Quirks specify your character further, by describing special properties pertaining to their spark, situation and relationships.

Choose 0-3 Quirks, total, from across the Spark, Personal, and Relationship sections. Some of these Quirks will be positive for your character, some will get in the way – most will do a mixture. There is no need to balance positives and negatives. Each Quirk may only be taken once.

Every character in Origin Story has a unique spark and struggle which will drive their personal plot, so don't feel bad if you don't want many – or even any – Quirks. The GM team will ensure you have more than enough things to be involved in.

The Quirk system in Origin Story, particularly the Spark Quirks, exist to highlight narratively important aspects of your character, not to be limiting. You shouldn't feel the need to pick every Spark Quirk that could apply, but the ones that are really narratively important. If in doubt, talk to the GMs.

Finally, choose whichever Playstyle Quirks you want.

Over 9000

Not all sparks are created equal, and if you come to understand and control your spark, the effects may grow stronger and more intense over time. Perhaps you start off lighting a small flame in the palm of your hand, but a few months later you're launching fireballs across an abandoned parking lot. During the course of the game, it will be possible for your spark to become much more powerful. This could be exciting or terrifying – or quite possibly both.

Limited Control

Some people have a lot of control over when they want to use their spark, others aren't so lucky. Your power doesn't always manifest when you want it to… and sometimes manifests when you don't. Perhaps it happens when you're particularly emotional; perhaps there's some time-based pattern, or it just seems completely random. But if you don't learn to harness it, The Alan Hoyne Institute might await…

Note: if your spark is more passive and/or always “on” (e.g. “I have skin made of scales”), you don't have to take this if you don't want to, but it is still an option.

Kryptonite

When your spark manifested, it came with a weakness. Whether it’s that exposure to copper makes your power useless, or that if you hear the word ‘pescatarian’ you collapse for five minutes, or your new water-breathing power means you can't spend more than a week out of the water, there’s something to do with your spark that acts as a significant weakness. This might be something related to your ability to use your spark, or maybe it's a downside that affects you when you're not using it. Tell us about your weakness.

Double-Edged Sword

For some people, using a spark isn't all plain sailing. X-ray vision sounded useful, right up until you found yourself with a splitting headache whenever you use it. Your spark is powerful, but it comes with a price. The more you use it in a turnsheet, the more of a cost it exerts. Will you manage to strike the right balance? Tell us about this cost.

This Isn’t Even My Final Form!

Sparks don't always appear all at once. For some, you might get an extension to your current spark; for others, it could be something entirely new. Either way, at some point in the game, your spark will change somehow, in an unexpected way.

Take this Quirk if you want the GMs to add a bit of mystery to your spark. This Quirk is also a good choice for late bloomers who are just discovering their spark.

Very Obvious

Perhaps you’re twelve feet tall. Perhaps you have jade instead of skin. Whatever it is, hiding that you have a spark just isn’t an option for you. Anyone who sees you immediately knows that you have a spark, and you have to deal with the consequences of that.

This Quirk is incompatible with the Confidant and Blackmail Is Such a Dirty Word… Quirks.

Top of the Waiting List

Like many, many Sparks, you are on the waiting list to see Doctor T. Russell at the Hope Clinic; unlike everyone else, you will reach the front within a few months. Tell us why you made the appointment. This could be seeking advice for handling your spark, or some other medical issue.

Taking this Quirk means you will receive an appointment at the Hope Clinic within the first half of the game. Whether or not you take this Quirk, you will be able to join the waiting list – but it will take many more sessions… or even occur in Eternity, depending on how late you join.

Third Referral's the Charm…

Ever since your spark has been noted on your medical record, you’ve spent a lot of time being bounced from one doctor to another, and back again – even for unrelated medical issues. No one’s actually seen you yet for what you came in for… and that itch is really starting to get to you. Tell us what your medical issue is, and how it’s affecting you.

