Category:Supernatural Flaws

Animate Shadow (3pt. Flaw) Your shadow has a bizarre unlife of its own, reaching out with claws to grasp the shadows of those around you in a parody of feeding or billowing to a demonic mien when frenzy threatens to overtake you. Some Lasombra believe this curse afflicts only those who delve too deeply into the mysticism of the Abyss; others attribute it to infernal pacts, the wrath of God or a shameful lack of self-control. Regardless, you lose two dice from all Social rolls with other Lasombra who know of your problem. This Flaw occasionally manifests among vampires who do not belong to the Clan of Shadows, but such accursed individuals invariably disappear under mysterious circumstances, perhaps swallowed by their own alien darkness.

Beast in the Mirror (1 or 2pt. Flaw) Whenever you stare into a reflective surface, you see your Beast leering back at you. If this horror is visible to you alone, this Flaw is worth only one point. If mirrors betray your monstrous nature to everyone, this Flaw is worth two points. even at the one-point intensity, magi and other gifted souls may occasionally glimpse your true nature for a moment. Even ordinary mortals can sense there is something faintly wrong with you, adding +1 to the difficlty of most Social rolls if they have ever seen your reflection.

Blood Madness (2 or 4pt. Flaw) The curse that the infernal Baali bloodline laid upon the Assamite warrior caste has fallen on your head, and you are plagued with an unending hunger for the blood of other Cainites. Whenever you taste Cainite blood, you must make a Self-Control roll (difficulty 8) or you fall into a hunger frenzy in which you will do anything to gorge upon as much blood as physically possible. If you follow a road that teaches Instinct, you are instantly lost to this frenzy. No roll is possible, and the Flaw is worth four points. You often find yourself thinking of other Cainites - even Children of Haqim - as potential vessels rather than equals. This Flaw is mainly found among the Assamite warrior caste. It is much rarer among sorcerers and viziers, only affecting those who have partaken of warrior vitae or who spend the majority of their time associating with warriors. It is almost (but not wholly) unknown among the other clans.

Bound to the Earth (4pt. Flaw) You feel a deep mystical connection with the earth and must rest amid two or more handfuls of soil from a place of personal significance. The dirt may come from your homeland or your empty grave, as befits your attachment. Every day of rest that you forgo such contact cumulatively halves all dice pools until all actions use a single die. This Flaw occasionally manifests among blood sorcerers as a result of botched magic, tying a vampire to a grave he violated for a ritual component or the tainted soil of Kupala’s domain. Tzimisce may not purchase this Flaw.

Can't Cross Running Water (4pt. Flaw) You cannot cross running water without suffering physical pain and riling up the Beast. In order to cross any body of water that is two feet wide or more and not completely stagnant, you must roll Courage (difficulty 6-8, depending ont he size of the body of water). Failure means you refuse to cross, while a botch throws you into Rotschreck. Success allows you to cross, but not without pain. You take one level of unsoakable bashing damage per turn of the crossing. If you actually wade into the water instead of using a bridge, the damage is aggravated.

Cannot Embrace (2pt. Flaw) Either due to your high generation or because of some other factor, you cannot pass on the Curse of Caine to another. No matter how much of your vitae you feed to a freshly drained mortal, she does not rise as one of the undying. It's altogether possible for a character not to know that she can't Embrace until the moment of truth, when a potential childe lies dead at her feet. This Flaw is common among the 12th generation. In fact, until recently, most thought that no 12th generation vampire could sire. You can still create ghouls and blood oaths as normal.

Cast No Reflection (1pt. Flaw) You actually cast no reflection. This can have a very detrimental effect trying to pass as a human. Vampires of Clan Lasombra automatically have this Flaw at no point benefit (and you may be mistaken for one of them if you possess it).

Cursed (1 to 5pt. Flaw) You are the recipient of a supernatural curse. The strength and pervasiveness of the curse depends upon how many points you wish to incur. Examples follow: Any other supernatural Flaw (and many of the others) can be used as a curse as well. The manner in which you can lift the curse are up to the storyteller, but they generally involve making amends to the one you have offended.
 * If you pass on a secret you were entrusted with, your betrayal will come back to harm you in some way. (1pt.)
 * You stutter uncontrollably when you try to describe what you have seen or heard. (2pts.)
 * You are doomed to make enemies of those whom you most love or admire. (4pts.)
 * Every one of your accomplishments or triumphs will eventually become soiled or fail in some way. (5pts.)

