Flaws

Flaws are permanent character traits that create complications, limitations, and interesting problems. They are entirely optional, but they make the game better. A character with Flaws is a character the GM can write stories around.

Taking a Flaw gives the character additional XP to spend during creation. This XP can be spent on anything — Skills, Abilities, Feats. The "benefit" of a Flaw is the flexibility it buys you. The cost is that the galaxy will use it against you.

There is no hard cap on the number of Flaws a character can take. We recommend one Major Flaw and two Minor Flaws (20 XP total) as a starting point — enough to make the character interesting without making them unplayable. Players who prefer a cleaner character sheet can skip Flaws entirely.

Flaws and Costly Success

When a character rolls a Costly Success, the GM needs to assign a cost. A character's Flaws are the first place to look. The cost should flow naturally from who the character is, not feel like a random punishment. A Costly Success on an Influence check for a character with Girl in Every Port might mean the negotiation works, but the person you're dealing with turns out to know one of your exes. A Costly Success on a Stealth check for a character who is Wanted might mean you got past the checkpoint, but the guard is going to remember your face later.

Flaws don't trigger on every Costly Success, just when the fiction lines up. The GM should use them when it creates a good moment, not as a mechanical tax.

Major Flaws (10 XP)

Addiction. You are dependent on a substance — drugs, alcohol, a specific chemical compound, whatever fits the fiction. Each Act you go without feeding the addiction, you start one step lower on the Condition Track. This does not generate Wounds, but it can accumulate to the point where your character is non-functional and must drop out of scenes entirely. You can make recovery checks to move back up, but the addiction will pull you down again next Act unless you get what you need. The substance and severity should be established at character creation. Basic Combat module.
Black Mark. Dishonorable discharge, public disgrace, criminal record, or equivalent. A specific faction actively distrusts you — not just a bad reputation, but a documented one. When dealing with that faction or anyone connected to it, social checks suffer +1 Risk and the GM may introduce complications based on your record.
Debt. You owe something serious to someone dangerous. They haven't forgotten, and they will come collecting. The nature of the debt and the creditor should be established at character creation with the GM.
Guilt. Something in your past haunts you. Nightmares, flashbacks, moments of paralysis when the present mirrors the past. The GM can invoke this when the current situation resembles the original trauma — +1 Risk on all checks for the remainder of the scene, or the GM may compel you to freeze, flee, or act irrationally.
Infamous. Your reputation precedes you, and it's bad. People recognize you and react negatively before you open your mouth. Social checks with anyone who might know your reputation suffer +1 Risk, and the GM can introduce recognition at inconvenient moments.
Loyalty. You are ferociously loyal to specific people. You will make terrible tactical decisions to protect them. The GM can compel you to prioritize their safety over the mission, the plan, or your own survival. The people you are loyal to should be defined at character creation.
Obligation. You are bound to a person, faction, or cause. When they call, you answer — or there are consequences. The obligation should be specific and established at character creation.
Rival. A specific, named NPC actively works against your interests. They are competent, persistent, and personal. Work with the GM to define who they are and what they want.
Secret. You are hiding something that would fundamentally change how others see you. Discovery is a constant threat. The secret should be defined at character creation. The GM knows; the other players may or may not.
Ship Debt. You owe for your vessel. Payments are due, the creditor has enforcement options, and missing a payment has consequences that range from inconvenient to catastrophic. The creditor, the terms, and the consequences of default should be established at character creation.
Wanted. Someone powerful is actively looking for you. The GM can introduce pursuit or recognition at any time. The scope — local, system-wide, galactic — should be established at character creation.

Minor Flaws (5 XP)

Arrogant. You believe you are better than others and it shows. Social checks with people who don't already respect you suffer +1 Risk.
Bad Eyes. Poor vision. +1 Risk on visual Perception checks. This stacks with species penalties.
Big Mouth. You cannot keep a secret. When you know something sensitive, the GM can compel you to let it slip at the worst possible moment.
Code of Honor. You have a personal line you will not cross, even when it costs you. The specific code should be defined at character creation. The GM can invoke this to prevent an otherwise optimal action.
Curiosity. You cannot leave a mystery alone. When presented with something unknown or unexplained, the GM can compel you to investigate, even when the smart move is to walk away.
Drifter. You can't stay in one place. Extended downtime in a single location makes you restless and unreliable. The GM can compel you to move on or act impulsively when stuck.
Girl in Every Port. Your romantic history is extensive and poorly managed. Exes, scorned lovers, and complicated entanglements show up at the worst possible moments. The GM may introduce these complications whenever you arrive somewhere new or interact with someone who might know your past.
Greedy. Money and wealth motivate you more than they should. The GM can compel you to take the profitable option over the smart or moral one.
Hard of Hearing. +1 Risk on hearing-based Perception checks.
Hot Headed. Your temper gets the better of you. When provoked or insulted, the GM can compel you to react aggressively instead of rationally. Influence: Intimidation checks against you gain -1 Risk. It's easy to push your buttons.
Impulsive. You act first and think later. In Structured Scenes, the GM can compel you to act on your first instinct rather than waiting for a better opportunity.
Marked. You are physically distinctive — scars, tattoos, unusual coloring, cybernetics. Disguise and blending in suffer +1 Risk. People remember your face.
Nightmares. Your sleep is unreliable. At the start of each Act, the GM may declare you slept poorly. Your Willpower regeneration is reduced by 1 for that Act.
Old Wound. A lingering injury that never fully healed. Once per session, the GM can declare it flares up — +1 Risk on physical checks for the remainder of the scene.
Overconfident. You consistently overestimate your abilities. The GM can compel you to attempt things beyond your capability or refuse to back down from a losing position.
Paranoid. You trust no one. Assist actions targeting you require a successful Influence: Persuasion check first. You have to be convinced to accept help. Basic Combat module.
Phobia. A specific trigger — vacuum, fire, enclosed spaces, a specific species — causes you to freeze or panic. When confronted with it, +1 Risk on all checks until you remove yourself from the situation. The trigger should be defined at character creation.
Poverty. You have nothing beyond what your Occupation provides. No savings, no backup gear, no safety net. Acquiring anything beyond the basics costs time, favors, or risk.
Runt. You are notably smaller than average for your species. +1 Risk on checks where size matters — intimidation, physical presence, reaching things.
Slow Healer. Recovery checks on the Condition Track suffer +1 Risk. Basic Combat module.
Soft-Hearted. You cannot stand to see suffering — even in enemies. The GM can compel you to help, spare, or show mercy when the tactical choice is to walk away.
Widdershins. You are culturally disconnected from your own people. Social checks with members of your own species suffer +1 Risk. You don't fit, and they know it.

Special Flaws

Focus Insensitive (5 XP). You are a void in the fabric of willpower. You cannot use or sense Focus. Your Will may not exceed 3. All Focus-related checks targeting you — beneficial or hostile — suffer +1 Risk. Focus-sensitive individuals perceive you as wrong, off, or empty. Focus users see you as a blind spot in the universe's will. This is both a shield and a prison.