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Distinctive Features Complication? What's the point?


taylorar

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OK, so I've got my group creating their characters for our first stab at a campaign of my own creation (more on that later).  Many of them seem to be going with the Distinctive Feature by stating my "my character is really tall" or "my character has unusually bright red hair" etc...

 

I'm cool with them letting their characters have the features and distinctions they want, but I'm having a hard time coming up with how this becomes a complication for them...

 

Who cares if they're easily recognizable, they're not trying to hide from the law, they are the law.  How else can I use their distinctive features, that aren't necessarily repugnant, in the story.

 

Unless I'm missing something I'm inclined to disallow the above distinctive features because it's not really creating a complication for them...

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

T

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You are correct.

 

Distinctive Feature needs to be something outside of the norms of variation within society.  Having a scalp to chin scar or wearing an eye-patch might qualify.  Having green skin or wings with feathers would qualify in a modern earth setting (but possibly not in a future space one).

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Distinctive Features is also something that prevents them from hiding. "DF: Always wears a Red Fedora" means even when you wouldn't normally wear a hat, you've got it on. You won't think to take it off when running into a crowd, you can be picked out at social functions from across the room by just your hat....

 

It isn't just about looking different, it's about standing out in a crowd where you otherwise might not look different.

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You are taking the correct approach: always ask yourself "how is this really complicating the character's life?" With Distinctive Features, you also ask yourself the additional question, "is this truly distinctive?"

 

Distinctive Features for being an alien would not be worth many (any?) points in several Space Opera settings, because just being "an Ornithopteryx" isn't distinctive enough to make the character easy to identify and follow. Distinctive Features for being a mutant is generally only worth points in superhero games where "mutant detectors" and "anti-mutant hysteria" are factors.

 

You have to be Distinctive for a reason that implies it's a problem. Being really tall as a Distinctive Feature implies one of the unusually tall people you might find in the Guiness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe It or Not, who need supports and medical attention. "My character has unusually bright red hair" is never going to be a Distinctive Feature in my games because the public isn't against that. If I developed a campaign setting where gingers were actually thought to be soulless, and anti-ginger hysteria had led to the formation of roaming "vigilante posses" who travel around killing them in secret, then it becomes a Distinctive Feature.

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Another thing to think of is this. 

 

From 6E1 pg 421 Distinctive Features

Just looking odd isn’t enough to earn the character any Matching Complication points — his unusual features have to hinder him somehow.

 

From 6E1 pg 414 Complications

Before you select a Complication, think of it this way: taking a Complication for your character is a message to the GM — “I want you to incorporate this aspect of my character into the campaign.”

 

 

So in this case, how does the Distinctive Feature they want actually hinder them?

Is the hindrance enough of a complication to provide a plot hook or significantly affect a session? 

 

Take the "unusually bright red hair".  By itself it is just someone with red hair.

 

If the player was an undercover investigator I might give it 5 points in an espionage game

( +5 -Easily Concealed,  +0 - Feature is Noticed and Recognizable, - 0 - Feature Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses (Sight, Hearing) and/ or By Virtually Everyone).

Why, because their hair color would work its way into the enemy agencies dossiers and the Red Hair would become a significant complication to remaining undetected.  If the PC then dyed their, they would lose the complication (I would make the player 'buy off' the complication).  To paraphrase the older versions of Hero, "A Complication that doesn't complicate, isn't worth points".  

 

Now if my campaign world had a powerful Supervillain that was a sadistic butcher that was the number one wanted villain in North America for the brutal slaying of 52 pre-schoolers on camera.  And that Villain had "unusually bright red hair".  And your player wanted the complication "unusually bright red hair".  Well I give it to him at 15 points, being the cunning GM I like to think of myself as. ( +5 - Easily Concealed, +10 - Feature Causes Extreme Reaction, - 0 - Feature Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses (Sight, Hearing) and/ or By Virtually Everyone).  Why 15?  Well, because your players "unusually bright red hair" will, just by coincidence, be the exact shade and texture of "unusually bright red hair" as the Supervillains.   Leading to all the kinds of complications that mistaken identity can bring. 

 

Another thing to think of is this.  If they want the complication and points, give it to them.  And then create an adversary or threat that is equal to the points given.  A secret surprise adversary. 

