Monster of the Week The Flake Class Guide

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The Flake is an interesting class in Monster of the Week that takes the classic trope of the conspiracy theorist who sees the patterns others don’t and appears crazy but is right, and then puts their own spin on it. The Flake notices everything and that can be great when needing information to unravel a mystery, but it also leads to some interesting situations.

Everything’s connected. But not everyone can see the patterns, and most people don’t even look that hard.

But me, I can never stop looking deeper. I can never stop seeing the truth.

I spot the patterns. That’s how I found the monsters, and that’s how I help kill them.

The Flake, p.51 Monster of the Week

The Flake is a fun character class and very useful on Mysteries because one thing every single Flake is: Sharp. They see patterns, pick up on clues, and whatever the rest of the stats are or how they’re spread out, you know having a Flake in the party is going to make it a bit easier to find mysteries even as they wander off, ignore advice from NPCs and other characters, and occasionally show terrifying ability to sneak attack an unsuspecting target.

Let’s dive into what sets this class apart to see if it’s the right one for you!

What Type of Flake Will You Be?

Are you like Mel Gibson from Conspiracy Theory? Like one of the 4 Horsemen from the X-Files? have a different take on things entirely? Bobby from Supernatural?

The one thing that will stick out immediately about the Flake is that it’s one of the few classes where all the ratings options for starting stats are going to be based around the same base core stat: Sharp.

That makes sense considering your entire class is based around the idea that you spotted those patterns that no one else could see to figure out something was amiss.

The Flake Ratings for MOTW are:

  • Sharp +2, Cool & Charm +1, Weird 0, Tough -1
  • Sharp +2, Cool & Weird +1, Charm 0, Tough -1
  • Sharp +2, Charm & Tough +1, Weird 0, Cool -1
  • Sharp +2, Charm & Weird +1, Tough 0, Cool -1
  • Sharp & Weird +2, Tough 0, Charm & Cool -1

These ratings show someone who doesn’t miss the details, but things can vary wildly after that. Do you have a wide array of okay stats? Can you see the patterns because you also understand the weird – throwing all sense of charm and cool in the wind as you don your tinfoil hat, large sandwich board sign with “The End Is Near” written on it and bullhorn?

Are you a little tough and charming or a little cool and weird? There are plenty of options to build off of and this is part of what makes Flake interesting – along with the inherent trouble making mechanics that can come from some of their better class-specific aspects.

The Flake’s moves further emphasize the fact that they can be contrary troublemakers – but only because they see what others don’t. Sometimes going against the advice of other characters to follow what they see/sense actually results in gaining experience points.

It also means you may be wandering into a trap, but they will find good company with the Mundane. Condolences to the “Mother Hen” of any group that has both of these classes to keep track of.

So build your Flake in Monster of the Week as your version of a sharp, pattern-seeing specialist

What Do The Flake’s Moves Bring To The Table?

In Monster of the Week attributes or aspects are referred to as “moves” and while everyone shares some basic ones, each class also has class-specific moves that are only associated with the class. The Flake has 8 total moves, and choose 3 to start. They can gain 2 more from leveling up.

So let’s take a look at all of them!

