Quirks, Strengths, and Weaknesses (5e Variant Rule)

Quirks, Strengths, and Weaknesses

When creating a new character, you may choose to add one of the following quirks. Alternatively, you may choose to add one of the following strengths accompanied by one weakness. All ability score increases offered here are to a maximum of 20.

Quirks

• Honest. You hate to deceive others and people are more likely to find you trustworthy. You have a +2 bonus to Persuasion checks, but you have disadvantage on Deception checks.

• Dishonest. You're naturally inclined towards insincerity. Deception is second nature to you but you struggle with honest appeals. You have a +2 bonus to Deception checks, but you have disadvantage on Persuasion checks.

• Abrasive. You have a tendency to put people on edge, making it difficult to form connections. You have a +2 bonus to Intimidation checks, but you have disadvantage on Persuasion checks.

• Polite. You are friendly, well spoken, and have excellent manners even when you'd rather not. You have a +2 bonus to Persuasion checks, but you have disadvantage on Intimidation checks.

• Uncivilized. You get along better with animals than people. You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill. If you are already proficient in it, your proficiency bonus is doubled for ability checks made using it. You have disadvantage on all Deception and Persuasion checks made while speaking to humanoids.

• Runt. You are diminutive among your kin, but you've managed to make the best of your size despite a troubled childhood. You have a -2 penalty to Strength and a -1 penalty to Constitution, but you gain a +1 bonus to Dexterity and gain proficiency in your choice of Acrobatics, Slight of Hand, Stealth, Perception, Performance, or Persuasion. You count as one size smaller when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift, and you consume half as much food and water as other members of your race.

• Hulking. You are unnaturally massive among your kin, making it difficult to coordinate yourself and learn from others. You have a +2 bonus to Strength and a +1 bonus to Constitution, but you suffer a -1 penalty to Dexterity and a -2 penalty to Charisma. You also lose any one skill proficiency and any one tool or language proficiency you would otherwise have had. You gain the Powerful Build racial feature if you don't already have it, and you consume twice as much food and water as other members of your race. You can add your Strength modifier instead of your Charisma modifier when you make an Intimidation check.

• Musclebound. You're so muscular that it restricts your movement. You gain a +3 bonus to Strength, and when you make a melee attack using Strength, you can add your proficiency bonus to the damage dealt on a hit. Your walking speed is reduced by 5 feet and you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws using Dexterity.

• Bookworm. You've spent far too long with your head buried in books. You have a -1 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. You gain proficiency in Investigation, one language of your choice, and any one of the following skills: Arcana, History, Nature, Religion, Medicine, Survival.

• Illiterate. You can't read or write. You may have tried to learn to no avail or you simply have no interest in it, but you've spent that time learning another skill instead. Gain proficiency in any tool, language, or simple weapon of your choice.

• Cautious. You are alert to danger to a degree of being almost cowardly. You have a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity Saving Throws until the beginning of your next turn whenever you take the Dash, Dodge, or Disengage actions, but you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws made to resist being frightened.

• Focused. You have excellent concentration but are prone to tunnel vision. You have a +2 bonus to saving throws made to maintain concentration and you may use your spellcasting ability modifier instead of Constitution to do so. You suffer a -5 penalty to Passive Perception and you have disadvantage on Perception checks as you are easily distracted by mundane details.

• Hard of Hearing. You have disadvantage on Perception checks made to hear but a +2 bonus to checks using other senses.

• Poor of Sight. You have disadvantage on Perception checks made to see but a +2 bonus to checks using other senses.

• Anosmic. You have no sense of smell and automatically fail any check made to do so. You have disadvantage on Perception checks made to taste but a +1 bonus to checks using other senses.

• Nightsighted. You have Darkvision to a range of 60 feet, or an additional 30 feet of range if you already have darkvision, but you also suffer Sunlight Sensitivity.[1]

• Blindsighted. You can't see conventionally, but you have learned to use echolocation. You have 15 feet of blindsight and are considered Blinded to everything beyond that range. You cannot discern color or detail with your blindsight, only general shapes and shades of grey. You also have advantage on perception checks made to hear, but you lose your blindsight whenever you have the Deafened condition or are in an area of complete silence. You can create repeated, quiet sounds which can be heard from no farther than 15 feet away to enable your blindsight in a silent area.

