Taking Flaws gives you extra Freebie points. There is a maximum of 7 points total placed on point taken from Flaws. However, the maximum may be exceeded if the character's concept truly deserves it (Storyteller Discretion). Buying off a Flaw is possible during the course of play. Doing so must be totally justified through roleplaying and approved by the Storyteller. The suggested cost for buying off a Flaw is twice its rating. Conversely, a new Flaw may be taken during play that will give you its rating in experience points or an equal amount of Merit points.
Absent-Minded (3 pt) — This Flaw may not he taken with the Merit Concentration. Though you do not forget such things as Knowledges or Skills, you do forget such things as names, addresses and the last time you meditated. In order to remember anything more than your own name and the location of your home, you need to make a Wits roll or, as a last resort, spend a Willpower point.
Addiction (1-3 pt) — You are addicted to any one of a variety of things. A one point Flaw would be a mild addiction to an easily attained. A two point Flaw would be either a severe addiction to any easily obtained substance or any "mild" drug. A three point Flaw involves expensive or hard-to-find drugs. The need for these drugs varies from once a day for some drugs to two to three times a day for others, depending on the strength of the drug and the addiction. If, for whatever reason, you are denied access to the drug, you lose the number of dice equal to the level of your addiction (one, two or three) until you receive your "fix." If you are deprived of the drugs for an extended length of time, you will be forced to make a Willpower check (Difficulty 4 for the first day, +1 for each additional day). If you fail, you will forgo everything and forcibly go seeking the drug. This would be an easy way for you to be either controlled or forced to do favors for your supplier, especially if the drug is hard to obtain due to its rarity or price.
Adolescent (1 pt) — You were chosen very early in your life. This age difference will cause people to react to you differently. The older Chosen may not take you seriously. ("You've got to be kidding. She's just a kid!") Increase the Difficulty of your Social rolls by 1 to 3 depending on the circumstances of your situation or the individual you are confronting.
Aging (3 pt) — You are not as spry as you used to be; any one Physical Attribute score (your choice) must be lowered by one dot. This Flaw may be taken once per decade past the 40 year mark.
Allergic (1-4 pt) — You are allergic to some substance – pollen, animal fur, alcohol, milk, etc. For one point, you get hives, sneeze or become dizzy upon prolonged contact with your bane; for two points, you swell up uncomfortably in the affected area, reducing all Dice Pools by one; for three points, your reaction actually incapacitates you, reducing appropriate Dice Pools by three. If the substance is really common in your chronicle, add an additional point to this Flaw.
Amnesia (2 pt) — You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself or your family. Your life is a blank slate. However, your past may someday come back to haunt you. (You can, if you wish, take up to five points of other Flaws without specifying what they are. The Storyteller can supply the details. Over the course of the chronicle, you and your character will slowly discover them.)
Asthma (2 pt) — You have Difficulty performing strenuous tasks because you cannot breathe properly. With asthma, your lungs only pull in a fraction of the air that normal lungs require. Any time that you exert yourself, you must make a Stamina roll (Difficulty 6) or be unable to perform any action on the next round while you catch your breath.
Bad Sight (2 pt) — Your sight is defective. Add +2 to the Difficulties of all dice rolls related to vision. This Flaw is neither nearsightedness nor farsightedness – it is a minor form of blindness. The impairment is not correctable. Magic may correct this for a short time, but repairing the blindness permanently requires buying off the Flaw or tying the effect to a permanent Magic Item. You may not take the Merit Acute Vision if you take this Flaw.
Bard’s Tongue (1 pt) — You speak the truth, uncannily so. Things you say tend to come true. This not a facility for blessing or cursing, or an ability that can be ruled by any conscious control. However, at least once per story, an uncomfortable truth regarding any current situation will appear in your head and come out your lips. To avoid speaking prophecy, the owner of the ‘gift’ must expend a Willpower point and take a wound level from the strain of resisting (especially if he bites a hole in his tongue).
Blind (6 pt) — You automatically fail all dice rolls involving vision. You cannot see – the world of color and light is lost to you.
