Magmarock Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 What is the most memorable Mystery Disad that you've given a PC? And how did your Player react to it, IC and OOC? Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmenace Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! A seperate secret identity. The pc had the power of regeneration, among others. At some point in her past she'd suffered an attack sufficient to cause significant trauma to her gray matter. Her power regenerated the damage but it only grew new fresh neurons according to her genes and not ones with memories stored on them. This lead to her washing up on the shores of the east river as an amnesiac Jane Doe. Eventually her origins became revealed, that she was in fact a long running super villain from a past campaign. What makes you pose the question magmarock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! I tend to like Hunteds ... for example, in one of my past campaigns, I had a player who was an award-winning reporter in his secret ID ... so I gave him a stalker @ 11- ... not only did she knock him out, but she also found out his secret ID and went Misery on him (only to a more explosive manner). Proved to be a great story, as the other members of the group were racing against the clock to capture her Another that I frequently use are DNPCs ... the hero gains the attention of an romantic interest or finds a family member they didn't know they had. But then, I also encourage floating DNPCs if the concept calls for it I rarely use vulnerabilities or susceptibiliities (sp?), but I have in the past if the character calls for it ... like say a cosmic being finding out that magic affects him in odd ways (chaos vs. order) or a mage discovers that cold iron doesn't agree with her I never use Enraged, Physical or Psychological Lims, as they're to intergral to the character's personality/appearance. DF & Accidental Change I've used before ... but it's kinda hard to pull the latter of the two off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storn Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Similar idea, different reason. I pulled a "Bourne Identity" on a player. His character, Cyberblade (illo here, first pic under Ninja Hero: http://www.stornc.rpggallery.com/drawingboard.html ). She had amnesia, super secret cybernetic assassin type. She kept getting flashes of her past, but it was her cover as an assassin, which she accepted while working for UNTIL. That was fun sowing all the completely contridictory clues and watching RDU Neil go "uh...wtf? none of this makes sense!" but it did in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmarock Posted July 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! What makes you pose the question magmarock? Just curious. I've recently read a lot about people taking them and I have done this in the past, too. But as far as I can recall, not one of my Mystery Disads were ever utilized by a GM. I was hoping to see the possibilities out there. Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Generally I assign a hunted or a DNPC through the course of game play. If it's a Hunted, I try and develop a good archnemesis for the character, someone who will bring something to the table whenever the PC and the villain clash. A DNPC might be a love interest or a fan/wannabe-sidekick or even a long lost relative. Something that might make for good non-combat roleplay. On rare occasions (like, twice), I've used that "mystery disad" as a revolving disad, changing it with each adventure. One adventure it's a hunted and the PC must somehow deal with it. The next adventure it was a DNPC (the stereotypical "guest star" type thing), and the DNPC would no doubt move on at the end of the adventure. Maybe a shift in powers has led to a new vulnerability, and that adventure needs the PC to find a way to fix it. Honestly, I've only had "mystery disads" a few times, but for the most part they've been positive experiences for all involved. "Mystery hunteds" are more common in the games I've played in, which usually leads me to adventure-specific hunteds (guest villains), or a permanent nemesis as stated above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawksmoor Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! I most commonly see these as either "Insert Campaign Specific Disad here" or the like. In this case the Player or the GM does not want hunteds or DNPCs cluttering up his finely tuned world that he or she didn't plan on. Thus by allowing the GM to pick and choose it saved on stress from a certain point of view. The true option is of course a flaw the character doesn't know he has. Ideally flaws like overconfidence and the like should be "mystery disads" to keep the flavor going. "No Mightyman can not run away. It is only a 60 foot tall robot, sure it KO'd Crystalkid but you...you are Mightyman! To the Fray!" Hawksmoor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! I had a player (years and years ago) whose character was Psiphon, a psionic who was the last survivor of a secret government group of psionic agents. He got bored half-way through thinking up Disadvantages, and told me to make them up. He was warned. I decided that he couldn't remember what had happened. And what had happened is that the secret government psionics had contacted Things From Beyond (think Azathoth, Hastur, etc.). The others had died. Psiphon was implanted with a psionic larva. He also wanted a girlfriend with "big ones" (the player was kind of an ass). He thought she was a DNPC; she was a Hunted - watching. Those "big ones" were tentacles. (Honest, it was before hentai became popular!) While he was still playing in the campaign he did discover about his "girlfriend" -- leading to his memorable line: "No. I empty the whole clip into her." When FREd came out, I restarted the campaign, with Psiphon as an NPC -- and was finally able to finish that plotline. Psiphon turned all Mind Flayery and implanted a bunch of other - mostly younger - psionics. And then decerebrated an entire town. The heroes arrived, got grossed out, and turned poor, unlamented Psiphon into a smear. All because he wanted a Mystery Disadvantage out of laziness. tsk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mad