Dark Fate (5pt. Flaw) You are doomed to experience Final Death or, worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, you cannot avoid this terrible fate. At some point during the chronicle, your Dark Fate will come upon you. Even more ghastly is the fact that you occasionally have visions of this fate, and the malaise these images inspire requires an expenditure of a temporary Willpower point to avoid, or else you lose a die from all of your actions for the remainder of the night. It is up to the Storyteller to determine the exact nature of this fate and when it will occur.

Darksight (2pt. Merit or Flaw) At will, you may invert the meaning of light and dark to your eyes. This requires a turn of concentration and a successful Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 7). With Darksight active, you may view pitch-black darkness as though it were brightly and uniformly lit, while torches cast a radiance that obscures perception in the manner that darkness interferes with normal senses. The significance of colors likewise inverts, lending a surreal hue to the world without interfering with your ability to separate hues. All penalties for partial darkness instead apply to weak illumination, and the absolute emptiness of sunlight and similarly bright radiance blinds you (and burns you, in the case of sunlight). The Merit does not allow you to see through mystical shadows, such as those produced by Obtenebration. As a Flaw, your Darksight is permanent; you will never again view the universe through any semblance of human vision.

Demon-hounded (1 to 4pt. Flaw) A demon from below has taken a special interest in you. It appears to you occasionally, using threats, bribes or honeyed words to win you to its cause. Sometimes it just asks you to perform innocuous favors. Sometimes it asks you to become its eternal servant. Sometimes it offers favors or information without any apparent catch. In any case, it is not your interests it serves, but those of its diabolical masters. For some reason, the demon sees you as an especially useful tool for ensnaring the mortal souls it craves, and although it may occasionally provide you with a short-term benefit, you are disposable to it. At some point in the chronicle, it is likely to try to dispose of you in some decidedly uncomfortable fashion. The details of the demon and its personality are largely up to the Storyteller, but the point level determines some generalities. A minor demon (1pt. Flaw) may be an annoying imp, incapable of doing anything more than distracting you, thieving small items and pleadingf or souls. Its plans are unimpressive, but they can be frustrating. A greater creature (4pt. Flaw) is your physical equal, and it can concoct horribly devious plans to make you its slave.

Ecstatic (2pt. Flaw) - Inquisitor Only Sometimes, your joy in the touch of the Holy Ghost utterly overwhemls you and you speak in tongues, have ecstatic fits or start prophesying incomprehensibly. Every time you use a Blessing or the Holy Arts and score more than three successes, you must roll Willpower (difficulty 6) or giv in to ecstatic behavior. You may spend a Willpower point to delay the effect by one scene, if you wish.

Eerie Presence (2pt. Flaw) Mortals have an unconscious awareness of your undead nature, which makes them anxious and ill at east in your presence. Because of this, difficulties of all die rolls relating to social interaction with mortals are increased by two.

False Amaranth (3pt. Flaw) Your halo always shows the blackened marks of Amaranth, even if you have never committed diablerie. Perhaps your sire was a habitual diablerist, or perhaps in the throes of frenzy, you alsomot committed the foul act yourself. Assamites of the warrior caste cannot take this flaw.

Geasa (1 to 5pt. Flaw) A powerful magical being — a mage, a fae noble or perhaps an ancient blood sorcerer — has placed you under a pact as binding as the blood oath. Rather than commanding your adoration, your geasa compels you to fulfill or avoid certain actions lest some calamity befall you. The severity of the consequence and the ease of keeping the terms of the pact determine the rating of the Flaw. At one point, you must not feed on the members of a particular noble family or else wear the marks of your treachery as boils on your immortal face. For five points, you must remain within a remote forest or the sun will find you wherever you sleep no matter how deep or darkened your lair. As always, the Storyteller has the final say on any Geasa, including the unlikely possibility of its removal. Players should work closely with the Storyteller to develop Geasa that create story hooks rather than being obscure quirks chosen for a couple extra bonus points.

