Merits & Flaws
Merits & Flaws (called Character Traits in the rulebook) are optional background traits selected during character creation Step 06. They add mechanical flavor to a character’s personality, history, and physical condition using a simple point-buy system.
GM approval required
This system is only available if the GM enables it for the campaign. Confirm before selecting any traits.
Trait point rules
- Each character starts with 1 Trait Point (TP)
- A character may take up to 5 traits total (any mix of positive and negative)
- Positive traits (merits) cost TP to purchase
- Negative traits (flaws) grant bonus TP
- All unspent TP are lost after character creation
- The GM may later grant or remove traits based on in-game events
Positive traits (merits)
| Trait | TP | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Attractive | 2 | +10 to Personality tests where beauty plays a major role |
| Brave | 3 | +20 to Willpower tests to resist Fear or Persuade (Intimidation) |
| Common Sense | 3 | GM warns the player before the character makes an objectively bad decision |
| Direction Sense | 1 | Always finds north outdoors; reroll one failed Navigate test per long rest |
| First Impression | 1 | +10 to Personality tests when first meeting someone new |
| Good With Animals | 2 | +10 to Animal Handling, Ride, or Survival tests to train or calm animals |
| Pain Tolerant | 3 | +10 to Shock Tests; wound passive penalty reduced to -10 (from -20) |
| Perfect Memory | 3 | Never needs to roll to recall anything seen or heard; +1 DoS on successful Lore tests |
| Preferred Enemy | 1/3 | +10 to tests that directly harm a specific character (1 TP) or faction (3 TP) |
| Situational Awareness | 2 | Ignores Perception penalties from distraction (not from lighting or environment) |
| Slippery | 3 | +10 to Acrobatics (flexibility); can Resist using Acrobatics |
| Threat Awareness | 3 | When Surprised, may roll Initiative instead (but -20 to non-defensive Reactions in round 1) |
| Unremarkable | 2 | +10 to Subterfuge and Stealth when blending into a crowd; hard to describe or remember |
Negative traits (flaws)
| Trait | +TP | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Addiction | +2 | -10 penalty on all tests per day without the substance (cumulative, max -30) |
| Aversion (X, Y) | +1/Y | -10 per Y on all tests when exposed to the aversion X |
| Bad Reflexes | +2 | Roll Initiative twice, take the lowest |
| Combat Paralysis | +3 | Test Willpower when combat begins; fail = no actions or reactions in round 1 |
| Dampened Senses (X) | +1 | -10 to Perception tests using the selected sense |
| Disturbing Voice | +1 | +10 to Persuade (Intimidation); -10 to all other Personality tests involving speech |
| Illiterate | +3 | Cannot read or write |
| Incompetent (X, Y) | +1/X | -10 per X when rolling a trained skill in its area of incompetence Y |
| Low Pain Tolerance | +3 | -10 to Shock Tests and Willpower vs pain; wound passive penalty increased to -30 (from -20) |
| Naive | +2 | GM may call for Intelligence tests to avoid misreading social situations |
| Oblivious | +2 | -20 to Perception tests to detect surprise |
| Social Stigma (X) | +1 | -10 to social tests in situations related to the stigma; stackable for different stigmas |
| Timid | +3 | -10 to Willpower vs Panic or intimidation; -20 to Horror Tests |
| Ugly | +2 | -10 to Personality tests where appearance plays a major role |
| Weak Immune System (X) | +1/X | -10 * X to Endurance tests vs disease (offsets Disease Resistance first) |
Severe negative traits
Severe flaws grant more TP but come with major mechanical consequences. Consider carefully before selecting these.
| Trait | +TP | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Amnesia | +5 | A gap in memory; details worked out with the GM. Will come back to haunt the character |
| Blind | +4 | Blinded condition. Compensated by one free reroll per session on non-sight tests |
| Deaf | +4 | Deafened condition. Compensated by one free reroll per session on non-hearing tests |
| Lingering Injury | +4 | Old injury with GM-determined effects. Grants +1 SP maximum from living with pain |
| Star Cursed | +5 | Add 2 Unlucky Numbers. Things tend to go horribly wrong in the character’s presence |