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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 8242651" data-attributes="member: 2629">A thing to consider for the people that expect that every PC coming to the table be a hero at 1st level.We're telling stories.  Stories are about change.  The classic heroic story structure, the hero's journey, inherently involves the hero growing.  They start out as someone that refuses the call to adventure, then they meet a mentor and learn the ways of the hero, rising up to become a better person by facing down their flaw, then go on to overcome the greatest of threats and return home a hero.  That is all about the hero changing.  Sure - You can tell a story about Captain America, or Superman.  They're good from the start, and the changes in their stories (usually) are external changes while the heroes try to be true to who they are, even when it is hard.   An entire party of well intentioned and moral creatures can be told - Paw Patrol, for example.  You're all good dogs.  (Yes, you can tell more adult stories too - the well intentioned hero that failed their first time out and let people die is also a classic trope.)  Or, you can tell stories about messed up people becoming better people.  Tony Stark was a war profiteer.  Peter Parker let a burglar go - and that cost him his Uncle Ben.  Bruce Banner's inner monster has been explained many ways, but often is a reflection of the rage living inside his meek exterior.  Being a jerk is a classic reason for the hero to refuse their obligations in the classic hero's journey.  Flaws make characters relatable, and are inherently part of the 5E character (and character sheet) for a reason.  To be clear: we should not allow flaws to be offensive to players.  Each table is different, and the DM and players need to be careful when writing flaws into PCs.  However, you can tell a good story about five thugs that survive by robbing people until they become wrapped up in events bigger than them and learn to be heroes as they navigate those dangerous waters.  Think of Han Solo.In 5E we have flaws on our character sheet for a few different reasons.  They are often seen as a characteristic to adhere to for the PC.  However, as a DM, I think of them as a challenge for the PC to address and overcome.</blockquote>

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