This list of talents and faults is designed to add detail and more excitement to the characters. These should help create even more character detail.
    If the player and Game Master decide to use these rules, both talents and faults must be chosen. The talents will add to the natural abilities of the character, while the faults will give limitations. Both will allow the player be more familiar with their character(s) and will add flavor to the role playing experience.

    The Game Master might want to keep track of these little details for future stories. The little details about the characters’ background can be stories themselves. They also can add an extra twist. What if the major villain in the story was a player character’s brother that is the disgrace of the family? But the character can’t bring himself to let anyone hurt his evil brother that is the black sheep of the family. They will have to find another way to subdue him.

    These rules are completely optional, but I feel that they enhance any character, especially villains. I remember reading in Villains Unlimited® about the art of a villain. Little bits of information about the villain’s personal life can make it fun for players to find out. These little faults and talents may even be the reason why they became villains in the first place. This is an excellent way to find little quirks and weaknesses.

    Both talents and faults are divided into two categories. They are ‘Major’ and ‘Minor’. The Major selections are the selections that will give the characters noticeable bonuses and penalties. The Minor selections are there to help describe the characters’ personality in more detail. Before the character chooses an O.C.C. and skills, a roll should be made on both of the following charts.

    Some of the Talents and faults are opposites of each other. If the rolls come out conflicting, simply re-roll for that specific talent or fault.
 
 

Determining how many talents and faults the character receives is as follows:

Step 1:

 
 

Roll	Results for TALENTS
1-15	One Major Talent and Three Minor
16-32	Three Minor only
33-50	One Major and One Minor
51-69	One Major and Two Minor
70-86	Four Minor only
87-00	Two Major only

Step 2:

 
 

Roll	Results for FAULTS
1-15	One Major and Two Minor
16-32	Two Minor only
33-50	One Major and One Minor
51-69	Two Major and One Minor
70-86	Three Minor only
87-00	Two Major and Two Minor

 

Step 3: Determine the Major and Minor Talents and Faults

Major talents are the talents that give the characters a noticeable bonus or benefit. Many of them are conditional upon the type of talent and the situations. The talents are either natural born abilities or have been learned while growing up. The GM should decide how to assign these, whether assigned, rolled or chosen by the Player. The random rolling list is below.

NOTE: Every third Talent is a hyperlink so that finding the description is easier. If the talent selected is not hyper linked, click the link above it and you will be in the general area.

Minor Talents
 

ROLL	Minor Talents
01-02	One acute Sense
03-04	Longer Jump
05-06	Cold Resistance
07-08	Ear for Music
09-10	Higher Jump
11-12	High Range Voice
13-14	Natural Judge of Weapon Quality
15-16	Life Time Goal
17-18	Mentor
19-20	Charm Animals
21-22	Good at grammar and spelling
23-24	Hold Breathlonger
25-26	Outdoorsman
27-28	Pain Resistance
29-30	Quick Calculator
31-32	Hard to Discourage
33-34	Slight of Hand
35-36	Speed reader
37-39	Extra skill (At Base skill level)
40-42	Steel Grip
43-45	Sturdy Build
46-49	Magnificent Eyes
50-52	Heat Tolerance
53-54	Good Metabolism
55-56	Witty
57-58	Good Teacher
59-60	Good Balance
61-62	Tactful
63-64	Good Memory
65-66	Calm
67-68	Good Healer (Not Many Scars)
69-70	Confident
71-72	Strong Stomach
73-74	Independent
75-76	Social
77-78	Good Manners
79-80	Good Story Teller
81-82	Quick Thinker
83-84	Natural Actor
85-86	Humble
87-89	Mature
90-92	Silver Tongue
93-96	Generous
97-00	Imitate Voices

Major Talents

    The following are descriptions and bonuses of the Major Talents.

Close Combat Reflexes

This is the talent of having good combat reflexes in close combat. The character receives the following bonuses when in close combat. + 2 to initiative, +1 to dodge, and +1 to parry.

The character was born with, or developed the ability to use both hands with equal skill. The character receives the Paired Weapons skill.