Chaotic Magic (6 pt) — While all Chosen are sources of power being poured into the world, you are a geyser among spigots. Because of this, you find it very difficult to perform any Spell and have predictable results. On the bright side, you only need to spend 1 Aura point for Raw magical effects. Often you find yourself casting what would seem a totally pointless Spell for the situation, hoping that the magic will know what to do. Roll a single die each time you cast a Spell. This is a suggested table for random effects:
Color Blindness (1 pt) — You can only see in black and white. Color means nothing to you, although you are sensitive to color density, which you perceive as shades of gray. Note: color blindness actually indicates an inability to distinguish between two colors, but we fudge a bit for the sake of playability.
Compulsion (1 pt) — You have a psychological compulsion of some sort, which can cause you a number of different problems. Your compulsion may be for cleanliness, perfection, bragging, stealing, gaming, exaggeration, or just talking. A compulsion can temporarily be avoided at the cost of a Willpower point, but is in effect at all other times.
Confused (2 pt) — You are often confused, and the world seems to be a very distorted and twisted place. Sometimes you are simply unable to make sense of things. You need to roleplay this behavior all the time to a small degree, but your confusion becomes especially strong whenever stimuli surround you (such as when a number of different people talk all at once, or you enter a nightclub with loud pounding music). You may spend Willpower to override the effects of your confusion, but only temporarily.
Curiosity (2 pt) — You are naturally curious and find mysteries of any sort irresistible. In most circumstances, you find that your curiosity easily overrides your common sense. To resist the temptation, make a Wits roll (Difficulty 5) for simple things like "I wonder what is in that cabinet!" Increase the Difficulty up to 9 for things like "I'11 just peek into the dragon’s lair – no one will know. What could possibly go wrong?"
Cursed (1-5 pt) — Someone or something has cursed you. This curse is specific and detailed, it cannot be dispelled without extreme effort, and can be life threatening, but every curse can be lifted. Some examples follow:
Dark Fate (5 pt) — You are doomed to experience a most horrible demise or worse, suffer constant agony. No matter what you do, some day you will be out of the picture. In the end, all your efforts, your struggles, and your dreams will come to naught. Your fate is certain and there is nothing you can do about it. Even more ghastly, you have partial knowledge of this, for you occasionally have visions of your fate – and they are most disturbing. The malaise these visions put you in can only be overcome through the use of Willpower, and will return after each and every vision. In terms of the story, someday you will indeed face your fate, but when and how is completely up to the Storyteller. Though you can't do anything about your fate, you can still attempt to reach some goal before it occurs, or at least try to make sure that your friends are not destroyed as well. This is a difficult Flaw to roleplay; though it may seem as if it takes away all free will, we have found that, ironically, it grants freedom.
Dark Secret (1 pt) — You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would of immense embarrassment to you and would make you an outcast. This can be anything from having murdered a good man, to having been a willing servant of Oblivion. While this secret is on your mind at all times, it will only come up in stories once in a while. Otherwise, it begins to lose its impact.
Deaf (4 pt) — You cannot hear sound, and automatically fail any rolls that require hearing.
Deformity (3 pt) — You have some kind of deformity – a misshapen limb, a hunchback or whatever – that affects your interactions with others and may inconvenience you physically. All dice rolls related to physical appearance are at +2 Difficulty. Your deformity will also impose +2 Difficulty on some Dexterity rolls, depending on the type of deformity you possess.
Delusion (1 pt) — You believe wholeheartedly in something that just isn’t so. Fore example, you might believe that you are just a normal human (when you are, in fact, Chosen), that round rocks are extremely valuable, that you are the long-lost son of a Duke, or that your imaginary friend is actually real.
Demon-Hounded (1-4 pt) — A demon has taken a special interest in your soul. She appears to you occasionally, using threats, bribes and honeyed words to win you to her cause. Sometimes she just asks you to perform innocuous favors for her. Sometimes she asks you to sell your soul. Sometimes she offers favors or information without any apparent catch. In any case, it is not your interests she serves, but those of her diabolical masters. All of her plots are ultimately designed to ensnare you and win your soul. A minor demon (1 pt) may be an annoying imp, capable of no more than distracting you, thieving small items and pleading for you soul; its plans are unimpressive, but can be frustrating. A greater creature (4 pt) is your physical equal and can concoct horribly devious plans to win your soul. In either case the Storyteller creates the character for the demon, and keeps track of its plots.
