Flaws are like the flip side of feats. Whereas a feat enables a character to be better than normal at performing a task (or even to do something that normal characters can’t), a flaw restricts a character’s capabilities or imposes a penalty of some sort.
A player may select up to two flaws when creating a character. After 1st level, a character cannot take on additional flaws unless the DM specifically allows it. For example; The DM might allow a player to assign a trait or flaw to her character after she has roleplayed the character in a manner consistent with the trait in question, or after a traumatic or lifechanging experience (after dying, a character might develop the Cautious trait or the Aggressive trait). If the DM includes this option, a character should gain a new trait or flaw no more frequently than once every five levels.
Each flaw a player selects entitles his character to a bonus feat. In other words, when you create a character, if you select two flaws, you can also take two bonus feats beyond those your character would be normally entitled to.
Unlike Player Traits, flaws are entirely negative in their impact on a character’s capabilities.
Creating Flaws
You can create new flaws but be careful; Flaws can unbalance your game. When creating flaws, keep a few issues in mind:
- A flaw must have a numeric effect on a character's specific capabilities. Flaws with primarily roleplaying or story effects have unpredictable effects on game balance.
- Flaws are generally bigger in magnitude than feats. That's because players always choose flaws that have the least impact on their characters, while taking feats that have the most. For example, while a feat affecting skills grants a +2 bonus on two skills, its counterpart flaw might impose a -4 penalty on two skills.
- A flaw must have a meaningful effect regardless of character class or roles. That way, a player can't reduce the flaw's importance through multiclassing. For instance, a flaw that only affects spellcasters might seem reasonable - but for nonspellcaster characters, the flaw likely proves meaningless. Even if you restrict the selection of such feats to characters of specific classes, a player can easily select a spellcasting class at 1st level, choose two flaws that apply to spellcasters, gain the bonus feats and multiclass into a non-spellcasting class at 2nd level and proceed normally.
- Similarly, a flaw that penalizes a character's Charisma-based skill checks only has a significant impact on the party spokesperson - the quiet fighter or barbarian likely won't feel any impact from the penalties.
Sources Used: Unearthed arcana, Complete Dragon Magazine 3.5 Feats, Flaws, & Styles – Flaws
On:Complete Dragon Magazine 3.5 Feats, Flaws, & Styles – Flaws Pg 116
Flaw | Prerequisite | Effect | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Aligned Devotion | Ability to Spontaneously cast Cure Spells | Healing has less effect on differing alignment | Dragon 326 |
Arcane Conundrum | Gnome, Cha 10+ | May never use your spell-like abilities, -2 saving throw vs Illusions | Dragon 328 |
Arcane Fatigue | Ability to cast Arcane Spells | Must make fortitude save after every spell cast or be fatigued | Dragon 333 |
Arcane Parasites | Ability to cast Arcane Spells | Every Arcane Spell has a -1 to Save DC | Dragon 333 |
Arcane Performer | Ability to cast arcane spells without preparation, perform 1 rank | In order to cast any spell, must succeed at a perform check | Dragon 324 |
Beady Eyes | Darkvision | Have low-light vision instead, -2 search, spot | Dragon 328 |
Beastly | Wild Empathy | Vulnerable to certain spells which affect animals | Dragon 329 |
Bestail Instinct | -2 to hit with anything other than unarmed strikes or natural weapons | Dragon 324 | |
Blind Rage | Rage Ability | May not end rage voluntarily, must attack a creature every round, if able; if not able, must attack nearest breakable object. | Dragon 325 |
Brash | -6 to Armor Class vs Attacks of Oppurtunity | Dragon 324 | |
Bravado | Don't gain any kind of dodge bonuses to your Armor Class | Dragon 328 | |
Cautious | Take twice as long to perform any skill which requires an action, -2 to initiative | Dragon 328 | |
Chivalrous Courtesy | Good or Lawful Alignment | -4 on all attack rolls to hit a creature you can tell is of opposite gender | Dragon 324 |
City Slicker | Survival as Class Skill | -4 on Handle Animal, Knowledge(Nature) and Survival Checks | Dragon 324 |
