Quirks

Quirks allow you to define the specifics of your character's relationships, abilities, and physical limitations outside of those granted by Skills.

At game start you must choose at least one negative quirk, and up to four positive quirks, each of which must be off-set by a negative quirk, up to a maximum of 9 total quirks, not counting playstyle quirks. You may choose as many or as few playstyle quirks as you like.

Quirks marked as (+ AND -) count as both a positive and a negative quirk, while quirks marked (+ OR -) count as either, based on your choice. Please make it clear to GMs whether you are taking an ambivalent quirk as (+), (-), or (+ AND -) as this will change the extent of gameplay accessible by this quirk.

When selecting Quirks, it is important to remember that Romancing the Toaster is a game as much about the unique struggles a character faces as the unique talents they face them with. We encourage you to look at negative Quirks as being as important a part of your character's identity as well as their positive ones.

Once ever, you may redo one Bond of your choice.

Retro is back in, baby! Your software/hardware is highly adaptable and you can accept/function with archaic parts and programs. It will generally be easier for you to find parts for repairs or upgrades.

[Can't be taken alongside the INCOMPATIBLE (-) quirk.]

You start the game with files full of useful bits of code and software patches. While not much use on their own, they can help make functional programs with the right skills (i.e. Software Development). This quirk can be gained while exploring and is consumed upon upgrading or coding a program.

[This Quirk may be taken more than once]

Whoever manufactured you clearly didn't cut any corners: you were built to last, and last you did. Whether you are a probe that's survived going to space and back, a fighter bot, or an indestructible mobile phone, you are more physically resilient than the average robot.

[Can't be taken alongside the Handle With Care (-) quirk.]

You always keep your anti-virus up to date and, as a result, are highly malware and virus resistant. This allows you to enter dangerous areas of the Net with less risk of catching viruses and other malware.

[Can't be taken alongside the Poor Security (-) quirk.]

You have a unique piece of equipment with a very specific purpose. It could be a tool or a weapon; something to get you out of trouble in a pinch, or just something you can use to show off. It can be either virtual or physical. Let us know what it is!

Note that you may need a certain skill, at a certain level, (such as Destruction for a physical weapon, or Software Development or Interfacing for a virtual tool) in order to use it effectively. For example, something as powerful as a Lazer Cannon would require Destruction 2 to use to its full effect, though it may be somewhat operated with Destruction 1.

Once per session you may spy on one private channel that you are aware exists. Let the GMs know you wish to invoke this quirk and we will let you spy on the conversations happening.

You start the game with a pile of miscellaneous resources that you may use to construct makeshift mechanisms given you have the right skills to do so (i.e. Construction). These resources include scrap metal, resins, plastics, rusty tools and gears - but will not contain anything fully finished or functioning. This quirk can be gained while exploring and is consumed upon upgrading or making an item.

[This Quirk may be taken more than once.]

Hurrah, you are (mostly) not made of metal and are immune to effects of rusting or magnetism, perhaps even to certain creatures that consume metal. This quirk can be lost if you upgrade yourself to contain metal parts.

Gives you the ability, once each turn, to know the approximate location (tile on map) of two bots or the exact location of one bot provided you know their original name.

[Can't be taken alongside the Lost (-) quirk.]

You are stamped with a strange symbol that has three green arrows forming a triangle. Whatever it is, it seems to attract vehiclebots that tend to find you wherever you go, pick you up, and place you in strange locations amongst other bots with the same sticker. If you take this quirk, you will be moved at random times to/between specified locations. These movements, though random, may exceed that achievable through skills and other in game restrictions.

[This quirk is, against all odds, compatible with all other quirks and skills or lack thereof]

Chaos is a ladder, and no one knows this better than you. You’re capable of once ever causing some kind of significant disruption to the power grid, to the Network, etc., and played right, this could be to your great advantage.

You have a remotely controlled physical avatar, while your Heartdrive remains safely stored in a secret location. You are not necessarily more resistant to injury, but you will survive the destruction of your body. Note that while you will live, losing your avatar will not be without consequence. You can, of course, still be destroyed if anything were to happen to your Heartdrive.

You have your own humble abode on the Net, a webpage that you get to decorate and decide the aesthetic of. Once per session, you may ask a GM for a private channel containing you and up to 4 other bots. This lasts for 1 hour and multiple bots may cycle in and out of this webpage.

You have close ties with a certain group of robots. You may be able to turn to them for help, or have easier access to whatever services they provide. On the other hand, you may have responsibilities and may be asked to do things from time to time. Not doing these things will have consequences upon your character and/or the possession of this quirk.