This is a cry or yell before or during a battle to give the character courage and adrenaline during battle. It is also to intimidate the opposing forces. The character receives +2 to save vs. horror factor and +1 to initiative

During mass combat situations, the character has developed natural reflexes. The character receives +2 to initiative, +1 to dodge and +1 attack while in mass combat situations.

The character tends to be calm in stressful situations. This allows them to keep from panicking during crisis. Therefore the character receives a +5% to skills when used in a crisis. The bonus is gone when the situation is done.

This is the ability to move, pop, and twist the wrists in unusual ways. The character receives +8% to escape artist Add escape artist skill 30% if not already selected.

This talent is a little different than Mass Combat reflexes. The awareness is simply the ability to notice and keep track of the battle. The character receives +3 to initiative, +2 dodge when in a battle.

This character should have been a baseball pitcher. The character receives a +2 to strike with small thrown objects.

The character has a ‘Green thumb’ for whatever reason. They know how to take care of plants. The character receives +10% to botanist or receives the skill at basic level.

The character has developed the ability to instinctively react to a strike. The character may auto-dodge or perform a free simultaneous attack once per melee when used. (Adds 1 defensive attack per melee)

The character is a light sleeper. There is a 90% chance of not being sneaked upon while asleep.

The character’s wrists are stronger than the normal person’s wrists when locked. This would be used while trying to keep a hold of something. The wrist's strength when locked = P.S. +4

This is a unique, special offensive maneuver that the character has developed or learned from years of experience. It is mainly for hand held weapons such as vibro-swords. The character receives a +2 to Strike and +3 to Damage when using it. The character may use it only twice per melee.

This is a unique special defensive maneuver that the character has developed or learned from years of experience. This may be used in any type of combat. The character receives a +2 to Dodge and +2 to Parry when using it. It may only be used twice per melee.

This is a natural ability to make friends and invoke trust. The character receives a +3 to M.A.

This is the ability to remember details of studies machines and text. The character receives a one-time bonus of +6% to skills.

This is the natural gift to learn to play musical instruments. The character receives a one-time bonus of +15% to play any musical instrument skills that the character has selected.

Before entering into an anticipated battle, the character can mentally prepare to go into battle. The character is less nervous and therefore has a +3 to initiative at beginning of battle.

The character has a natural ability to use guns. The hand eye coordination is better than the average person. The character receives a +2 to strike and +1 to initiative when using any gun.

This is a natural ability to pick up on languages. The character has most likely studied another language during childhood. Add one language and add 10% to all other foreign languages selected.

The character has always had the ability and skills to be a leader. People want to follow him after a few moments of being with the character. The character receives +3 to M.A.

This is the ability to put all fears and doubts out of the mind and proceed with what is at hand. The character receives a +4 to save vs. Horror Factor.

The character was involved in a trade with parents or friends. Select a trade or occupation and choose two related skills with a +10% to both skills.

The character has a good natural sense of direction. Add +7% to land navigation skill. Or add Land Navigation skill at basic level.

The minor talents are used as a description for the character. Sometimes a skill bonus is given or a skill might be added at a lower level. The GM should make judgment calls on the skills in a questionable situation.
 
 

One Acute Sense

This is simply that one of the characters five senses is more sensitive than the average person’s. "Hmmm, let me taste this and I can tell you if it is rotten."

The character can jump two feet longer than normal with a running start.

The character has a resistance for cold. He may even like the cold. "Shorts and a T-shirt on a snowy day? No problem."

An ability to catch a beat, recognize a singer, and even to duplicate a song if the character can play an instrument.

The character knows how to use the long jump pole. Can naturally jump two feet higher than the average person.

The character can sing using many pitches and parts.

The character can make an estimate guess on how good quality any type of weapon from examination.

The character has a life time goal that they decide. It has been the directing force in the character’s life. It has helped them make decisions for the future.

The character has had a mentor or ‘hero’ that has helped shape their life. At a tough decision, the character will always be able to ask, "What would my Mentor do?" The GM may be asked to help on occasion.

This is the natural affinity to befriend animals. The character has either learned it from someone else, or has always had the knack for it.

