Stan Berry's GURPS Quirks Web Page

Need just one more quirk to complete your new character?Eating Habits

l Vegetarian 2 days a week (a character in a CyberPunk campaign)l Craves red meat (another example)l Sweet tooth (one of my mage characters and me!)l Dislikes chocolate (my 2nd daughter, for a while)l Hates broccoli (George Bush)l Hates onions (my mother)l Really likes Ice cream (my sister-in-law)l Uses fork and knife only with his left handl Likes teal Lives on Italian food.l Thinks that any restaurant that you can't wear jeans to isn't worth visitingl Doesn't drink alcoholl Ethnic diet or religious diet.. Try eating stink fish some time, it can be more than a quirk, and aperson who does eat "eskimo" food, can smell different.l Only loves one type of food. Such as Pizza and Beer.l Won't drink booze, but will usually taste any *unknown* substancel Prefers to eat out every meall Hates chinese foodl doesnt like fishl Always eats when working, always carry snacks (" This lock is darn tricky - here, I've got it! ");l only drinks teal sucks on lemon-flavored candy; offers some to people upon meeting.l always carries an applel always beer.l Likes to suck back a pint of warm lard nightly.l Looks for worms in all fruit.l Won't eat red vegetables.l Won't use artificial sweetenerl Can't eat Bavarian cream pie without saying "Mmmmmm Mmmmmm San Antone"!l Forms dirty words in his alphabet soup.l Eats potato-chip sandwiches (on white bread, yet).l Cuts her dessert in half and pours pepper on one half so she won't eat it all.l Will wait for a booth at a restaurant rather than sit at a table or counter.l Likes garlic and puts it in everything.l Drinks beer with an egg in itl Eats porridge for every meal.l Hates to eat porridgel Dislikes Strong Liquorl Fond of Drinkl Strict carnivorel Likes to taste new types of foodl Eats only rabbit

l Refuses to use his left hand when he eats

Sleeping Habitsl Like to sleep latel Early riserl Sleeps in the nudel Sleeps in flannel pajamasl Needs soft music in background to get to sleep quickly (probably TL6+)l Likes to sleepl Wakes at night to check on his equipment/horses/car/starship enginesl Always sleep with the windows wide open (bad in a horror campaign!).l Sleeps with a teddy bearl Sleeps a lotl Needs milk and honey before sleepingl Needs a story before sleepingl He has nightmares (related to a phobia/mental disadvantages/recent shock)

Collectionsl Collects baseball cardsl Collects stampsl Collects teeth/claws/lock of hair/dna sample from slain opponents.l Collects a weapon from defeated opponents.l Collects [fill in the blank].l Collects Royal Assassins, up to 13 so far.l Collects firearmsl Keeps a collection of "war trophies" from his/her conquests.

Apparell Always wears something red [or other color] (a common quirk)l Never wears anything red [or other color] (another common quirk)l Always wears bootsl Wears only name brand (expensive) apparell She wear trousers (medieval character)l Can never find clothes that fit just rightl Wears red socks with everythingl Wears only gold (or silver or turquoise...) jewelryl Always wears a watchl Only wears rock band t-shirtsl Can't figure out what color clothing matchesl Always wears bootsl Always wears thigh-length bootsl Always wears shorts, especially in Winterl Always wears funny hats - jester hats, cat-in-the-hat hats, pith helmets etc.l Likes to dress like people half his/her age - "It's hip"l Always wears two different colored socks, and type..l Always wear his "lucky" jacket (or she wears her lucky jacket).l Loves jewelry.

l Always wear a hat, never leaves without it (the Indiana Jones syndrom)l Wear prop glasses, but has 20/20 visions;l Always wear cheap clothes/ill-fitting suits/overalls (fun with Status or Wealthy)l Always wears as little clothing as possiblel Always wear tattered clothes (even when he has money for good clothes)l Always wear expensive clothes (even when he doesn't really have money for it)l Always cowled.l Always worried about latest fashionsl Always wears shirts that reveal buff stomachl Dresses in suitsl Hates it when *someone else* wears blackl Can't stand to wear "frilly" clothes.l Refuses to wear anything "name brand"l Dresses two decades out of style