Diabolical Mentor (2 pt) — Your Mentor is engaged in acts that could cause a tremendous uproar. She could be wantonly ignoring the unwritten laws, causing havoc with Oblivion magic, dealing with demons, or torturing captured Karano. Plenty of folks are after your Mentor’s hide, and your skin may be tarred with the same brush.
Disfigured (4 pt) — A hideous disfigurement makes you ugly and easy to notice or remember. You therefore have a zero Appearance.
Driving Goal (3 pt) — You have a personal goal, which compels and directs you in sometimes startling ways. The goal is always limitless in depth, and you can never truly achieve it. It could be to reform the Karano or to achieve Godhood. Because you must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower) it will get you into trouble and may jeopardize other goals. Choose you driving goal carefully, as it will direct and focus everything your character does.
Enemy (1-5 pt) — You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies. Someone wants to harm you. The value of the Flaw determines how powerful these enemies are. The most powerful enemies (Gods or dragons) would be five point Flaws, while someone nearer to your own power would be worth only one point. You must decide who your enemy is and how you earned such enmity in the first place.
Faithless (7 pt) — Unlike other Chosen, you have no Faith to draw upon. For whatever reason, your Patron has decided that you must make do without it. You do not receive the initial free dot of Faith during character creation, nor can you buy Faith with Freebie or Experience. Overcoming this Flaw should be a great quest, and would most certainly bring you closer to your Patron. Once this Flaw is gone, you automatically receive that initial free dot of Faith, but getting there will not be a picnic.
Flashbacks (3 pt) — You are prone to flashbacks if you are in either high-pressure situations or circumstances that are similar to the event that caused the flashback itself. The flashback does not have to be combat-oriented. Either positive or negative stimulation could result in a flashback episode. The repeated use of drugs has been proven to cause a wide range of hallucinations, and in the right circumstances, the mind could flashback to any one of them. Emotional anxiety and stress are the usual catalysts for the flashbacks to begin. Flashing back to a good and happy vision can be just as dangerous or distracting as suddenly flashing to being surrounded by demons. The flashbacks can be caused by almost any trauma – torture, extended combat or repeated drug experimentation. During the flashback, you are not aware of what is really around you. Even people speaking to you will be viewed as people or objects from the vision. You can mistake men for women, people for animals and even inanimate objects for people. To you, reality has shifted, and you are back there again.
Focus Requirement (1 pt) — You need to perform some action to help you focus your magical energies. This could be staring into a crystal, playing an instrument while singing, or holding onto an elemental stone. Without this focus, you must spend a Willpower point to cast any Spell. You cannot take the Merit Concentration with this Flaw.
Form Inept (6 pt) — You are unable to utilize the magics of one of the Forms. This is not due to the fact that you have not yet been trained in that particular Form of magic. Indeed, for whatever reason, you cannot learn this Form. This should not be you Patron’s Form.
Geas (1-7 pt) — A character may take a Geas, or prohibition, as a Flaw. If she violates this prohibition, she loses the ability to use magic or suffers some other penalty, such as –1 to all combat Dice Pools for a story. The level of the Flaw depends on how common the Geas is and the nature of the penalty. The players and Storyteller should feel free to create their own Geases.
Hard of Hearing (1 pt) — Your hearing is defective. All dice rolls related to hearing are at +2 Difficulty. You may not take the Merit Acute Hearing if you take this Flaw.
Hatred (3 pt) — You have an unreasoning hatred of a certain thing. This hate is total and largely uncontrollable. You may hate a species of animal, a class of person, a color, a situation or just about anything else, and you constantly pursue opportunities to harm the hated object or to gain power over it.
Haunted (3 pt) — You are haunted by a ghost that only you (and Mediums) can see and hear. It actively dislikes you and enjoys making your life miserable by insulting, berating and distracting you, especially when you need to keep your cool. It also has a number of minor powers it can use against you (once per story for each power): hiding small objects; bringing a "chill" over others, making them very ill at ease with you; causing a loud buzzing in your ear or the ears of others; moving a small object such as a knife or pen breaking a fragile item such as a bottle or mirror; tripping you; or making eerie noises, such as chains rattling. Yelling at the ghost can sometimes drive it away, but it will confuse those who are around you. The Storyteller will likely personify the ghost in order to make things all the more frustrating for you.
