Fashion Rules for TTRPG Characters

Benjamin Williams

Fashion is inescapable. Even choosing not to care about fashion is, in its way, a form of fashion.
Consciously or not, people are constantly expressing themselves with their clothing, and are judging one another
by what they wear. With these rules, players in your roleplaying games can bring their characters’ fashion
choices to the spotlight.
These rules are not meant to incentivize players to select outfits for their characters if they have no
interest in doing so. They are instead designed to make outfit selection and style impactful to the story, for
players who already have an interest in describing their style for in-game social events.

Selecting an Outfit
When characters have a chance to prepare for a social occasion, from a birthday party to an imperial
gala, they may describe their outfit, and the GM will assign it one of the outfit types below as the character
models the outfit in the mirror or in front of the other party members. At this point, they may decide to make
fine adjustments, leaning in one direction or another, or even scrap the outfit and start from scratch.
Perhaps the character wasn’t quite avant garde enough to achieve that couture look, or overplayed the
casual angle and looks slovenly rather than playful.
Other players may suggest adjustments if and only if the player’s character wants them; this is a time for
each player to showcase their character’s personality. Even two characters who are going for the same look may
have wildly different outfits.
The look isn’t just about what the character is wearing, but how they’re wearing it. A plunging neckline
may be playful or couture, a military uniform could be immaculate or brutal.
If nothing stands out to the GM, or if she is torn between two descriptors, she should ask about
accessories, jewelry, colors and patterns, hairstyles, and makeup, if any. These sorts of questions serve both to
aid the GM in assessing the character’s style, as well as to paint a more vivid image of the character.
In some games that track belongings or wealth granularly, characters may need to purchase or otherwise
procure pieces, but these rules are recommended to be handled abstractly, in situations where the characters have
access to a variety of pieces and accessories.

Effects of the Outfit

Once the style is categorized, it will affect how you are perceived over the course of the event for which
you are dressed. Each sort of style has one ongoing drawback marked with a [-]), as well as benefits, which may
either be constant (marked with a [+]), or available once over the course of the event (marked with a [1]).
Many of these descriptions will discuss a bonus or a hindrance to certain actions. This is written
agnostic of system, and should be represented in whatever way the game you are playing would generally
represent a boon or drawback to an action. In Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons, this could be represented by
advantage and disadvantage. In a game that uses die-pools, it may be extra or fewer dice, in a FATE game, it
may move your actions one step up or down the ladder. Let your players know exactly how these mechanics
will work in your game, when going over these rules with them.
If a character wishes to do something that is covered by another outfit—for instance, someone in a
playful outfit orchestrating a distraction for a stealthy ally, or someone in an unambitious outfit recovering from
a faux pas—that is certainly possible, it just can’t be done on the basis of their fashion choices, and will have to
be pursued a different way. These rules are meant to set characters up for certain options in advance, not lock
them out of other courses of action.
Outfit Types
Immaculate
Spotless, perfectly tailored, striking enough to demand attention, but classic enough to be impossible to ridicule
[+] This sort of fashion holds people in awe. At least one sychophant or adulator will cling to you,
willing to do minor things such as deliver messages to other members of the party, fetch things, call for
transportation, or anything else that doesn’t endanger or harm them, or seriously tarnish their reputation.
[1] When you transgress social nicety in some way that would usually be socially unacceptable, you can
play it off, accentuating your irreproachably to avoid serious repercussions. This obviously has its limitations,
predominantly at the GM’s discretion, but in general if success would be possible, you succeed.
[-] At any moment, you are a wine stain or a torn hem away from losing access to the effects of the look.
If something damages your look, a reasonable on-the-fly alteration to the outfit can, at the GM’s discretion, give
you another fashion type’s traits, but generally your look becomes slovenly. Whatever the case, you do not have
access to the [1] effect of the outfit, only its ongoing positive and negative effects.
Couture
Outlandish, attention-grabbing, dynamic, may include live animals or change in some way during the event
[+] You enjoy a bonus on rolls to entice a person to learn more about you. By slipping them a phone
number or whispering a location to meet, you can attempt to arrange a private conversation.
[1] You may cause a stir with some surprising aspect of your attire, giving anyone (other than you) who
needs to perform clandestine activities a bonus on their rolls to remain undetected, or interrupting and putting an
end to some minor upset such as a heated debate.
[-] Couture fashion is not constrained by concepts such as comfort or practicality. You are subject to
hindrance when trying to move quickly, or gracefully under pressure, such as while running or climbing.
Brutal
Angular, rigid, uncomfortable, deadly-serious, military-issue or otherwise indicative of rank, station, or prowess
[+] You enjoy a bonus to any attempt intimidate someone at the event. You do not, however, inherently
avoid the repercussions of intimidating someone at a social engagement.
[1] If you need to move quickly through the crowd, people part effortlessly around you. During one
relatively continuous path through the party, you are unimpeded in your motion by the people around you.
[-] Patrons of the event are less likely to warm up to you. You suffer a hindrance on rolls to gather
information or to gain trust, except from those who respect the status or prowess purveyed by your attire.
Playful
Nontraditional, unique, colorful, with rolled up sleeves or an almost-imperceptibly loosened tie
[+] You are a benchmark of fun at the party. Your enjoyment will make other people feel like the soiree
is more enjoyable, and leave with a better impression of the event and the host. Conversely, your ennui marks
the event as a bit of a dud. Note that some events (funerals, for instance) are not meaningfully hindered by not
being enjoyable. Conversely, at other events, a wise host might approach you for suggestions to liven up a party
where you aren’t enjoying yourself, or boredom may cause some guests to leave early.
[1] With your rakish charm, you can convince others to push boundaries. You gain a bonus on an
attempt to get someone to do something forbidden, so long as you can convince them it would make them cool.
If they do it and do not get caught, or else do not suffer any repercussions, you may use this ability again. On or
after the third use, you can try to convince them to do something you wouldn’t even normally have a change to
convince them to do, so long as it’s not obviously overly dangerous.
 [-] Your subtle (or blatant) disregard for tradition inhibits your ability to appeal to the conformist mindset
of groups. You have a hindrance on any roll to convince 3 or more people of something simultaneously. This
does not apply to a person or two that you have pulled aside, as they instead feel privy to special information,
and are as easy to convince as they would be normally.
Precious
Childlike, innocent, impractical, with bows, flowers, or lace
[+] Your sweet air of naivete musters protection around you. If any sort of physical danger arises, you
have a bonus on all rolls to avoid or navigate that danger, as well-meaning attendees of the event move to protect
and aid you. This ends if you openly involve yourself in the danger, such as throwing a blow in a physical
altercation.
[1] By expressing amazement at some physical thing or secretive piece of information that is hinted at,
you can get someone to offer it to you. Your childlike wonder (be it genuine or meticulously crafted) lowers the
guards of others. They won’t part with secrets or items that are uniquely important, but sometimes getting
someone’s gilded hair comb is enough to secure a bit of their hair for DNA testing, or your excitement at a bit of
gossip could get Stephanie to divulge who she saw Amanda leave the bar with last night. If it would normally be
possible to roll to get someone to share the item or information, it just happens. If no roll would be possible, but
it is even remotely conceivable, you may roll. Attempts for something so important that this ability fails do not
count as your one use of this ability, but you cannot attempt it more than once on a given person at a given event.
[-] People are less likely to take you seriously. Any attempt to lead, advise, or take control suffers a
hindrance.
Slovenly
Fraying, disheveled, ill-fitting, in need of cleaning
Not a look that most people would actively pursue, but sometimes it’s all a person has access to, or
sometimes a person simply does not care to dress up for an event. In either case, this look does offer its own
drawbacks and benefits.
[+] You can subtly weaponize your unseemly attire by hanging around a person to make them less
appealing to talk to. Staying in that person’s presence may be difficult, but for as long as you engage with a
guest, you impose a hindrance on their rolls to seem impressive, and in general people will be less likely to want
to associate with them while you are around.
[1] Because of the loose fit of your attire, and the way it bunches or hangs, it is easier for you to conceal
things on your person. You may reveal at some point that you have snuck one or two reasonably-sized items in,
bypassing security.
[-] Unsurprisingly, the repercussions of attending an event in such inappropriate clothing are pervasive,
and you suffer a hindrance on all social rolls, except to intimidate, with the well-dressed patrons. Certain
unpretentious, kind-hearted, or patient goers may take pity on you or empathize with your plight, but on all
others, you are subject to this drawback.