Fandoml Fan of the Chicago Bulls (another example)l Fan of Jenny Longitude, the Holovid Star (used in a Space campaign)l Thinks college football is the most important sport. Roll tide! (that's me!)l Never misses an epsiode of "Friends".l Always relates things to TV shows, movies, books, or songs.(Pick one or two.)l Quotes song lyrics (especialy of a particular cult band.)l Fascinated by end-of-the-world novelsl Has a favorite tv/radio showl Roots for the predators on nature programsl Loves mysteries.l Loves the violin.l A REAL BIG _Village People_ fanl Trivia student of pop culturel Loves the Ballet, and traditional dance, but hates to admit itl Gets up early to watch saturday morning cartoonsl Loves to Listen to Musicl Loves Metallica

Money and shoppingl Greatly enjoys free perks (one of my bosses)l Dislikes malls and avoids them whenever possiblel Carries a $100 bill for emergencies (name withheld to protect the individual)l Prefers small billsl Carefully checks bills and/or coins for counterfitsl Loves garage salesl Coupon clipperl Thinks twenty coppers is better than a silver piece any day (for low IQ characters)l Thinks 7 or 8 pennies is better than a dime any day (for low IQ characters)l Prefers to work for room and board, cause he never misses a meal, but he often misses money...l Won't carry pennies; will toss them away in streets if he can't spend theml Always has to stop and shop, no matter the circumstances. (male or female).

l Carry wad of cash and counts it in public (for Wealthy+ characters);l Hates carrying pennies and will happily toss them in the street.

Physical Quirks(Anything that makes the character easy to identify in a police line-up is worth a quirk point)l Noticeable Tattoo of [fill in blank] on [fill in body part]l Noticeable scar on [fill in body part]l Noticeable burn scar on [fill in body part]l Pierced [fill in body part] (only allowed if noticeable and uncommon for the character's culture)l Hair dyed [fill in unusual or un-natural color]l Extremely hairy armsl Baldl Noticeable birthmarkl Looks just like [fill in name of celebrity]l His feet are incredibly bad-smellingl No beard (male only) (Could grow a beard but shaves)l Has allergies. Alot of sneezing on dry days in spring-fall. [To give more depth, give strongallergic reactions to the common nasty ones like nuts, bee stings, strawberries, MSG, cow's milk,etc.]l Hay feverl Allergic to cats (others)l Gaseous (and no, that doesn't mean transparent or foggy).l Always gets a sunburnl Urinates frequentlyl Sneezes extra loudl Foams at the mouth when excited/angryl Thrives in cold weather, hates warm weather. Comfortable in T-shirt and shorts in mid-50sweather; starts sweating when the temperature goes above 75.l Loves to have pierced ears, nose, lip, or whatever.l Loves to use body as a Tattoo Canvas.l Large beard and proud of it;l Incessently cracks knucklesl Large burn scar on left forearml Drools.

Biscuit Related(submitted by JLJ with respects to S. John Ross)l Insists only his biscuit process is correctl Thinks that biscuits are cookies (see character's IQ)

Vehicles(If the campaign will involve active use of vehicles, vehicle quirks make sense)l Bumper sticker that says [fill in blank]l Unique vehicle decorations [give details]l Won't drive faster than 40 miles per hourl Won't ride in German cars (concentration camp survivor)l Will not ride in anything Japanese (or non-american, or non-japanese,or what ever)