If you ever need help on how to say something correctly or how to spell something, this is the person to ask. Bad grammar and typos might drive this character crazy depending on his tolerance level.

The character can hold their breath 30 seconds longer than the normal person can.

The character has always enjoyed the outdoors and has a knack for camping.

The character has a high tolerance for pain. "I'll be there in a second, I need to pull this arrow out of my side and cauterize it with gun powder from this bullet."

On a moment’s notice, the character can do simple math in his head and get a correct answer 90% of the time.

The character can work on discouraging projects for a long time. Ridicule doesn't phase him.

The character has a bonus to the slight of hand skill of +5%. Or add slight of hand at basic level –10%.

The character can shine off novels and manuals within hours.

Choose a skill at base level that was a hobby while growing up.

Add +3 to strength when gripping with the hands.

The character has a sturdy build with a good center of gravity. Even if the character is not strong, his size is still a little intimidating.

The character is one of the people that gets comments about how great their eyes are, no matter what their P.B..

The character loves hot summer days. Heck they may even wear a sweater in the summer.

The character has a hard time gaining weight and has a lot of energy.

In any situation, this character can find humor and is fast at it.

This character is excellent at teaching others.

This person should have been a tightrope walker. +5% to sense of balance or add sense of balance at basic level –10%.

No matter who the person, this character will find a nice way and time to break any bad news or criticism to that person.

This is not total recall, but the character can remember things that they have experienced or heard.

Not easily frustrated, and even-tempered.

The character heals well and does not have many scars.

This is not arrogance, but the character is confident in his ability to do things to the point that others might believe him.

Blood, guts, gore? No problem for this character. They've seen it all before.

The character is independent. He usually does not rely on others for help support.

This character feels at home in a large crowd of people.

The character has always been raised with good manners. To him, there is no other way to be.

The character can make any event into a fascinating tale for others to enjoy.

In a bind? This character is good at knowing the available resources and can plan things quickly from those.

The character is good at acting as someone else. They can act most moods. Add 6% to the acting skill or add Acting at basic level –10%.

This character is anything but arrogant. He is open to any advice and help with projects. He will always give credit where credit is due, and probably more.

This character knows when not to joke around.

This is the ability to smooth over most problems by talking with the person.

Everyone wants to be this person’s friend.

The character can imitate accents and voices that it has heard a lot of with a 60% ability.

Major faults are the characteristics that give the characters a noticeable negative or handicap. Many of them are conditional upon the type of fault and the situations. The faults are either natural born things or have been developed while growing up. The GM should decide how to assign these, whether assigned, rolled or chosen by the Player. The random rolling list is below.

NOTE: Every third fault is a hyperlink so that finding the description is easier. If the fault selected is not hyper linked, click the link above it and you will be in the general area.

Minor Faults
 

Roll	Minor Faults
01-02	Addiction (Mild)
03-04	Aggression
05-06	Bad Temper
07-08	Unpleasant Personal Odor
09-10	Color Blind
11-12	Compulsive Behavior
13-14	Dependent on something/someone
15-16	Sense of Duty - (Roll: odd = Major, even = Minor)
17-18	Immature
19-20	Frantic
21-22	Glutton
23-24	Greedy
25-26	Impulsive
27-28	Indecisive
29-30	Arrogant
31-32	Kleptomaniac
33-34	Lack of time/Compulsive tardiness
35-36	Memory loss (Short term)
37-39	Minor fear
40	Lazy
41-42	Frequent Nose Bleeds
43-44	Not Graceful
45-46	Not Subtle
47-48	Always Off Balance
49-50	Moody
51-53	Over Confident
54-55	Pain Intolerant
56-57	Poor Eyesight (Glasses)
58-59	Passive
60-61	Pyromaniac
62-63	Queasy
64-65	Slow healer
66-67	Annoying Voice
68-69	Rival -(Roll: odd = Major, Even = Minor)
70-71	Ulcer
72-73	Unpleasant Personal Secret  (Roll: odd =Major, even = Minor)
74-75	Low self-esteem
76-77	Stutter
78-79	Stubborn
80-81	Nagger
82-83	Uncommon Allergy
84-85	Wrath
86-87	Asthma
88-89	Flashbacks
90-91	Crude
92-94	Perfectionist
95-96	Unsociable
97-98	Never admits being wrong
99-00	Bad singing voice

Major Fault Description

    Major faults define a significant downfall or shortcoming of the character. They are a major part of the character’s description and life. They give negatives to skills, or attributes and in give the character obstacles to overcome.
 