Claustrophobia | Become Shaken in enclosed spaces | Dragon 324 | |
Code of arms | Good or Lawful Alignment | -4 on attack rolls against enemy not armed with a melee weapon | Dragon 324 |
Cold-Blooded | Automatically fail Fort Saves to overcome effects of high temperature, Fire effects deal +2 points of fire damage to you | Dragon 324 | |
Coward | Automatically fail saves against fear effects | Dragon 324 | |
Curious | -2 Listen and Spot, -2 Initiative | Dragon 328 | |
Divine Gestures | Ability to cast divine spells | Suffer a spell failure chance just like Arcane Spell Failure | Dragon 326 |
Domain Devotion | Access to domains | Have access to only one of your deity's domains | Dragon 326 |
Elven Pride of Arms | Elven Blood | -4 on attack rolls with anything other than a longsword, rapier or bow | Dragon 328 |
Exhausting Rage | Rage Ability | When rage ends you become exhausted instead of fatigued | Dragon 325 |
Feeble | -2 on all str, dex and con based checks | Unearthed Arcana | |
Foe Specialist | Favored Enemy | -1 on all attack rolls, bluff, sense motive, spot and survival checks made against creatures that are not your favored enemy | Dragon 329 |
Fool | Bardic Music | Lose the inspire courage, inspire competence, inspire greatness, and inspire heroics bardic music abilities. | Dragon 324 |
Forlorn | Ability to call familiar | Lose ability to call a familiar | Dragon 333 |
Forlorn of Men | Become shaken id more than one humanoid is within 30 feet of you | Dragon 324 | |
Frail Immune System | Constitution 11 or lower | Whenever you fail a fortitude save you become fatigued | Dragon 328 |
Frail | -1 hitpoint per per level | Unearthed Arcana | |
Free-Spirited | Chaotic Alignment | Weight of any carried gear is doubled for purpose of determining load, Armor check penalties are also doubled | Dragon 328 |
Frivolous Performer | Bardic Knowledge | -10 on all Bardic Knowledge checks, except those relating to your perform skill | Dragon 324 |
Fussy | Become Sickened after drinking any potion | Dragon 328 | |
Glory-Hound | Base attack Bonus +1 | -2 to AC during combat until you drop an opponent | Dragon 328 |
Grudge Keeper | If damaged in combat you suffer a -2 penalty on attacks rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and ability checks until you damage the foe who caused you harm. | Dragon 328 | |
Gullible | -2 Saving throw vs Enchantment and Illusions, -4 Sense Motive | Dragon 325 | |
Half-Blood Outcast | Half-Elf or Half-Orc | Suffer -2 on all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks when in sight of a full blood | Dragon 328 |
Hatred | Favored Enemy | -4 to AC, Attack rolls and Skill Checks whenever you are in presence of a favored enemy and not fighting it | Dragon 329 |
Haunted | Ability to cast spells | Noises surround you for no reason, -4 listen and move silently | Dragon 327 |
Honor of the Duel | Good or Lawful Alignment | You must make a Will save (DC 10 + your level) to attack a creature in a square threatened by one of its other foes. | Dragon 324 |
Honorable Challenge | Good or Lawful Alignment | -4 on attack rolls against any creature that has not explicitly challenged you or made an attack against you | Dragon 324 |
Hot-Blooded | Automatically fail any fort saves against low temperature, +2 extra cold damage from cold effects | Dragon 324 | |
Implacable | Base Attack Bonus +1 | If you move out of Melee Combat, -2 on all attack rolls, skill checks and saving throws for 1 hour | Dragon 328 |
Inattentive | -4 Listen, Spot | Unearthed Arcana | |
Individualist | -2 on all attack rolls with weapons that you have not personally create, and +1 Armor Check penalty with any armor you did not craft | Dragon 329 | |
Insomniac | Must succeed on a fortitude save to get a full night's rest. | Dragon 328 | |
Light Sensitivity | Darkvision | Become Dazzled in Bright sunlight | Dragon 328 |
Lightweight | Constitution 13 or lower, many not be Obese | Half base weight, -4 penalty to resist bull rushes, grapples overruns and trips. No attack bonus when charge. | Dragon 328 |
Living Faith | Ability to turn or rebuke undead | Lose the ability to turn or rebuke undead | Dragon 326 |
Loner | Ability to summon familiar or Animal Companion | Lose ability to summon familiar or animal companion | Dragon 327 |
Loudmouth | -4 penalty to diplomacy and move silently | Dragon 324 | |
