Waste Not (3.5e Flaw)

Waste Not

Your character hates to leave a corpse behind.

Effect: When your character is aware of a corpse or dying creature within 60ft of their location, they are compelled to salvage the body before it rots. They might want to skin it for pelt leather. They may plan to eat the meat or obtain crafting components such as bone. They are compelled to do this as soon as possible, and failure to do so will make the character shaken. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Additionally, characters with this flaw take a -2 penalty on heal skill checks and an additional -4 penalty to stabilize a dying character with a heal skill check.

All these effects apply to all beasts and humanoids with non rotten flesh. Zombies, incorporeals, elementals, and similar entities do not activate this flaw.

Waste not can be avoided by distancing oneself by at least 60ft away from a flaw activating corpse, by successfully salvaging one (of a possible many) corpses with a profession: (hunter) skill check, or by effectively destroying the body so that it is not longer salvageable. Disengaging line of sight does not deactivate this flaw on its own.
Salvaging a body with a profession: (hunter) skill check takes 10 minutes, or 5 minutes if rushed (-15 penalty), and it has a DC of 15. Failing a salvage check effectively destroys the body.
Upon successfully making the check, this flaw can not be activated for 12 hours.

The effects of Waste Not apply significantly during multiple-enemy combat situations. Once one enemy or ally has fallen, the presence of their dying body or corpse causes Waste Not to activate. As for combat against a single enemy, once the flaw is activated by felling the opponent, the danger is passed and being shaken will matter much less.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters raised without guardians of good moral character can sometimes lack empathy enough to pity a fallen soldier. What's the difference between pork and orc really? / This flaw could make a body escort mission a la Gentle Repose spell, more interesting to roleplay.

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