Inept (5 pt) — You are not attuned to your natural aptitudes, and therefore have five less points to spend on your Talent Abilities (so the most you could take on your Talents would be eight, and the least would be zero). Of course, you can still spend Freebie points to buy Talents. However, you cannot, at the start of the game, have any Talent at level three or higher.
Infamous Family (1 pt) — You come from a family that is very well known, but not very well liked. You have a bad reputation, and have a particularly hard time losing it because it is seen as a family trait, not a personal one. You have trouble trusting others because others in your community have always acted against you (probably for no more reason than the blood in your veins).
Infamous Mentor (1 pt) — Your Mentor was, and perhaps still is, distrusted and disliked by many of your fellow Chosen. As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well. This is a heavy load, and one not easily shed.
Insane Mentor (1 pt) — Your Mentor has completely lost his grip on reality, and has become dangerously insane. Any wrong committed by your Mentor may affect your reputation, and some of your Mentor’s dangerous schemes may somehow involve you.
Intolerance (1 pt) — You have an unreasoning dislike of a certain thing. This may be an animal, a class of person, a color, a situation, or just about anything else. All dice rolls involving the subject are at +2 Difficulty. Note that some dislikes may be too trivial to be reflected here – a dislike of White Wolf Magazine (though justified) or tissue paper, for instance, will have little effect on play in most chronicles. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on what you can pick to dislike.
Lame (3 pt) — Your legs are injured or otherwise prevented from working effectively. You suffer a two dice penalty to all Dice Pools related to movement. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Double-Jointed.
Lifesaver (3 pt) — You believe that human life is a sacred gift and will not take a person's life except in the most extreme of circumstances. You may not ever willingly endanger the lives of innocents or in any way participate in a killing. You have no problems with killing animals (for the right reasons), and will kill evil and inhuman creatures to protect others if necessary. (Be very careful, however, with your definition of "evil"…) Senseless death in all forms repulses you, and you feel that those who perform murder should be punished and stopped.
Lost Love (1 pt) — You have lost your true love to death, distance, or marriage. You take little joy in life’s pleasures and give up easily in the face of difficulty, since you’ve already lost the most important struggle. On those occasions when you forget yourself and have a good time, you inevitably feel sorrow afterwards as you think about how it could have been if your true love were with you. Still, time heals all wounds.
Low Self-Image (2 pt) — You lack self-confidence, and don’t believe in yourself. You have two fewer dice in situations where you don’t expect to succeed (at the Storyteller's discretion, though the penalty might be limited to one die if you help the Storyteller by pointing out times when this Flaw might affect you). At the Storyteller's option, you may be required to make Willpower rolls to do things that require self-confidence, or even to use a Willpower point when others would not be obliged to do so.
Lunacy (2 pt) — You are affected by the phases of the moon. On nights of the new moon you are extremely passive, but on nights of the full moon you are extremely emotional and volatile. During the waxing moon you are pleasant and more focused on your tasks. During the waning moon you are a little apathetic and touchy. During the entire cycle of the moon, you vary your emotional level to suit the stage of the moon. This Flaw is made truly effective with good and accurate roleplaying.
Lycanthropy (5 pt) — You have been infected with the magical decease known as Lycanthropy. By the light of the full moon, you undergo a profound physical change (called Crinos). You are not a true werewolf (Garou), but their direst enemy; for when you change, you mindlessly hunt them (or anything else in your path). There are cures, but few of them are as easy to find as a quick death. Adding insult to injury is the fact that three successes are all that are required to detect the Oblivion that is now in you.
Magic Susceptibility (2 pt) — Your will to resist magical effects is weaker than most. Thus, your Difficulty to soak is raised by +1.
Mentor’s Resentment (1 pt) — Your Mentor dislikes you and wishes you ill. Given the smallest opportunity, your Mentor will seek to do you harm, and may even attack you if provoked. You Mentor’s friends will also work against you. Good Luck!
