"Palavor," she said, her voice carefully neutral. He winced, ceasing his scratching and putting a hand to his head.
"Not so loud..." he moaned, dropping into a chair. Vitrin poured him a cup of tea, and set a bowl of porridge in front of him.
"You did it again, didn't you?" Vitrin asked. Palavor lowered his head, shame in his eyes. He started eating carefully, his hand trembling on occasion as he brought the gruel to his lips. Vitrin shook her head. "You have to stop this."
"I will," Palavor said around the tea as he poured it down his throat.
"I mean it," she said.
"So do I," Palavor gasped, reaching for the kettle.
"You always do on the morning after," Vitrin said. She pushed herself up from the table. "We depart in half an hour. We aren't waiting for you."
"I'll be there," Palavor said, wincing. "And I'll... try to clean up between now and then."
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| It's the only thing that lets me feel free from this prison of flesh... |
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What Vices Does Your Character Have?
We are all just collections of experiences, memories, learned responses, and habits... and some of those habits are bad ones. Those are usually the ones we think of when it comes to vices. Whether it's the habit itself that's bad (they tend to indulge in random acts of violence against folks who don't deserve it) or merely the length to which someone takes it (they can never have just one drink, or one hit, but will go on a full weekend bender if no one stops them), vices often define characters just as much as their virtues.
So take a moment to ask yourself what your character's vices are, but in addition to that, where did they pick them up? How much of a problem are they in their day-to-day life? And are they trying to leave those bad habits behind, find some healthy outlet for them, or are they simply giving into their worst impulses with gusto?
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| What day is it? Huh... I seem to have lost a whole week. What MONTH is it? |
As an example, does your sorcerer find their day-to-day life difficult to live because of the power burning inside of them? Do they seek out drink or drugs to dull the edge of living in a body that can only handle so much magic at a time? And is their vice the substances they abuse, or is it the magic itself, which they can only dip into so often before they burn out or burn up, feeling empty all the way to their bones?
Does the fighter have a need they don't like to talk about? A part of them that feels excited when they draw blood, or crush bones? Do they crave the sensation of watching the light bleed out of someone's eyes? Did they take up the life of a soldier, or a bodyguard, hoping they'd be able to shed blood with impunity? Does the cleric have a weakness for the pleasures of the flesh? Do they fight against it, or do they find themselves giving in when their will is weak? Or has it created problems with them being tricked by fey, or falling victim to devils in disguise?
Even if a character's vice doesn't put them or their companions in mortal danger, or risk losing their class features for violating their tenets, they can cause other sorts of problems. For example, if the bard has light fingers and a compulsion to steal things, that can put a bounty on their (and their companions') heads. Greed could lead to someone taking terrible risks in the pursuit of treasure, and those who have a need to gamble (with either their money or their lives) might end up taking foolish risks, or biting off far more than they can chew when it comes to their adventures.
Finding Balance For Your Vice(s)
All of us have vices. Some of them are small, and are really more of an indulgence, like smoking a pipe of an evening, or having a second cup of strong brew with breakfast to start the day. Sometimes they don't really rise beyond this "personal quirk" level. Sometimes they do, and they can become small (or even large) problems for a character and their companions.
However, and this cannot be overstated, make sure that your character's vices don't become an undue burden on the rest of the table.
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| We are not breaking you out again. Not after what you did. |
On the one hand, there's the mechanical issues that can come with certain vices. Characters with addictions who can't get their fix often operate under serious negatives. Characters who have psychological compulsions might have to spend resources to resist giving into said compulsions, and so on and so forth. And this is something you need to consider as a player, because it might mean that under a lot of circumstances your character might end up becoming a burden on their companions. No one wants to deal with someone going through withdrawal while they're about to raid a dragon's lair, after all.
On the other hand, it's important to ask about the larger implications of your character's vices. Does giving into their vices create a pattern of arrests, angered NPCs, or tortured prisoners that actively creates problems for everyone else? And are these problems serious enough that the character's companions might decide it's better to part ways with them?
There is no right answer to this question; it's a matter of the sort of game you're involved in. One game might be focused on evil characters where someone flaying prisoners might be seen as little more than a hobby that others will just put up with if it keeps them on-task. However, if there's a game where everyone is trying to play a noble hero, that might not be a game that will appreciate a fighter with an old war injury, a taste for blood, and a monkey on his back thanks to the alchemical treatments he's taking to manage his pain.
Talk to your Game Master, and your fellow players, and find the answer that works for all of you!
Lastly, consider grabbing some of the following supplements to help flesh out your characters in the future:
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