Exploring RPG Character Strengths and Flaws as Two Sides of the Same Coin

February 26, 2022

Player tips/ Roleplaying/ Roleplaying Games

Salutations, nerds! Today I’m writing about your tabletop roleplaying game character’s greatest strengths and biggest flaws and how sometimes it helps to have them come from the same place. I don’t mean where you put your highest and lowest stats but instead your character’s personality.

Personality goes a long way

It’s pretty obvious for example that Star Trek’s Worf has a fairly high Strength score and a pretty decent Constitution but apparently his Dexterity is low considering how often he gets blown off his feet by the alien of the week.

But when you think about Worf’s personality most people go to the fact he has a strong sense of honor. His ideas of what is right and what is wrong go back to Klingon ideals of valor. He won’t do things like stab an opponent in the back but think about the times when Worf was kind of being a turd. There was one episode where he got hit on the back really hard by a falling container that damaged his spine and Dr. Crusher wasn’t sure she was going to be able to fix his legs. Honor demanded he try to get Commander Riker to end his life because he couldn’t fight anymore.

Obviously by the end of the episode he was walking fine and this wasn’t an issue but it shows us two things. First, Worf plays fair. Second, Worf is incredibly stubborn about playing fair and will absolutely be stupid about it.

What I want you to do for this exercise is think about your current RPG character and who they are as a person. Think about their best traits — the things you would use to describe them in an elevator pitch. I’ll use the characters I’m currently playing as examples.

Chessalyne from Untraditionally Arcane is a huge nerd, ambitious and generally optimistic. Magpie from Nobody’s Heroes is opportunistic and observant. Thale, my paladin from my home game, is confident and willing to stick his neck out for other people. Now, think about how you can use those same traits to show your character being humanly flawed.

Chess’s ambition leads to some very questionable decisions such as letting a spirit into her body and accepting necromancy as a second casting school. It pushes her to work hard and do the responsible thing more often than not but ambition is very much a force that can leave you unable to see the forest for the trees at times, and so mistakes will be made.
Magpie…okay honestly it’s easier to take this one the other way. Magpie isn’t a hero. She is constantly doing things like saving people specifically to steal their wallets. But she’s also used those sticky fingers to good ends and been an asset to the group. That’s a good point of view to take if you’re playing an evil character. How do their bad points redeem them a little bit?
Thale’s confidence bleeds into arrogance more often than not. If the villagers he just saved from a rampaging dragon are grateful then he will bask in the gratitude to the point it’s obnoxious. The point is I know it’s obnoxious so when he does it, even while the other characters are rolling their eyes, their players think it’s hilarious.

You don’t have to pick some unrelated thing to give your character a believable flaw. Find something they’re good at or a good quality about them and figure out what situations this good quality would be a bit abrasive in and then own it. Playing a lawful good character who follows the rules? Toss out a line when the party is doing something kind of maverick about it not being sanctioned. Does your character have someone or something they adore? Have them prioritize the person or thing to the detriment of the party’s goals at some point.

When your weaknesses come from your strengths they are always believable. Your fellow players might sigh when your valorous character doesn’t want to kill the villain just because he’s dropped his weapon but they will believe in the conviction. You want them to say, “Ralgar the Barbarian is being such a turd,” and not, “Steve, his accountant player, is being such a turd.” If they’re saying Ralgar is being a turd what they’re really saying is Steve is a great roleplayer.

One last note. I know a lot of people don’t like it when the other players side-eye their character for things. You’re close to the character and you don’t want them to think poorly of this person. But when someone notes your character is doing something kind of ornery then own it. That’s a gift. It saves you the work of having to weave in other flaws and if you’re having a fuss with the other characters at the table this is a prime roleplaying opportunity and I promise you they’re going to remember.

You might be tempted to backpedal and try something else to save your character’s reputation. Don’t. Lean into it and see where it goes. No one expects your character to be perfect and in fact the ones who don’t try to be are often the most memorable.

Now, tell me about your character’s flaws. Tell me about other character’s flaws that have come up in the game and caused a stir you still remember to this day and how much fun it was. And of course, stay nerdy!