• Stubborn. You prefer to hold your ground, but you can be troubled by truths incompatible with your beliefs. You have a +2 bonus to Constitution saves, but you suffer a -1 penalty to Dexterity saves and a -2 penalty to Charisma saves.

• Plucky. You are strong-willed but physically limited. You have a +2 bonus to Wisdom saves, but you suffer a -1 penalty to Constitution saves and a -2 penalty to Strength saves.

• Jittery. You are quick to move but stuttered of thought. You have a +2 bonus to Dexterity saves, but you suffer a -1 penalty to Wisdom saves and a -2 penalty to Intelligence saves.

• Speedy. You're exceptionally fast but less sturdy than most. Your walking speed is increased by 10 feet and you gain a +1 bonus to Dexterity, but you suffer a -2 penalty to Constitution and a -1 penalty to death saving throws.

• Brutish. You make powerful blows at the cost of accuracy. You have a -1 penalty to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls with attacks made using Strength.

• Surgical. You have uncanny precision at the cost of power. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a -2 penalty to damage rolls with attacks made using Dexterity.

• Reckless. You're dangerously uncaring of your own safety. You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with attacks made using Strength or Dexterity, but you have a -1 penalty to AC and Dexterity saving throws.

• Eldritch Truth. You know strange things. Things which cannot be defined by the tongues of mortals. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws, but you have disadvantage on Intelligence and Charisma saving throws. If you gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws from another source, you can add double your proficiency bonus.

• Cursed. Choose an ability score. You suffer a -2 penalty in that ability score and you have disadvantage on saving throws using it. As a bonus action, you can utter a dark word and transfer your curse to another creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. While the target is cursed, you no longer suffer from the curse's effects and the target suffers a -4 penalty in the relevant ability score instead. The curse remains with the target for 1 hour or until it dies, then returns to you. You cannot transfer the curse to another creature again until you finish a short or long rest. You can remove this curse with a remove curse spell cast using a spell slot of 7th level or higher.

• Weapon Specialist. You've practiced heavily with a particular weapon type at the expense of learning other skills.[2] Choose a weapon you have proficiency with. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls of attacks made with that weapon type, but you lose your proficiency with all other weapons and one skill proficiency.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

• Ability Score bonus. Choose one of the following:

Toned: +1 Strength

Spry: +1 Dexterity

Robust: +1 Constitution

Bright: +1 Intelligence

Prudent: +1 Wisdom

Charming: +1 Charisma

• Vendetta. Choose a creature type. Your hatred towards creatures of that type grants you a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls against them.

• Resistant. You have resistance to one damage type of your choice that is not fire, slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing.

• Quick. Your walking speed increases by 5 feet.

• Learned. You have one additional skill proficiency or any two additional tool or language proficiencies.

• Attuned. You can attune to one additional magic item at a time.

• Wary. You can add your proficiency bonus to your initiative rolls.

• Hard to Kill. You gain a +1 bonus to death saving throws.

• Blessed. You have a pool of three d4s, called Blessed Dice. You may expend a Blessed Die to use it as described in the bless spell. You regain expended dice when you finish a long rest.

• Weavetouched. Learn your choice of one cantrip that cannot deal damage from any classes spell list. Your spellcasting ability modifier for it is the same as the class whose spell list you chose it from.

• Inspired. When you finish a long rest, you gain Inspiration.

• Great Potential. Choose an ability score. For all intents and purposes, your maximum score for that ability is 22.

• Telepathic. You can communicate telepathically with creatures within 30 feet that you can see. You must share a language with the target, and the target cannot respond to your messages. If you receive telepathy of any sort from another source, its range is increased by 30 feet.