l Prefers to steal German cars over all others

Speechl Irish broguel Accent [specify type of accent; Note that some accents could cause a social stigma disadvantagein some settings]l Sometimes speaks of self in 3rd person.l Mutters poetry under his breathl Says "Thwap" when he fires his bow.l Uses big words to impress listenersl Doesn't talk much; uses short simple words when he does talk.l Talks very softly, especially when involved in major argumentsl Never uses contractionsl Calls everyone (males and females) "babe"l Repeatedly states "see, you really get it." when conversing with someone.l Says "see I always knew this would happen" whenever something weird happens.l Says "Oh, crap, it's gone south on me." when something bad happens.l In conversation, if a word has slipped his mind, he'll stop and think _and not give up_ until hefinally recalls the right word.l Puts hand on your hand/arm/shoulder/leg when talking.l Distracted easily during conversation.l Often seems to go out of his way to answer the exact question that was asked of him instead whatthe questioner obviously meantl Calls everyone "Darling"-- even close friendsl Tells "stories" with no point or conclusionl Argues points with people who agree with himl Uses lingo coined in books in regular speech (ie "embleer","horrorshow", "grok")l Uses the word "psychic" instead of psychologicall Is fond of malapropisms, or cannot help making them (e.g. psychotic for psychic)l Drones when she talksl Hates quiet pauses in conversationsl Hesitates before speaking; always considers his words firstl Nervous laugh before talkingl Always laughs at his own jokesl Tells dirty jokes, even when not appropriatel Off-color jokerl Makes goofy tv references for every ocassionl Stutters when excitedl Poor vocabulary, spelling, & grammarl Makes derogatory comments about people who aren't therel Voices gets higher when he/she drinks.l Talks to inantimate objectsl speaks without an accentl constantly interrupts othersl speaks with poetic flairl Grunts for "yes", snarls for "no", shrugs for "maybe";l Cackles;

l Talks to himself;l Talks of objects as if they were people;l Ends every sentence with the word "dude"l Always gives the vaguest possible answer to questionsl Always speaks at far to high a volumel Conversations always turns to catsl Never speaks unless spoken tol Always answers a question with a questionl Always complains, starting with "when I was young..."l Always talks about his/her lost lovel Constantly tells jokes that aren't funnyl Mispronounces namesl Calls all women motherl 'erm..'s a lotl Always speaks about [adj]ness of things (I know a guy who talks about the deadness of stones in agame of go, the buggedness of programs, beautifulness, and whatever else you can think of)l Always answers a question with another.l Tells children stories about the "Children Hawk."l Tells people: "I'll learn ya!"l Uses the word "weasel" in conversation far too often.l Rhymes peoples' names: "Well, hello there, Arthur-barthur! Saw Geno-jalapeno the other day,you know."l Mumbles/Muttersl Calls anyone yonger than himself "sonny" or "my girl" (best for elderly characters)l Always talk of "the good old days" (ditto)l Always opens conversation on a new subject with the same phrase ("Funny, I don't know how Igot to think of this, but ..")l Swears at the least opportunity - like when he grabs in the wrong pocket for his wallet etc.l Mispronounces namesl Tags -[noun] onto the end of all sentences, i.e.: "thats a rodger, rodger", "come in, bob, rodger" or "I'd like coffewith that, rodger (works well in fantasy games as well) ie: "I'm from the OhClanahan clan, ahan", "I'll have an ale,ahan", "Watch it, or I'll swat ya with my shileighle, ahan"l Says "hoo hoo hoo" if poked in the stomachl Says "Thwap" when he fires his bow.l humms heigh-ho heigh-ho whenever he has nothing to sayl Avoids Small Talkl Mutters to himself in Latinl Likes to spell things backwards to see how they soundl Always sarcastic; never says a serious word unless he has tol Says "no kind of respect" too much

Religiousl Will not work after sunset on Friday. (Seventh day adventists for one example.)l Frequently quotes scripture.l Tithes regulary. (10% of all income might be more than a quirk in some campaigns!)l Insists on a prayer before every meal. (Not a good quirk if the standard in the society.)l Doesn't drink alcohol (for religious reasons.)

l Carry bible and hipflask in coat pocket;l Believes the Assassins' Guild is a religious organization.l Attempts to turn every discussion into a religious argument