 

The key to the matter is for you as the GM to balance the end value, either by controlling it at the front so that the points are worth something when taken, or at the back end by adjusting the setting to give value to the points. 

 

While there are things I flatly disallow because of experience from previous games.  I really enjoy it when a player thinks they are being clever and getting "free" points, and then discover they weren't free several sessions down the line. 

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Thanks everyone for your input. I don't want to be a jerk with my players, but because they're going to be johnny law, I can't think of a clever way to make their "distinctive features" work against them...

 

Well, for the height issue they can have a consistent size issue with supplies, body armor, transport always seems to be cramped, can't fit in the cockpit, can't drive the car with their knees in their chins, witnesses/bystanders won;t talk to them because the PC is too intimidating and so on.  That is why they get the points. 

 

For the hair I would just match the shade and look to one of the more demonic threats out there in your world.  You not only get the mistaken ID fun, but other good guys from outside your team that are in the Monster Know should have serious trust issues with an monster hunter that could be half demon (or whatever).  The picture of a Succubus in the A Mess of Monsters extra has dandy Red Hair :eg:

 

And it is not 'being a jerk'.  Complications are only worth points if they tangibly complicate the PC's life.  In a story based on the sadistically dark humor in the MHI series, these suggestions are soft touches....

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Another thing to remember with HERO is "special effects trumps mechanics."

 

If a character wanted to take "Unusually Tall" as a DF, I'd make the points above. Then, if they still wanted it, I'd say, "No problem!" and give it to them at 5 points. A 5 point Complication should be a problem about 1 in 4 or so scenarios, so I'd give him 3 scenarios to fart around.

 

Then, I'd have a scenario where the PCs are called in on an odd case. A woman reports that her husband has been "replaced."

 

They go to a small town in the East Hinterlands. Describe the distinctively quirky bed & breakfast they stay at: it's got a door lintel made of deer antlers, but it's pretty tall -- even "Tall PC" barely scrapes under.

 

They check on the guy. He matches his old photos, and his biometrics check out. Her only indication that he's different is he's "too tall." If the PCs manage to get his old medical records, they can find that he does appear to be three inches taller than they would indicate. He claims his wife is suffering from dementia brought on by years of hard drinking before she quit, and there's evidence to support that.

 

Run it as a body snatcher scenario. The sherrif is tall; has he been replaced? They can't get cell reception in the town, except way out in the woods, where it's dark and creepy. Does one PC go alone to make his call and check in? When they do, they get a call from HQ -- there's something wrong with the PC dossiers, could the group check up on... The call cuts out and now the PC has no bars.

 

Going back to the B&B, the "tall PC" cracks his head on the lintel, clearly a good three inches too short for him to walk under...

 

Basically, Complications are a way to mess with the PCs. Every GM messes with the PCs, but HERO gives them control over how you mess with them. So, this player is basically saying, "My height is going to come up often as something of a problem. Make the most of it."

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  • 3 weeks later...

Most of the stuff has already been told by others.

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't want to be a jerk with my players, but because they're going to be johnny law, I can't think of a clever way to make their "distinctive features" work against them...

Distinctive Features can be a problem in any Sort of Undercover action - another case of "don't want to be identified". And it might not even need to be a "you are X" but it enough to have "didn't the Cops had a Red, Female Detective?" wich leads to loss of trust on the spot (and investigations afterwards).

But if you really cannot come up with an idea how to handle it you are in your right to say so and point at this one important Sentence: "A Complication that is not hindering is not worth any points". If you cannot make it a problem, you can reduce the points gained from it (down to 0.

 

From personal experience is also have to say that people taking multiple 5 or 10 point Complications point towards them not having better ideas "to fill the points".

The problem is much more pronounced with 5th Edition Characters (where Complication Point Counts tended to be 25-50% higher), but even for 6th Edition (to wich MHI afaik belongs) the values sometimes seem to high for a Group Character and geared more towars Solo Character. Your Mileage on that may vary, of course.

If you think that is the case, don't hesistate to cut the amount of matching Complications needed. Especially with a first Campaign.

 

Another thing to remember with HERO is "special effects trumps mechanics."

Actually, it's the absolute opposite. Mechanic is binding first and foremost. Special Effects might have a influence and minor uses.

Yes, you can light a Fire with a Fire Blast.

