What Makes a Good Weakness?

[Frankietron]

What Makes for a Good Weakness 

Often times when making a new character we get the question of what makes for a good weakness. For some people this question is quite hard. You might find yourself in this situation where you rack your brain for what seems like forever only to come up with the same few weaknesses that everyone else is using. 

While the best weaknesses are those that can be tied into your character's personality; the staff has put together the following lists of examples to give you some ideas. 

Physical Weaknesses 

• Old injuries: If your character has a history involving lots of physical conflict, it makes sense that they may have sustained some injuries over the years.
  
• Size: Size can be a real disadvantage if you happen to be much smaller or larger than the average person and you are living in a world made for them, not you.
  
• Illnesses: An illness, not easily cured, can cause all sorts of unpleasant symptoms.
  
• Loss of hearing/sight/etc.
  
• Birth Defect or deformity
  
• Age: Whereas the young often lack experience and wisdom, the elderly have physical ailments to deal with.
  
• Allergies
  
• Sensitivity to lights, sounds, or sudden changes in temperature/weather
  
• Headaches/migraines
  
• Silver: This is a common shifter weakness. Silver can cause severe burns when pressed against the skin of a shifter and the wounds may take longer to heal.
  
• Physical frailty
  
• Irritable bowel syndrome
  
• Indigestion/acid reflux
  
• Arthritis
  
• Rabies (Shifters or maybe someone bitten by one?)
  
• STDs
  

Mental Weaknesses 

• Fears
  
• A mental illness: Be careful with this one. We suggest you do your research and handle it in a way that is respectful.
  
• Insecurities
  
• Addiction
  
• Pride
  
• An inability to say, "NO" (either to others or yourself)
  
• Laziness
  
• Racism
  
• Stress
  
• Ego
  
• Childish behavior
  
• Lack of impulse control
  
• Madness
  
• Perfectionism
  
• Ignorance
  
• Lack of patience
  
• Paranoia
  
• Vanity
  
• Arrogance
  
• Insomnia
  
• Frequent Nightmares
  
• Delusional
  
• Forgetfulness
  

Emotional Weaknesses 

• Loss of a loved one
  
  
• An inability to form/keep a meaningful relationship with another person
  
  
• a complete lack of empathy
  
  
• Lack of self confidence or overconfidence
  
  
• Stubbornness
  
  
• Headstrong
  
  
• Distrust/Disrespect for authority
  
  
• Anxiety
  
  
• Jealousy
  
  
• Loneliness
  
  
• Depression
  
  
• Guilt
  
  
• Emotional recklessness
  
  
• An inability to trust others
  
  

Magical Weaknesses 

• A strong aversion to magic: This could be a weakness if your character hates magic to the point that they would rather risk death than seek magical healing.
  
• Immunity to all magic: Don't forget that there is a downside to magical immunity, while it might be great to be able to withstand a fireball, being immune to healing isn't so great.
  
• A magical allergy: Some people can experience allergy-like symptoms to magic and those who use it.
  
• Side effects to magical use: Sometimes this can have a negative impact on the user and other times it can cause a drain on the user's energy.
  

Backstory-related Weaknesses 

• Lack of education
  
• Lack of combat training
  
• Lack of experience (magical or otherwise)
  
• An inability to let go of the past
  
• Bad reputation
  
• Extreme poverty
  
• Secrets
  
• Loved ones (a fear of something happening to them, repeating a bad experience, losing them)
  
• Lack of freedom Either from enslavement, jail, can't escape a bad relationship, etc.
  

What you Shouldn't Do

• Weaknesses that aren't really weaknesses: disliking something, but still doing it on a regular basis without any downside, isn't a weakness. This also includes a "weakness" that actually makes your character stronger.
  
  
• Hulk Rage: If getting angry makes you violent and you smash everything insight, it's not a weakness. There has to be some sort of downside to an anger issue for it to be a weakness.
  
  
• Shyness: Being shy isn't a weakness in itself. Unless you are shy to the point where you go out of your way to avoid contact with other people, it's just not enough.
  
  
• Disliking other people: see above.
  
  
• Something that can be easily fixed: For example, an illness that can be cured with a trip to the local healer, doesn't really hinder your character.
  
  
• An inability to do something extraordinary: Just because your character can't fly, do magic or kill a hundred men, this doesn't count as a weakness.
  
  
• A slight exception to near invincibility: Unless it has been pre-approved by a staff member, you shouldn't be making a character that is anywhere near invincible. You cannot balance such a thing with "On the second night, of the fourth full moon of an odd calendar year, you must go to this specific place and preform a ritual..." It's too complicated and would never happen.