Nervous Habitsl Rarely passes a mirror without checking his/her hairl Scratches his nosel Always drumming on thingsl Fiddles with glasses when talking.l Strokes head when thinking.l Smiles nervously when pausing in a conversation.l Rolls eyes when bored or annoyed.l Stretches every time after standing, lifting something, during casual conversation, etc.l Absently bounces leg while sitting.l Contantly cracks knuckles, back, and/or joints.l Combs hand through hair often, especially when nervous.l Picks scabs.l Bites finger nailsl Gratuitously pats other people's necksl Nosepicker (odious personal habit - more points?)l Always smooths the wrinkles out of what he/she's wearingl Constantly tapping fingers or feetl Calls home all the time to check inl Nervous twitch.l Grips genitals when nervousl Fidgets with glasses when speaking.l Smiles and pats his head durring lecturesl Chews fingernailsl Always drums a ruythm with fingers/hands on table/knees/thighs.l Likes to twiddle his hairl Is constantly chewing gum.

Other Habitsl Always carries a water bottle/flask, but hardly ever drinks from itl Likes to make arcane referencesl Always saying something like "You know, I'm gonna quit this job any day now," but never doesl Hugs all his friends.l Chases dogs with electrical appliances.l Always has a book under arm or in pocket.l Carefully opens packages and saves wrapping paper (this is probably rather common in fantasyworlds).l *Always* carries an umbrellal Always remembers everyone's birthdayl In spare time, whittles wood/carves small bones;l Bums people for small change, even if there is no real need;l Carries yo-yo and practices elaborate tricks/juggles/does coin tricks;l Taunts foes.

l Affects a consumptive cough.l Always looks around in a certain particular way.l Follows orders in letter, not in spirit.l Grins evilly.l Laughs evilly.l Carry a pack of sundry medications for heartburn, stomachache and headaches, and alwayscomplain of those selfsame afflictions;l Always doublechecks everything;l Pessimist - always assume nothing will work;l Always looks around and gawks like a tourist, even in well known places;l Won't go out without an elaborate hairdo;l Refuses to let anyone walk behind him/her if possiblel Likes to tie nooses in ropes.l Can't stop "improving" on a good thing until it becomes a full-blown disaster: "Yeah, three timesthe speed of light is OK, I guess, but let me bypass the flummery controller...... "l Has to critique everything: "I'd say the battle was a dubious success. Though Rodin fought at nearly his full ability,Shila and Walt seemed to be holding back, possibly doubting their own abilities."l Shutterbug.l Writes his name/initials/mark as grafitti everywhere. (mostly harmless, but probably a -15 point disadvantage for amember of the Statusl Laughs to himself at intervals, for no apparant reason.l Always identifies himself as "a student", though it's 15 years since he dropped out of university.l Always treats members of the opposite sex with courtesyl Sharpens his knife, counting each stroke, for hours.l Taunts foes.l Dances about falled foes.l Likes to yell "Splat" when assailants hit the groundl Usually very happy, smiles a lotl Squints a lotl Listens to traveler's tales at every opportunity (this explains his approach to PC group)l Tries to impress the local girlsl Inspects and comments on horse shoes and other blacksmith work (his father was a blacksmith)l Enjoys books - Lingers in libraries or book storesl Always tries to climb things. (buildings, trees, signs, lampposts, etc.)

Superstitiousl Thinks Friday the 13th is his lucky day (that's the day his concentration camp was liberated)l Believes in astrologyl Believes all animals can talk to each other

Mild Mental Disadvantages (Phobias, Manias, Delusions, Ineptitudes, etc.)l Vindictivel Thinks he is a great strategistl Ineptitude for strategy (in the same character)l Thinks mules are faster than horsesl Fears to suffocatel Computer dyslexic