God's Judgement (2pt. to 5pt. Flaw) - Inquisitor Only You have sinned against the Lord sometime in the past, and as a punishment upon you he has barred you from receiving some of his Blesings. A 2-point flaw bars you from gaining Orisons; a 3-point flaw from a particular form of Endowment or path of the Holy Art; 4-points ban you from gaining any Endowments; and 5 points ban you frmo gaining Blessings entirely. These are NOT cumulative. You suffer the penalty for the appropriate level only. That is, a character with the 4 point version of this Flaw may learn Orisons and the Holy art, but not Endowments.

Grip of the Damned (4pt. Flaw) There is no ecstasy in your Embrace - only terror and pain. Mortals upon whom you feed struggle and shriek all the while as you attempt to feed, requiring you to grapple with them for as long as you wish to take their blood. Depending on the vampire's road and rating, this may cause a degeneration roll, at the discretion of the Storyteller.

Hand of Hades (5pt. Flaw) You exude the spiritual blight of death. Insects die if they fly too near you, while most small plants shrivel and die within a foot of your presence. Even large trees take on blight in the places you touch. Larger animals, including humans, suffer one level of lethal damage for every hour they spend in close proximity to you. Such damage has no outward sign, manifesting as inexplicable weakness. This nepenthe also sets mortals and even vampires ill at ease, adding 1 to the difficulty of all Social rolls not involving Intimidation. Unlike the Flaw Touch of Frost (Dark Ages: Vampire p. 309), you really do leave a swath of desiccated grass and leaves as you pass. Cappadocians may take this Flaw in place of their normal clan curse, in which case they receive only two points and suffer their usual social difficulties, but may vainly show a “flush of life” if they so desire. Cappadocians who take this Flaw in addition to their clan curse receive the usual number of bonus points and cumulatively sum their Social penalties, adding +2 to the difficulty of all Social rolls not involving Intimidation.

Harbinger of the Abyss (5pt. Flaw) You are a conduit to the ultimate darkness that lies Beyond. Lights dim in your presence and shadows rustle at the edge of vision in dire anticipation of your blasphemy. Small fires extinguish when you draw close and the chill of the Void is in your touch. Your player must roll your Obtenebration rating against the soak difficulty of any mundane flame within two yards of you. This roll is reflexive and mandatory, and success extinguishes the flame. This dimming is in addition to suffering the effects of Touch of Frost and Eerie Presence (Dark Ages: Vampire pp. 308–9). The Flaw conveys one benefit: Your unnatural radiance reduces the difficulty of all Intimidation rolls by 3, to a minimum difficulty of 4. Characters must have at least one dot of Obtenebration to purchase this Flaw.

Haunted (3pt. Flaw) You are haunted by an angry and tormented spirit, most likely the ghost of one of your first victims. This spirit actively attempts to hinder you, especially when feeding, and it does its utmost to vent its anguish upon you and anyone in your presence. The Storyteller determines the exact nature of the spirit, its powers and whether or not it can eventually be laid to rest.

Initiate to the Road (1pt. Flaw) You are a newcomer to your chosen road of enlightenment and have yet to face your first moment of truth upon it. Although you understand the road's tenets and teachings on an intellectual level, you haven't put them to the test against the Beast, so you cannot claim the mantle of a true adherent. This may be the result of having only been recently Embraced or having just changed roads, in which case the Apostate Flaw may be appropriate. You do not have the aura tied to your road, and you face a +1 difficulty penalty in resisting frenzy and Rotschreck, but you do have an easier time changing roads if you wish to do so.

Killed by Staking (2 or 5pt. Flaw) Like vampires of legend, a wooden stake through your heart can destroy you outright. This Flaw is worth two points if a stake must be carved from a specific type of wood, such as ash or rowan to inflict Final Death. If any wooden stake can kill you, this Flaw is worth five points. Vampires with this Flaw do not know of their vulnerability (obviously).

Light-Sensitive (5pt. Flaw) You are even more sensitive to sunlight than other vampires are. Sunlight causes double normal damage, and the light of the moon can cause lethal damage in a manner similar to the sun, though it must shine directly upon your skin. Followers of Set and Lasombra, who are already light-sensitive due to clan weakness, may take this Flaw to represent especially acute sensitivity. They double the augmented damage that the sun causes to a member of their clan.

Mystical Aura (2pt. Flaw) You radiate unnatural power. Perhaps you were a magus in life, unwisely fed from one of the Fair Folk or studied the twisted sorcery of the Tremere. All attempts to sense magic on and around you are at -2 difficulty. Your halo always shows the shimmer of magic use to Soulsight and similar powers, provided that the observer at least one success. Assamites of the sorcerer caste cannot take this Flaw.