Mild Pain Empathy (3 pt) — If you harm someone, you feel their pain. This becomes especially noticeable in combat, and often leads to pacifism. In addition to any wound penalties you have from your own wounds, you also suffer the wound penalties that your opponent has. Thus, if you are Injured (–1), and your opponent is Mauled (–2), then your wound penalty is –3.
Mild Phobia (1 pt) — You have an overpowering fear of something. You will instinctively and illogically retreat from and avoid the object of your fear. Common objects of phobias include certain animals, insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces, and heights. You must roll Willpower whenever the object of your fear is encountered. The Storyteller determines the Difficulty of this roll. If you fail the roll, you must retreat in terror from the object, and if you get less than three successes you will not approach it.
Mistaken Identity (1 pt) — You look similar to another person, and are mistaken for her, much to your chagrin. This individual’s allies will approach you and tell you things you do not want to hear, her enemies will attempt to do away with you, and others will treat you in odd ways. Ultimately you might be able to sort out things, but it will take tremendous effort.
Mute (4 pt) — Your vocal apparatus does not function, and you cannot speak at all. You can communicate through other means – typically writing, Spirit Magic or signing. Mute Chosen are assumed to have adapted to silent casting by increasing the amount of gesturing.
Naive (1 pt) — You see world in rose-colored hues. Your privileged upbringing (or massive psychological repression of abuse) makes you all too ready to accept others as kind and caring. You are always the last to suspect foul play or bad intent on the part of another, and this can get you in real trouble. On the other hand, the Flaw often leads people of the Caregiver nature to take you under their wings with more fervor than usual.
Nightmares (1 pt) — You experience a horrendous nightmare every time you sleep, and memories of them to haunt you during your waking hours. Sometimes the nightmares are so bad they cause you to lose one die on all your actions for the next day (Storyteller's discretion). Some of the nightmares may be so intense that you mistake them for reality. A crafty Storyteller will be quick to take advantage of this.
No Familiar (4 pt) — For some mystical reason, you are incapable of making a bond with a Familiar. It could be that you once ate someone else’s Familiar by accident. Or, your Patron does not think you will ever need one. Feel free to be creative with the why’s and wherefore’s.
Notoriety (3 pt) — You have a bad reputation among your peers; perhaps you violated the unwritten laws once too often, or belong to an unpopular party. There is a two dice penalty to all dice rolls for social dealings with associated Chosen. A character with this Flaw may not take the Merit Reputation.
Oath Bound (3 pt) — You have given your true word to do a task or perform a service, and you cannot allow anything to stand in the way. It does not matter if you were forced to give your word freely, or though coercion, trickery, or just plain convincing. If you fail, you will be branded for the rest of your life (and possibly the next) as an Oath-Breaker with no honor. People will spit when you pass, your name will be spoken in foul tones, and that is only the beginning.
Obsession (2 pt) — There is something you like, love, or are fascinated by to the point where you often disregard common sense to cater to this drive. You react positively to anything related to your obsession, even if it's not in your best interests. For example, if you are obsessed with supernatural creatures, you will go out of your way to talk to and befriend vampires, werewolves and stranger things, and find out as much as you can about them, disregarding all warnings. There are many other obsessions, including women, men, guns, knives, sports, roleplaying games… you know the type.
One Arm (3 pt) — You have only one arm – choose which, or determine randomly at character creation. This could be a battle scar, birth defect or other form of injury. It is assumed that you are accustomed to using your remaining hand, so you suffer no off-hand penalty. However, you do suffer a two dice penalty to any Dice Pool where two hands would normally be needed to perform a task. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Ambidextrous.
Orphan (5-7 pt) — You have no Patron (beginning Willpower is 2). You are Chosen, technically, in that you possess Chosen abilities, but you have no Boon, nor do you receive any bonus when spending Experience on Spheres. As a 6 point Flaw, you have a Patron, but no Aspect (beginning Aura is 2), and you do not receive any bonus when spending Experience on Forms, nor a Boon. As a 7 point Flaw, you do not have either Patron or Aspect. There is much speculation among academic minded Chosen about the nature of Orphan existence. Most feel that it has something to do with Oblivion.
