How Limiting?

[Threnody]

Howdy.

 

I'm working on a character who's cold related. I wonder how much a Lim people would recommend for these?

 

A] "Only While It's Snowing"

B] "Not While It's Snowing"

 

Assume the character don't often get more than 150 km from her headquarters, and assume her headqaurters are at-----

 

1]New York City

2]Churchill, Manitoba

3]Top of Mt. Chimborazo, Ecuador {6310 m high, 1.5º S lat.}

 

That's six Lims.

 

All ideas welcome.

[BNakagawa]

Re: How Limiting?

 

does your character or anyone else currently in play have change environment: weather?

[Dust Raven]

Re: How Limiting?

 

Or does the character himself have Change Enviornment?

[Dust Raven]

Re: How Limiting?

 

And how fast the the campaign progress along in terms of the seasons? If the entire campaign will take place over the summer, the limitation is probably worth a lot in places with a temperate climate.

[tesuji]

Re: How Limiting?

 

Does it count as "while snowing" if its snowing outside but i am inside and not able to see or experience the snow?

 

Examples:

 

Underground in a subway tunnel

inside in an office building basement?

inside in an office building with no visible window

inside in an office building with a visible window (closed)

inside an arch villain's underground bunker

inside one of those fake ski indoor snow places

Any ice powered villains in the campaign? on the PCs hunted list?

etc...

 

Its much more a matter of these kinds of definitions, as much as it is a matter os season and gps.

 

The big question is: how much are you, as GM, going to script the scenario to make this occur as a problem or script the scenario to make this not a problem?

 

How many sessions (or fights if it is a combat ability) out of ten is this going to be an issue for your game? How many sessions in ten are you going to be comfortable saying "and because of this you are..." and keep your plot running smooth and as well as you like?

 

if the answer is "less often than once in ten", its a ZERO pt lim.

if the answer is "likely 1-2" its a -1/4

if the answer is "likely 3-4" its -1/2

if the answer is "5-7", its -1

if the answer is "8 or more", its in the range of -2 maybe.

 

limitations are much more a matter of scripting choices by Gm than anything else.

 

I frequently let the player determine the size of the lim, within acceptable range to me, and the script the campaign to make that lim "accurate". So in one NYC campaign, a guy with "only while snowing" at -1/2 finds its dead spot on and sees his power hindered 3-4 sessions in ten, while in the very next campaign, in the same city, another player with it at -1 finds problems every other session or so.

 

most circumstantial disads don't "run themselves" the way activation rolls do. They require GM scripting influence to keep them on par and not too onerous or too weak.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How Limiting?

 

My advice is talk to the GM (not out loud if YOU are the GM). Set a reasonable value. The value you set will determine how often it snows, and thus how often it is a limitation. Obviously a nod in the direction of reality might be welcome, but it is not entirely necessary: if the player wants a Only when not snowing (-2) on the power, it is going to be snowing a lot, even if their base is in Salt Lake City.

[Threnody]

Re: How Limiting?

 

Wow!

 

Didn't think it'd be this complicated. OK, here's more info.

 

This character wouldn't be able to use a power with this Lim in her own Change Envir. That's clearly no Lim at all. Don't expect nobody else with Change Envir. on the team.

 

Don't know how fast the seasons will pass.

 

It counts as snowing if there's snow falling, but only if it's real snow. No manufactured stuff.

 

I'm not gonna be the GM.

 

I'll be talking to my GM, but I wanted some idea what to put down as my suggestion (which she'll change if she thinks it's needed); I wanted something realistic so's she's not likely to change it. Cause she changes it, I gotta rewrite the whole sheet. I mean, I will she says so, but I'd druther not if I can avoid. That's why I asked about what folks thought it was worth.

 

Let me rephrase a mite. If you were GM and you didn't want to make it snow/not snow unrealistically, what would you peg those Lims at?

[Sean Waters]

Re: How Limiting?

 

I am not keen on limitations that require the GM to make decisions like this as there is a real pressure to make it snow when you most need your powers. Personally I’d go with an activation roll, maybe 1 or 2 levels down the chart (so 8- gets you, say –1/2) which you roll per day (maybe it goes up to 11- in winter and has no chance in summer)

[Vondy]

Re: How Limiting?

 

My advice is talk to the GM (not out loud if YOU are the GM). Set a reasonable value. /snip

 

Well, you could set up two chairs facing eachother and then sit in one and ask the question, jump to the other and **** your head as if in consideration, jump back and give clarifying points, and then move yet again and give an answer.

[tesuji]

Re: How Limiting?

 

Wow!

Let me rephrase a mite. If you were GM and you didn't want to make it snow/not snow unrealistically, what would you peg those Lims at?

 

there is no OBJECTIVE answer without the Gm involved.

 

if her plan is to run a game which spans several years, thats one answer. if its planning to be globe trotting... thats likely another. if its gonna involve freqwuent trips into space, thats a third.

 

As a player, the decision the Gm needs to know from you, and you ought to get confirmed before hand, IE before a 1/4 change means rewriting the whole sheet, is "how often do you want this to be an issue? to be a problem for your character?"

 

there is no objective basis for determining "how often will this power be unusable because of XXX when I need it?" in the given fantasy superhero story you are participating in. if it snows for five days in a week but the villains jump on the weekend, thats not a problem. if it snows for only one day a week but thats the day the villains decide to jump since officials will be tied up with the snow, thats a problem.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How Limiting?

 

Well' date=' you could set up two chairs facing eachother and then sit in one and ask the question, jump to the other and **** your head as if in consideration, jump back and give clarifying points, and then move yet again and give an answer.[/quote']

 

 

****? My mind boggles....

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: How Limiting?

 

 

****? My mind boggles....

I'm beginning to think we need to invent a new spelling for the word you use to describe the act of putting something at a different angle than it was before.

Coque, maybe?

'Cause the bloody censor won't let us do it with the hammers of guns, the angles of heads, or to describe raising a fist in preperation to strike.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How Limiting?

 

I'm beginning to think we need to invent a new spelling for the word you use to describe the act of putting something at a different angle than it was before.

Coque, maybe?

'Cause the bloody censor won't let us do it with the hammers of guns, the angles of heads, or to describe raising a fist in preperation to strike.

 

Ah, thankyou, my friend, light dawns: I was roostering my head.

[Zed-F]

Re: How Limiting?

 

I agree that the real answer is: how often does the GM plan to make it snow in game? How often do you want the GM to make it snow in game?

 

Most of the time, I would simply say Only While Snowing is worth -2 and Not While Snowing is worth -0 (at most -1/4,) regardless of location. The GM usually won't have cause to make it be snowing in game unless s/he means for it to REALLY be snowing, as in a blizzard or the like, as a plot point and a hinderance to the PCs. You could even make it explicit by using Only In Heavy Snowfall or Only In a Blizzard instead. If you make it a weather condition the GM is unlikely to forget to describe by accident, it will be easier to adjudicate and mean fewer annoying 'is it snowing today?' questions.

[prestidigitator]

Re: How Limiting?

 

Well' date=' you could set up two chairs facing eachother and then sit in one and ask the question, jump to the other and **** your head as if in consideration, jump back and give clarifying points, and then move yet again and give an answer.[/quote']

Ah, yes. Geri's Game. I've tried roleplaying like that before when there aren't other players around. Surprisingly it isn't all that entertaining.