  • Connect the Dots – Connect the dots is a pretty good pre-mystery ability that is going to work best in campaigns where the one shots have an overarching theme during the campaign. The ability to figure out answers to some of these questions increases you ability to set traps, save people, and get clues to figure out what’s going on when the other pieces don’t fit together. At the beginning of a Mystery you can look for wider patterns and roll a +Sharp roll. On a 10+ you hold 3 and on a 7-9 you hold 1. You can spend these holds when you choose during the mystery itself to ask the Keeper any of the five questions (one per hold):
    • Is this person connected to current events more than they are saying?
    • When and where will the next critical event occur?
    • What does the monster want from this person?
    • Is this connected to previous mysteries we have investigated?
    • How does this mystery connect to the bigger picture?
  • Crazy Eyes – You get +1 Weird up to a maximum of three. This can be very useful for spellcasting or making you the ultimate sleuth as if information is needed that doesn’t fall under Sharp, it almost certainly falls under Weird.
  • See, It All Fits Together – You can use your Sharp skill instead of Charm when you are attempting to manipulate someone. This isn’t a catch-all for turning Charm into sharp, which would be overpowered, but there are many times in-game when you’re trying to get something done and
  • Suspicious Mind – If someone lies to you, you know it. This is an INCREDIBLY powerful one to take. Even if the DM adjusts most of the time, the fact he can’t have characters knowingly lie to you means you also limit how the DM can try to be deceptive. This is an outstanding Move for the Flake to take.
  • Often Overlooked – When you act crazy to intentionally avoid something roll +Weird. On a 10+ you’re seen as unthreatening and unimportant (aka completely ignored). On an 7-9 you can either be unthreatening or unimportant (just one). On a miss you get some but not all attention. Can be a great Move to try to get in and hear things you shouldn’t or manage to slip into places where you might get some crucial information. You have to roll decently, but it is a good move.
  • Contrary – When you seek out and receive honest advice on the best thing to do, then do something else, mark experience. IF you’re doing the exact opposite you also get +1 to all moves during this course of action. This is a GREAT way to start boosting experience, which is always a powerful move because level ups help you get more moves, improve stats, and even get improvements from other class’s playbooks. Plus it just fits in perfectly with the theme of this class.
  • Net Friends – Basically you have a lot of Internet friends. When you contact an online friend to help with a mystery roll +Charm. ON a 10+ they’re online to help. On a 7-9 they’re ready to help but it will take some time. On a miss, you burn some bridges. Situationally can be strong but since Charm isn’t a strong stat for most Flaked, it’s only going to be niche useful.
  • Sneaky – When you ambush or sneak attack from behind you add +2 harm to any attack.

Who Should Play the Flake Class In Monster of the Week?

The Flake class is all about helping the mystery. They will know how to read a bad situation, find out what’s going on in order to help move towards a resolution, and they have a lot of moves that allow them to get more information in addition to getting help when nothing else appears to be working.

They are great for helping a party get over dead ends and when combined with some improvements from Weird based classes to go with a heavy Sharp-Weird build, they can become quite capable spellcasters, as well, borrowing from the Spell-Slinger or Spooky.

If you love playing the conspiracy buy, support classes, or being able to find the right bit of help to move forward, then the Flake class is going to be an outstanding choice.

Monster of the Week The Flake Playbook
See the patterns, connect the evidence…buy a LOT more red yarn to connect all the pieces.

Is the Flake Class Over Powered Or Under Powered?

This isn’t the best way to look at the classes in Monster of the Week as many serve important niche functions. When it comes to actual combat, that isn’t the Flake’s forte in any way, shape, or form. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they are underpowered because Sharp is an extremely useful skill in a system that consists of solving various Mysteries, they can actually become decent fighters with the right Improvement upon Leveling Up.

They fit a very specific role, but it’s one that is critical to get your party moving in the right direction, especially if you have DMs like Meeples Braden or Shane who are big fans of the “It’s a living world, if you F around, there will be a find out portion to this show.”

Plus they get multiple hidden weapons due to paranoia and can wear an aluminum foil hat in character…so what’s not to love?

Monster of the Week TTRPG Books
Evil Hat does a great job making all their books and PDFs available online, but we appreciate that fact so much that when a really, really good TTRPG by them comes along, we buy the books to continue to support that positive behavior.

MOTW: The Flake Class, Concluded

Sometimes you want to play something other than a big brute or master blaster, and The Flake adds wonderful flavor to a very niche but useful combination. In a system where solving a mystery or multiple mysteries is crucial to success, having a class that is all about seeing the patterns, finding evidence, and pulling it all together is a great addition to the team.

And if you can be the distraction by yelling the end is near on a bullhorn while wearing said hat outside of a building…I mean it’s the type of scenario many of us roleplayers dream of!

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