Love of Nature | Must succeed on will save to attack animal, plant or vermin | Dragon 324 | |
Magical Fascination | -2 on attack rolls and skill checks when in sight of a visible magical effect with a duration | Dragon 328 | |
Magical Overlord | Ability to cast spells | Exchange one of your highest level spell slots for a lower level one | Dragon 327 |
Material Devotion | Access to Domains | May only use spell trigger items that cast spells on your domain spell lists | Dragon 316 |
Meager Fortitude | -3 Fort Saves | Unearthed Arcana | |
Metal Intolerance | Take one additional point of damage whenever struck by metal | Dragon 324 | |
Methodical Magical Methods | Ability to cast spells | You are considered flat-footed in any round you cast a spell | Dragon 333 |
Meticulous Performer | Bardic Music | Initiating or maintaining bardic music is a full-round action | Dragon 324 |
Mounted Warrior | Ride 1 rank | -2 to attack rolls when not mounted | Dragon 324 |
Murky-Eyed | Additional miss chance when in Concealment | Unearthed Arcana | |
No Time For Book Learning | You are illiterate, and can never learn to read, plus -2 on all knowledge checks except knowledge (nature) | Dragon 324 | |
Noncombatant | -2 Melee attack Rolls | Unearthed Arcana | |
Obese | Small size, Dex 13 or lower, May not be Lightweight | Have double base weight, lose +1 size bonus to AC and attack, and the +4 hide bonus. Pay double for armor. | Dragon 328 |
Pathetic | Reduce 1 Ability Score by 2 | Unearthed Arcana | |
Phantom Sparks | Ability to Cast Spells | Spontaneously emit bursts of colored light, -4 penalty on hide and spot | Dragon 327 |
Poor Reflexes | -3 Reflex Saves | Unearthed Arcana | |
Ponderous Spellcaster | Ability to cast spells | Casting times are doubled | Dragon 326 |
Pride of Arms | Proficiency in all Martial Weapons | -4 Penalty on attack rolls with exotic or simple weapons, unarmed and touch attacks | Dragon 324 |
Quarter Elf | Half-Elf | Not immune to sleep spells, don't have elven blood | Dragon 328 |
Quick Burning Rage | Rage ability | Rage only lasts as long as your new con modifier | Dragon 325 |
Restricted Sorcery | Ability to cast spells without preperation | Two schools of magic are your restricted schools | Dragon 327 |
Shaky | -2 Ranged Attack Rolls | Unearthed Arcana | |
Short Attention Span | -2 on all skill checks to retry a failed check, can't take 20 | Dragon 328 | |
Short of Breath | Con 13 or lower | Whenever you make a strength or constitution to run, climb, jump or swim, make fort save or be fatigued | Dragon 333 |
Short Temper | If you suffer any damage during combat, make a will save or be enraged | Dragon 328 | |
Skulker | Must make a Will save or become shaken whenever a foe engages you in combat | Dragon 328 | |
Slow | Half Land Speed | Unearthed Arcana | |
Slow Healing | Con 13 or lower | Don't recover hp naturally | Dragon 328 |
Slow to Anger | Rage Ability | Entering a rage is a full-round action | Dragon 325 |
Solitary Paragon | -4 to attack rolls made against a foe you flank | Dragon 324 | |
Stubby Fingers | Dwarf, Gnome or Halfling | -4 on attack rolls with light or 1handed weapons, -4 to disable device, open lock, sleight of hand, and use rope checks. | Dragon 328 |
Superstitious | Inability to cast spells | Whenever you see an item, effect or location obviously created by magic you become frightened. | Dragon 325 |
Terrain Specialist | Track, Wild Empathy | Choose terrain as home terrain, take -2 on wild empathy checks in all other terrain, as well as to search and survival checks made to track. | Dragon 329 |
Test Subject | Choose three magic schools, take -2 penalty to saving throws vs spells of those categories | Dragon 333 | |
Trivial Performer | Bardic Music | Save DC against your fascinate, suggestion abilities is halved and bardic music abilities benefits end when music ends. | Dragon 324 |
Uncontrollable Rage | Rage Ability | Cannot enter rage voluntarily | Dragon 325 |
Unreactive | -6 Initiative | Unearthed Arcana | |
Vulnerable | -1 Armor Class | Unearthed Arcana | |
Warrior of the Phalanx | -4 to attack rolls when not adjacent to an ally | Dragon 324 | |
Weak Will | -3 Will Saves | Unearthed Arcana | |
Weapon Bound | Devotion to a Specific Deity | Lose proficiency in all weapons except deity's favored | Dragon 326 |
Wild | Survival 1 rank | Whenever entangled, pinned or bound, immediately become panicked. | Dragon 329 |