Character Flaws List
Twenty-five flaws grouped by what they grow from, each with the behaviour that shows it in a scene. A flaw earns its place when it costs the character something they want.
| Flaw | How it shows |
|---|---|
| Pride & ego | |
| Arrogance | Dismisses advice and refuses help even when drowning. |
| Vanity | Makes choices based on how they will look to others. |
| Need for control | Micromanages allies and panics when plans change. |
| Perfectionism | Misses the moment because the work is never ready. |
| Self-righteousness | Judges others harshly for faults they excuse in themselves. |
| Fear & avoidance | |
| Cowardice | Freezes or flees when stakes turn physical or social. |
| Fear of intimacy | Pushes people away right when they get close. |
| Indecision | Stalls until the choice is made for them. |
| Paranoia | Reads betrayal into kindness and tests friends until they break. |
| Avoidance of conflict | Agrees to everything, then quietly fails to follow through. |
| Appetite & impulse | |
| Recklessness | Acts first and makes the rest of the group pay for it. |
| Greed | Cannot walk away from a payout, even a poisoned one. |
| Addiction | Organises their life around a substance, game or thrill. |
| Short temper | Small slights trigger outsized reactions they later regret. |
| Restlessness | Abandons commitments the moment they get boring. |
| Heart & loyalty | |
| Blind loyalty | Defends a person or cause long after it has proven rotten. |
| Jealousy | Sabotages a friend who is getting what they wanted. |
| Martyr complex | Takes on every burden, then resents everyone for it. |
| Naivety | Trusts the obvious liar, repeatedly. |
| Vengefulness | Keeps score and will burn an alliance to settle it. |
| Mind & outlook | |
| Cynicism | Assumes the worst, so never risks hoping for better. |
| Dishonesty | Lies by reflex, even when the truth would serve them. |
| Obsession | Sacrifices relationships and health to one goal. |
| Prejudice | Judges a whole group by one bad experience. |
| Self-loathing | Undermines their own success because they feel undeserving. |
How to make a flaw matter
Root it in a wound. Paranoia makes sense if someone once sold them out. Knowing the cause tells you when the flaw flares up.
Make it cost. Put the flaw between the character and their goal. Arrogance should lose them an ally at the worst moment.
Test it at the climax. The final choice should force the character to act against the flaw (growth) or give in to it (tragedy).
Connect a flaw to a want, a need and the lie behind it with the personality generator, or write it into a history with the backstory generator.
Questions
What is a character flaw?
A trait, belief or habit that causes the character real problems: it hurts them or the people around them and makes their goal harder. A flaw that never costs anything is decoration.
How many flaws should a character have?
One major flaw that drives the story, and perhaps one or two minor ones for texture. The major flaw should be tested at the story's climax.
What is the difference between a flaw and a weakness?
A weakness is a limitation (bad eyesight, afraid of heights); a flaw is a moral or psychological fault that leads to bad choices (arrogance, jealousy). Flaws create arcs; weaknesses create obstacles.