it wont happen after a month or two of adventuring. It will happen after years, or, more likely, decades. The attainment of a dark desire will almost certainly turn your character into an antagonistic NPC under the DM s control, so it is essential for full dramatic impact that this flaw be kept as utterly secret as possible.
your character will believe to be utterly real. Most of these delusions will fall apart when examined and refuted by other party members, but there should always be some tension about each incident. Is your character merely hallucinating again, or is there really a shadowy figure following the party through the forest? Special: No form of magical healing or protection against illusions will suffice to remove these delusions. They originate deep within your character s mind for reasons appropriate to his background.
DRUNKARD
It would be something of an understatement to say that your character likes his booze. The pursuit and intake of alcoholic beverages is one of the motivating factors at the root of your character s existence. Drawback: Whenever your character has an opportunity to get a drink or five, he must make a Will Save (DC 20, at minimum) to pass it up, save in a life or death situation. Whenever your character has an opportunity to purchase a great deal of alcohol (at an inn, for example), he must make a similar Will Save to avoid drinking to the point of near-incapacity. Although his tolerance for alcohol is monumental, a monumental quality of frothy liquid can still get him roaring drunk. Special: The DM may assume that a bender will cost the character 1d6+1 SP for every point of positive Constitution modifier he possesses (for example, a character with a Con score of 14 (+2) will drink up 2d6+2 SP on his way to inebriation). If the character is a dwarf, change each d6 to a d10. A roaring drunk character suffers a -4 circumstance penalty to all Dexterity-related skill checks, a -1 penalty to all attack rolls, and a -1 penalty to AC. These penalties will last until the character gets eight full hours of sleep (or absolute rest, if he doesnt sleep). If a character has no positive Con modifier, just assume that a bender will cost 1d6+1 SP. Special: On the trail or in a dungeon, your character feels no need to get roaring drunk, and will generally content himself by consuming small and regular amounts of wine or hard liquor.
DEBT OF HONOR
[ Secondary Flaw: External Trouble ]
Your owes a debt to a powerful NPC, and that debt is to be repaid with service rather than with goods or gold. Drawback: Over the course of the unfolding campaign, your character will be called upon to perform three substantial services for an NPC. These services will test the character s abilities and will contain assorted challenges and dangers. If your character fails to heed the call when his services are requested, something unfortunate will happen to him he will be branded an oath-breaker or outcast, and will very likely be targeted for violence by the character he has spurned. The nature of the NPC (crime boss, eccentric wizard, reclusive noble, etc.) should be such that he feels no real emotional connection to your character. Your character will therefore have no idea how much of a risk he is facing when he undertakes each service. The nature of each service will also probably be contrived to minimize potential reward for your character, especially when the NPC wants something of value retrieved or an enemy wiped out. These missions are duties to be discharged, not opportunities for glory and treasure. Special: The NPC wont mind at all if other characters accompany yours out of friendship or duty, but he wont of fer them a single copper piece of compensation for their time and effort.
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DELUSIONAL
Your character suffers from occasional audiovisual hallucinations, sometimes imagining events or situations that arent actually real. Drawback: From time to time the DM will feed you a description (without telling you that it s delusional, of course) of an event or encounter that
DUTY-BOUND
Your character is bound by a formal oath of service to an NPC. Drawback: Compare and contrast this flaw with Debt of Honor (above and at left). Your character serves an NPC that does have an emotional tie to him and wont risk him heedlessly , but your character s term of serv-
ice to that NPC is indefinite. For as long as that NPC lives, your character may be summoned to perform tasks for him. Your character will have to leave information on his whereabouts with that NPC, and will be required to ask permission of that NPC before undertaking missions or quests that will take him far away for lengthy periods of time. Special: The NPC can and will attempt to be considerate of your character s adventuring career, if your character has one, but it bears remembering at all times that your character serves the NPC on his solemn oath, and cannot break that oath without suffering dire consequences.
near them, even when circumstances seem to require it. A good DM will weave this estrangement throughout an ongoing campaign, ensuring that it rears its head from time to time to turn some satisfaction or new happiness into ashes in your character s mouth. Special: While reconciliation is not impossible, it will only come at the end of a long effort by both sides-- an effort that the other side may not be willing to make even if your character is.
EXPLOSIVE TEMPER
When your character gets angry, he erupts losing control over his words and actions, and often making impulsive, heated decisions that he will later have cause to regret. Drawback: When something happens to make your character angry, he must succeed at a Will Save (DC set by the DM based on circumstances, ranging from moderate to near-impossible) to avoid flying completely off the handle. While he s bad enough when he makes that save, he s a terror when he fails it. He will kick objects, throw things, threaten his friends and allies, disorder everything around him, start fights, and throw himself heedlessly into potentially foolish combat. After a temper tantrum has spent itself, your character will generally sulk, making himself miserable company for an hour or two. Special: This differs from the Aggressive flaw in that your character might not even want to be a terribly violent person. His bouts of rage might be accurately described as incidents of possession his temper consumes him, and he doesnt particularly enjoy it, but it happens nonetheless.
ENEMY/HUNTED
Your character has made a personal enemy with a reasonable degree of power. This enemy should not simply be against your character s race, nation, or sworn cause he is after your character specifically and will never forget the enmity that exists between them. Drawback: The DM has a great deal of leeway in the construction of this NPC. At a minimum, the NPC will have class levels (or power equivalent to class levels) equal to that of your character, and will gain experience roughly as fast as your character does. If the enemy makes frequent appearances in your character s life, the DM may leave him as is. If the enemy makes infrequent appearances, the DM should give him a bit more power to make those appearances more disruptive. The contest between your character and his enemy will only end in the death (or an equally final fate) of one of them, after a series of harrowing encounters. Special: Hunted is an alternate version of the enemy flaw. If your character is Hunted, some external force seeks him for a pressing reason, but doesnt necessarily want to kill him. In fact, they might need him intact. Perhaps your character was forced into an arranged royal marriage, for example, and now flees just a few steps ahead of the agents of both his family and his would-be spouse s family.
GRANDILOQUENT
Your character is a staggeringly pompous, affected, and formal individual. Drawback: Your character always speaks and acts as though he owns the location he s in and is simultaneously dispatching the will of the highest and most puissant gods. Saying good morning to someone is a fivesentence affair, while cursing an enemy will cause most nearby listeners to wish they lived in a world where the Thesaurus had been invented so they could follow what was being said. While your character might mean well and be a perfectly lovely person, he speaks and acts in a fashion that, while perfectly natural to him, is either ludicrous or grating to almost everyone else.
ESTRANGED
Your character is cut off from both his family and the society that reared him, not by formal outcasting or rule of law, but by emotional conflicts that are too painful for either side to even confront, much less set aside. Drawback: Your character carries a great weight of mixed frustration and regret about this situation, and will spend much of his time contemplating it, often at the expense of good humor or good fellowship. He will get no aid from his family or his society; indeed, he will be reluctant to go
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Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Provincial flaw.
ty to slip through with him.
GREED
While most heroic adventurers enjoy the rewards of their quests and missions, your character covets new material possessions to an extremely unhealthy degree. Drawback: The lure of wealth or treasure seems to draw a curtain down over your character s better judgment. In the presence of treasures, art objects, gems, coins, or other riches ripe for the plucking, your character throws caution to the wind and disregards warnings of dangers such as traps and curses. Your character is overly eager to explore new dungeon rooms and fiddle with strange dungeon appliances, no matter how many times his friends order him to be more cautious. Curiously enough, once he s got his hands on a new treasure, he tends to do with it as he pleases and thinks no more of it. It s the acquisition of riches that sets his blood on fire, not the hoarding of them. Special: This flaw does not make the character a kleptomaniac. He suffers no compulsion to take things that are clearly owned by people he likes, fears, or respects.
HUMORLESS
Your character is absolutely (possibly even genetically, if nonhuman) without a sense of humor. He doesnt understand the concept of humor , and attempts to explain it to him will only baffle him further. Drawback: Your character might even be friendly, sociable, and capable of enjoying himself he simply does not laugh or grasp why anyone else laughs. His earnest sincerity and genuine lack of comprehension are alien and often disquieting to those who dont know your character . Occasionally, his failure to understand the nuances of humor will cause him to miss the subtext of an important social interaction, or give someone the false impression that he is making fun of them. Special: In addition to the roleplaying consequences of this flaw, your character will suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to all Innuendo checks and a -8 circumstance penalty to any Perform check where an element of humor is involved in the performance.
INCONVENIENT OATH
Your character has sworn an oath by the gods, for as long as he lives, to avoid doing something extremely useful to himself or to do something that makes him stick out like a sore thumb. This oath might have been sworn for any religious or cultural reason appropriate to the character s background. Drawback: The character would sooner die than violate this oath; failure to uphold it may result in social or divine punishment as the DM sees fit. Some possibilities include but are not limited to: -The character has sworn never to wield a weapon that can kill a foe from a distance; -The character has sworn to always dress in mourning colors/clothes and to wear no others, even for diplomatic and religious events, even when adventuring in the wilderness, even when wearing a disguise could be necessary for saving his life; -The character has sworn never to wield any weapon or wear any set of armor save those that he crafts himself; -The character has sworn to donate ten percent of his income to a reli-
HAUNTED
Your character suffers from the subtle but persistent attention of an invisible poltergeist or some other minor supernatural force. This presence might have been picked up as a result of looting a tomb or dungeon. Drawback: Your character is the subject of continual mischief as a result of this haunting small objects will be moved or stolen, animals will be spooked, provisions will be spoiled, and so forth. Strange noises might wake him in the night, and vulgar or threatening notes might be written on maps or scrolls. While the haunting spirit doesnt have the power to harm your character directly, his life will be a bit messy and aggravating as long as the spirit lingers. Special: This supernatural presence is extremely canny and difficult to get rid of. Priestly blessings and necromantic magic can drive it away for a while, but only an extremely involving and costly divine or magic ritual (well beyond the reach of any 1st level character) will ever drive the spirit away (DM s discretion). The spirit may have difficulty following the character into other planes, at the DM s discretion. Then again, it might be close at hand when he travels to another plane, and take the opportuni-
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gious institution, without failure and without hesitation; -The character has sworn never to let any healing potion or draught pass his lips, even if his life is slipping away. Special: This flaw may be combined only with Estranged or Binding Honor Code only if it doesnt duplicate a drawback already granted by one of those flaws. For example, a character with the Estranged flaw cannot swear an Inconvenient Oath to never go back to his family s lands they wont have him there anyway .
Limitation: This flaw may not be taken if the prejudice it grants is held by a large percentage of the campaign world s population. Furthermore, it may not apply to monstrous races such as trolls or goblins which are generally assumed to be inimical to the civilizations from which playercharacters come.
LECHEROUS
Your character is frequently and severely distracted by his weakness for his compatible sex. Drawback: Your character finds it difficult to resist the lure of a chance to be near potential romantic entanglements. Just as a drunkard dreams of wine bottles and ale mugs when he returns to civilization, your character dreams of healthy young flesh, flirtations, and brief but passionate romantic affairs. Your character is continually hopping in and out of bedchambers (or trying to, if his lechery exceeds his personal charm) and getting into heated arguments with competitors and ex-lovers alike. Special: Your character must make a Will Save (DC generally rather high) to avoid the urge to try and pick up a potential partner whenever the opportunity presents itself. This can cause no end of complications for the character and his party when time or discretion is of the essence. Furthermore, the adventuring party might occasionally find itself facing the drawn swords of an irate parent (or noble, or barbarian tribe leader, or such) and his contingent of guards. Limitation: This flaw shouldnt be taken in conjunction with the Drunkard flaw, as the downside of being a drunkard limits a character s chances to be lecherous, although the inebriated state of others often makes them easier targets for lechery.
INFERIORITY COMPLEX
Your character has a permanent chip on his shoulder. All his life, as he sees it, nobody has ever appreciated the true depth of his talents and abilities. Drawback: Your character is extremely sensitive about small things that he imagines reflect the contempt others feel for him. If asked to take the lead on the trail, hell assume it s because he s thought unimportant enough to be risked. If asked to take the rear, hell assume it s because they think him boring If asked to take the middle, hell assume it s because they dont think he s skilled enough to handle himself in the front or the rear. While your character is usually able to subsume his festering resentment beneath a layer of jagged humor or false conviviality, it occasionally boils over and causes extreme discomfort in everyone around him. Sometimes, your character also takes foolish and unnecessary risks in an effort to demonstrate his skills.
INTOLERANT
Your character is vehemently prejudiced against a certain (player-character) race other than his own. Whether this intolerance springs from simple ignorance or a legitimate grievance is up to you. Drawback: Your character s overt hostility (which goes as far as namecalling, fight-picking, and boorish public behavior, but not as far as malicious mayhem such as arson or murder) will generally be an embarrassment to his friends and allies. It might also get him and the rest of the adventuring party into regular trouble with NPCs (innkeepers, criminals, guides, nobles, wizards, etc.) of the appropriate race. Special: At the DM s discretion, your character may suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to certain Charisma-based skill checks made against characters of the appropriate race.
LONE WOLF
Your character is anything but a team player. Whether he regards the presence of others as a hindrance to his abilities and style or just prefers to keep his own company is up to you. Drawback: Your character has an extremely difficult time working with others in groups and getting along in such arrangements for any length of time. If forced to tolerate the continual presence of others, he will be a grating, sarcastic, and generally divisive influence when he s not ditching the others to do things his own way. He will frequently find excuses to scout ahead or take care of some personal business, ensuring that he wont often be close at hand when he s needed in an emergency.
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Limitation: This flaw can go a long way toward splintering a group in the most inconvenient fashion possible. DMs, be certain that players wishing to take this flaw for their characters can be trusted not to take it so far that it ruins the game for everyone.
something new to amuse him for a little while.
MISER
Your character is obsessed not so much with the joy of discovering new treasures as he is with hoarding and contemplating what he s already gained. He s also a notorious skinflint. Drawback: Your character balks at spending a single copper piece more than absolutely necessary for anything, from the food he eats to the places he sleeps in and the weapons and armor he trusts to save his life. Your character has very little dignity where his coin purse is concerned, and will gladly sleep in a bale of hay and wear threads among adventurers clad in magic cloaks and shining armor. Furthermore, your character will generally try to save about ten percent of all the treasure he collects so that he can bury or hide it in a safe place. The quest for a better hiding place is always burning in his mind, and he is a frequent visitor to moneychangers and counting-houses. He also thinks nothing about sneaking out at night to bury a few sacks or trunks beneath a local landmark, to be retrieved at a later date.
MACHO/SPARTAN
Your character makes a point to project himself as tough, bullish, and ready for anything. Hell have nothing but scorn for anyone with a lesser tolerance for adversity and he certainly wont back down from a chal lenge. Drawback: The central function of this Complication is that your character will get on others nerves with amazing regularity. Furthermore, your character will routinely refuse to do things the easy and comfortable way. Beds? Beds are for sissies. Heavy clothing in freezing weather? Hey, freezing weather s good for you. Grin and bear it! Your character s macho assumptions may sometimes leave your adventuring party without vital tools or clothing when entering a hazardous situation. Even when freely offered creature comforts, your character will utterly disdain their use. The DM may call for a Will Save if your character attempts to back down from a direct challenge to his machismo. If acceptance of creature comforts is a matter of diplomatic importance, your character will make every effort to appear content with them, while making every private effort to shun them that he can. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with Vain/Dandy.
MONETARY DEBT [ Secondary Flaw: External Trouble ]