Choose an Organisation, Net community, or any other prominent service or group of robots that your character is affiliated with and describe to us the nature of their affiliation. This includes but is not limited to bots working for essential island services such as an assistant to RelationshipBot, in the Repair Centre, Post Office, Library, Hot Springs or Cat Cafe. You may also describe the group you would like to be affiliated with in terms of three qualities and let the GMs choose or make one up for you, if you like!

For a relationship with a single NPC, see Relationship.

For whatever reason, you have a large button on you that says “Factory Reset”. By pressing it, you will be reset you back to how you were at game start. This is one use only during the game. Factory Reset has the following effects:

• All your Bonds are broken
• You may form Bonds as if you have never formed or broken any of them. (Note that this does not apply to the characters that previously had any Bonds with you. Unless they have features that permit them to reform Bonds, they will not be able to reform the ones you broke in this way.)
• All your skills and quirks are restored to how they were at game start (this includes their physical components).
• All your injuries are removed.
• You can keep items so long as they were not attached to your chassis

This process may or may not affect your memories (this will involve discussion with the GMs, who will respect your narrative preferences).

You’re physically attached to some other being. What is the nature of your connection? Has it always been this way? Either way, two heads are often better than one, but who can say what agenda your other half will pursue?

[This quirk can be used to attach to other player characters, with their consent. Both characters must take this quirk, your character bio should state who you are attached to and how.]

You've always had a mysterious memory stick plugged into you. You don't know what's in it. You don't know what it's for. You don't know who plugged it there. You don't have the means to unplug it without damaging it.

It's mysterious.

[It is recommended that you don't take this quirk unless you also have the Mindbender (0) playstyle quirk.]

Choose this quirk to define an existing relationship with an NPC. This could be an old friend, an enemy, someone who owes you a favour, or someone who wants to see you shut down. Whether they were the first device you ever spoke to, or a shadowy acquaintance you made on the Net, this is the place to let us know.

Please suggest a specific NPC from the Wiki or specify up to three things about the NPC you want to have this relationship to. The GMs will assign or make up appropriate NPCs according to the specifications.

[Taking this quirk does not give you the mechanical benefits of a Bond, but you are free to pursue Bonding with this NPC if you'd like.]

Whether you are the last remaining model of the world's most efficient vacuum cleaner, your IP address is 123.45.678.9, or you are haunted by rumours surrounding your malware-ridden past, your reputation precedes you. NPCs may have strong feelings about you, or strangers may be more likely to recognise you IRL or on the Net.

When taking this quirk, make sure to let GMs know the nature of your reputation, or don't! The GMs would be happy to randomly assign you rumours based on your character.

You have flair. You have style. Or maybe you just have three megaphones wired into you and can only communicate in all caps. Either way, you do things your way and you're mere steps away from going (in the best sense of the word) viral on the Net.

You begin the game in space. When specifying your location in character creation, you choose a space tile in which to start the game. If you take the Movement skill, you may specify the tile type for Basic Movement to be space.

As of game start, there is no way for other players to physically reach you, or for you to physically reach other players (except for any who also take this quirk). You still have full Network access.

You are as big ¹⁾ as a small house, with an upper limit of around 200 metres in any dimension (about the length of a football pitch).

The benefits and disadvantages of having this quirk are what you might expect: for example, a massive robot is usually hard to destroy and physically imposing; you will gain an advantage in any situation where sheer size is beneficial. On the other hand, you will generally be easy to spot and probably can't squeeze through a small crack.

[Can't be taken alongside the Very Small (+ AND -) quirk.]

You are significantly smaller than a toaster²⁾, with a lower limit of about the size of a coin.

The benefits and disadvantages of having this quirk are what you might expect³⁾: You are hard to detect and can get through very small spaces. On the downside, you might get blown away by a strong gust or accidentally moved by larger entities.

[Can't be taken alongside the Very Big (+ AND -) quirk.]

You are a living ambassador for some sort of brand. Maybe you have an innate need to market the company that built you over a millennium ago; maybe you recently agreed to the terms and conditions of some sketchy Net site without fully reading them. However you ended up in this state, you now need to promote your brand… or else.

Tell us at character creation which company has this influence over you, and how you intend to advertise for them (examples include: having a massive logo on your chassis; incorporating a company slogan into your forum posts; mentioning the benefits of your company multiple times per session).

Someone or something on the Net really doesn't like you, so much so that they will go out of their way to get on your nerves. Whether they're leaving snarky comments on your Katsu's profile or trying to convince you that robogator skin is actually very, very smooth, there's a Net-surfer out there who clearly revels in your mild irritation.

Take this quirk to disable two skill trees rather than one. You will not be able to gain any skills in either skill tree throughout the course of the game.

Constructed perhaps for extreme environments or perhaps to never go anywhere close to extreme environments, temperature, pressure, light, and other such environmental factors can be an issue for you. Attempting to operate in conditions outside of what you’re used to is a problem, and can cause you long-term damage if not prepared for.

