Physical Flaws

Physical Flaws

Physical flaws refer to problems in physical pursuits or contests that characters may face. These may range from very simple flaws, such as those that indicate a character is physically fragile or has poor resistance to poisons, to very complex and supernatural ones, often possessed by only a few beings in the world at any given time. Flaws always represent either an innate quality of a character, a situation they have encountered that has permanently affected them, or an outside force that causes them grief.

Physical flaws are broken down into flaws belonging in the realm of Dexterity (flaws involving speed, skill, and flexibility), Stamina (flaws involving resistance to and recovery from injury), and Strength (flaws involving feats and raw physical power).

Dexterity Flaws

Club Foot: This character has a deformity of the foot and leg that causes the difficulty moving or carrying weight.

Clumsy: This character is prone to tripping, falling, dropping things, and otherwise having trouble with movement.

Graceless: This character is consistently awkward, clumsy, and messy-looking, even when they are successful at things.

Inept: This character is physically unskilled and has trouble becoming expert at even repetitive tasks.

Lame: This character cannot walk or run without extensive medical supports.

No Dextrous Limbs: This character has limited movement in their limbs and cannot perform most tasks requiring manual manipulation.

Non-Swimmer: This character cannot swim and struggles to stay afloat when in the water.

One Arm: This character has only one arm and may require help with some manual tasks.

Paraplegic: This character is unable to walk and needs extensive mobility aids to move around.

Revoked Driver's License: This character has a terrible driving record and is no longer licensed to operate any vehicles.

Shaky Hands: This character becomes shaky and uncoordinated under stress.

Silence: This character moves exceptionally quietly.

Speech Impediment: This character has a stutter, stammer, or other speech issue that can cause them trouble when trying to communicate.

Sunday Driver: This character is a very poor driver, either taking unnecessary risks or being so conservative that they put themself and their passengers in danger.

Twitch: This character has an involuntary twitch or tic that happens whenever they become stressed.

Unskilled: This character has never trained in any physical ability or craft and must learn everything from scratch.

Unwieldy Form: This character is especially large and/or unusually shaped (for example, having a short leg, twisted spine, or swollen body part), making it difficult to navigate buildings and situations.

Withered Leg: One of this character's legs does not work as well or as sturdily as the others, causing them mobility problems.

Stamina Flaws

Albino: This character has albinism and is highly sensitive to light.

Allergies: This character is allergic to a common substance and suffers from the effects on a regular basis.

Arthritic: This character has arthritis and has difficulty with manual manipulation.

Asthma: This character has difficulty breathing when exerting themself physically or encountering airborne pollutants.

Bizarre Hunger: This character must consume something not typically considered food to survive and becomes unhealthy and weak if they do not.

Brittle Bones: This character has very fragile bones that easily fracture and break.

Chronic Illness: This character has a severe ongoing illness that cannot be cured and causes them to suffer additional physical problems and have trouble recovering from injuries.

Easily Intoxicated: This character is easily affected by all intoxicating substances and has great difficulty sobering up.

Eating Disorder: This character has an eating disorder that they cannot shake and which often causes them to suffer from its physical effects.

Elderly: This character is older and frailer than most (60 years old or more) and takes more damage from injuries.

Faint of Heart: This character is severely affected by blood, gore, or similarly shocking sights, and suffers from nausea or fainting if confronted with them.

Frail Stomach: This character is very sensitive to what they ingest and may have trouble keeping anything that is even slightly unusual down.

Heavy Sleeper: This character sleeps exceptionally deeply and is very difficult to wake up even during an emergency.

Hemophiliac: This character bleeds profusely when cut and can easily bleed to death.

Insensible to Pain: This character cannot feel pain no matter how badly they are harmed and is prone to taking accidental wounds.

Insomnia: This character struggles to sleep and is usually exhausted when awake.

Leprosy: This character has leprosy and has a number of physical pains and mobility problems as a result.

Low Alcohol Tolerance: This character gets drunk extremely quickly and easily and suffers from the effects of alcohol more than most.

Low Pain Tolerance: This character feels pain more acutely than most and has trouble functioning when hurt or injured.

Medicated: This character requires regular medication to continue to function normally and suffers if they cannot get it.

Motion Sickness: This character suffers from motion sickness whenever moving in an unusual manner for more than a few moments.

Nightmares: This character suffers from chronic debilitating nightmares that prevent them from sleeping well.

Old Injury: This character was hurt badly at some point in the past and never recovered, suffering from occasional pain and disability.

Poor Dental Health: This character has damaged, painful, or missing teeth that cause them continual problems.

Seizures: This character suffers from intermittent seizures that cannot be cured.

Sickly: This character gets sick easily and has a very hard time recovering.

Squeamish: This character cannot handle violence, gore, or similarly upsetting situations without breaking down.

Sterile: This character is incapable of physically reproducing, even with scientific help.

Vertigo: This character is horribly dizzied and terrified when confronted with heights (anything higher than ten feet from the ground).

Vice: This character is addicted to a harmful substance (anything from cigarettes to meth or other rarer substances) and must obtain it regularly or suffer from debilitating withdrawal.

Weak Lungs: This character runs out of breath easily and has trouble with extensive physical challenges.

Weak Spot: This character has an especially fragile or vulnerable point on their body that can severely harm or kill them if attacked.

Weak Willed: This character is emotionally fragile and has difficulty continuing on when confronted with major obstacles or severe personal setbacks.

Strength Flaws

Aging: This character is getting up there in years (50 or older) and beginning to have trouble being as spry as they once were.

Child: This character is a literal child (15 years of age or younger) and as a result is smaller, weaker, more vulnerable, and more likely to have trouble navigating the world than adults.

Damaged Limb: This character has a damaged limb that causes them significant problems when using it to do complex tasks.

Deformity: This character has a significant congenital physical disability that causes them regular trouble with everyday tasks.

Hunchback: This character has a disability of the spine that makes movement painful and difficult.

Inbred: This character is the result of significant inbreeding by previous generations and has several physical disabilities as well as being viewed as unsavory by anyone who knows their background.

Pacifist: This character point-blank refuses to use violence against others in any way or for any reason.

Short: This character is extremely short (under five feet tall) and is likely to have difficulty navigating items and places designed for larger people.