 

Absent Minded

Forget trying to explain things to this person. They just don’t remember a whole lot. Give a –8% to secondary skills only.

Roll from Role playing books.

This character has a hard time keeping track of what is going on during battle. The character receives -3 to initiative in a large battle for first 3 melees

The character cannot stand the cold. They have to be in a controlled environment. The character receives -2 to dodge and parry when in a cold environment without protection.

The character suffers from allergies of something that can be airborne. When the allergies are active, the character receives a -3 to strike, parry and dodge. He can avoid this by using environmental armor and keeping the filters active.

This character is very ungraceful. Butter fingers should be his nickname. There is a 30% chance of dropping weapon with a failed strike roll of any weapon.

The character is crippled and cannot walk or run as fast as normal. Give a -4 to Spd when walking or running.

This character sleeps like a rock and can sleep anywhere. There is a 20% chance of being awaken if asleep longer than 20 min.

This person is easily taken in and fooled by almost anyone who has a good story. The character gets a -3 on Saving throws vs. Hypnotism and Charm (from M.A.)

The character has weak wrists. They have most of their life. Give a -4 to PS when using wrists.

The character must have listened to too much loud music. The character always has the communicator turned up loud when in armor. Other characters can talk low and he would not hear.

This character has a bad depth perception and can’t tell how far away things are. Give a -3 to strike with guns if not using a targeting system.

Roll or select from Role playing Books.

This character is always preoccupied with other things. This makes them seem unaware. Give a -3 to initiative.

See Role playing Books

The character just can’t seem to concentrate on one thing for very long. The character always gets side tracked. -10% to skills when rushed.

Somehow in the character’s life, they lost one of their eyes. The character may opt for a fake eye or an implant.

See Role Playing Books

The character just can’t seem to get the hands and feet to work in sync. The character receives a -2 to dodge outside of large mecha and -2 to strike with hand weapons.

Will jump into dangerous situations with little hesitation or thought for personal safety.

The player and GM should decide what and why.

The character has some type of bad disgusting habit that people can’t help but notice. The character receives a -2 to MA.

The whole arm or the majority of the arm is missing. What does the character do to compensate?

No use in groveling. This character believes is justice and in following the rules strictly. Whether they be the rules of the territory, or personal rules. "You reap what you sow, buddy!"

Minor Faults Description
 
 

Addiction (Mild)

The character has some form of mild addiction such as a type of food, or caffeine.

The character tends to be aggressive in most anything that he does.

The character has a short fuse. He gets easily frustrated, irritated, and mad.

The character has some kind of unpleasant odor. It might be feet, breath, armpits, or something else like garlic pills. They stink if they don’t use some heavy deodorant constantly.

Color blindness is the inability to see a certain color and its opposite in specific tones. They both appear gray. Common combinations are red with green, blue with orange, and yellow with purple.

The character has a routine or method of doing most common things. They are important to them to do it that way only.

They cannot do anything without the presence of a specific item or permission of a specific person.

A major sense of duty can be to a person, organization, or religion. They feel responsible to whatever it is and feel it a duty to obey the general commands. A minor sense of duty might be to follow a phrase or saying whenever possible.

This character rarely takes thing seriously and can be annoying to other people. They might take things personal and rarely plan ahead.

Everything has to be done NOW! Everything that this person has to do is a priority. They will ask people for help and request their immediate assistance.

This character wants to indulge in things that he likes more than possible. Too much is never enough.

No one even bothers to ask from this person after the first time. The conditions of a loan or borrow are not worth it.

Rarely does this person think or plan ahead more that a few moments. This character can prove to be exciting and dangerous to hang around.

This character can't make a decision. There are always consequences and things to worry about. Or the character just doesn't want to worry.

This character just sees nothing but good… in himself. He is always good enough for the job and definitely better that you.