On at least one occasion since being uplifted, you lost connection to the Net long enough to lose a part of yourself. This may have left you with a compromised sense of identity or a distinct fear of losing connection again. For maximum storytelling effect take alongside the Mindbender (0) quirk.

Tell us at character creation how this has affected your character specifically.

Something about your wiring is not quite right, causing you to spark or restart on occasion. Most of the time your systems work without a hitch, so it’s nothing to worry about… Right?

Whether you are suffering from a memory leak, a pileup of system errors, or a corroding battery that cannot be replaced, you know at game start that you are not long for this world. Please let GMs know the nature of your affliction and any preferences as to how this will affect your gameplay. Taking this quirk does not necessitate character death within the course of the game but if nothing is done, your character will die at the end of the game.

As in any instance of character death, we aim to work with players to create an outcome that is narratively satisfying and fun to roleplay, and require that analogues to death and degenerative diseases are handled sensitively.

You’re a delicate flower, perhaps literally. You weren’t built to take any kind of hit, and as a result, damage will have greater consequences for you.

[Can't be taken alongside the Durable (+) quirk.]

Everyone has their habits and routines, but you never deviate from yours. Whether you're an exploration robot who cannot stand to sit still, a household bot that tidies anything it catches sight of, or are fitted with a data analysis program that insists you sort through any input you receive, you are driven to fulfil some part of your programming even if your original function has become obsolete or if doing so may be to your own detriment.

You’re not the best at navigating the Net: you’re prone to clicking links that lead you astray, far from your intended virtual destination; you rarely know what to ask for at the the Search Bar to get you where you need to go. Without others to help you find your cyber-feet, you often end up in the most absurd virtual spaces without really trying… or, if you’re feeling particularly unlucky, in the most dangerous spaces.

Your developers probably thought they were being clever when they built you the way they did; too bad their technologies never caught on. You lack the ports to physically connect to other machines, and you may struggle to successfully incorporate replacement parts. This does not affect your ability to form Bonds.

[Can't be taken alongside the Backwards Compatible (+) quirk.]

You are even more highly specialised than most, and have great difficulty applying one of your skills to anything but your intended purpose. With this quirk, a skill of your choice has Basic capabilities for anything outside of your specialisation. You may take this quirk for any skill in which you have a specialisation.

[This quirk may be taken multiple times, once for each skill you have above Basic Tier.]

You never know where you are and rely on others to tell you your own location. The GMs will decide your starting location for you and will provide you with a description of your immediate surroundings (if you have any skill in Senses). If you have Movement skills, it will be an area in which they can be used.

[Can't be taken alongside the Location Services (+) quirk.]

Resource management has never been your strong point, or perhaps a faulty battery can’t retain power properly. Unable to operate at full capacity, you struggle to carry out strenuous activities and may find tasks that seem trivial to other robots disproportionately draining.

When planning turnsheet actions, you may need to account for this by breaking up tasks, scheduling breaks, and not taking too much on at once. Occasionally you may find that you do not have the energy to do something as planned, although we will always aim to make this narratively interesting.

Much of the natural world has evolved to consume metal for sustenance. Many beings also hunt moving robots for sport and protection. You seem to find yourself on the bearing the brunt of this. Whether it's being chased by the creeping vines of giant pitcher plants or escaping the gaping maw of the robogators, you can't seem to catch a break!

Your software is archaic and hasn't been upgraded in eons. As a result, you are more susceptible to being hacked and various virtual ailments such as computer viruses. For maximum storytelling effect (but by no means a requirement), take with the Gone Phishing (0) and Mindbender (0) playstyle quirks.

Taking this quirk indicates that you would like to lean into the absurdism of Romancing the Toaster. Your plans may not always go as you expect - unless you know to expect the unexpected - but we will be sure to prioritise the perplexing, lampshade the ludicrous, and keep you well stocked on utter tomfoolery.

As part of this game, GMs may use the Wiki, Discord, and email systems to imitate fraudulent activity - for example, sending IC phishing emails which may infect your character with a computer virus, or having messages representing pop-up ads following you around the virtual world. Take this quirk to indicate that you are happy to be involved in this part of the game.

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 have an epic death or to come away from an encounter with more injuries.

Robots can be hacked into and have their software edited and data rewritten, or be controlled remotely. Taking this quirk indicates that you are happy for your character to potentially become subject to mind-controlling effects.

Romance is, quite literally, the name of the game, but not all bots are open to advances. Take this quirk to let GMs know that you are happy for NPCs to potentially initiate romance with your character. You remain more than welcome to initiate romance with NPCs or other characters without taking this quirk, as long as you have OC consent.