Outlaw (4 pt) — You are an infamous criminal with a price on your head. Although no one might be devoted full-time to your capture, you can be sure that someone is sent after you whenever you come to the attention of the authorities. If you are caught, there may be a debate about whether to kill you outright or save you for public execution, but your death is assured.
Over-Confident (1 pt) — You have an exaggerated and unshakable opinion of your own worth and capabilities – you display no hesitation in trusting your abilities, even in situations where you risk defeat. Because your abilities may not be enough, this can be very dangerous. When you fail, you are quick to find someone or something to blame other than yourself. If you are convincing enough, you can infect others with your over-confidence.
Primal Marks (1 pt) — You have a soul of primordial essence – a reflection of some totem or God of legend. If the totem is an animal, you strongly resemble what one would look like in human form, so much that people who don’t even know you call you "Bear", "Moose" or "Raven". If the soul is a reflection of a well-known God or hero, you look just like people would expect him to, including any particular deformities (though you do get extra point for those). You look the part so much that anyone can guess your nature at a glance, and there is some danger in that, especially if there are legendary enemies (and there usually are). You are also required to protect the species in question if it is an animal, or finish up its unfinished agenda if it is some God or hero.
Psychic Vampire (5 pt) — Oblivion has made you one of its special toys. The spark of life is dying within you and must be continually fed from outside forces. You are a psychic vampire. Plants and insect life wither or die in your presence as you feed on their energies, and any person you touch for more than an hour will suffer one non-aggravated Health Level as you siphon away his life. Those already injured (including those whose Bruised Health Level has been sucked away) will not heal while in your presence. You can still be in the same building without harming someone, but sharing a bed is not possible unless you want the other person to slowly die. If you do not feed the emptiness within yourself at least once a day, you will begin to die. The rate at which you take wounds follows the progression for natural healing in reverse. You take a Health Level after one day, a second in three days, a third in a week, a fourth in a month, and, finally one wound every three months. On top of all of that, those whom can sense Oblivion will detect you on three or more successes. On the plus side, vampires find your blood completely lacking in sustenance.
Severe Pain Empathy (5 pt) — If anyone around you is suffering or in pain, you feel it too. This can be truly debilitating in most scenes of conflict, rendering you able to do little more than hold yourself and weep.
Severe Phobia (3 pt) — You have an overpowering fear of something. Common objects of fear include certain animals, insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces, heights, and so on. You are paralyzed when faced with the object of fear. The Storyteller has final say over which phobias are allowed in a Chronicle.
Short (1 pt) — You are well below average height, and have trouble seeing over high objects and moving quickly. You suffer a two dice penalty to all pursuit Dice Pools, and you and the Storyteller should make sure your height is taken into account in all situations. In some circumstances, this will give you a concealment bonus.
Short Fuse (3 pt) — Like a Berserker, you frenzy. Unlike a Berserker, you cannot control when you enter frenzy. During situations of intense emotions (fear, anger, hate, etc.) the Storyteller may ask for a Willpower roll (Difficulty varies). One success is enough to remain in control, but you should leave the situation soon. Three or more successes indicate that the situation will not overwhelm you. A failure means you enter frenzy and will not stop frenzying until the end of the scene, or until someone close to you "talks you down". A botch indicates that you have lost it; you will not come out of frenzy for any reason except incapacitation, and you are capable of any act (no matter how heinous or against your nature). While in frenzy, you do receive some bonuses (see the Merit Berserker).
Shy (1 pt) — You are distinctly ill at ease when dealing with people, and you will try to avoid social situations whenever possible. All rolls concerned with social dealings are made with a +1 Difficulty, and any roll made while you are the center of attention is made at +2 Difficulty. Don't expect such a character to make a public speech.
Slow Healing (5 pt) — For some reason, you heal slower than most Chosen. It takes twice as long, and twice as much magic effort, to heal your wounds.
Soft Hearted (1 pt) — You cannot stand to watch others suffer, not necessarily because you care about what happens to them, but simply because you dislike the intensity of emotion. If you are the direct cause of suffering, and you witness it, you will experience days of nausea and sleepless grief. You avoid situations where you might have to witness suffering, and will do anything you can to protect others from it as well. Whenever you must witness suffering, Difficulties on all rolls are raised by +2 for the next hour.
