1.4 Flaws

Archetype Specific Flaws Matrix

Archetype	Flaw Option A: Physical/Augment Failure	Flaw Option B: Social/Rivalry	Flaw Option C: System/Digital Vulnerability
Corpo	Bioshock Addiction: You rely on high-grade combat stims (pain/focus) to function. Suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls if you haven't recently ingested a stim.	Disgraced Rival: A former peer is actively trying to ruin your life, having evidence of a major past crime.	System Trace: Your executive-grade augments are passively monitored, leaving a traceable digital trail of your movements and interactions.
Gangster	Decay Overload: You have too much unstable chrome. Suffer a permanent -1 penalty to all Wits rolls due to constant system strain and physical pain.	Marked Territory: A powerful rival gang or warlord claims your territory. Any activity there attracts immediate, violent attention.	Hotspot Marker: You are flagged by the local police/security AI as a high-risk offender, resulting in increased surveillance and randomized ID checks.
Hacker	Glitched Implant: Your primary neuralware sometimes fails. Suffer a permanent -1 penalty to all Technology rolls until you can spend a full scene fixing the glitch.	Targeted Data: You are the sole repository of information a Megacorp desperately wants. They will commit any resource to extract the data from your mind.	Residual Trace: Your last major hack left a piece of self-replicating hostile code (an AI splinter) inside your own system that occasionally compromises your data.
Technomancer	Psychic Backlash: Using high-level MIND SHACKLE powers causes extreme disorientation. Suffer a -2 dice penalty on all rolls in the round immediately following a successful use of a Level 4+ MIND SHACKLE power.	Network Nemesis: A rival Technomancer or AI is obsessed with neutralizing you, often sending counter-hacks and digital distractions.	Unstable Interface: Your custom-built interface causes physical strain. Any time you spend Decay, you suffer 1 point of Superficial Damage from system feedback.
Drone Tech	Component Dependency: Your drones rely on a unique, non-standard component only available from one highly hostile source.	Stolen Blueprint: You stole the core tech for your best drone/machine from a powerful, small rival corporation who is actively tracking the machine's signature.	Drone Override Risk: There is a 50% chance that any hostile NET DOMAIN or MIND SHACKLE hack on your drone redirects a lesser counter-hack onto your system.
Nomad	Damaged Rig: Your primary vehicle (your home/asset) has a catastrophic, hard-to-fix mechanical flaw that activates at the worst possible time (GM's discretion).	Tribal Vendetta: Your former Nomad clan believes you betrayed them. Clan members treat you as an absolute, hostile enemy on sight.	Geo-Lock: Your movement is restricted by a digital or territorial boundary enforced by a local warlord, making certain critical areas effectively impassable.
Street Prophet	Messianic Complex: You are fundamentally unable to prioritize your own needs over your followers/mission. You must spend 1 Willpower to take an action that is purely self-serving.	Media Scourge: A powerful media executive or religious leader treats you as public enemy number one, using their resources to broadcast lies about you daily.	Public Tracing: Your need to broadcast your message means your communications are constantly scanned and traced, making any private digital conversation a high risk.

Flaws

These Flaws introduce core narrative challenges, resource drains, and social complications that the player must manage throughout the game.

Physical & Augment Flaws (The Body)

Flaw Name	Effect & Consequence (Narrative Focus)	Roleplay Trigger & Mechanic
Glitched Implant	Your primary augment (e.g., cyber-arm, optic-ware) fails unpredictably. Once per session, your primary Augment skill (e.g., Brawl, Ranged) fails entirely, forcing you to rely on a different approach.	The GM can declare the failure when the character is relying heavily on the augment.
Visible Decay	Your augmentations are visibly causing your flesh to rot, or you have massive, unstable scarring. Unaugmented people will rarely allow you into their homes or vehicles; you must spend 1 Willpower to try.	Dealing with the pervasive fear of augment rejection in the general population.
Augment Glutton	Your chrome is power-hungry. You must spend 2 points of the Resources Background (or equivalent) at the end of every session to acquire batteries/fuel. Failure means your non-Specialization chrome is dead until recharged.	A constant, expensive resource drain necessary just to function.
Chronic Pain	Your body is constantly wracked by low-grade pain. When you succeed on an Attack roll, you must pass a Composure roll (Difficulty 2) or immediately gain 1 point of Superficial Damage from the physical exertion.	High-stress exertion is costly to your internal system.
Loud Runner	Your augments are noisy (clanks, whirs, servo whine). You can never take the Stealth skill, or any associated roll, as a Minor Action; it always consumes a full Standard Action.	Infiltration is always slow and deliberate for you.
Mismatched Parts	Your augments are incompatible. You require a unique chemical stabilizer every 3 days. If you miss a dose, you suffer a -2 dice penalty on all Stamina rolls until stabilized.	Forces a constant side quest to acquire a rare, black-market drug.
System Aching	Your body rejects the implanted tech. If you use any Specialization ability that costs Decay, you are Immobilized for your next Minor Action due to system shock.	Extreme effort always causes your body to seize up.
Obvious Chrome	Your augments are visible, dirty, and frightening. Persuasion rolls dealing with anyone outside a combat zone are made at a -2 dice penalty.	You cannot blend into normal society or corporate settings.
Blind Spot	Your vision has a permanent flaw (optic flare, latency). You can never achieve a Critical Success on a Ranged Attack roll.	Limits high-end specialization in marksmanship.
Fragile	You are physically delicate. When you take the Guard or Defend action, the cost to convert Superficial Damage to Lethal Damage is always one box greater than normal.	Your body simply cannot absorb damage the way others can.