Your character owes a relatively huge sum of money to a powerful NPC that expects repayment. Although it s understood that your character will pay in installments as his adventuring career proceeds, those installments had better be generous and steady. Drawback: If the NPC is a vicious and dangerous character (crime boss, master thief, evil wizard, unscrupulous usurer with criminal contacts), the debt owed is 4,000 GP. If the NPC is merely firm and unfriendly (disapproving noble, relatively honorable moneylender), the debt owed is 5,000 GP. These sums must generally be paid off by the garnishing of no less than half of what a character brings in (although he can always pay the debt off faster if he wishes). Anything less will displease the character s creditor, and your character does not want that to happen. Delaying or defaulting on repayment can have a variety of consequences. If the creditor is the shady sort, hell send assassins and enforcers after your character and his friends. If the creditor has legitimate authority or power, he may initiate social consequences or legal proceedings. If your character fails to make one or more of his regular payments, or
MELANCHOLY
Your character is uninvolved in the excitement and pageantry of life his world is introspective, bleak, and morbid. While not actively out to kill himself, he has no complaints about dying, and seems somewhat bemused by the lengths everyone around him goes to to avoid it. Drawback: This is not merely a pose something has happened to your character to rob him of joy and exuberance. Although he keeps a sense of humor, it s wry and cynical, frequently exercised at the expense of others. Your character often speculates on the nature of death and on the manner of the death that awaits him, regardless of whether or not such talk discomforts those around him. When injured or left in a state of extreme peril, your character is quite lackadaisical, and will be more of a detriment than a benefit to anyone struggling to survive nearby. If your character does find the will to carry on, it s only because he s found
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somehow displeases his creditor without entirely defaulting on the repayment, compound interest may begin to accrue on what he still owes and a new repayment schedule may be forced upon him.
OVERCONFIDENT
Your character is absolutely certain that he can take any challenge set before him, even if the odds against him are ridiculous. Unfortunately, your character is also pretty much wrong. Drawback: Your character scoffs at the idea that discretion is the bet ter part of valor. He wont back down from a fight, he dislikes calling for reinforcements, and he has a habit of constantly underestimating any danger or opponent placed in his way. Your character might be forced to make a Will Save (difficulty relatively high) any time he attempts to withdraw from danger or back down from a challenge. Special: Your character gains a +4 bonus to Will Saves vs. dragon fear. Astute readers will note that this is not a boon. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Cowardly flaw.
NIGHTMARES
Your character suffers from recurring and nearly incurable nightmares, stemming from an extremely stressful event of encounter in his past. Drawback: There is a 40% chance per period of sleep that your character will experience extremely vivid and lengthy nightmares. The character must make a Will Save against a DC of 17; failure means that the character will be mentally fatigued the next day. While he can still run and charge, he will suffer a -2 penalty to all Spot, Search, Knowledge, and Concentration checks, and he will suffer a -1 penalty to all of his attack rolls. These penalties last until he is next able to sleep undisturbed. Special: If the character is a wizard or sorcerer, this flaw counts as two flaws. A bout of nightmares will rob the character of a single prepared spell slot of each level he can cast for the next day. For example, if a character that can prepare 2 1st level spells suffers a bout of nightmares, he will only be able to prepare 1 1st level spell the next day. Limitation: This flaw may not be possessed by elves.
PHOBIA
Your character has an unreasoning fear of a certain thing or situation. This phobia must center on an object or situation that is reasonably common, yet not entirely disruptive to the ongoing game. Possibilities include (but are not limited to): - Serpents - Spiders - Darkness - Heights - Water - Enclosed Spaces - Fire - Crossbows - Firearms and Gunpowder -Horses/Pack Animals
OUTLAWED
Your character has been branded a criminal in a very large area by a powerful legitimate authority, and if caught and brought to justice, he can expect imprisonment, torture, or death. Drawback: Compare and contrast this flaw with Estranged (page 18). While your character might be a genuine criminal, rightly accused, he might also be a scapegoat or a political inconvenience facing a false accusation. Soldiers and agents of a powerful legal authority have been instructed to pursue and capture your character if he is ever discovered in their vicinity, and the individuals responsible for branding your character an outlaw pursue the matter fairly vigorously, at least near their own borders. Special: Generally speaking, the more people are willing to help shelter your character or pass him word of what s happening in the lands that have outlawed him, the more powerful the authority that hunts him should be. Thus, this flaw can be precisely balanced to fit your character s ideal situation.
Drawback: When your character is in the presence of the object of his phobia, he suffers a -2 penalty to all of his skill checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. Furthermore, he may be required (DM s discretion) to attempt a Will Save if forced to closely approach a phobia trigger or remain in its presence for very long. Special: With the DM s explicit permission, a character may possess two or more phobias.
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POOR REPUTATION
Your character has an extremely unflattering reputation across a very
wide area. Regardless of whether or not the reputation is deserved, it s firmly entrenched and all but impossible to counter. Drawback: The precise nature of the reputation should be left to the DM, as appropriate to your character s background. If your character is law-abiding, he might have a reputation as a suspicious and unsavory person. If your character is already an unsavory person, he might have a reputation among other unsavory people as an oath-breaker, murderer, or informer. While this reputation wont make anyone attack your charac ter on sight, it will make virtually everything he tries to do more difficult. Contacts wont take him seriously , innkeepers might refuse to rent rooms to him, constables or criminals (or both) will hassle him on the streets, and so forth.
from games of chance and risk. A Will Save against a fairly high DC may be required if he ever wishes to exercise discretion rather than valor. Limitation: This flaw may not be taken in conjunction with the Overconfident flaw, as their effects are too close to one another.
TONGUE-TIED
Although your character frequently wishes to express himself, he is shy, hesitant, uncertain, and woefully unpolished in the social graces. Drawback: Your character is extremely socially handicapped, in a manner determined by agreement between yourself and the DM. In addition to suffering a -1 penalty to your character s initial Charisma score, you must roleplay one or more of the following stuttering, shyness, hesitance, lack of assertiveness, and general submissiveness to virtually everyone around you. Your character may be required to make a Will Save if he wishes to assert his presence or authority in anything but a lifeor-death situation. Special: If your character has the Leadership feat, he does not add his positive Charisma modifier (if any) to the Leadership check total. Special: This is a secondary flaw largely as a result of the roleplaying burden it places upon you. Playing a milquetoast is not for everyone, so think carefully before applying this to your character.
PROVINCIAL
Your character neednt be lacking in sheer brainpower , but he comes from an ethnic group or area that is considered by most ordinary folks in a campaign world or nation to be amusingly backwards. Drawback: Your character displays the accents and personal habits customary to his place of origin; as a result of these traits, he is regarded as a hick. Reflect for a moment on the level of sophistication dis played by the average peasant or laborer in a fantasy campaign those people believe your character to be undereducated, superstitious, and knee-slappingly simple. Con artists and tricksters will single your character out for attention, and strangers in taverns will have plenty of choice witticisms and taunts to throw at him. At the DM s discretion, your character will suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to most Charisma-based skill checks in situations where his origin could be considered a hindrance in the eyes of onlookers.
VAIN/DANDY
Your character is excessively obsessed with his clothes and appearance, in one of two ways: Drawback: A character that is principally vain doesnt necessarily care about the quality of the clothes he wears, but he is absolutely fastidious about keeping what he does have clean and presentable. He bathes at every opportunity, washes his hair as often as possible, washes his clothes at least as often, and polishes his boots even when on trail in the wilderness. He cannot abide the feeling of uncleanliness, even when dirt on his face or clothes would help hide him from a nearby danger. He must make a Will Save (DM s discretion) to tolerate a state of uncleanliness for any length of time. A dandy, in contrast, is a foppish clotheshorse with a preference for the comforts of civilization over the hard pleasures of the trail or the dungeon. While a dandy can bear a bit of grime or sweat, he can do so primarily because he likes to keep a change of clothes (or several) on hand. When
RISK-ADDICTED
Your character is held in thrall by the surge of adrenaline he feels whenever he stares into the gaping jaws of death or misfortune. Drawback: This flaw is quite similar to Overconfident (page 22) in fact, in terms of effects, the two are nearly identical. The difference is that a Risk-Addicted character is totally cognizant of the extreme danger of any given situation, and well aware that he might not be skilled enough to take on the entire world and live, and he simply does not care. Your character never feels more alive than when his fate or fortune are hanging by a slender thread, and he seeks to put himself in such situations as often as possible. In short, he will rarely retreat, surrender, or back down
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setting out on an adventure, he will inevitably try to haul along as many improbable and unnecessary fine things as he can get away with, and while his friends might occasionally appreciate a rare bottle of wine while on the trail, they wont be pleased to discover that he tossed out a rope and three grappling hooks to make room for it. Limitation: A character with the Provincial flaw is rarely Vain and has little opportunity to become a Dandy.
DM Option: Flaw Synergy

