7.1 - Using Flaws and Complications

Using Flaws and Complications

V4.0 does not require a flaw and does not exchange flaws for permanent mechanical power.

Choosing a Complication

You may choose one complication at character creation. A second complication requires GM approval. Write one sentence explaining how it appears in play and one boundary describing what it will not force the character to do.

Inspiration

When a complication materially makes a scene harder, the GM can award Heroic Inspiration. This can happen no more than once per session from v4.0 complications.

The player can propose that a complication applies, but the GM decides whether the situation was consequential enough for Inspiration.

Safety

A complication is not permission to remove control of a character, introduce unwanted prejudice, or impose surprise body horror, addiction, romance, or trauma. Revise or replace a complication when it stops being enjoyable.

Mechanical Drawbacks

If a group wants a constant numerical drawback, create it separately and do not grant bonus ancestry talents in exchange. Numerical drawbacks require unanimous table consent because their impact varies sharply by class and campaign.

Changing a Complication

A complication can change after a major life event, reconciliation, transformation, or downtime retraining. The change should preserve the amount of narrative pressure rather than punish character growth.