GM Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! I always thought "Love for X" would make a great mystery disad, especially if X was also a hunted. This could be a "Love at first sight" sort of thing, make X the hunted for another PC. I have to admit, I usually only offer Mystery disads in games where the characters draw their powers randomly, (first game is radiation accident, or teenagers discovering powers), and then it usually relates to their powers, but not always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acroyear Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! When I create a character with mystery disads, I like to give them a direction I'm interested in. Example: Physical Lim: 10 year memory gap. Psych Lim: Thinks people will fear or hate him if past discovered. So here we have a guy with the standard "amnesia" garbage... but he also has this thing in the back of his head that if people knew what happened during that ten years, he'd be in big big trouble. Use in play can take many directions. Perhaps the character wants to discover his past to see if it really is that bad or if his feelings are unwarranted. Perhaps he wants to keep covering it up, just in case. Perhaps he wants to make up for whatever it is that is making him feel guilty/nervous/whatever. And what if the truth really isn't that bad, or is only repulsive the character, him/herself? This also lets the GM insert events and background directly into the character to fit the game. You don't have to get it all at once, either, but can get bits and pieces and the GM has a speudo Spock (or Data for you Next Gennies) to tip info to the players when they are being particularly clueless. The mystery can go on forever instead of "Surprise, you've got a lethal allergy to tapioca!" or the disads can be adjusted to fit the "truth." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Mystery Disad works best with Hunteds, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! A PC took a WATCHED limitation so, as a former criminal, I gave them the mystery disad PHYSICAL LIMITATION: Tracking Device Implant. This way the feds can make certain she isn't fleeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! One I loved was a character with some alien tech: DF & Hunted (easily found) he had a tracking device in his tech he did not know about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acroyear Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Mystery Disad works best with Hunteds' date=' IMHO.[/quote'] Except, in my experience, players max out their hunteds with villains they like so they are sure to encounter them more often Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauxdeigh Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! I once had a player hand me a cute little speedster. Everything was great until I got to the disads and saw: 60 - Mystery Disadvantages Damn it. I was annoyed. So, the character is running along at top speed, and spies the rest of the team fighting that evening's group of troublemakers. She takes a quick turn and heads into the fray, attempting a move-by. The player rolls and misses...horribly. At this point one of the other players speaks up and says, "Thank goodness you don't have any Unluck..." "Roll 3d6, Mr. Sixty Points of Mystery Disads." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farik Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! The character was super powered child who didn't know his real origin but the teams main villain kept trying to capture him and claimed to be his father. A demonic female who claimed to be his mother kept showing up and trying to kill him but always stayed at range. His mystery disadvantage. If he touched his mother he turned into a giant Cthulhu like monster with an animal intellect (his mother turned into a Godzilla knock off). His "dad" had captured his demonic mother and intended to harness the power of their offspring for his own nefarious plans. Mechanically I built the monster as a multiform based on the points of the mystery disadvantage with flaws like triggered and No Conscious control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom McCarthy Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Well, one PC turned out to be a demon. The player clued in the first time the character took damage for being on holy ground, but the character adamantly refused to believe it. And the protestations became quite colourful as the evidence stacked up: Susceptible to being on holy ground Susceptible to holy symbols Can't cross a pentacle Hunted by DEMON (capture) Numerous villains saying things like, "Your mystical powers are easily tracked by the All-Seeing Eye" The character nearly went catatonic when a DEMON master summoned a bunch of demons identical to her. Really, that campaign was full of delightful serendipity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch0wyunf47 Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Well' date=' one PC turned out to be a demon. [/quote'] I was about to suggest something similar: Having the player really a mutant when they think they're a magician (or vice versa, etc). It doesn't take a lot of points and can work to campaign seeds pretty easily. I like the many demons exactly the same as her showing up. Cool beans. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom McCarthy Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Whenever I talk about that campaign and Dean (the player) is in the room, he interrupts with, "I'm NOT a demon". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 Re: Mystery Disad? What the....?! Namor came looking for his would-be wife, who escaped from him some time back. He believed it was one of the PCs (the Troll's) wife, Mermaid. He prepared to fight the Troll. As they met and conversed, it became apparent that the timeframes were confused and while Mermaid looked strikingly like his would-be wife, she was in fact...Namor's daughter by her! The Troll's father-in-law is Prince Namor! That's a tough father-in-law to have... The player said he was smiling and chuckling to himself at work over that a few days later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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