Potent Aura (3pt. Merit or Flaw) The power of your own personality and outlook is such that it reaches out and affects others with disturbing ease. Others, be they mortals or vampires, get a powerful first impression of you that colors many of their interactions with you. Your road aura is significantly more powerful than that of other vampires of your outlook. This trait is a Merit if your starting Road trait is 5 or more, and a Flaw is it is 4 or less. Your aura modifier is as follows: Repulsed by Garlic (1pt. Flaw) You cannot abide garlic, and the smallest whiff of its scent drives you from a room unless you make a successful Willpower roll (difficulty based on the strength of the odor).

Repulsive to Animals (2pt. Flaw) With this Flaw, every natural animal you encounter is automatically and severely upset by her presence. This is much more severe than the unease that almost all Cainites cause in animals: Creatures panic and flee, and some rare few attack. You cannot calm the creatures down with Animal Ken. It requires either use of Animalism or a taste of vampire blood (which makes the creature a ghoul) to settle the beast down.

Restricted Diet (2pt. Flaw) Unlike other Cainites, you derive no nourishment from the stale blood of animals. Only the blood of mortals and other vampires can sustain your unlife. This Flaw eventually manifests in most vampires as they age, a prelude to the cannibalistic Thirst of Caine.

Soul Eater (4pt. Flaw) Your Beast hungers for more than blood. Whenever you feed, you steal one Willpower point from your victim for every three blood points taken. Unfortunately, your parasitic soul cannot replenish itself by any other means. You cannot regain Willpower by fulfilling your Nature, resting or any other natural method. Worse still, you must spend one Willpower point each night upon awakening or lose a dot of permanent Willpower. If your permanent Willpower ever drops to zero, you suffer from Final Death, your body crumbling away to ash as your parasitic soul feeds upon itself. Characters with this Flaw do not have to spend Willpower in torpor.

Thirst of Caine (7pt. Flaw) By age or some infirmity of your own blood, you derive no nourishment from the blood of animals or mortals. Though you do not immediately vomit such a meal, living blood tastes bland and provides no benefit. Only the vitae of other Cainites can sustain you. The sole advantage to such hunger is that you find no allure in human blood and thus no longer perceive humans as food. As such, the sight, scent or taste of human blood will never drive you into frenzy. If you are not extremely careful, however, your thirst will inevitably lead you to blood oaths and the forbidden draught of the Amaranth.

Touch of Frost (1pt. Flaw) Plants wither as you approach and die at your touch. Your touch leaches heat from living beings, as though you are made of ice. As you walk through a forest or across a field, you do not leave a huge swath of death, however. Instead, you leave behind small patches of dead leaves and withered or rotting foliage. Someone tracking you through the wilderness gains a -2 difficulty bonus to do so because of these marks.

Uncanny (1 to 5pt. Flaw) The very opposite of Arcane, you are too strange or disturbing to forget. You may have distinguishing features or a mystical aura, but the effect is the same: Anyone trying to locate you through Investigation receives one extra die per point invested in this Flaw. Fortunately, Uncanny does not interfere with active Stealth attemtps. However, you always stand out from a crowd and cannot hide through anonymity. Even characters with Obfuscate must contend with their noticeable mien, although extra successes on Obfuscate rolls can temporarily cancel Uncanny dice on a one-for-one basis.

Weak Aura (2pt. Merit or Flaw) Your personality and outlook have relatively little unintentional effect on others. You may well be a master of Presence and other forms of manipulation, but that is all planned. Your road aura is very weak, manifesting only if you are a true exemplar or reprobate of your belief system. Your aura modifier is as follows: Weak Blood (5pt. Flaw) Your blood carries only a fraction of the power that is the unholy legacy of Caine. You may be a member of the despised 13th generation, a Caitiff or suffering from some other affliction, but your vitae does a poor job of powering your unliving form. All blood point costs are doubled (e.g. using blood-related Disciplines or healing damage), and you can never learn a Discipline above four dots. It also takes six drinks for a thrall to become oathbound to you, and you are incapable of creating ghouls or progeny. You cannot take the Cannot Embrace Flaw, which is already incorporated into Weak Blood.