Speech Impediment (1 pt) —You have a stammer or some other speech impediment which hampers verbal communication. All relevant rolls are made with a +2 Difficulty. Do not feel obliged to roleplay this impediment all the time, but in times of duress, or when dealing with outsiders, you should attempt to simulate it.
Sphere Inept (5 pt) — You are unable to utilize the magics of one of the Spheres. This is not due to the fact that you have not yet been trained in that particular Sphere of magic. Indeed, for whatever reason, you cannot learn this Sphere. This should not be you Patron’s Sphere or the Oblivion Sphere.
Strangeness (1 pt) — Reality is slightly stranger for you. Once per game session, the Storyteller will choose one of your Spheres, make up an effect, and roll your Sphere (Difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, something unusual involving the Sphere will happen for no apparent reason. For instance, Fire 3 could result in temporary blindness, the building you are catching on fire, or an encounter with an efreet. If the roll fails, the strangeness passes. This Flaw can alter the tone of a campaign; therefore, allowing a character to take it should require the approval of not only the Storyteller, but also the other players in the group.
Taint of Oblivion (7 pt) — Something you, your parents, or your ancestors did has tainted you with Oblivion. Others naturally feel very ill at ease around you. Gaining a good reputation is impossible. Those who can sense Oblivion will detect you with only one success. Worst of all, Akeru talks to you in visions in order to win you over to its side. Ridding yourself of this taint should be a major undertaking. Many stories can be told about such a quest. Karano may not take this Flaw.
Throwback (1-5 pt) — One or more of your past lives still affects you… badly. Their fears come back to haunt you in your dreams, and you have flashbacks of their worst memories (such as their death, or even worse, a personality that encroaches on your own). For bad dreams or flashbacks, take one to two points depending on the severity of the condition and how much it will affect your studies or performance in dangerous situations. For a "roommate in your head," take three points (whether you know he exists or not). For the package deal and a truly miserable existence, take five points, but expect the Storyteller to take every opportunity to use these against you.
Twisted Apprenticeship (1 pt) — Your Mentor was quite malevolent and taught you all the wrong things about being Chosen. Your concepts of Chosen life are all wrong, and your faulty beliefs are likely to get you into a great deal of trouble. Over time, after many hard lessons, you can overcome this bad start (the Storyteller will tell you when). But until then, you will continue to believe what you were first told, no matter how other try to "trick" you into thinking otherwise.
Uneducated (5 pt) — Because nobody ever took the time to teach you anything, you have five less points to spend on your Knowledge Abilities (so the most you could take on your Knowledges would be eight, and the least would be zero). Of course you can still spend Freebie points to take Knowledges. However, you cannot, at the start of the game, have any Knowledge at level three or higher.
Unskilled (5 pt) — You have never trained extensively in any skill or craft, and therefore have five less points to spend on your Skill Abilities (so the most you could take on your Skills would be eight, and the least would be zero). Of course you can still spend Freebie points to take Skills. However, you cannot, at the start of the game, have any Skill at level three or higher.
Vengeance (2 pt) — You have a score to settle – a party was wiped out, a friend was corrupted, a mentor was slain… whatever. You are obsessed with wreaking vengeance on the guilty party. Revenge is your first priority in all situations. The need for vengeance can only be overcome by spending Willpower points, and even then, it only temporarily subsides. Someday you may have your revenge, but the Storyteller will not make it easy.
Ward (3 pt) — You are devoted to the protection of someone more vulnerable than your self. You may describe your ward, though the Storyteller will actually create her. This character may be a friend or relative from your pre-Chosen days, or just a good friend. Apprentices do not count as wards, as they "pay their own way." Wards have a talent for getting caught up in the action of stories, and they are frequent targets of a character’s enemies.
Weirdness Magnet (3 pt) — For whatever reason, strange things just happen to you. You always seem to be the one who springs the trap. If anyone in the party is going to get struck by lightning, it’s going to be you. And "Random Encounters" take on a whole new meaning with you around. On the up side, every once in a while, you stumble upon over something useful, like a bag full of silver (of course what you do with it could make an entire story). Strangely enough, this Flaw makes you a welcome member of almost any community or party you join.