By now it s probably occurred to you that certain flaws, in combination, have a debilitating effect greater than the sum of their parts just as alcohol and some drugs multiply their effects when mingled. This leads into the concept of flaw synergy. Flaw synergy grants a player some extra bit of compensation for having the guts needed to take a set of flaws that compound one another in a potentially gruesome fashion. Note that flaw synergy does not occur merely because a character has a set of flaws that are thematically related for example, while it makes sense that an Inflexible character might also be Hobbled, those two flaws dont complicate one another in a direct and particular fashion. On the other hand, Glass Jaw and Light-Headed are potentially deadly in combination. The latter flaw all but ensures that your character will fall unconscious whenever the former flaw takes effect. Old Injury and Old Injury (II) are an equally dangerous match, greatly enhancing the effect of every critical hit the character suffers. Primary and secondary flaws may be combined to create synergy. For example, an Overconfident character with a Glass Jaw and an Old Injury is simply asking for trouble. If the DM determines that a player s selection of flaws is appropriately synergistic, he may award him one of the following benefits: - 2 bonus skill points - An inherent +1 bonus to any one (1) saving throw - 250 XP - 5d10 x 5 GP
VINDICTIVE
Your character cannot bear to let others have the last word or the last blow. if wronged, he must revenge, no matter how inconvenient or foolish that may prove. Drawback: Your character has a vicious revenge complex, and is incapable of bearing up with dignity under insults or injury. Likewise, he is all but incapable of forgiving a slight or an injury, and will go to elaborate (and frequently dangerous) lengths to secure his revenge. Although he does not ask that his friends and allies help him achieve his vengeance, he grows highly irate when they attempt to interfere. Letting it go is not in his vocabulary; strung together in that order, those three words are meaningless to him. Special: If your character has a Binding Honor Code (page 15) that encourages or requires revenge in some fashion, this flaw will exacerbate that beyond any rational limits. Your character, when wronged, will be a demon incarnate, burning for immediate settlement, preferably by blood.
WARD [ Secondary Flaw: External Trouble ]

