New Hindrances

The folk of the 'Verse are a flawed bunch. These less-than-ideal traits are represented by Hindrances. Most of the Hindrances from Savage Worlds are available in Savage Serenity, and a handful of new ones have been added.

Disallowed Hindrance
The only Hindrance in Savage Worlds not appropriate for Savage Serenity is Doubting Thomas. Some folk might not believe in the existence of Reavers or that Readers walk amongst us, but those skeptics don't suffer enough of a disadvantage to warrant a Hindrance.

Allergy (Minor/Major)
Certain things mess with your body something fierce. A Minor allergy might cause only a rash or a sneezing fit. A Major allergy means that a bee sting, shrimp cocktail, or peanut butter sandwich might leave you pushing up daisies.

Pick an allergy. As a Minor Hindrance, your reaction is fairly minor (hay fever, rash, sneezes) and you will suffer a -2 penalty to all Attribute and Skill rolls tied to Agility, Strength, or Vigor in the presence of your Allergy, at least until you take your medication. As a Major Hindrance, you suffer a life-threatening reaction to the substance, which is treated as a Lethal Poison (SWAdE 129).

Crude (Minor)
You're a gorram bull running amok in society's rose garden. No matter your social station, you prefer to tell it like it is - using all sorts of colorful words in English, Chinese, or some mixture thereof. You cuss, put your elbows on the table, spit on the floor, and don't much care for normal pleasantries. You suffer a -2 penalty to Persuasion whenever refined social behavior is called for.

Easy Mark (Minor)
Most folk are honest - at least in your mind. You tend to take a person at their word until they prove they can't be trusted. Even then you're likely to give 'em the benefit of the doubt, and you've got an unfortunate habit of trying to find where "gullible" is written on the ceiling.

Filcher (Minor)
You've got a problem with the concept of personal property - leastwise, that which isn't your personal property. If some piece of pretty catches your fancy, you'll try to take it - even if committing the theft is a really dumb move. You don't steal out of greed, but out of compulsion. If you absolutely must not take a particular item, you must spend a Fate Chip to resist the temptation.

Forked Tongue (Minor)
You lie like an Oriental rug. It's your nature to weave tall tales and tell wild stories to friends and foes. You will lie even when the truth might favor you - you just can't help yourself. Those who know you have a hard time believing anything you say, and you thusly suffer a -4 penalty on Persuasion rolls to convince those people that you're telling the truth.

Hero Worship (Minor)
You look up to one person, living or dead, and that person can do no wrong in your eyes. You work hard to emulate them and will go to great lengths to feel physical connections to this person. You might work hard to see them in person, or visit the town of their birth.

Leaky Brainpan (Minor/Major)
You have more than a few screws loose. Your mind isn't all there, and it often wanders from one incoherent thought to the next without stopping to rest. As a Minor Hindrance, your odd behavior and occasional outbursts are a bit startling to those who are not used to such, but are generally harmless.

As a Major trait, you're completely weird and creepifying, as likely to rub soup in your hair as slash a butcher knife across a crew mate's chest because you think he looks better in red. The GM might provide you with a completely different description of your surroundings than what the "normal" people are seeing in order to reflect your altered state of mind. Even in normal situations, you perceive the world a completely different way. Your special brand of crazy inflicts a -2 penalty to Persuasion in the best of circumstances.

Lech (Minor)
You've got a tough time keeping your gun in its holster, if you catch the drift. You tend to pay an unhealthy amount of attention to whoever happens to float your particular boat and have a hard time turning down requests for help if you think it might result in knockin' boots.

You're more than a little sucker for a nice pi gu or big blue ones, and as a result, you suffer -2 to resist Persuasion in Tests of Will or Social Conflicts with those you're attracted to.

Lyin' Eyes (Minor)
You have a tough time telling a lie. While it might make you shiny in the eyes of Buddha, it can make things a mite complicated when dealing with the less savory elements of the 'Verse. You suffer a -2 to all Intimidation and Persuasion rolls where you have to tell an untruth - even one of those tiny, white lies.

You also suffer a shameful inability to bluff when playing cards, and subtract 2 from any Gambling rolls in any game of chance that involves bluffing.

Memorable (Minor)
Whether it's striking looks, a thick accent, multitudinous tattoos, or just a big ol' snoz, there's something distinct about you that makes you easy to pick out of a crowd. Others gain a +2 bonus on rolls made to spot or recognize you.

Prejudice (Minor)
You flat-out can't stand a certain group of people. Your dislike could be ideological, socioeconomic, regional, racial, religious, or what have you. You have a hard time hiding your aversion to such folk.

Pick a group of people. For whatever reason, you choose to dislike these people as a group. They must be people with whom you could have social or business dealings, so no picking Reavers. You avoid interacting with them whenever possible, and when it's not possible, you won't be able to hide your disdain for them, and might even go out of your way to insult them. You suffer a -4 to Persuasion rolls when interacting with your chosen group, along with whatever other troubles your attitude may bring.

Slow Learner (Minor)
There's just some things you're not good at and you're never gonna be. Best accept that and move on. Choose one skill. Raising that skill after character creation always costs a full Advance, even if you already have points in the skill. You also suffer a -2 penalty any time you try to use it.

Soft (Minor)
You are a sensitive flower. You have an extremely low tolerance for pain and if you stub your tow, you'll carry on like you've been stabbed through the gut. As long as you have at least one Wound, you suffer an additional -1 penalty to all your actions (so with 2 wounds, you suffer a -3, for example).

Traumatic Flashes (Minor/Major)
Life would be a fair sight more convenient without the horrible dreams and visions that overtake you on occasion. These flashes might be residual memories of a traumatic incident from your past, messages from a disturbed conscience, or horrible recurring nightmares. You don't always know what will trigger them, but they leave you shaken and unsettled.

As a Minor Hindrance, once per session, some trigger will cause you to suffer a traumatic flash. These episodes leave you incoherent, shaking, and screaming - rendering you Shaken for d2 turns (after which you can recover normally), and causing you to suffer a -2 penalty on all actions for ten minutes following the flash. As a Major Hindrance, these flashes happen twice per session.