Flaws
From Sagataflwiki
Flaws are DisAdvantages of a psychological nature, indicating that the character is vulnerable to specific stimuli, having a certain probability to "trigger" on encountered provications or temptations.
(move this: Examples include the potential for sexual activity (the Sexual Orientation Flaw, worse if synergizing with the Lecherous Flaw), or for indulging in good food, drink, company or art (Flaws such as Gourmmet or Glutton, Fond of Drink, Sociable and Connoiseur), or provocations (Pride or Bad Temper), or (often unpleasant and politically incorrect) forms of bias of various shapes and against various types of targets (underestimation, hatred, e.g., against a particular sex, religion, ethnicity, race, culture, or sexual orientation or preference).)
Almost all Flaws are measured by a Roll Strength, the number of dice rolled being constant for each Flaw of each character, but with the RD depending upon the strength (magnitude) of the stimuli, and in the case of som Flaws also upon how long ago it was that the character last satisfied his need or urge.
It is possible to create and play a character who has no Flaws at all, but it is extremely expensive. Converely, only a small amount of compensatory points are given for choosing to create and play a character with many Flaws.
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Types of Flaws
There are four basic types of Flaws: Standard Flaws, Mandatory Flaws, Multi-Flaws and Special Flaws
Standard Flaws
Standard Flaws are most like those on certain other RPG systems. Lecherous, Bad Temper, Gluttony. They are vulnerabilities to potentially encountered triggers/stimuli/provocations, and must be rolled for whenever the character comes across a credible trigger at an appropriate RD (a "non-credible trigger" would be an RD higher than 12, although for low-magnitude Flaws, 2d12 and 3d12 ones, the GM can - and probably should - not demand rolls against RD 12 (or even RD 11 in the case of 2d12 Flaws)).
Some Standard Flaws have a subject, for instance it is a rare character who is prejudiced in some way against everyone (it is possible but is an unusual special case Standard Flaw). Rather the prejudice is against a specific defined target group, such as Jews, or heterosexuals, or Simulationists, or honest and honourable people.
In some cases a Standard Flaw also needs a flavour, for instance prejudice is never just prejudice but always takes a particular shape, in the form of underestimation, or verbal rage/attacks, or attempts (or desire) to physically hurt the target group. Usually this is defined by the name of the Flaw, for instance ther simply is no Prejudice Flaw. Instead there are a number of Flaws that represent various forms and shapes and flavour that prejudice can take.
Standard Flaws can have RD modifiers, e.g. a character with the Fond of Drink Flaw can have a +2 RD modifier for beers/ales and a -1 RD modifier for fruit wines. Thus he is less likely to "trigger" (higher RD) on beer and ale, and slightly more likely to trigger on cider and other fermented fruits, and has a "normal" probability of triggering on meads and grape wines (on and more exotic drinks such as kumiss, the fermented milk produced by the Mongols).
Standard Flaws are subject to the usual rules on Similar Flaws.
Mandatory (Standard Flaws)
Each species in a Sagatafl world may be defined by having certain Mandatory Flaws, Standard Flaws that are biologically hardwired into the species at a certain level. Sometimes only a certain sub-species, or sex, or age category, or range of age categories, may have a Mandatory Flaw, but it is alwys biological in nature.
Humans of both sexes, for instance, manifest the Sexual Orientation Flaw upon leaving the childhood stage. The choice of Sexual Orientation is either Heterosexual or Homosexual (see further down) and is made at characte creation, even if the character starts a child and it will be many Years before the character leaves the childhood.
The Sexual Orientation Flaw marks them as being vulnerable to seduction from eligible targets, and therefore does not correspond fully to what present day people think of as sexual orientation. For instance one can envision a man in ancient Greece who has sex with his wife for the purpose of reproduction, but is completely immune to her allure, and likewise immune to seduction from other women, instead being vulnerable to seduction by other males (for added realism, he'd then have an RD penalty for young men, being more vulnerable to seduction from them, and an RD bonus for men his own age and older). To repeat: Sexual Orientation is not the same as sexual behaviour.
The Sexual Orientation Flaw is instictive and urge-driven and makes the character vulnerable to seduction.
Mandatory Flaws work like Standard Flaws, and in some cases can be modified by Special Flaws. Sexual Orientation can be modified by Special Flaws such as Lecherous, Reduced Sex Drive and Bisexual, the first two adding or subtracting dice from the Sexual Orientation Flaw, and Bisexual modifying the Sexual Orientation Flaw such that the character is vulnerable to seduction from both sexes.
Multi-Flaws
Multi-Flaws are rather like Standard Flaws, except much broader in scope. Often the combine several real and/or hypothetical Flaws into one package, such as with Immature, Party Animal, Multi-Phobia and PTSD.
Immature marks the character as being emotionally and developmentally immature, and combines elements of Lecherous, Overconfidence and Bad Temper, all at weak strength but in combination adding up to something that is noteworthy and rich in dramatic potential.
Party Animal combines elements of Sociable, Fond of Drink and ...?
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and combines elements of Nightmares, Unfortunate Reactions
Special Flaws
Subject
Examples I
Getting more in depth
Examples II
Advice
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Please note
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The world
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World impact
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The Ärth setting
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See also
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