Your character is responsible for the caretaking and safety of a relatively helpless NPC. Drawback: At regular intervals, your character must call upon and assist (usually in some mundane fashion) an NPC that cannot take care of himself or herself, usually due to old age, infirmity, or young age. This NPC must also be provided with money, as they have no means of making a living. Your character is extremely emotionally attached to this NPC, and should an enemy ever discover the bond they share, your character s ward would become a certain target. Special: This NPC may, with the DM s permission, be a group or family of NPCs, provided theyre all in the same geographic location.
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Advantages: Selection and Use

As mentioned earlier, the difference between advantages and feats is that feats represent some intrinsic quality of a character (granted by nature, training, or experience) while advantages represent qualities or material goods that can, in one way or another, be lost or destroyed. They exist primarily outside the character. Advantages are best used with strict DM permission and supervision, to ensure that all of the player-characters will fit into the campaign envisioned by the DM. For example, a 1st-level party getting ready to enter a mountain-top dungeon five hundred miles from the nearest ocean probably has little use for a ship, unless they wish to turn it upside-down and create an expensive wooden tent for inclement weather. acters to take a share by placing one or more advantage points into a common pool. For example, one character could buy a keep for 4 advantage points. Four adventurers could also pitch in to communally purchase the same keep for 1 advantage point apiece.
Advantages and Realism

Players and DMs alike should remember that the systems provided for the use of most of these advantages are meant for use only on a microlevel within a campaign world. That is, they function very well when examined from the limited perspective of the characters but perhaps not so well when extrapolated to the macro-level economics of an entire region or kingdom. Income from businesses and estates, in particular, has been much abstracted to render the concept playable. To do more would probably require a great deal of space and yield little practical value would a discussion of the two-field crop rotation system and the three-field crop rotation system make the gold pieces glitter any brighter in your character s pockets? Doubtful.
The Price of Advantages

Advantages must generally be purchased with one or more of the drawbacks already described. Advantages are priced using a simple system of points, to wit: 1 Standard Flaw = 2 Advantage Points
Adding and Subtracting Advantages

Sooner or later, someone or something is probably going to do something lamentable to one or more of your character s advantages. While it might be hard to deal with the burning of a favorite estate or the murder of a valued ally, you should remember that one of the primary functions of most advantages is to start your character off with a bang. By the time
Taking Shares in Advantages

Ordinarily, one character will have absolute control over an advantage. However, in the case of certain material advantages (specifically: Business, Estates, Fortification, Library, and Ship) it is possible for char-
Master List of Advantages