l Can never remember namesl Annoyed that he's losing his hair.l Lets women walk all over him.l Loathes confrontation and will do anything to avoid itl Thinks New Year's is on the 4th of Julyl Hates leaving the house (not a very good one for most PCs)l Tries to make everyone fall in love with herl Wants everyone to be his friend; tries too hardl Sees the world in a negative lightl Worries about making her boyfriend jealous by just saying "Hi" to another guyl Refers to his black cat as "a matching accessory" at least twice an evening.l Always exasperatedl _Everything's_ a jokel Takes him/herself very seriouslyl Big egol Has trouble saying "no"l Thinks he/she can singl Sings to himself, but can't actually sing, and doesn't know the wordsl Insists on discussing things he doesn't know aboutl Relates every new experience back to childhood ones, whether or not it's appropriatel Concerned about going baldl Takes everything personallyl Can never remember own agel Can't spell for sh*tl Reads and quotes Dr. Seussl Fasciated by the Unnaturall Secretive about Pastl Vainl Convinced that cars are "people" too and can talk. They are usually just to shy to respond.l Considers himself a ladies man (rarely true, however)l Holds a grudgel Fancies himself a forgery expert (its untrue)l Becomes obsessed with whatever mission he is on.l Believes magic is the supreme power.l Believes purple rays emanate from his eyes.l Believes the Soul resides in human blood!l Couldn't care less about politics.l Doesn't take no for an answer.l Drawn to the moon.l Fancies himself a lord.l Has a certain obsession with spores.l Likes to torture people.l Likes to watch torture.l Lusts for an Elvish maiden.l Obeys all orders unquestioningly.l Obsessed with cavalry tactics.l Poisons small animals.

l Practices puches and kicks on hanging meat.l Pretentiously spiritual about his sword.l Respects the Undead!l Sensitive about the appearance of his beard.l Vengeful.l Will not turn his back on a boiling pot.l Mentally types out thoughts with his toes.l Put things in his pockets and forget them ("What's this? My lunch from last tuesday? So that'swhere it went!")l Mildly Overconfidentl Mildly Paranoidl Shy with Womenl Suspicious of Menl Chauvinisticl Mildly fanatical about whatever he happens to be doing.l Somewhat afraid of windows.l Broadmindedl Proudl Suspicious of Womenl Thinks He's Luckyl Messing with angels makes you tired, got to rest and pray a bit.l Asks angels not to drop victims onto housesl Imaginativel Very panickyl Mild fear of dogsl Thinks beer is inherently magicall Wanderlustl Very Mild Pyromanial Curious about new insectsl Howls at the moonl Magalomania with inferiority complex, everyone's a god, and they're all better than youl hates! petty bickeringl Hates Feministsl Thinks he can speak spanish; he can'tl Thinks he has a pet wolf (he's not invisible, he's right there!!)l Is fanatically racist, but won't admit itl Sees Elvis at the gas station at least twice a day

Goals and Self-Improvementl Wants to learn to readl Wishes he could become more zen-like.l Wants to be a pimp somedayl Wants to become a bartender somedayl Plans to return home after proving himselfl Wants to earn the respect of his [high school, swordsmanship, etc.] teacherl Wants to get enough money to retire comfortablyl Wants to find and marry a man who is her equal with a sword

l Wants to find and marry a woman who is healthy, beautiful, smart and faithful.

Weapon Relatedl Names her/his weapons.l Calls his halberd "Hal"l Red fletching is his trademarkl Doesn't like fine weapons. (Sells it if he gets one.)l Conceals minimum of x knifes/guns/small weapons on his person; carries them at all times.l Collects weapons of fallen foes.l Has memorized the statistics for most 20th century guns.l Wants to handle new weapons that he sees.l Prefers to use a crowbar as his weapon of choice. (The character was named "Thud".)

