Flaws

Every time heroes develop a Flaw they are renouncing their higher ambitions and embracing simpler, more primitive emotions. They are trading respect for arrogance, love for lust, trust for suspicion.

The Loremaster should take into account the effects of a Flaw whenever the performance of a Player-hero can be made worse by it.

The following sections and the Flaws compendium listing describe the various Flaws that Player-heroes may develop as a result of their degeneration, grouped by Shadow Path. The Loremaster can use the definitions listed here to determine the effects of a bout of madness, and the players may use them to keep in mind how a Flaw should affect the behaviour of a Player-hero.

Curse of Vengeance

“I wish I had Gandalf here! Curse him for his choice of you! … As for you, I will throw you to the rocks!" he cried and lifted Bilbo in his arms.

Spiteful: You often repay real or imagined wrongs with vicious rudeness. Depending on the provocation, you may simply be very impolite, or downright insulting.

Brutal: You react violently to provocations and show little restraint under most circumstances.

Cruel: You don’t care if your actions cause pain and suffering to others, and are needlessly savage with your enemies.

Murderous: You become Murderous when you start to consider killing as a perfectly natural way to achieve a goal or simply to make things go your way.

Dragon-sickness

…he fell under the Dragon-sickness, and took most of the gold and fled with it, and died of starvation in the Waste, deserted by his companions.

Grasping: If you become Grasping, you seek to accumulate gold and precious items above all else, just for the sake of possessing them.

Mistrustful: When your prized possessions start to weigh you down and become a treasure to be guarded, even the good advice of friends appears to mask dubious intentions.

Deceitful: You feel no shame in misleading others with lies and stratagems, as long as your machinations further your ends and corrupted needs.

Thieving: You have discovered that anything you desire can be yours — you just have to take it. You have earned the right to take all you want when you sacrificed the love of your peers and your own self-respect.

Lure of Power

"It is by our own folly that the Enemy will defeat us," cried Boromir. "How it angers me! Fool! Obstinate fool! Running wilfully to death and ruining our cause."

Resentful: You risk becoming bitter and angry with the people you ought to lead. You often feel that you risk your life for individuals that fail to see the wisdom of your words.

Arrogant: You don’t miss an opportunity to underline your own importance, often belittling your peers and companions.

Overconfident: Overconfidence denotes overweening pride, a sentiment that blinds you to your own limits and weaknesses. You endeavour to do anything you set your mind upon, regardless of the consequences that might befall others.

Tyrannical: You escalate your actions and desires to the level of a just cause. Your disregard for the lives of others is so profound that you go to any lengths to achieve your ends, regardless of the cost or methods employed to accomplish them. Any dissenting opinion is considered as utter betrayal.

Lure of Secrets

“The roots of those mountains must be roots indeed; there must be great secrets buried there which have not been discovered since the beginning.”

Haughty: You don’t recognise easily the wisdom found in the words and actions of others, and tend to turn aside all advice and offers of help.

Scornful: You treat the propositions of others with disdain, making use of every opportunity to mock them for their presumed inadequacy.

Scheming: You keep your thoughts and intentions to yourself at all times, never giving advice and heeding only your own judgement. You might sometimes agree with the propositions of others, but only to be free to follow your own choices later.

Traitorous: When you become Traitorous you cannot be trusted to keep your word. You are ready to betray your own friends and allies, if it would turn to your advantage.

Path of Despair

“Now the Company is all in ruin. It is I that have failed. Vain was Gandalf’s trust in me. What shall I do now?”

Troubled: You feel a sense of disquiet that makes it hard for you to read a situation clearly and offer counsel to others.

Wavering: Caution can be the enemy of action, and when you become Wavering you cannot set your mind upon a choice quickly and effectively. You vacillate between the various options you see before you.

Guilt-ridden: The curse of those who defend others is to feel remorse when their actions go amiss, pushing you to refuse any daring course of action.

Fearful: When you become Fearful you are so beset by worries and concerns that you cannot force yourself to risk doing anything that will potentially endanger yourself and those you care for.

Wandering-madness

“I feel I need a holiday, a very long holiday, as I have told you before. Probably a permanent holiday: I don’t expect I shall return.”

Idle: It takes a lot to stir Idle adventurers into action. You are easily distracted, and must be cajoled to fully participate in endeavours.

Forgetful: Being Forgetful indicates that you are often daydreaming and absent-minded, and find it difficult to remember even important things.

Uncaring: When you become Uncaring you lose touch with the world outside of yourself. You can’t bring yourself to feel compassion, and quickly lose interest in matters that do not concern you directly.

Cowardly: You care only for your own safety under any circumstances, and will go to any lengths to save yourself when a threat arises.