Advantage Allies Business Ceremonial Titles Clerical Rank Connections Destiny Estates Fortification Guild Rank Library Military Rank Noble Rank Ship Wealth Brief Description Character has NPC associates willing to risk something on his behalf Character owns or controls a business A table for generating courtesy titles and knightly orders Character has political clout within a religious hierarchy Character has an information network of NPCs Character has been selected by a higher power to perform some great deed Character owns lands and controls or employs a number of villeins Character owns a tower or a keep Character holds rank within a guild of merchants, artisans, scholars, or thieves Character owns a number of rare books and scrolls Character holds a position of command authority in an army or navy Character holds a patent of nobility and a claim to noble privilege Character owns (or shares ownership of) an ocean-going vessel Character has deep pockets even before beginning play
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your alter-ego has reached a moderately high character level, his resource intake should have become substantial enough to replace or improve upon any advantage knocked briefly out of play by enemy action. Dont forget that it s perfectly acceptable to take those resources and pump them into improving the fruits of your old advantages, too, even before anyone messes with them.
and in command of many lives and resources, will cost 4 points and may only be taken with the explicit permission of the DM. Allies and Adventuring: Allies are not cohorts! If they join your character on a mission or an adventure, it will be because theyre heeding the call of friendship or obligation rather than the siren song of a share in the treasure. Allies will not leave their business to run off with your character at the drop of a hat most frequently, theyll only do so when their inter ests (or interests shared with your character) are thought to be endangered. The following tables can be used to generate allies in a hurry, or to provide ideas for the creation of more detailed NPCs. Roll 1d20 on the appropriate table. Table: Standard NPC Allies* Roll Ally 1-2 City Sheriff (Warrior) 3-4 Vizier or Minister (Aristocrat/Expert) 5-6 Town or Village Mayor (Commoner) 7-8 Wealthy Merchant (Expert) 9-10 Privateer Ship Captain (Warrior) 11-12 Military Captain (Warrior) 13-14 Witch or Folk Advisor (Adept) 15-16 Master Smith (Expert) 17-18 Baron or Viscount (Aristocrat) 19-20 Barbarian Family Head (Warrior) *Such a character will typically be able to call upon the services of 1d4+1 1st level NPCs at any time. Table: Powerful NPC Allies** Roll Ally 1-2 Freelance Master Thief (Rogue) 3-4 Merchant Prince (Rogue/Expert) 5-6 Military General (Warrior/Expert) 7-8 Master Alchemist (Wizard) 9-10 Legendary Freebooter (Fighter) 11-12 Lesser Prince or Princess (Aristocrat) 13-14 Mayor of Large City (Expert) 15-16 Captain of Small Fleet (Warrior) 17-18 Famous Entertainer (Bard) 19-20 Head Temple Priest (Cleric) **Such a character will typically be able to call upon the services of 1d6+1 2nd level NPCs at any time.
ALLIES
[ Social Advantage ]
An ally is an NPC, well-known to your character, who feels some sort of emotional attachment to your character (contrast this with a connection, page 29, an NPC that will provide your character with information but feels no loyalty toward him). While an ally might not necessarily be a friend, he is willing to risk something to help your character when necessary, and he s also willing to offer financial or material assistance on relaxed or deferred terms. An ally in the right place can aid your character and his friends in a wide variety of ways by providing information without prompting, by providing safe haven after an arduous journey, or even by fighting alongside your character if circumstances force him to do so. As the DM sees fit, an ally might even serve as an adventure hook for the entire party, by summoning your character to his aid in a time of need. An ally s emotional bond to your character must sometimes be reaffirmed by action on your character s part, but you should rest assured that wellmaintained alliances are the most effective alliances of all. Special: The NPC ally will be a character of comparable (or at least closely compatible) alignment to your own character. The ally will be a mortal from one of the PC races, as deemed appropriate by the DM (insular dwarves from an isolated mountain stronghold are not terribly likely to be close personal friends with the High Princess of an elven empire two thousand miles away, at least not before their adventures begin). Price: A standard NPC ally costs 2 advantage points; the character will be a prominent or powerful citizen with levels in an NPC class about equal to your character s number of levels in adventuring classes. Allies age, mature and gain experience as your character does. An unusually well-placed or capable ally costs 3 advantage points; such an ally might be a relatively powerful noble, an experienced military officer, a well-known adventurer, or a skilled wizard or sorcerer. An extremely powerful ally, well above your character in social station
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Table: Very Powerful NPC Allies*** Roll Ally 1-2 Royal Spymaster (Rogue) 3-4 Heir to Throne (Aristocrat) 5-6 Marshal of Armies (Warrior) 7-8 Naval Admiral (Warrior/Expert) 9-10 Duke or Duchess (Aristocrat) 11-12 National Minister (Aristocrat) 13-14 Regional Head Priest (Cleric/Expert) 15-16 Power Behind the Throne (Expert) 17-18 Barbarian Clan Chief (Barbarian) 19-20 World-Renowned Scholar (Expert) ***Such a character will typically be able to call upon the services of 1d8+2 3rd level NPCs at any time, and anywhere between 40-100 1st level NPCs, not counting troops or allies that need time to be summoned.
Large Business: 3 points Huge Business: 4 points Small Business: Most small businesses are one- or two-room shops, dealing in inexpensive goods (candles and wax products) or essential services (butchers, knackers, carpenters, etc.). Income Poor Month: 25 GP Average month: 50 GP Excellent Month: 75 GP Average Business: An average business deals in a more expensive or specialized set of goods (tailoring for noble clientele, bard and tacking, well-wrought metalwork, etc.). Income Poor Month: 50 GP Average month: 100 GP Excellent Month: 150 GP Large Business: A large business is situated in a busy district, probably near harbor facilities or a major thoroughfare to pick up on the business of travelers. A large and successful inn or tavern would qualify. Income Poor Month: 100 GP Average month: 200 GP Excellent Month: 300 GP Huge Business: A huge business is a rare and well-guarded affair, more often dealing in the handling of money itself (a usurer s, moneylender s, or counting-house, for example) than in the sale of goods. Income Poor Month: 200 GP Average month: 400 GP Excellent Month: 600 GP Special: While your character neednt spend any of his time oversee ing the day-to-day details of mundane commerce, there are a number of reasons why a business will occasionally demand some attention. Your character will be expected to deal with thieves guilds and protection schemes, tax collectors honest or otherwise, potentially violent competitors, and other extraordinary distractions. Generally speaking, the better your business does, the more attention it will attract from government authorities and unscrupulous cutpurses alike. Should your character neglect his duties as the owner and overseer of a lucrative business (or fail to take adequate steps for good management
BUSINESS
[ Material Advantage ]
Your character owns (or has a controlling interest in) a stable business in a town or city. Your character doesnt actually run the business (count ing inventory is rarely an activity appropriate to a life of heroic adventure), but he oversees its operations at the highest level and receives regular reports from the NPC employees that run it for him. These employees are considered loyal and friendly, insofar as they are paid to do their job. They wont risk their lives for your character , nor, under any circumstances, will they serve as cohorts on an adventure. Your character will receive income from the business on a monthly basis. This sum is assumed to come after all expenses have been met, to ensure that book-keeping will be kept to an absolute minimum. Each month, the DM should roll 1d6 to determine how well the business has been doing: 1-2: 3-4: 5-6: Poor month Average month Excellent month
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Each of the four types of business available for player-character ownership has those three income levels listed after its description below. The initial cost of business ownership is as follows: Prices: Small Business: 1 point Average Business: 2 points
when he s away for long periods of time), he can expect to enjoy the adventure of dealing with arsonists, extortionists, hostile creditors, penniless debtors, callous tax-men, and other colorful characters.
Crimson Hussars. The table can also be used as a simple idea generator for more customized and world-specific titles. At the DM s discretion, a courtesy title may grant a +1 circumstance bonus to certain Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate rolls. A ceremonial title costs 1 advantage point.
CEREMONIAL TITLE
Your character has been given a courtesy rank by a powerful state, city, council, or ruler. In formal courts, these titles accumulate like barnacles on the hull of a sailing vessel. In frontier outposts and rustic courts, a great to-do is often made about them. Most courtesy titles elevate a character to the least possible formal court rank, making him an attendant to court proceedings and entitling him to sit at one of the lowest tables available at major feasts attended by the well-to-do and the aristocracy. A knight usually receives a courtesy title in addition to a military rank (page 33). The table below can be used to randomly generate a courtesy rank, of the form AdjectiveT itleAdjective (of the)Group. For example, Esteemed Captain of the Household Guard or Sworn Fellow of the
CLERICAL RANK
Your character has been invested and confirmed as a formal leader of a temple hierarchy, responsible for the spiritual guidance of the temple s worshippers, the oversight of mundane temple affairs, and the confrontation of the temple s most dangerous enemies. Any character with one or more levels in the cleric or paladin class is considered to be ordained and in the active service of a god s priesthood (barring his removal or resignation from the responsibility). Characters with this advantage also have a formal investment in the ever-shifting decision-making hierarchy of that priesthood, and while they may still adventure (especially on missions for the priesthood or against the powGroup Order Class Regiment Rank Guard Council Garter Grenadiers Enclave Hussars Degree Dragoons Battalion Company League Circle Court Command Cloister Hierarchy
Table: Ceremonial Title Generator

Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Adjective Sublime Puissant Royal Invincible Gentle Esteemed Enlightened Honorable Devout Excellent Grand Illustrious Sworn Learned Exalted Faithful Most Noble Able Foremost Ordained Title Chevalier Protector Defender Scholar Doctor Captain Knight/Dame Commander Counselor Fellow Steward Companion Chief Initiate Squire Provost Adjutant Minister Peer Deputy Adjective Crimson First Second Third Honored Household Silver Sable Emerald Azure Immortal Sovereign Vermilion Black Lion-Heart Imperial Republican Frontier Shadow Golden
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ers of darkness), they will from time to time be summoned back to a temple to engage in relatively mundane work. Price: There are three ranks attainable through the use of advantage points, each of which has a title meant only as an approximation of the character s duties. Game-specific titles may be quite different. Senior Brother/Sister: Templemaster: Senior Templemaster: 1 point 2 points 3 points
A connection is an NPC contact, known to your character, willing to supply occasional information and perhaps certain services involving little or no personal risk (smuggling, fencing of goods, passage of messages, etc.) Compare and contrast a connection with an ally the latter is tied to your character by a bond of friendship or loyalty, while the former wont stretch out his neck for your character except when paid well and paid in advance. A connection is a valuable resource, but he should never be mistaken for a dependable comrade. Price: One advantage point will buy two average contacts NPCs described in cooperation with the DM. Average contacts ore people in the know that are nonetheless not really in command of their situations. An average contact might be: - A member of a thieves guild - A city constable - A palace bureaucrat - A small-time smuggler or pirate - A priest of a minor temple Alternately, one advantage point can be used to buy a major contact, along the lines of an average contact but much more powerful and wellconnected. For example: - A leader of a thieves guild - A chief of the city watch - A palace majordomo - A pirate or smuggler captain - A major priest of a temple hierarchy Generally speaking, a connection can be contacted about once per week (by pre-arranged message service, if not in person) and a single conversation (or the equivalent) can be held. If your character wishes to press a connection for more information in a short time period, he will be intruding upon that connection s regular routine and will have to pay (in silver, gold, gems, or information of his own) for the privilege. A connection, if abused or mistreated, will generally slink back into the character s employ in exchange for an unusually large payment by way of an apology. It is , however,quite possible for a connection to vanish and swear off all contact with your character if he severely mistreats that connection!
Along with the responsibilities of a position, your character will have some discretion over the use of temple funds and may call for aid from temple followers. Either form of aid will be available about once per month a variable number of GP and a variable number of appropriate NPCs of the listed level (for a day of service). Funds and followers may only be used in the clear pursuit of temple goals or worthy causes. Senior Brother/Sister: Your character stands above the average itinerant priest or adventuring cleric in the hierarchy of the priesthood, and probably runs a small temple in an outlying village or frontier post. Funds: 4d6 GP Followers: 1d4 1st level NPCs Templemaster: Your character would be given control over a large temple in a medium-sized city, or over several smaller temples in a sparsely-populated region. Funds: 10d10 GP Followers: 1d8 2nd level NPCs Senior Templemaster: Your character would be responsible for the largest temple in a given city, or for several medium-sized temples in a similar area. Funds: 5d20 x 2 GP Followers: 2d6 2nd level NPCs Special: If the addition of clerical ranks to a game seems almost certain to bog it down, consider making one or more characters with the rank a roving troubleshooter for his priesthood, traveling from temple to temple, dealing with unusual problems and using his formal clout to expedite matters.
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CONNECTIONS
If your character treats a connection well, especially by dropping occasional gifts of gold or information in the connection s lap, that connection may (at the DM s discretion) proactively approach your character with important information rather than waiting for your character to come to him. A canny DM can use connections to put out information leading toward adventure, or tying into the ongoing plot of the campaign. Special: When in serious doubt as to what a connection can do for a character, the DM may use the following rule of thumb. By getting in touch with an average connection, your character can make a Gather Information check with a +2 circumstance bonus to the roll. By contacting a major connection, your character can gain a +4 circumstance bonus to his roll.
have been chosen by opposite sides in some cosmic battle. Without realizing why, your character will feel a linked sense of kinship and uneasiness for a character that bears the favor of a force acting contrary to that which guides him. A character with this advantage does not radiate any aura of magic merely for possessing it.
ESTATES
Your character controls a certain amount of land, along with the villeins (serfs, peasants, free laborers, etc., as appropriate to the campaign) that work it for a living. If estates are granted by a higher authority (a king, for example) they are almost always accompanied by a ceremonial title (page 28) or a noble rank (page 34). The products of your character s estates will vary, according to the game world and the climate. In a northern area, crops like oats and rye are common. In southern climates, olives and grapes might be grown along with wheat and barley. Lands will generate a certain amount of income for your character after all non-military expenses are paid for (including household servants and estate laborers that neednt any more detailed treatment). Each autumn, the DM should roll 1d6 to determine how well the annual harvest has been: 1-2: 3-4: 5-6: Poor Average Excellent
DESTINY
[ Special Advantage ]
Your character has been chosen by a higher power to complete some mighty labor or heroic task. While the gods war directly with one another in times and places beyond mortal understanding, they also make war upon the material plane using mortal pawns and catspaws. Your character is just such a fate-marked agent. This advantage may only be selected with the explicit permission of the DM. A character with a destiny often has no idea what will be asked or expected of him all he knows is that deep within his bones he feels the weight of an extraordinary responsibility thrust down upon him. Price: For every advantage point spent on Destiny, your character may gain a +2 divine bonus to any skill check, saving throw, or attack roll once per game session. You must announce the application of this bonus before rolling the die for the action in question. Only one such bonus may be called upon per round, and they may not be stacked cumulatively. When your character calls upon this power, he will do so instinctively, without fully grasping the significance of his action. The nature of the character s destiny will be determined by the DM as the campaign unfolds. As mentioned previously, a gift of power and favor from mysterious celestial forces rarely entitles one to learn all of their secrets as well. Most gods are tight-lipped. Special: Characters with the destiny advantage will often recognize each other via some sixth sense when they first meet, especially if they
Each of the six sizes of estate available for player-character ownership has those three annual income levels listed after its description below. The initial cost of estate ownership is as follows: Prices: Lesser Manor: 1 point Manor: 2 points Enclosure: 3 points Large Estate: 4 points Fiefdom: 5 points Multiple Estates: 6 points
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Lesser Manor: A lesser manor is a cluster of simple houses (one of which belongs to your character) surrounded by about 15-20 acres of arable land. Your character will also own a cart and 1d4 mules.
Income Poor Harvest: 20 GP Average Harvest: 40 GP Excellent Harvest: 60 GP Manor: A manor is a respectable grant of land by any standard, 20-35 acres worked by several families. Your character owns a sturdy simple house with four rooms, as well as a wagon, a cart, 1d4 mules, and 1d3 ponies. Income Poor Harvest: 50 GP Average Harvest: 100 GP Excellent Harvest: 150 GP Enclosure: An enclosure is a stately area, 45-50 acres overseen by a grand house. Your character will own 1d3 dairy cows, 1d4 pigs, 1d4 mules, 1d4 ponies, two wagons, and two carts. Income Poor Harvest: 100 GP Average Harvest: 200 GP Excellent Harvest: 300 GP Large Estate: Your character controls more than 100 acres of arable land, overseen from a central hillock by a grand house with its own stable. Your character will own 1d8 of each of the following: pigs, cows, mules, and ponies. Three wagons and three carts are at his disposal. Income Poor Harvest: 200 GP Average Harvest: 400 GP Excellent Harvest: 600 GP Fiefdom: Your character controls more than 150 acres of arable land, overseen from a central location by a well-kept grand house or a somewhat weathered mansion (your choice) with its own stable. Your character will own 2d8 of each of the following: pigs, cows, mules, and ponies. Four wagons and four carts are at his disposal, when he concerns himself with mundane details. Income Poor Harvest: 325 GP Average Harvest: 650 GP Excellent Harvest: 975 GP Multiple Estates: Your character controls more than 250 acres of arable land, overseen from a central location by a well-kept mansion with its own stable and outbuildings. Your character also owns another 50 acres in one or more other areas, perhaps containing orchards or vineyards. Your character will own 3d8+3 of each of the following: pigs, cows, mules, and
ponies. Six wagons and six carts are at his disposal, should he care to count them. Income Poor Harvest: 500 GP Average Harvest: 1000 GP Excellent Harvest: 1500 GP Special: If your character is a manorial lord, he will generally be expected to maintain a standing force of armed and trained men on behalf of his ruler. The cost of feeding, housing, and equipping these men must be paid out of your character s pocket. The simplified annual upkeep cost for sample soldiers (1st level warriors on foot or 2nd level warriors on horse) is as follows: Light Infantry (Leathers, short sword) Heavy Infantry (Chainmail, halberd) Light Horse (Chainmail, shortspear) Heavy Horse (Chainmail, lance) 60 GP 90 GP 120 GP 160 GP
FORTIFICATION
If your character holds a noble title (page 34) or a military rank (page 33), chances are hell have the use of one or more major fortifications. However, these will not be privately owned theyll be the property of a higher lord or of the kingdom itself, and as national treasures and command centers they cannot be disposed of in an irresponsible fashion. A private fortification, on the other hand, belongs entirely to your character and was constructed (or conquered) at his behest. It sits where he wishes it to sit, either overlooking his estates or some strategically important piece of turf. Even bandits and outlaws may possess a keep. Price: A tower costs 2 advantage points. A keep costs 4 advantage points. Tower: A tower has three stories, is round or square, and is constructed of very solid stone. A small trench (five feet wide and deep) and a palisade of sharpened logs typically defend it at ground level. A day of labor by a few dozen men can build up a circular berm of earth, surrounded by more sharpened wooden spikes, to form an outer layer of defense if necessary. A tower is comfortable for up to thirty inhabitants and will typically feature heavy iron-reinforced double doors, an open roof protected by crenellations in the topmost wall, and a large torch or beacon for signal-
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ing purposes. Keep: A keep is a heavily fortified stone building with up to twenty-five rooms; more than sixty or seventy people can be quartered in a keep without much difficulty. A keep comes with outbuildings (stables and simple houses), but those structures arent very defensible if the keep locks itself up to withstand a siege. A keep is generally protected by a perimeter trench, ten feet wide and five feet deep, sometimes filled with water. Keeps can also be built atop hills or ravines to limit the field of an enemy s approach. Keeps usually incorporate several towers, multiple arrow slits, and one unobtrusive sally port. Special: At least a few dozen GP must be spent each year on maintenance of a keep or tower. A wise ruler will pay about 100 GP per year for a tower and 200 GP for a keep to have master masons regularly examine the structure for subsidence or structural weakness. To eschew this caution is to court eventual disaster. Characters with gold on hand may also wish to pay to equip a fortification with one or more siege engines of their choice.
flair are usually relegated to a second-class role. A guild of merchants is largely unconcerned with formally measuring the acumen of its members. Its principal interest lies in the maintenance of arranged monopolies, the manipulation of local economies, and the bankrupting of merchant guilds from rival areas. Price: A character may be a respected journeyman for 1 advantage point or a special agent for 2 points. Respected Journeyman: Your character has made a name for himself in his chosen profession. He is thoroughly trusted by the guild, even with the occasional important mission, but he is not yet privy to the inner workings and secret discussions of the guild masters. Special Agent: Your character serves as a lieutenant to one of the guild officers, and is well-known and respected within the guild. The guild masters send your character out after problems, which he must solve by hook or by crook. Other guild members of senior rank usually treat him as an equal out of fear, though his trade skills cannot yet match theirs. Special: One of the major benefits of a guild in a feudal or post-feudal society is that it provides a bulwark against abuse of tradesfolk by the hereditary nobility. Legitimate guilds have a great deal of legal and economic clout, and thieves guilds have daggers and garrotes to fall back on when their members are harassed. Your character will benefit from this protection and assistance if he is loyal to his guild.
GUILD RANK
Your character holds a formal rank in an organization of thieves, artisans, scholars, or tradesmen. Since rank in a guild is very strictly controlled based on ability and seniority, a 1st level character can hardly be expected to wield command authority over an entire guild. However, your character can be quite a cut above the average apprentice or lowranking hanger-on. A guild of thieves is an organization with informal rules of behavior yet very strict codes of conduct regarding the disposal of loot and the property of other guild members. Throat-slittings and stranglings for failure or lack of respect are purely routine. Disagreements between members that cannot be mediated by guild officers are generally settled by combat to the death between the aggrieved parties. A guild of scholars is a reclusive and jealous society, as bent on keeping its secrets away from outsiders as it is on securing comfort and prestige for its members. A guild of artisans is perhaps the strictest of all when it comes to tests of a member s abilities. Artisans guilds exist to preserve and protect a single fine trade; those members that cannot practice that trade with
LIBRARY
In an age when each and every book produced must be painstakingly scribed or copied by hand, books are extremely rare and precious things. Most families will be lucky to ever own even one. Price: For every 100 books, tomes, or folios in his personal library, your character must spend 1 advantage point. Each point spent on a library can grant your character one of the following boons: - 1d6+1 levels of arcane spells, exact level and nature to be determined by the DM. These spells are scribed in one or more grimoires among the collected works. They have yet to be translated, although your character has some inkling that theyre there. Alternately: - A +2 circumstance bonus to any Knowledge skill check, once per day, after consulting the texts in the library for at least one hour.
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Multiple points spent on this advantage will yield multiple bonuses per day, but only one bonus can be called upon at a time. Special: Your character is going to require somewhere safe and dry to store his library hundreds of books and scrolls are too heavy to carry around while adventuring, and exposure to rain and humidity will quickly turn them into sorry-looking mush. No doubt many scholarly or clerical friends would love a chance to store the library for the duration of an adventure, to scribe copies of new works, and to borrow or mis place a choice volume or two. Real scholars guard their libraries like a dragon guards its hoard beware!
4 5
Captain Commodore
Lord Captain Lord Commodore
A character purchasing a rank in a naval force can also choose to be a lieutenant, commander, or captain of marines, meaning that while subordinate to the captain of a vessel he will be in command of a number of infantry soldiers trained and equipped for boarding actions. The tactical conduct of such actions will be left entirely to your character only general instructions will be issued by the captain of your ship. If a titled noble character has no formal military rank, he is generally given the plain courtesy title of Lord in the presence of commoner of ficers with command authority but is not consulted on military decisions. In most d20 fantasy campaigns, such commoner characters should be relatively rare, as few hereditary kingdoms would ever place commoners in command over nobles (who, after all, were supposed to train and prepare for war as part of an obligation to their own rulers) save in times of great need. With the appropriate orders from a king or other sovereign, even an inexperienced noble with no previous military rank can rise to command of an entire army, so disputes over rank and precedent in large parties of officers and nobles can become rather heated! Caveat emptor rank has its drawbacks as well as its privileges. Army Ranks Sergeant/Squire: A sergeant or squire is generally an aide and cohort of a higher-ranking officer or knight. In some armies, sergeants take command of small units of infantry or lead special teams on critical missions. Lieutenant/Knight-Lieutenant: A character of this rank will generally be responsible for the dispersal and conduct of a small unit say 30-40 infantry or 8-12 horse. If not given a small-unit command, characters of this rank are usually used as aides and couriers by more senior officers. Commander/Knight-Commander: A character of this rank will usually be responsible for a company-sized unit, 80-160 men on foot or 40-50 mounted warriors. Captain/Knight-Captain: A character of this rank will usually be responsible for the command of 3-4 companies, with a handful of commanders and perhaps as many as a dozen aides and couriers beneath him. General/Knight-General: A general is given overall command of a
MILITARY RANK
Your character holds a formal rank in a military organization, sworn to the service of a hereditary noble, the defense of a nation, or the mutual profit of a company of mercenaries. Specialized divisions and organizations of military forces are rather primitive in the time-frame of most d20 fantasy campaigns. Nevertheless, a complex military hierarchy can surely be subsumed into a setting just as easily as magic and gigantic creatures can. If the following ranks and titles seem a bit too refined, simply change the names but keep the comparative levels of authority. Price: Characters may spend from 1-5 points on a military rank, in either the land army or the naval service. The two charts below each have columns for commoners and nobles. Characters with military titles and noble titles (page 34) will generally slightly outrank commoners of the same military rank, unless the commoner is armed with a writ from some yet-higher authority. Rank Purchase Table: Army Points Common Noble 1 Sergeant Squire 2 Lieutenant Knight-Lieutenant 3 Commander Knight-Commander 4 Captain Knight-Captain 5 General Knight-General Rank Purchase Table: Navy Points Common Noble 1 Chief Squire 2 Lieutenant Lord Lieutenant 3 Commander Lord Commander
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large body of troops, usually numbering more than a thousand soldiers. The general in final authority over a complete body of men and officers is usually given some sort of courtesy title such as General of the Army. Naval Ranks Chief/Squire: A chief or squire aboard a ship in a fantasy campaign might be called a petty of ficer in modern parlance. He will be respon sible for overseeing a small group of sailors or marines (4-10 men). Lieutenant/Lord Lieutenant: Most large vessels carry 3-5 officers of this rank, to assist the captain, oversee the employment of siege weapons, and often to lead marines or archers during boarding actions. Lieutenants are sometimes trusted with the command of very small craft such as skiffs. Commander/Lord Commander: The first mate and/or navigator of an oceangoing vessel is almost always of this rank. While the captain of a vessel can easily be a political appointee with little practical knowledge, the master or first mate must know exactly what he s doing. A character of this rank might also be in charge of a marine contingent or a small vessel such as a raiding sloop or longboat. Captain/Lord Captain: A character of this rank is deemed fit to command large vessels, including galleys, sailing ships, and warships. No matter how many rank- captains there are on board a vessel, only the actual master of the ship is ever referred to as the captain in the open. Leaders of marine contingents are sometimes referred to as Captains of Marines, and sailors are sure not to omit those last two words. Commodore/Lord Commodore: A character of this rank will command a flotilla of ships. Most often, he will dictate general strategy, while individual captains will have tactical authority for carrying out his broad directives. Note that while a character with a command rank in a navy will be given a ship, its is his only on his government s sufferance and he doesnt actually own it, as he would if he took the ship advantage (page 35). A character serving in a military can expect to earn about 5 GP per month per advantage point invested in rank.
Your character holds a patent of nobility, either as a result of descent from a blue-blooded family or by recent decree of a hereditary authority figure such as a king. Price: A character may spend 1-6 points on a noble title, using the rough guide set out below: Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 Title Lesser Nobility, noble bastard Baron/Baroness, Laird, Thane, Chieftain Viscount/Viscountess, High Laird, High Thane Count/Countess, Earl, Graf/Grafine, Mark Graf, Margrave, Marquis/Marquess Duke/Duchess, Arch-Prince, Heir-in-Waiting Ruling Sovereign (King/Queen, Emperor/ Empress, Czar/Czarina, etc.)
Titles and ceremonial designations can be extremely varied from region to region. The chart above attempts to offer a few relatively equivalent choices, but game-specific rank hierarchies may be quite different. Your character s legitimate heirs may inherit his noble rank, just as his legitimate spouse may share it. In exchange for the privileges customarily afforded to royalty, your character will almost certainly be expected to hold estates (page 30) and/or a military rank (page 33) of some sort. He will also have to make regular tax payments to his ruler, and may be required to attend the formal court of that ruler a specified number of days per year. Under all ordinary circumstances (save open rebellion by the peasantry or something equally unpleasant), your character gains a circumstance bonus equal to the number of points invested in this advantage, applied to all Charisma-based skill checks made against commoners. When dealing with other nobility, your character gains a similar circumstance bonus equal to the difference between the point value of the ranks in question for example, a Count (4 points) gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Charisma-based skill checks against a Baroness (2 points). Of course, if your character happens to be the Baroness in that exchange, youll be on the losing end of the arrangement. Noble bastards are an interesting conundrum in some families theyre kept by the dozen as a sort of hedge against disaster. In others, theyre fit only for assassination and scorn. When noble bastards are accepted into a court, theyre generally used as bodyguards, ambassadors, or other specialized functionaries.
34
NOBLE RANK
Special: A character s noble rank can be increased by decree of his sovereign, as a reward for exceptional service or meritorious sacrifice. Likewise, his titles can be stripped from him with the stroke of a pen if he betrays or disobeys his sovereign.
masts and square sails that pull it forward at nearly 2 miles per hour. It can carry nearly 150 tons of cargo, as well as provisions for many months of lonely sailing. Minimum Crew: Standard Crew: 6 20
SHIP
Your character commands (or at least owns) an oceangoing vessel of some sort. Prices: Skiff: 1 point Keelboat: 2 points Longship: 3 points Sailing Ship: 3 points Warship: 4 points Galley: 5 points
Warship: A warship is a heavy single-masted coastal ship with a square sail and thirty to sixty oars on a side. Archery platforms above the mast and in the bow provide excellent fields of fire, and the foredeck is clear for the emplacement of heavy weapons. Minimum Crew: Standard Crew: 40 200
Skiff: A skiff is a small vessel, 30 feet long and 10 feet wide at most, designed for use in coastal areas, harbors, and rivers. A skiff will carry ten tons of cargo or twenty-five people with ease. It has a single mast with a square sail, four oars to supplant or replace the sail, and a top speed of about 1 mile per hour. Minimum Crew: Standard Crew: 1 3
Galley: A truly gigantic vessel with three masts, sixty to eighty oars on a side, 150 tons of cargo space, a ram, and stable firing platforms on the fore deck, aft deck, and amidships. Sadly, it needs to hug the coast, though its hundreds of rowers can propel it through the water at 4 miles per hour. Minimum Crew: Standard Crew: 70 300
Keelboat: A keelboat is a shallow-draft vessel about 60 feet long and 15-20 feet wide. Designed for both ocean travel and river travel, it carries about forty tons of goods or up to one hundred people. Its simple square sail is supplemented by oars, just like its smaller cousin the skiff. Minimum Crew: Standard Crew: 3 10
Special: Upon taking control of a ship (other than a skiff), it is assumed that your character has also paid the necessary wages to secure the minimum crew for six months. Treat this crew as friendly 1st level commoner NPCs friendly so long as the captain seems sane, the food and water are plentiful, the weather is tolerable, and there s plunder or a profitable cargo run lined up for the near future. Smart captains will also spend about 100 GP per year per advantage point spent on a ship to keep it in tip-top condition. Rotting timbers and torn sails must be replaced before they can have a lethal effect on a weakened and storm-tossed ship.
WEALTH
Your character enters the game at 1st level with a substantial sum already safely ensconced in his counting-house of choice. The precise amount of money available varies with the number of advantage points spent: Prices: 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 500 GP 1,000 GP 2,000 GP 4,000 GP 8,000 GP
Longship: A longship is a slender, narrow vessel about 75 feet long, rowed by twin banks of twenty or thirty oars apiece. The longship is open to the elements and designed for raiding or open warfare. It can carry about forty tons of cargo and more than 100 people. It moves at a speed close to 3 miles per hour with the wind in its sails and its oarmen pulling as hard as they can. Minimum Crew: Standard Crew: 10 50
35
Sailing Ship: A sailing ship is a sturdy oceangoing vessel with twin
6 points
16,000 GP
Random Flaw Table

