Page 219 - World of Darkness

develop a condition associated with his injuries, if the Sto-
ryteller thinks it’s appropriate. Perhaps he is now Lame or
has Poor Sight. If a fight is particularly traumatic, he might
become a Coward or develop Amnesia. In all cases, only
the Storyteller has the power the inflict Flaws (or to not
inflict them), and he should do so only if a player agrees.
The ultimate key to Flaws, however, is roleplaying. A player
must fully roleplay his character’s Flaw. He can’t pretend it’s not
there and demand an extra experience point. If his character is
in a wheelchair, he needs to act like it, roleplaying all the frus-
tration that entails. The Storyteller might tell the player that
his character can’t be in the same room with the rest of the
characters, because he had to take the elevator to get there while
the rest vaulted up the stairs. His character can arrive in the
next turn. If the player whines about it, he’s not in the spirit of
his flawed character. If his character whines about it, grumbling
about the horrible Muzak™ in the elevator when he arrives,
then the player is doing his job.
For the most part, Flaws act as carrots rather than
sticks, rewarding roleplaying rather than enforcing it. If a
player doesn’t incorporate a Flaw into his character’s ac-
tions, he should not be made to do so. His only punish-
ment is that he does not gain the extra experience point.
If he ignores his Flaw too often, the Storyteller can de-
clare him cured of it, and thereafter refuse to award extra
experience points even if the player later attempts to play
the Flaw and claim the points. Even a man with One Arm
can be given an effective prosthesis.
The Storyteller is free to devise new Flaws not repre-
sented here, or to allow players to create their own.

Mental Flaws
In addition to the mental conditions below that can
be incurred by a character, he may have a derangement as
a Flaw. Derangements are explored on p. 96 in Chapter 4.
It’s suggested that it be a mild case rather than a severe
one. Unlike mental ailments developed through losses of
Morality, derangements taken as Flaws cannot be elimi-
nated by spending experience points. Indeed, the Story-
teller may decide they cannot by cured at all (unless he
concludes that such a Flaw is not being honored during
play and he lifts it from your character).
Addiction: Your character is hooked on a certain sub-
stance or behavior. If he doesn’t get it regularly, he gets
anxious and goes out of his way to satisfy his need, even
neglecting more important duties. If he goes three or more
game sessions without indulging this addiction, he is as-
sumed to have beaten it (your character loses the Flaw).
The Storyteller is free to inflict harsh withdrawal symp-
toms, however. Note: Satisfying this particular addiction
does not count as indulging a Vice such as Gluttony. No
Willpower points are gained for doing so.
Amnesia: Your character cannot remember a certain
period of her life. This might have been caused by physi-
cal or psychological trauma, and memories might come
back at the most unexpected or inopportune moments. In
addition, she might not remember allies or enemies from
her past. This seeming disregard might insult others, make

218
Chapter 8- STORYTELLING