• Solar Power. As a free action on your turn while you are in direct sunlight, you may expend a Hit Die to gain temporary hit points equal to the amount rolled + your Constitution modifier. These temporary hit points disappear if you leave the sunlight. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once) and you regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

• Lunar Charge. As a free action on your turn while you are in direct moonlight, you may expend a Hit Die to replenish spell slots. You replenish a number of levels worth of spell slots equal to your proficiency bonus. E.g. you can restore one 3rd-level spell slot or three 1st-level spell slots with a proficiency bonus of +3. You cannot use this ability again until you finish a long rest.

• Natural Athlete. You have a climbing speed and a swimming speed of 25 feet.

• Eldritch Longevity. Your maximum natural lifespan is five times longer than the average for your kin.

• Thick Skinned. While you aren't wearing armor, you have a +1 bonus to AC.

• Uncanny Accuracy. When you have advantage on an attack roll, you can re-roll one of the dice once. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

• Elusive. You can take the Dodge action as a bonus action. You cannot use this ability again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Regenerative. When you finish a long rest, you regain all of your lost Hit Dice.

Weaknesses:

• Ability Score penalty. Choose one of the following:

Weak: -2 Strength, disadvantage on Strength saving throws.

Clumsy: -3 Dexterity.

Feeble: -3 Constitution.

Dim: -2 Intelligence, disadvantage on Intelligence saving throws.

Foolish: -3 Wisdom.

Irksome: -2 Charisma, disadvantage on Charisma saving throws.

• Dreaded Foes. Choose a creature type. Your fear towards creatures of that type grants you a -2 penalty to attack rolls against them, and they have a +2 bonus to attack rolls against you.

• Vulnerable. You have vulnerability to one damage type of your choice that is not psychic or force.

• Slow. Your walking speed is reduced by 5 feet. When you take the Dash action, you can gain no more than 10 additional feet of movement per Dash action taken.

• Amateurish. You lose any two skill proficiencies and one tool or language proficiency you would have otherwise had.

• Stunted Attunement. You may only attune to one magical item at a time.

• Absentminded. You have disadvantage on initiative rolls.

• Fragile. You suffer a -2 penalty to death saving throws.

• Acrophobic. You fear heights and have a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws made while within 15 feet of a drop of 10 feet or greater. By extension, you fear flying, and suffer these penalties whenever you are flying more than 10 feet above the ground and able to see below you. Additionally, you take an additional 2 points of bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet you fall.

• Arcanaphobic. You fear spells and those who cast them, suffering a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws whenever you are within 15 feet of a hostile creature that you've witnessed casting spells or 5 feet if the creature is not hostile. Spell attack rolls made against you have a +2 bonus. You cannot cast spells or speak the command words to activate magical items.

• Autophobic. You fear the absence of others. Whenever there are no allied humanoids within 15' of you that you can see or hear, you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. If you fail to see or hear any allied creatures in any range for one consecutive hour, you have disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until you can.

• Claustrophobic. You fear confined spaces and crowded situations. Whenever there are less than 3 nearby open spaces (or 2 on a hex grid) available to move to, you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. If there are no spaces available for you to move to, you have disadvantage on those rolls instead.

• Hemophobic. You fear the sight of blood. Whenever a creature within 15' of you that you can see is below 50% HP, and would reasonably be bleeding depending on its type and the damage it took recently, you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. This effect applies to yourself, corpses, and any environmental amount of blood greater than a few drops.[3]

• Nyctophobic. You fear darkness, regardless of your ability to see in it. Whenever you are in an area of dim light, you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Whenever you are blinded by darkness, you have disadvantage on all ability checks and saving throws. If you have Darkvision, you suffer the -2 penalty only in areas of complete darkness.

• Hydrophobic. You fear water and large bodies of liquid. Whenever you are within 15 feet of a body of liquid with a surface area of 10 square feet or greater, you suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Whenever you are submerged in liquid, you instead have disadvantage on those rolls. You cannot ever have a swimming speed.

• Pyrophobic. You fear fire, and suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws whenever you are within 15 feet of a source of fire larger than a campfire. You suffer the same penalty until the end of your next turn whenever you take fire damage.

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1. If you already have Sunlight Sensitivity, you may not choose this quirk.
2. Your class at 1st level must grant proficiency with at least one martial weapon to select this quirk.
3. If your race does not bleed, you may not choose this weakness.