% Roll 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08 09-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 25-26 27-28 29-30 31-32 33-34 35-36 37-38 39-40 41-42 43-44 45-46 47-48 49-50 51-52 53-54 55-56 57-58 59-60 61-62 63-64 65-66 67-68 69-70 71-72 73-74 75-76 77-78 79-80 81-82 83-84 85-86 87-88 89-90 91-92 93-94 95-96 97-98 Flaw Albinism Binding Honor Code Animal Antipathy Blasphemous Bad Shot Boastful Butterfingers Dark Desire Dull Reflexes Debt of Honor Fragile Duty-Bound Glass Jaw Enemy/Hunted Hobbled Grandiloquent Impaired Vision Greed Impaired Voice Inconvenient Oath Inattentive Lone Wolf Inflexible Macho/Spartan Light-Headed Melancholy Loathed Adversaries Miser Magic Vulnerability Monetary Debt Oafish Nightmares Obese Outlawed Old Injury Overconfident Slow Healing Phobia Slow-Moving Poor Reputation Slow-Witted Risk-Addicted Unathletic Tongue-Tied Uncoordinated Vain/Dandy Weak Constitution Vindictive Weak-Willed
Special: A character with the Monetary Debt flaw (page 21) may not select this advantage. DMs should be wary of players coordinating a sneaky attempt to have one rich character immediately pay off the debts of one or more other characters.
The Experience Tithe