Flaw Name	Effect & Consequence (Narrative Focus)	Roleplay Trigger & Mechanic
Destitute	You are truly broke. You must spend at least 2 hours per day working a menial job or scavenging to afford food and water, or suffer 1 Superficial Damage per day from starvation.	A constant time/activity drain just for basic survival.
Obsessive Creditor	A specific, powerful NPC (Fixer, Gang Boss) treats you as property. Once per session, the GM may force you to spend one session working on a high-risk job for them before pursuing your own goals.	External obligations frequently derail your plans.
Fugitive Status	You have no legal identity. You cannot use any major corporate services (banks, hospitals, public transport). You must acquire forged documents or find a contact every time you need to use a public system.	Forces reliance on black-market services and low-tech solutions.
Wanted Profile	You are wanted for a visible, publicized crime. Anytime you are in a public space, the GM may trigger a scene where you are instantly recognized and targeted by security or bounty hunters.	Your past constantly puts you and your allies in danger.
Code of Honor	You adhere to a rigid moral code (e.g., never harm the defenseless). You must spend 2 Willpower (instead of 1) to violate this code.	A high mental cost to compromise your integrity.
Target of Gossip	You are a subject of constant, public slander. NPCs (even allies) who hear the gossip are Frightened (suffer -2 dice penalty on all rolls) when dealing with you until you pass a Persuasion roll (Difficulty 3).	Rumors are weaponized against you.
Outsider Status	You are a known "foreigner." Locals in any territory that is not your home turf will never fully trust you. You may not receive aid from the Allies Background outside your own district.	Limits your social network to your immediate location.
Social Leper	Due to a past act, many refuse to associate with you. You cannot enter any secure facility (Corpo tower, private club) without a massive disguise; simply wearing a suit is not enough.	Extreme social restriction in high-end areas.
Political Liability	You are publicly tied to a failed faction. Any successful Persuasion or Manipulation roll you make against an official NPC (Cop, Corpo, Politician) will result in a Security Response being triggered in the next scene.	You cannot solve problems with authority through social means.
Compromising Habit	You have a visible, illegal public habit (e.g., street gambling, chemical stim use). You must pass a Composure roll (Difficulty 3) to resist engaging in the habit when stressed or under pressure.	A personal weakness that frequently exposes you to unnecessary risk.

Mental & Psychological Flaws (The Mind)

Flaw Name	Effect & Consequence (Narrative Focus)	Roleplay Trigger & Mechanic
Trauma Triggers	A specific sight, sound, or word causes you to freeze. On exposure, you are Immobilized for one full round (must pass a Composure check, Diff 4, to act).	Forces sudden, debilitating vulnerability in combat or high-stress situations.
Digital Compulsion	You are addicted to the net or a sensory chip. If you haven't "jacked in" in the last 6 hours, all rolls are made at a -1 dice penalty due to withdrawal.	A constant, time-consuming addiction that threatens operational security.
Augment Paranoia	You believe all your chrome is compromised. Before using any Specialization ability, you must take a Minor Action to run a System Check on your gear.	Adds a critical delay to using your core abilities.
Weak-Willed	You are easily led. The difficulty for any foe to use MIND SHACKLE or CROWD PULSE on you is reduced by 1.	You are uniquely vulnerable to psychic and social manipulation.
Impulsive	You act rashly. Before making a complicated plan (more than 2 steps), you must pass a Composure roll (Difficulty 3) or immediately take the most direct, aggressive course of action.	Your natural instinct is always to leap before you look.
Sensory Overload	Extreme crowds/noise cause debilitating discomfort. While in a Dense Crowd or a Loud Venue, you cannot make a Wits roll, as your senses are too scrambled.	Forces you to abandon certain environments entirely.
Technophobe	You have a phobia of advanced robotics or AI. Anytime you encounter a powerful drone or combat AI, you must spend 1 Willpower to avoid fleeing or freezing.	High mental cost to confront a major modern threat.
Digital Amnesia	You struggle to retain digital information. You may only memorize one new password or digital code per session. Older data is forgotten.	Constantly forces you to find new ways to access secure information.
Haunted Past	You are tormented by a past failure. When an event reminds you of this past, you must spend the rest of the scene making amends or obsessing over the past situation (GM's discretion).	A narrative hook that frequently pulls you into old, unresolved conflicts.
Shaky Resolve	When attempting to resist a powerful social force (Intimidation, Manipulation), you must spend 1 Willpower just to make the roll, not to gain a bonus.	Your mental defenses require critical effort even to activate.