Unambitious
Classic, safe, inoffensive, or trendy
Your clothing doesn’t make much of a statement. It isn’t unattractive, and may even be stylish, in an off-
the-rack sort if way.
[+] You will have a bonus to attempts to blend in at the event.
There is no specific drawback to an unambitious ensemble—other than failing to make an impression
with your fashion—and no one-time use. Such outfits are, by definition, not going to have any striking moments
of their own.
Rule Variations
The Quest for the Perfect Hatpin
The format of these rules assumes that the players will have access to suitable clothing and jewelry to
plan for an event of the appropriate magnitude. However, especially important events, such as appearing at a
Fey Ball in the Arcadian Wilds, or the thousandth anniversary of the undeath of the Vampire Lord Király, or the
MET Gala, may necessitate hunting down pieces specifically for the event, in order to stand out.
In this variation, which should be used for an event that the players have several sessions’ warning for,
designates all costumes as slovenly, unless the character wears at least one rare or unique item acquired
previously in the game. These pieces may be trophies of their famous exploits, historical artifacts, or unique
enchanted or cutting-edge accessories.
Characters may even set out specifically in order to find these perfect pieces, tracking down legends,
pulling off heists, or seeking reclusive designers, as fits the tone of the game.

Masquerade
With very little alteration, these rules can be applied to masquerade parties (anything from the most
extravagant futuristic galas with holographic masks to a college Halloween party), where the identities of the
attendees are concealed. To play up the assumption of an identity, each outfit also denotes as what the character
is dressed, and gains TWO outfit types, one for the fashion itself and one for the vibe that the assumed identity
engenders. The identity style grants only its positive and negative traits, not its single-use trait.
It is, of course, totally fine to use the standard rules for a masquerade, if the group doesn’t feel like the
extra book-keeping of tracking two styles, or if you don’t want to play up the aspect of assumed personality.

Makeover Montage
For exceptionally lighthearted games, you can replicate a classic movie trope with this variation. Instead
of the GM assigning the outfit type, the other players decide its type when their characters see the character in
question, usually as part of preparing for the party. They may briefly discuss, but if they cannot agree by simple
majority (no answer accounts for more than half of the votes), or the player doesn’t like their result, he may tray
again with a new outfit. To best match the tone this tries to re-create, the new attempt must be TOTALLY
different.