D&D 5E Purposefully Hindering your Character at Creation

[Selkirk]

i like for flaws to develop more organically..that is thru group play. we had a fighter who lost a finger in a battle and it was a long running joke during the campaign...my halfling cleric hit a captured gobin with a biscuit and always carried one(a biscuit not a goblin) from that day forward. these are the kind of traits/quirks i like-they have shared value.

the problem imo with detailed 'flaws' at chargen is the tendency to have a snowflake character...and also force others to come up with something equally offbeat. and character flaws inevitably end up playing differently than imagined-see here a number of funny what i saw/what my dm saw/what i played threads on various boards. i find it's best to come up with something vague and broad (arrogant/greedy) then let the specifics develop.

 

[Blue]

Flaws add drama, which to me is always a bonus in a RP game (unless it overwhelms all other aspects). Flaws don't have to be numerical, but they can. A coward is a huge flaw in many RPGs, even if it doesn't affect rolls. I like that there is now some mechanical support for the concept - games like FATE where you can build weaknesses into your character and those can give you plot currency to engage your strengths have been doing that for a while.

 

[Li Shenron]

I see a lot of people doing this when they say their character is an orphan or from a destroyed village or similar background. Having the character have no social support system or know no people in an area is a pretty big hindrance.

Actually it is also a blessing... family members and dear friends are the first ones that can be threatened to make someone do something against their will.

Does anyone else like to give their character some type of hindrance or drawback?

Normally I just do this by rolling for stats and Hp But I like 5e flaws too.

 

[Crothian]

Actually it is also a blessing... family members and dear friends are the first ones that can be threatened to make someone do something against their will.

I think they call that plot

 

[Halivar]

IMHXP, characters with significant hindrances are also hindrances on the party and the gaming group. Many players, especially my dedicated CN gamers, use flaws and hindrances as an opportunity to be as disruptive as possible, with the presumption of license because it's all "in character."

 

[txshusker]

Does anyone else like to give their character some type of hindrance....

i once had a character get married. the wife hindered everything i wanted to do:
"I'm going to go raid an orc hideout, dear."
"did you ever think that I may want to get out sometimes, too?"

since i don't like reality in my fantasy gaming, i killed off the character.

 

[Crothian]

IMHXP, characters with significant hindrances are also hindrances on the party and the gaming group. Many players, especially my dedicated CN gamers, use flaws and hindrances as an opportunity to be as disruptive as possible, with the presumption of license because it's all "in character."

That's a problem of the gamers and not the game. I have found that disruptive gamers are disruptive no matter what the game. I try not to game with them anymore.

 

[MoonSong]

I never do any flaws that hinder the numbers on my character sheet in anyway shape or form. I don't believe an 8 in ability score is a hindrance beyond the numerical one, for instance I don't roleplay an 8 charisma as ugly/dysfunctional, don't play an 8 intelligence as Forest Gump.

Now, to make life interesting I like to build in plot hooks for the DM to build stories on. So things like compulsions to be clean, or horribly dirty, backstory of runaway slave or wanted criminal, huge families that always need help, deadbeat dad with a kid in every town, openly gay dwarf who was exiled from his clan, son of an infamous villain, cursed to always tell the truth, things like this make for good times. But don't mess with my numbers.

Actually and funnily, I come from the opposite angle, I like to strive for the least flawed characters possible storywise, avoid having those vices or just silly compulsions that scream for the spotlight, however I like my numbers flawed. Be that idiotic bard, or weakly cleric, or that clumsy paladin. And not 8 stupid, but rather 5 idiotic or even 3 idiotic! In fact the only thing preventing me form playing those in 5e is the lack of support for it. (Don't take it personal, this is my own view, but to me having "snowflake flawed PC who still is perfectly optimized" is munchking behaviour, something I'd never do. If I gotta have a flaw, it rather be a meaningful flaw with actual consequences, not something so superficial I can get out of by being slightly creative nor something that is actually fodder for more fights, more killings and more xp)

 

[Paraxis]

(Don't take it personal, this is my own view, but to me having "snowflake flawed PC who still is perfectly optimized" is munchking behaviour, something I'd never do. If I gotta have a flaw, it rather be a meaningful flaw with actual consequences, not something so superficial I can get out of by being slightly creative nor something that is actually fodder for more fights, more killings and more xp

I try to not take anything personal when I am online. But to be fair, I agree with you I do it because I am a munchkin min/maxing optimizing power gamer, I accept those labels and am proud of them.

But just to be clear there can be actual consequences to good story driven flaws, yes some are about getting more kills and fights but they can lead to some real nice roleplaying.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Does anyone else like to give their character some type of hindrance or drawback? This is one of the reason I love the "Flaw" concept in 5e. I get that lots of 'flaws' will be personality driven but I (for some reason) like to go a little further with it.

For instance I once created a dwarf warlord who had a wooden leg, scarred face, and a blind eye (from a dragon attack). The DM and I thought through how to apply the game mechanics (ie, speed or rough terrain and other physical abilities, etc) and then I just went with it. One of the fun things was how I tried to use an obvious disadvantage to my advantage. Make my weakness into a type of strength, you know? As a warlord, my character took control of the 'battlefield' as a general using buffs and such and didn't move around too much. The rest of the party sort of accepted that from the outset. Of course he doesn't move around a lot, he has one leg! They saw him as a grizzled, but endearing leader.It was a constant source for roleplaying, not only for me, but for the rest of the party. At some point he and the rogue sought out someone who make a hollowed out leg in order to fill it with beer.

Anyway, ever since that character, I'm always looking for a way now to hinder the character in some way or another. More fun for me to play and I think if it's not overdone, it's more fun for the whole group.

What say you?

Yep my last pc had one eye, and throughout the course of the campaign (3 years of 4e), lost a hand to a duel with a deathknight, and then a few sessions later finally his life. It was awesome.