A kleptomaniac is a compulsive thief. He always steals things and thinks nothing of it.

Someone better buy this guy a bigger watch with a loud alarm on it. He is always late to everything. He was probably even born a few weeks late.

This character will probably forget your name as soon as you say it. If he wants to remember anything, he must write it down. Don’t ever give this guy directions unless he is taking notes.

This is nothing that will make the character wet his pants, but it is enough to keep him away from it. The minor fear should be simple like spiders or crunchy bugs.

I don’t feel like writing this one right now. I have to keep this couch warm.

For unknown reasons this player suddenly gets a bloody nose. It will take 1D4 minutes to stop it.

This character is anything but a model. They might trip over their shoelaces even when they are tied. This person will always find something to stumble on when walking.

This character has no concept of hurting other’s feelings. He just says it as it is.

If you meet this character on the street he accidentally bumps into you, watch out. He might fall down. Once he stumbles, nothing can stop him from falling.

This character is always in some mood. They seem to change often. He tends to be very dramatic about emotional things.

Don’t bother offering this character any help. They can do it perfectly well themselves.

This character can't stand pain at any level. If he gets even a sliver, then anesthesia must be used.

This character has to wear glasses. He is probably near sided (can’t focus on things far away) or far sided (can’t focus on thing up close).

This character will try to avoid fighting when possible. They have to have a good reason to fight.

This character loves to play with fire. They have accidentally set things on fire many times in their life, but that still doesn't stop them from playing with fire.

If this character sees a gory or bloody scene, they chuck their lunch. This person can’t even stand to be told details about a scene like this or like a surgical technique. Things like joints bending backwards or bones breaking are other touchy subjects.

This character doesn't heal as fast as most people. He will gain hit points back like normal, but cuts and sores will take a long time to heal completely. This character most likely has a lot of scars.

The voice on this character is annoying enough to drive you mad. It is most likely high pitched and whiney.

This character has had a person that they conflict or compete with most of their life. A major rival is someone that they see often and there is a lot pride at stake. A minor rival would be someone that only shows their face once in a while, but you still have to show that you are better than they are.

This character has to watch what he eats. Spicy or greasy foods will send this character in a lot of pain. It is not intolerable, but it is uncomfortable. Best to just forget trying to eat those foods.

Sometime in this character’s past, they did something or are related to someone that they are ashamed of. A major secret would be something that might cause judgment by others if they found out. A minor secret is something that others might tease or chuckle at, but it is no big deal.

Even the best constructive criticism will leave this character thinking that they are worthless and can’t do anything right. They will often try to cover small mistakes or go to great lengths to correct it.

The character has a tendency to stutter when exited. It could be as bad as every other word or it could be as mild as one word every few sentences.

Don't try to tell this person what to do. They will do it the way that they think is correct. They will argue any point that they deem necessary. They will rarely change their mind.

This character seems to think that nothing will get done without their constant reminding. They tend to give their advice often without any asking.

This is an allergy to some strange food or medicine. The character cannot take these into the body without swelling up or getting sick.

This character has more that a black list that he puts you on when he’s mad at you. He must get revenge to whatever extent he deems necessary to get you back. The silent treatment is not enough. This man knows how to hold a grudge.

The character suffers from asthma. Sometimes during extensive activity or exciting situations, his lungs will tighten up.

The Flashbacks can be anything from a sibling fight from childhood to a recent traumatic battle. The flashbacks are usually from one specific event and will cause the character to pause for 1D4 attacks while he relives it.

This character has no concept of manners or politeness. He tells stories in the worst way. This character is far from politically correct about anything.

If this character does anything, it has to be done perfect to his standards. He is always critical of his own handiwork even though it might be excellent work.

Forget trying to take this person to bars and clubs. They will stay by themselves in most groups or public places. He either likes to be by himself, or doesn't know what to say.

Admitting error is impossible for this character to do. Even though he knows that he is blatantly wrong inside, he will not lower himself to admit it.

This character believes that he can sing but his voice is barely tolerable to others that hear. The singing skill must be selected twice (professional quality and training) to kick this fault.