The Experience Tithe is an optional game mechanism that can be used to create reasonably balanced characters with a great many advantage points without the need to turn them into gasping, limping, mutilated, emotionally unstable walking disasters by heaping on a ridiculous number of flaws. When this system is used, every advantage point received by a character that isnt compensated by a corresponding flaw grants the charac ter an XP Tithe instead, according to the chart below. A character can purchase advantage points solely with a Tithe, or he can take flaws in addition to a Tithe. Advantage Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Experience Tithe 500 1,000 1,500 3,000 5,000 7,500 10,500 14,000
Each time thereafter the character gains XP, one-half of the character s earned XP goes into the Tithe for the purpose of paying it off, and onehalf remains useful to the character for the purposes of increasing character level, brewing potions, scribing scrolls, and any other activity that costs XP. XP placed in the Tithe are lost and serve no other function for the character at any time thereafter. This means that a character with an Experience Tithe will, for all intents and purposes, level up roughly half as fast as a similar character without a Tithe. Once the Tithe is completely paid off, all of the character s XP gained from that point on are treated normally. Thus, a character with a Tithe is penalized quite subtly for being mechanically imbalanced by the addition of Advantage Points. By the time the Tithe is paid off, those characters without a Tithe can be expected to have a level or two on the formerly Tithed character.
36
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Ward
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Book of Distinctions And Drawbacks Revised Copyright 2003 Scott Thomas Lynch Book of Distinctions And Drawbacks Modern Copyright 2003 Scott Thomas Lynch Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker. This document is produced under version 1.0, 1.0a, and/or draft versions of the Open Game License,the d20 System Trademark Logo Guide, and the System Reference Document by permission of Wizards of the Coast. Subsequent versions will incorporate final versions of the license,guide, and document. 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Table of Contents

Introduction: Messing with Characters for Fun and Profit

3.5 Revision Notes

Selecting Flaws and Gaining Compensation

Variation: Flaws for Experience

Maximum Flaws Permitted

Uncoordinated Unexceptional Unhealthy Unlucky Weak Constitution Weak-Willed

Vain/Dandy Vindictive Ward

MAGIC VULNERABILITY [ Primary Flaw ]

OLD INJURY (II)

Drawback: Your character s base Speed is reduced by 10 feet.

SPECIFIC MAGIC VULNERABILITY

BINDING HONOR CODE

ty to slip through with him.

something new to amuse him for a little while.

MONETARY DEBT [ Secondary Flaw: External Trouble ]

DM Option: Flaw Synergy

WARD [ Secondary Flaw: External Trouble ]

Advantages: Selection and Use

Advantages and Realism

The Price of Advantages

Adding and Subtracting Advantages

Taking Shares in Advantages

Master List of Advantages

Table: Ceremonial Title Generator

Lord Captain Lord Commodore

Sailing Ship: A sailing ship is a sturdy oceangoing vessel with twin

Random Flaw Table

The Experience Tithe

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

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