Defect: Yells at Media

With 2016 election coverage in full swing it is time to once again post one of my favorite Defects, "Yells at Media"! Like all of my favorite Defects, I created this one in response to observed behavior — and I am willing to bet that almost everyone knows someone who suffers from it! You can check out more than 230 more of these in Skirmisher Publishing LLC's sourcebook, The Jester Dragon's Guide to Defects! These "anti-Feats" can be a fun way to give your player and non-player characters alike some interesting quirks and to add a new dimension to your game. 

Defect: Yells at Media [General]

A character with this Defect cannot help angrily responding to information they receive. 

Detriment: Anytime a character who Yells at Media hears a news story, an announcement from a bard, a proclamation by an official, or the like, she must make a DC 12 Will saving throw or yell their objections to the information in question for a full round. This saving throw must be made once per announcement, story, etc., or once per minute in the case of longer items. Anyone else trying to hear the material in question must make a DC 15 Listen check to successfully do so. Any other negative effects are at the discretion of the DM (e.g., a response from those being yelled at if they can hear the character yelling). 

Special: If the character who Yells at Media hears something they believe is untrue then their saving throw is at -4. Additionally, if the ideas expressed reflect an alignment different from that of the listener, then the character suffers a -1 penalty for every place of difference (e.g., -4 for a Chaotic Good Elf hearing a proclamation from a Lawful Evil Hobgoblin, which would go up to -8 if the Elf believed the Hobgoblin was lying).