Difficulties

All heroes have their issues. Difficulties are designed as a guideline for adding more 'flavour' or detail to a Character.

Difficulties have a Penalty that the Character must take in order to declare they have the Difficulty. By taking a Difficulty the Character may take one bonus from the following choices:

1. One permanent bonus point to an Ability score.
2. One extra Action Point per level.
3. Two extra skill points to spend at level 1.

• A custom feature may be provided by the Difficulty.

The Player can pick as many Difficulties as they want but they may only get two Bonuses. Meaning only the first two Difficulties can provide bonuses.

Players may want to discuss options with the GM for possible alternatives to the rules presented here.

• Optional Rule: A Character may gain a new Difficulty trait at level 10 for one additional bonus if they so choose and if the GM agrees it applies too the Character role-playing.

Character Difficulties

Absent-Minded

Penalty: The character takes a -2 penalty on Intelligence based ability and skill checks.

Addiction

Penalty: If the dependent item is unavailable, The character must make a Willpower save every hour at a DC 10 +1 (per hour) without the dependent item, or become panicked.

The character also loses ¼ his starting wealth due to cost of the Addiction.

Allergy

Penalty: Choose something The character is allergic to and treat it as a poison.

Type: Poison; Save: Fortitude D.

Onset: 1 minute; Frequency: 1/minute for 6 minutes.

Effect: 1d4 Con damage; Cure: 2 consecutive saves.

Amnesia

Penalty: The character cannot remember his personal history. The afflicted hero cannot use any prior contacts and takes a -4 penalty to all social skills.

Amorous

Penalty: Heroes with this difficulty suffer a -4 to any mind-affecting abilities from members of a chosen gender. (Some characters are amorous to members of the opposite gender, others to members of the same gender or both.)

Anger Management

Penalty: The character is aggressive and loses his temper easily. He takes a -4 penalty on Diplomacy skill checks. After any failed social skill, he must make a Willpower save DC 10 + (the difference in the failed check). If the save fails, The character acts as if under the influence of the rage and confusion spells for the same number of rounds equal to the difference in the failed check.

Bad Luck

Penalty: The character suffers a -1 to all saving throws.

Blind

Penalty: The character cannot see. He takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

Broke

Penalty: The character's starting Wealth is decreased by 3/4.

Combat Paralysis

Penalty: The character must make a Willpower save (DC 10 + number of opponents) in order to enter combat.

Coward

Penalty: The character suffers a -4 to his Intimidate skill. Anytime he is faced with danger, he must make a Will save (fear effect) DC 10 + (the total hit dice of the opponents). If the save fails, The character become panicked and last a number of rounds equal to the total hit dice.

Crude

Penalty: The character suffers a -2 penalty on Charisma based ability and skill checks.

Curiosity

Penalty: The character suffers a -4 to any mind-affecting abilities. Anytime a failed check is made vs. a mind-affecting ability, the character becomes fascinated in addition to any other effects from the mind-affecting ability. This will also double the duration of the original mind-affecting ability with the addition of the Fascinate condition.

Dark Secret

Penalty: The character suffers from something detrimental in his past. Every time The character gains a level, he must make a Fame check (DC 10 + Fame score). If the check fails the Dark Secret is uncovered.

The GM must approve the conditions, effects and cause of the Dark Secret. For examples, a good resource is a quick internet search for “dark secret examples".

Deaf

Penalty: A deafened hero cannot perceive anything with his auditory sense. The character automatically fails Perception checks based on sound and takes a -4 penalty on Perception checks.

Dull Senses

Penalty: The character suffers a -4 penalty to initiative checks.

Hunted

Penalty: Heroes with this Difficulty have someone (or something) after them, to do them harm. Every time The character gains a level, he must make a Fame check (DC 10 + Fame) to see if hunter has found him.

Illiterate

Penalty: This unfortunate hero cannot read and cannot use any ability that requires the ability to read.

Infamy

Penalty: The character's Fame increases by +4, but in a bad way.

Your Faction dislikes you and will not work with you. Your Prestige Points cannot be used or spent.

Kleptomaniac

Penalty: The character just cannot seem to keep his hands off other people's stuff. You must make a Willpower save (DC 10 + 1 per day of not stealing) each day. If the save fails, The character must steal something of value that day.

Klutz

Penalty: The character takes a -2 penalty on Dexterity based ability and skill checks.

Lazy

Heroes with this difficulty have a BIG BOOK of EXCUSES, so they are not inclined to do anything productive or contributory, at all.

Penalty: The character can only use 1 Hero Point each day.

Liar

Penalty: The character can't tell the truth about anything. He takes a -1 penalty on Charisma based abilities and skill checks and his Fame decreases by 2

Lightweight

Penalty: The character takes a -2 penalty on Strength based ability and skill checks.

Low Pain Threshold

Penalty: The character gains two less Hit Points per level than normal (to a minimum of 1)

Mute

Penalty: The afflicted hero cannot speak or use his vocal abilities in any way. He cannot use any ability that requires verbal communication.

No Class

Penalty: The character cannot take an Archetype or the Cross Training Talent.

Obsessed

Penalty: The character cannot stop thinking about something and/or someone. Each day, he must make Will save at 10+ 1 for each day away from the object. If the check fails, the character must stop whatever he is doing and find the object of his desire. Until he has found the object, he suffers the Manic condition.

Paranoid

Penalty: The character believes, irrationally, that something or someone is out to get him. The character suffers a -2 penalty on Will saves and -1 on Charisma-based skill checks.

Phobia

Penalty: Something frightens The character. If he encounters or experiences the Phobia, he must make a Will check vs. fear at a DC of 15 or become panicked. The panicked condition lasts until the object of the phobia is no longer observed by the character.

Socially Awkward

Penalty: The character takes a -2 penalty on Charisma based ability and skill checks and his Fame decreases by 1.

Unattractive

Penalty: The character is physically unattractive and has a -8 to all Charisma based checks when someone can see him.

Weak Stomach

Penalty: The character suffers a -2 penalty on Constitution based ability and skill checks.