Youth as a disadvantage

[Michael Hopcroft]

I have a question about charatcres who take "Social Limitation: Minor".

 

If the campaign runs long enough, minors eventually grow up. It seems to make sense that the player would then buy off that particular disadvantage. The problem is msot players would rather buy keen new abilitires with their expeirnece than buy off disads. I don;t recall any campaign I;ve been invovled with in a point-based game in which people have actually bothered to buy off disadvantages.

 

But obviously the charatcre cannot remain aminor forever (unless they're in the DC universe, where Dick Grayson was 15 years old for something on the order of forty years). The obvious solution then is to swap the dsiad for another of equal value when the character turns 18. but what sorts of disads would be suitable for the swap? what makes sense in terms of character development in most campaigns?

[C++]

Re: Youth as a disadvantage

 

Hold back a point of XP every few games until they've banked enough to pay it off. Then when you decide they've reached the age of majority, the Limitation is payed off.

[Rapier]

Re: Youth as a disadvantage

 

I have a question about charatcres who take "Social Limitation: Minor".

 

If the campaign runs long enough, minors eventually grow up. It seems to make sense that the player would then buy off that particular disadvantage. The problem is msot players would rather buy keen new abilitires with their expeirnece than buy off disads. I don;t recall any campaign I;ve been invovled with in a point-based game in which people have actually bothered to buy off disadvantages.

 

But obviously the charatcre cannot remain aminor forever (unless they're in the DC universe, where Dick Grayson was 15 years old for something on the order of forty years). The obvious solution then is to swap the dsiad for another of equal value when the character turns 18. but what sorts of disads would be suitable for the swap? what makes sense in terms of character development in most campaigns?

Character's change over time. I've had character buy off limitations and disads. I've also had characters that swap out disads (Minor is no longer a lim but instead they pick up a Hunted).

 

Yes, especially early on, players love to get new skills and powers...but after a while you are pretty filled out and they should start buying off disads and limitations.

[Vanguard]

Re: Youth as a disadvantage

 

I, personally, have never been in a Hero game where a character has bought off a Disadvantage.

 

Instead, like Rapier has said, they swap 'em out for new ones that make more sense.

 

My current GM doesn't like Disads being bought off, he'd much prefer them being swapped out.

[Rapier]

Re: Youth as a disadvantage

 

I, personally, have never been in a Hero game where a character has bought off a Disadvantage.

 

Instead, like Rapier has said, they swap 'em out for new ones that make more sense.

 

My current GM doesn't like Disads being bought off, he'd much prefer them being swapped out.

As things go I don't care either way. The point totals remain the same. I also hand out some 0 point disads sometimes. New Hunteds, a temporary susceptibility or vulnerability etc.

 

Sometimes it's all very appropriate for a player to buy off a disad. If he apologises to his Hunted (or breaks him out of jail) or makes nice with a Rivalry...seems fair enough to let em buy it off.

 

Still won't stop me from chuckin on a couple 0 pointers just for grins!

[Metaphysician]

Re: Youth as a disadvantage

 

If they grow enough to outgrow the Minor disadvantage, than switch out the points for another disad, whether they want to or not. There isn't much they can do to keep from growing up.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Youth as a disadvantage

 

Because characters can have a maximum X points of disadvantages, paying off disadvantages often feels like reducing the character's power below the campaign norm. Everyone else has 200 base + 15 xp + 150 disad = 365 point character. If I buy off a disad, I'll have a 200 base + 15 xp + 140 disad = 355 point character.

 

If you don't think this is a common perception, ask yourself how often any player designs a character with less than the maximum points of disadvantages.

 

That leaves me, as a GM, inclined to allow disad swapping. OK, your X-Man has resolved his "Hunted by Brotherhood of Mutants" disad, but he's also picked up "Hunted by Sentinels", which would otherwise be 0 point. Let's swap the two and leave the points unchanged.

 

To me, this is what happens in the comics fairly frequently. Remember, when he first started being played, Batman hadn't encountered any of his current rogue's gallery, yet I've never seen any writeup of Batman that was short of Hunteds.

 

As for whether Youth should be bought of, it depends on the game. Should the other characters eventually be required to take the Age disadvantage? They must be getting older too. The Dick Grayson example highlights the 4 colour genre feature that aging takes place slowly, if at all. And some characters simply don't age, even when those around them do. It's probably an issue best discussed as part of one's campaign overview, and/or with the player directly before the character is finalized.