And yes sometimes a Negative Reputation might have a positive Effect (the Disadvantage notes the "Intimidating people with being Bloodthirsty").

If that happens once or twice per campaign, no need to spend points on it. If it becomes a more regular effect, you should ask the player to stop using it or buy the power he actually has (and wanted all along).

 

The SFX/Mechanic defintion is a bit looser with Complications because they are unusually strong subject to GM interpretation. But the problem here is finding the Right Mechanic(s) for game effect/special effect.

I have used the Mechanic of Enraged/Berserk to model "sometimes his powers rage out of Control". One of the APG's has ton of examples for effects other than "starts hitting everything in range till out of breath" for Enraged.

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  • 3 months later...

You can take anything as a distinctive feature if you are willing to take a chance of it complicating your characters life. If really tall, expect someone to start insulting you over it or getting into an argument or fight over it. Red hair could result in name calling or maybe someone saying he is related or some evil character who had red hair and killed someone.

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Having red hair I am able to report that as a child I was heckled because of it ("fire hydrant", "fox" etc.). But that stopped when my "fighting weight" approached 80 kg. It isn't usually a problem for girls.

 

It still seems to be a problem in England - I remember a newspaper report about a year ago when a family of red-heads had to move and contemplated colouring their hair because of all the discrimination and insults from their neighbors.

 

But in a campaign in which you hunt monsters the color of your hair is probably worth nothing, except in the most backwater of places (like England:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ginger-haired-helena-farrell-bullied-death-2863144).

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Adventurer's Club #4 (Summer 1984) had optional rules on the interaction between Distinctive Features and someone's ability to accurately describe them. 

 

INT Roll failed: Witness remembers race, sex, any extreme height.

INT Roll made: Witness remembers height, weight, hair & eye color, and can ID a photograph.

INT Roll made by 3: Witness can describe well enough for artist to draw.

Modifiers: + to INT Roll equal to points in Distinctive Features.

 

Even if the PCs are the authorities, the bad guys might want to make note of who they are.

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Most of the above seem to be - in my opinion - confusing DF with Physical Limitation. If the PC's distinction inhibits him physically - like he's bulky - then it's a PhysLim.

 

DF is about standing out in a crowd an being remembered. This comes into play mostly when trying to be covert or shadow someone, and other such scenarios. If there is no disadvantage to your characters standing out, then it's not worth any points.

 

You're not being a jerk. Let your characters look however they want. But if they try to take shock of red hair as a DF, then that's a matter of them looking for free points. No GM has no stand by while his players try to game the system.

 

What we do in my game is allow Quirks: they are 1 pt disads/complications. I would allow shock of red hair as a 1pt Quirk.

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OK look at it this way.

 

Take Secret Identity.  Superman puts on a pair of glasses and immediately no one can recognize him as Superman, even people close to him.  Ludicrous. And yet if you take the complication points it suddenly is.

 

So your player wants to take red hair as a distinctive feature.  So let him, but remember that if he takes the points for the complication, then the red hair becomes a complication and will be treated as such.   There is just something about the shade of red that makes him instantly recognizable.   Witnesses will always remember the guy with red hair even if they cannot recall anything else.  When the PC walks into a room he is ALWAYS noticed.  Just seeing him tends to piss people off.  and so on.....  It doesn't have to be real-world believable, just like Superman/Clark's glasses, it just needs to be comic-book believable...

 

You can take a complication for anything.  It falls to you as the GM to make it worth the points.   Tie it in to his other Complications. 

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So your player wants to take red hair as a distinctive feature.  So let him, but remember that if he takes the points for the complication, then the red hair becomes a complication and will be treated as such.   There is just something about the shade of red that makes him instantly recognizable.   Witnesses will always remember the guy with red hair even if they cannot recall anything else.  When the PC walks into a room he is ALWAYS noticed.  Just seeing him tends to piss people off.  and so on.....  It doesn't have to be real-world believable, just like Superman/Clark's glasses, it just needs to be comic-book believable...

 

You can take a complication for anything.  It falls to you as the GM to make it worth the points.   Tie it in to his other Complications. 

 

IMO, the issue is not 'how can I make red hair plausibly distinctive?' - that's easy. The issue is 'how can distinctive be a complication for characters who don't care?'

