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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 2444307" data-attributes="member: 172">Well, I was reluctant to say too much if you are sold on it. But for the benefit of those who might, like me, find flaws (and similar mechanics) dissatisfying:To me, "with appropriate DM oversight" is a way of saying "it's a hassle for the DM."To summarize my view on flaws in particular and classic "points for disads" style disads:First off, flaws grant bonus feats. That's a very exploitable loophole. Many feat chains are constructed assuming you only get so many a level, and some PrC entry requirements are similar. Handing out bonus feats tends to break those feat chains and PrCs.Okay, so lets say nothing stands out like that which bothers you.The second issue is that many flaws fall into the two classic traps of disadvantage mechanics: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">mechanical advantages for roleplay disadvantages. I have despised this convention since 1e UA brought us Cavaliers and Barbarians. GURPS also taught me the folly of this. If a normal fighter has an attitude problem, he gets no compensation for it. Further, you can actively avoid whatever ails you in a game and skirt around it. Further still, players see them more as a point (feat) mine, and farm them for points. IME few do it to "help define their character." Most do it to min/max their character. Finally, they only really add to the game if it is convenient for the GM to address it. So you give the DM the choice of going out of his way to exploit your weakness or he attends to the game and you get off scott free.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">deficit spending - some flaws fall into this trap. The basic idea is to give you a penalty at what you weren't good at anyway. You weren't going to be needing that ability anyway. In a game like D&D, with a team environment, these types of flaws are not flaws.</li> </ul>This being the case, I am personally an advocate of:1) You want bennies? You give up other bennies to get them. And2) If you must have disads, make it a "per incident" disad like 7th sea, nWoD, vigilance, and Haven d20 use. Basically, what a disad does is provide you with additional challenges. So IMO, it should be treated like any other challenge, providing XP. If the situation doesn't come up, then you don't get off scott free and you don't pull the game off track. This is an example of the right way to do things. Flaws are so the wrong thing.</blockquote>

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