8.3 Personality - Characteristics and Flaws

Back: Resources, Injury and Dying

Personality

A player character's personality, attitudes, psychology, personal style and quirks, failings and misgivings are all portrayed mechanically by two types of descriptor: Characteristics and Flaws, which are described in detail below.

Either a Characteristics or a Flaw may be invoked be a player whenever they engage in cardplay, and that Characteristic or Flaw is relevant to the situation at hand (for example, when a PC with the 'Folksy' Characteristic is attempting to befriend the local blacksmith). Regardless of whether or not a Characteristic or a Flaw is invoked this way, it is always in the form of a wager - if the PC is successful they will gain a resource, and if the PC is unsuccessful they will lose a resource.

In particular:

• when invoking a Characteristic a player is wagering Luck;
• when invoking  a Flaw a player is wagering Will;

Only one of either a Characteristic or a Flaw may be invoked during a single test.

Invoking Characteristics

All PCs have a number of Characteristics which describe their personal styles, quirks, attitudes and psychology (examples include Introverted, Diligent, Folksy). 

When a character commences cardplay and narrates their action in a way which is consistent with one of these Characteristics, they may invoke that Characteristic - each Characteristic may only be invoked once per player per session (the Dealer should note this in the Posse Ledger and the player may wish to make a note on their Character Sheet). 

The player must choose whether to invoke a Characteristic before playing a card. 

After resolving cardplay when a Characteristic has been invoked:

• On a success, the Characteristic should factor into the player’s description of that success. As a reward, the player gains 1 Luck chip, and also when drawing a replacement card may instead secretly look at the top two cards of the deck, adding one to their hand and the other to the discard pile (note that discarding a Skulls card this way will cause the Dealer to gain one Woe chip)

• On a failure, the Dealer should describe a scene in which that Characteristic was the source of the PC’s undoing. That player must discard 1 Luck chip, if they have no Luck chips the Dealer will narrate an appropriate reason for the PC to either discard a Coin or Grit chip, or to burn a card.

Invoking Flaws

Similar to Characteristics, each PC also has a number of Flaws which represent their character’s personal and moral failings, negative attitudes, or sources of shame (examples include Aggressive, Addict, Paranoid).

When a player invokes a Flaw, it represents the PC attempting to overcome that Flaw at a time when it might otherwise impact cardplay. For example, a character with the 'Belligerent' Flaw might invoke it when they attempt to talk their way ot a tense standoff.

When a player initiates cardplay, they may invoke a relevant Flaw before playing a card:

• on a success, the player should describe how their PC resisted, grew from, or otherwise overcame what had once been a flaw. When drawing a replacement card, they instead draw two cards (up to a maximum Will of 10 - if they are already at 10 Will they gain a Luck chip instead). Once a flaw has been overcome in this way, it may not be invoked again for the remainder of the campaign.
• On a failure, the Dealer should describe a scene in which that Flaw was, once again, the source of the PC's downfall. That player burns the played card (reducing their Will by one). This Flaw may not be invoked again this session.

A Flaw may not be invoked if the PC's action would require them to burn a card (such as when using an Invocation).

A Flaw may be invoked when impacted by Woe, engaging with horror or supernatural forces.

The Dealer invoking Flaws

The Dealer may invoke a PC's flaws in two ways:

• If the player commences cardplay where one of their Flaws is available to be invoked and relevant to the situation at hand (and the player hasn't proposed to invoke a Characteristic), the Dealer may wait until the player has played their card and then invoke the Flaw on the player's behalf. 

• If the player is in a situation where they might be tempted to pursue a course of action due to one of their available Flaws (for example, a character with the 'Drinker' Flaw is trying to stay sober while holding a negotiation in a lively saloon), the Dealer can invoke the Flaw and initiate cardplay to force the PC to resist that Flaw (Hearts cards are trumps). 

When the Dealer invokes a Flaw, this  otherwise follows all of the above rules regarding invoking Flaws, and has the same benefits of success and the risks of failure. 

It also comes with one additional penalty for the player, that the narrative consequences of failure should be impactful to the PC, in a way which is consistent with the Flaw. For example, if a PC invokes their Addict Flaw and fails to resist the lure of some laudanum, they might not participate at all in the next scene as they are convalescing under its effects. Alternatively, a PC might severely damage a relationship, or destroy a precious piece of machinery they were trying to repair.

Regardless of how it is invoked, once a Flaw has been successfully overcome it may not be called upon for the remainder of the campaign. Until it is overcome, a Flaw may only be invoked once per session. by either the player or the Dealer.

Next: Traits

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