Agent X Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I like comeliness and couldn't care less how much real impact it has on the game. In Mayfair's DC game they had what essentially would be called a perk in HERO to cover the concept of comeliness. The only problem is that doesn't really allow for any differentiation in good looking people. If you're beautiful, you're beautiful with a perk. If you can buy the perk multiple times then it's basically comeliness only listed somewhere else. Comeliness is cool. When the flying super-strong energy blaster mocks your character because his CV and Damage Classes are higher than yours. Your character can respond with, "At least I'm better looking." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I really like comeliness as I have stated in the past. Null completely takes out a villain on her own, stands over the defeated villain and says, "...and I looked better in a dress too!" Comeliness is good for trash talking and determining who in a crowd gets the attention when PRE just doesn't cut it. I have also designed powers with limitations based on Comeliness such as "Won't affect people with >20 COM" This is also something that can be used on disadvantages. Psych Limit: Can't Hit a Pretty Face. Pretty being defined as COM 16 or higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I like comeliness and couldn't care less how much real impact it has on the game. In Mayfair's DC game they had what essentially would be called a perk in HERO to cover the concept of comeliness. The only problem is that doesn't really allow for any differentiation in good looking people. If you're beautiful' date=' you're beautiful with a perk. If you can buy the perk multiple times then it's basically comeliness only listed somewhere else.[/quote'] That's gotta be the main reason I've never liked the perk/talent/advantage/extra/whatever like mechanic for looking good. You at most have 2 levels of it, and that's it. You are either average, above average, or really above average, with nothing to differientiate between any two really above average and no way to surpass it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guzalot Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep it. As others have said, it has excellent roleplay value and there are definite lvels of it. ie 0-4=hideous; 6=ugly; 8=plain; 10=average; 12-14=above average but not classicly handsome/beautiful; 16=handsome/beautiful; 18=model good looks; 20=supermodel; 22+ = Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep it. It's always been there. I like it just fine. Take your ugly angsty self elswhere:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Black Lotus Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I propose we scrap the current system altogether! Hee! Here are my recommendations for how to do it through Perks and Disads! Perks: The Love Doctor 10 pts So Sexy It Hurts 8 pts Too Sexy For My Shirt 6 pts Cute as a Button 4 pts Sorta Good-Looking 2 pts Disads: Kinda Homely -2 pts Face Only a Mother Could Love -4 pts Uglier Than a Wet Chicken in a Hog Waller -6pts Women and Children Flee You On Sight -8 pts Men Flee you On Sight, Too -10 pts On second thought... let's keep COM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Yay. I enjoy the fact that there is a characteristic in HERO with no hard 'statistical' or 'metagame' value. Yet even the biggest numbers cruncher out there always seems to set aside those all-important COM points. Ah...vanity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Pretty being defined as COM 16 or higher. Well, that explains a lot, actually . . . No wonder you and I have such different expectations, if THAT's your criterion. Would it put things in perspective any to know that I'd stat my real-life COM at an 8, hon? Sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I like it fine as-is, and if it were removed, I'd likely house-rule it back in with exactly the same costs, etc. After all, it's not like it has any direct influence on the game NOW... But I also wholeheartedly agree with this: I would also like to see some official uses for COM' date=' such as complimentary Skill roll bonuses to interactive Skills such as Seduction and Bureaucratics.[/quote'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep Comliness. Failure to get any use out of it is poor roleplaying or poor GMing. That having been said, it only costs 1/2 point, so it is going to be one of the least effective buys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep COM. My current gaming group includes 3 women and 2 men. The women, my wife in particular, all buy as much COM as possible. In fact many of my villians aren't judge on how powerful they are, but on what thier COM is. Yippie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I like keeping COM. I think it is important to separate Charsima(PRE) and Looks(COM). I do like the idea of using COM as complimentary to certain skills like Seduction or PS: Model as a way for it to be useful and worth the points. I usually try to play the press as more likely to flock around the "beautiful" heroes as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Jim Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent keep it but add some stuff for it to do......but not too much, it's only 1/2 a point per stat point after all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobGreenwade Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep. I would like to see at least a bit more of a nod to ways to use Com in game terms (without making it too useful or worth more). This is my thought on the question precisely. Maybe some specific mechanics for COM could show up in The Ultimate Metamorph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent I tend towards keeping it simply because I like it and I think it can be used. However, it's a low priority and I can see addressing it other ways - and from a purist rules perspective had in the past waffled either way, tending more towards perks lately as that does seem consistent HOWEVER... let me say this that I think influences it a bit more. RDU Neil has suggested, and I agree, that points are very much about control. The points the player spends and where he spends them signifies where he is taking control in the environment, and the points given back are ceding control to the GM. Not that it's all about this, but it is a primary effect, I believe. Now think about that in COM terms - what we are saying, then, is we have a low/no value stat (depending a lot on how people play it) but we are giving the players COMPLETE control over it! I say this because of the level of granularity given to players for this - any player can build their character to fit among the others as they so choose, with no ability for other characters or even the GM to say "Well, you're effectively the same" which would well be true with Perks and how they normally are done, but is never true with an open-ended char which a player can always point to and say, at least, "My character is 1 point prettier than Fred's!" And as people have said here, players do buy it up. And think about what we're emulating...heroic fiction, which has no such ranking, but which people love to talk about the relative comeliness of their heroines and heroes. So we get an, at worst, throwaway stat that gives the players 100% control (at inception, anyway) and models the importance of appearance in the source material. So I think a true case can be made to keep it, as I now think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent Keep COM. My current gaming group includes 3 women and 2 men. The women' date=' my wife in particular, all buy as much COM as possible. In fact many of my villians aren't judge on how powerful they are, but on what thier COM is. Yippie![/quote'] Now that could be an interesting system. Requisite buys for villains: Thoughtless mook: COM 8 Average Thug: 10 Thug Leader/Low-Level Henchman: 12 Gang-Leader/Master Villain Henchman: 14 Master Villain Lieutanant/Local Crime Boss: 16 Master Villain's Right Hand Man/Power Behind the Local Crime Boss: 18 Master Villain: 20 Powerful Master Villain: 22+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy_The_Ruthles Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Re: Comeliness: Yay, nay or indifferent This from a guy who played a character with the psychological limitation "Must slap ugly women." To bad that he's never met one. hey, i did slap one woman, back in erdol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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