Miscellaneous (no categories -- yet)l Listens to organ music on the stereo while he/she vacuums the housel Loves the sea and the shipsl Walks very fast (a 4'10 tall 150 lbs character)l Prefers the Pru to the Hancock. (For you fellow Bostonians)l Spends most of his work day frittering away time on the Net.l Enjoys being left alone (gotta have common quirks too! :-)l Enjoys thunderstorms, and finds them quite relaxing.l Is consistently two to three hours late anywayl Walks with an unusually quick pace. Once, after breaking his toe,l discovered that he could _hobble_ faster than most people walked.l Refuses to delete the body of long posts when replyingl Easily confused by game rulesl Makes up characters who can't work with the partyl Can't say no to players who make up characters that can't work with the partyl Talk to people in other states or countries via the internet more than to people he sees face-to-facel Won't see movies that were entirely plotted out in the preview, unless they're not going to bereally plot-heavy anywayl Perfectly groomed nailsl Calm under pressurel Has a unexplained dislike for a particular organization. Not quite a prejudice, just not-explained.l I can run down a list, but, I might dup something..l Likes building elaborate dwellings underground via earth spells :)l Likes to help underdogsl Loves Potions and unknown liquids in flasksl Alternately Callous then Tenderl Likes the coldl Likes to befriend childrenl Likes to play matchmakerl Loves doing yard workl Prefers moonless nightsl Admires professionalisml Thinks americans are lazy dogsl Loves heights but cant climb

l Believes he is smarter than the average bearl Prefers to be called by last namel Likes to pretend to be lostl Likes to sneak up on peoplel Likes to be a mount for others when in tiger forml Likes to associate with mages .... the sillier the betterl Always trying to set up his own private deall Resents being confused with Michaelitesl Tries to determine origins via accentsl Considers horses superior to commonersl Always sucks on this huge smokepipe and use it to point at things;l Carries extraneous amount of ID on his person - old credit cards, library cards, fan club cards...l Often tries to open "push" door by pulling, and vice-versa;l Smiles when angry or annoyed (a great characterization);l Always quotes some obscure personnage (great if you run off at the mouth when you roleplay).l Always, always exceedingly polite and formal in all dealings and situation ("I'm afraid you willhave to remove yourself from the premisse, sir, for if not I will threaten you with bodily harm.");l Has this huge watch; always check what time is it;l Smokes only particularly foul cigars, or drinks only this one brand of cheap whisky - and enjoys it;l Likes to smoke a pipe.l Only wears black (or other color) clothesl Likes to run a little, instead of walk normallyl Always carries ground glass.l Always goes for leg shots: likes to watch 'em limp!l Always wears heavy armour.l Aspires to be eternally young.l Carries a sap, knife and garotte he has no skill with.l Has little use for honour codes.l Hates civilization.l Hates puns.l Kicks dogs.l Knowledge-hungry.l Makes small-talk with foes in battle.l Matter-of-fact about everything.l Nominal Satanist.l Outspoken.l Smiles like a goon all of the time.l Sombre.l Spiteful.l Stares obsessively at hooks and spikes.l Takes a good sniff of his boot from time to time.l Total atheist.l Likes signing namel Won't travel without going to the bathroom firstl Thinks that New Year's falls on July 4th.l Smokes cigarettes backwards (lit part resting on tongue).l EXTREMELY brand name conscious.

l Actively hates fads.l Morbid sense of humor.l Whinerl Quo police force in a time travel campaign)l Fickle about his health - always worrying wether he has dressed warm enough etc.l Enjoys sent of own armpit.l His shield is solid red.l Fond of catsl Likes bloodl Likes to punch thingsl Dislikes magesl Enjoys eye shotsl Combat should always be at 10 yards or morel Uncomfortable around humansl Tries to intimidate people (default skill 5)l Hates being smalll Crafts small trinkets for the ladies in townl Irritated by childrenl Dislike of magicl Always uses Illusion Disguise; likes to look flashyl Likes to cast spells drunkl Will try any drug that isn't likely to kill himl Trademark: black 'D' symboll The Ice Man Cometh (character is an Ice Mage)l "Revenge is a dish best served - Frozen!"l Wears all white, black top hat, round black buttonsl Insists only his biscuit process is correct. ;)l Anarchistl Refuses to use chairs when told to sit downl Names parts of the female anatomy after (fill in the blank)l Listens to music no one likes just to be annoyingl Fond of flowers and small, furry aminuls (works best for Og, the berserk giant)