 

Per the OP:

"Who cares if they're easily recognizable, they're not trying to hide from the law, they are the law."

i.e. it is a premise of the campaign. I would say this categorically disqualifies DF as a complication.

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Taylorar: Delegate this to your players: 

 

"Shockhead: you want read hair, Fine, you got it. What makes you think it's worth points? Can you justify where will it complicate your life?"

"Michael Jordan: OK, you are really tall. Why is it worth points?"

 

And don't let them weasel out of it. A 5pt complication will result in 5pts of messing-with-the-players.

 

 

 

Yes, you really get to make this request. If your players think this is harsh, you're going to a have a lot of problems with them walking all over you. It will get much worse when you actually get into combat.

 

Set the expectation early. You players will respect you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Spence and Rebar hit the nail right on the head with

1) If you get points for it, then it is a Complication that will complicate your characters live.

2) if the Complication does not fit the campaign, then you can't take it.

 

And I would add: If your character has the same feature as another character but your character has no Complication for it (and thus no points), then it shouldn't be a hinderance (or hardly ever).

Red hair Example:

Tom "Red" O'hair and Tim Scarlett walk into a bar.

Tom "Red" has taken the DF: Bright Red hair.

Tim has also bright red hair, but didn't want it as a Complication, only as a feature (like his height of 6'1 and his 10 shoe-size).

To liven things up the GM decides to make the Complications worth their points, so he decides that two patrons in the bar have a strong dislike of red-haired guys. But, since only "Red" got any points, they both gang-up on Tom while Tim, if he does not want to help, can stand at the bar and watch the show. Unfortunately for him his Enemy spiked his drink with poison ...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't want to be a jerk with my players, but because they're going to be johnny law, I can't think of a clever way to make their "distinctive features" work against them...

 

Easy, remember that time they took down some Vampires (or any other horror)? Well they remember that red-haired agent and the creatures friends are looking for him (or her).

 

Now the baddies will recognize the heroes, probably before the heroes recognize who the baddies are...

 

A muck-raking reporter has a beef against the agency and he distinctly remembers a certain tall agent...

 

A particularly nasty creature exclusively eats red-heads...

 

An underworld boss puts a bounty on red-heads and really tall agents...

 

A succubus really likes tall people, now the agent has a love-struck demoness following him around...

 

Just a few ideas.

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To quoth MHI p189: "If having a distinctive appearance doesn't inconvenience or hinder the character somehow, it's not worth any points." So you're not being a jerk by asking "How do you see this complicating your PC's life? Because I'm not seeing it." Maybe the player has some ideas in mind that you can work with. But if he's thinking "It'll make it harder to go undercover" but you don't see them going undercover in the game, you're well within your rights to say no. (Or maybe think up some scenarios where you could send them undercover, if that's what the player wants.)

 

There's also the question of how rare the features have to be to be worth points. Wikipedia sez 1-2% of the current world population has red hair: my general rule of thumb is if your "distinctive" feature is shared by 100 million other people, I'm probably not going to give you points for it. Note that even Owen "intimidatingly large ugly dude with scars everywhere" Pitt didn't rate Distinctive Features in his write-up. The only human who got DF points was Julie for her one-of-a-kind Guardian markings.

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A Distinctive Features doesn't have to be a natural physical occurrence, but something that the Character wears most of the time.

 

A military or police uniform would let others know something about the Character, and be remembered.

 

Other types of Distinctive Features could be a personality trait, or a distinctive way of speaking.

 

Data, on Star Trek TNG never uses contractions.  Of course he also has pale skin and yellow eyes so he's memorable in person.

 

A foreign accent could be a Distinctive Feature.  Having it as a DF means the Character might be able to suppress if for a short while, but lapses back into it unless they make an EGO roll.  

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"Distinctive Features for being a mutant is generally only worth points in superhero games where "mutant detectors" and "anti-mutant hysteria" are factors."

 

And even then only if it's detectable, i.e., Jean Grey would not get any points based on appearance as she passes for a normal human if I am not misreading the rules.

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"Distinctive Features for being a mutant is generally only worth points in superhero games where "mutant detectors" and "anti-mutant hysteria" are factors."

 

And even then only if it's detectable, i.e., Jean Grey would not get any points based on appearance as she passes for a normal human if I am not misreading the rules.

She would get points, but less than normal as it takes a special sense to spot it.

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