Whether or not you take this Quirk, you will still face discrimination in getting seen for non-spark related medical issues.

Ear to the Ground

You have a keen ear for rumours, and a few acquaintances scattered across the city who tend to give you the hearsay. Each turnsheet, you will receive a rumour about the goings on in Citropolis.

At school, there's no stopping rumours. Whether or not you take this Quirk, you will have access to news pages of your school, which will contain the juiciest gossip.

Skilled

You're especially good at something mundane, unrelated to your spark. This will let you do things your untrained colleagues couldn't. Perhaps you're a bedroom hacker, or trained in martial arts, or an excellent public speaker. Tell us about your skill.

Characters without this Quirk can still be competent, especially in areas they are trained. An Agriculture student at CCVE, for example, will be assumed to have a working knowledge of botany, and doesn't have to take this Quirk to reflect that.

BNOC

You’re the coolest kid in school. You’re super popular – a leader of the pack. People listen to you, and usually do what you want them to. You have a lot of influence, and a group of supporters that you can use to aid you in many of your endeavours. However, there are lots of eyes on you – if you start behaving unusually, or aren’t careful enough with hiding your secrets, it is much more likely for people to notice.

You do not have to be associated with a school to have this Quirk; if you have chosen to be Out of Education, tell us where/with what group of people you wield your influence.

Confidant

Someone – a friend, a sibling, a neighbour – knows about your spark. Either you told them, or else they discovered it somehow. They are able to act as your secret keeper, someone you can talk to about Spark issues, who supports you. Tell us who your Confidant is, how they found out, and how they support you.

This Quirk is incompatible with the Very Obvious Quirk. Not suitable for characters at The Alan Hoyne Institute

Blackmail Is Such a Dirty Word…

Someone knows about your spark. Either you told them, or else they discovered it somehow. They are holding it over you, threatening to reveal it. Tell us who knows your secret, how they found out, and how they are blackmailing you.

This Quirk is incompatible with the Very Obvious Quirk. Not suitable for characters at The Alan Hoyne Institute, or with sparks they can't hide.

Mentor

You know a more experienced Sparked person, and they've decided to teach you; perhaps in using your powers, perhaps in the life of a superhero, perhaps in some other way. Give us any important detail about your mentor – this may be an NPC you create, or if you'd prefer we can incorporate an existing Sparked NPC (we have some well-suited to mentoring…) in a private brief.

Runs In the Family

While Sparks are randomly distributed across the population, you come from a family where at least one other member is Sparked. How this affects you, and how fortunate (or not!) this is, is up to you: for some, this might mean you’re not so alone after all; for others, this might mean being saddled with beliefs of what Sparks “should” act like. Tell us about your family member(s), their spark(s), what your relationship is like, and how their Sparkedness reflects on yours.

These Quirks are about player boundaries and making the game a good experience. They don't count against your Quirk budget, and you can change which ones you have at any time.

Hit Me Harder

Taking this Quirk indicates that you wish to play the game on hard mode. You wish your encounters with new dangers to be more dangerous, and possibly more dramatic; you accept that it is slightly easier for your character to face death, more serious injuries, or more severe narrative repercussions during actions.

Make Me Cry

Though your encounters may not be more dangerous per se, the effects of them are likely to affect you more, and it's more likely that you'll experience grief, trauma or something else that'll make you want to curl up into a ball and cry.

Mindbender

Characters with this Quirk may be subject to mind-altering and mind-controlling effects – in particularly, mind-altering and mind-controlling sparks. The list of players with this Quirk will be public knowledge, so if you have a mindbending spark you can avoid using it on players it won't work on!

Romanceable

Take this Quirk if you want it to be possible for NPCs to initiate romance with your character. If you want to have romantic interactions with player characters, make sure you take account of character age, and check the player is comfortable OC first! See Style and Tone for more info on this aspect of the game (and the careful handling it requires given the age of PCs).