Quirks
The Quirk/Flaws list below has many different Quirks/Flaws that can give flavor to your Character's backstory and/or journey with a personal side quest/goal to overcome. Quirks and Flaws can be used interchangeably and all items listed in the List of Quirks/Flaws are both Quirks and Flaw. However, the word Quirk imply that the Difficulty is strictly for the role-playing only aspect of character and the Penalty is optional. While calling the same Difficulty a Flaw is meant to imply that Penalties do apply and that overcoming such a flaw should also yield a positive for the Character. Each Quirk is divided up into 3 sections. Description/Penalty, and Overcome. The Description will help inform the player how to best act this quirk out with their character. The Penalty is usually a rule or a role-playing guideline to follow that is required. Lastly, the Overcome section is a 'soft' rule or suggestion on how the GM/Player decides the Quirk can be removed. This is not a requirement, a Quirk/Flaw can be considered permanent and does not need to be removed. Also, it is recommended that the GM and Player confirm before gameplay how the Character can try to overcome their Quirk/Flaw.
Determine the Source
- It is possible to get a Quirk/Flaw assigned to a Character like a curse that afflicts the Character. However, these difficulties are usually part of a Characters's backstory and start off at level 1 with penalities and, if desired, a plan to overcome. The Player and/or GM should determine the source of the difficulty. This is not always as straightforward as it seems. An example could be the Quirk Obsessed, it could be caused by a psychological condition but it could have come about due to past events or some disease or parasite that affects the Characters mind. The Player/GM may also need to determine other attributes of the difficulty, such as if the Character is ashamed of their Quirk? Or another could be Hunted where the Player will need to determine who is hunting the Character and why.
Penalty Explinations
- Unless specified these conditions do not persist in combat. Quirks and Flaws are meant to be used as roleplaying mechanics. Many penalties are static simply providing a -X to a skill or attribute under the correct circumstances. Some penalties are dynamic and change over time. This usually is an additional -1 per every 5 Character levels. Another example of a dynamic penalty is one that changes the DC for every day or so, ie: Kleptomaniac.
Common Ways to Overcome
- Usually, these Flaws or Quirks are physiological or psychological. But they can also be an unknown phenomenon. The unknown phenomenon can either mean a scientific explanation that simply has yet to be discovered and understood or it could mean something altogether fantastical as the FuturePath Universe does have room for the metaphysical and paranormal although rare. Knowing the source of the difficulty can help the Player and/or GM determine the path the Character needs to take to overcome this issue. These Quirks and Flaws should not just easily be removed by the Character taking a single step or performing a single action. This is meant to be part of the Character's journey and story. There is a lot of room for creativity but the Player and GM must agree on how the Character is to overcome before gameplay starts. That rule applies regardless of whether it is mentioned or not.
- Examples of simple solutions increase the attribute that seems to be the opposite of the Quirk/Flaw. This should be something like 3 or 4 points as it should take a while and can be done by leveling or by implants or so on. Another example would be the Character or another Character/NPC in the party using their skills to learn and make a cure. This solution would include combining skills like Study, Craft, and Profession to learn about the difficulty and make experimental solutions. These solutions could be pharmaceutical, genetic manipulation, cybernetic, or therapeutic. There are more obvious solutions for example the Hunted Quirk the Character may simply need to confront the person or organization hunting them and resolve the conflict.
Common Awards for Overcoming
- This should be internally up to the GM but they should communicate this to the Player before they said to take their Character down the path to remove the Quirk. Often success in overcoming the Quirk or Flaw implies the Character's journey has taught them something and they are better for it in the end. This should be seen as a minor bonus that usually is the antithesis of the Quirk or Flaw. Usually the opposite of what the Penality provided. If the opposite of the Penality cannot work then perhaps a bonus to a Character Attribute or skill that reflects a virtue that a Character could gain while learning to overcome their Flaw. This is open-ended on purpose to allow for creativity. However, these awards are not meant to be the goal of the Player nor should they, like Quirks, impact Combat.