Supressing a Disadvantage

[Richard Logue]

How would you build a drug that curbs a Psychological Limitation?

 

For instance, you've got a villain who goes Berserk "when Captured." Once the po-po catch him and lock him up, a judge orders the prison's medical staff to administer some sort of drug that represses his violent fear of being in confinement.

 

What's the mechanic for this? A Transform? That would likely work, I suppose. Transforming him into Same Character Without the Psychological Limitation. Then once the drug wears off, he changes back to his old self.

 

Can you think of a different or better way to build it?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Mind Control can also be used to over come Psychological Disadvantages.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Perhaps you could create an adder to Aid that allowed it to reduce the point value of a specific disadvantage, rather than adding to the point value of a specific power.

[ideasmith]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

I would allow a specially built Aid/Succor to remove/decrease a Disadvantage. However, I would also rule that Adjustment Powers affecting Disadvantages are halved as if affecting Defenses.

[Blue]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

One of those things I just hand-wave.

 

If I want the villain to be in a doped state he is. If I want him to have been pretending to be doped as a plot twist, he is.

[David Johnston]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Oridinarily a tranquiliser would be Mind Control vs CON

[keithcurtis]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

One of those things I just hand-wave.

 

If I want the villain to be in a doped state he is. If I want him to have been pretending to be doped as a plot twist, he is.

Repped. Not everything needs to be statted out.

 

Keith "Plot Devices R Us" Curtis

[Dust Raven]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Repped. Not everything needs to be statted out.

 

Keith "Plot Devices R Us" Curtis

 

Agreed, but it does if it's commonly used by the PCs, or directly used against the PCs. That's assuming it's of a nature that actually alters game play, such as negating a Psych Limit/Enraged Disad. Then again, I doubt I'd allow any player to buy this as anything other than a Transform or Mind Control, and most likely Mind Control. It's very hard (well, completely unrealistic) to create a drug that suppresses uncontrolled rage due to a specific trigger that doesn't also suppress other rage tendancies. It's most likely to be a Mind Control with a single command "remain calm and docile". Even characters without the targeted Psych Limits and Enrages should be affected by a drug like this. It makes no sense that Dr. Go Nuts If You Capture Me suddenlly becomes a gentle loving puppy while Captain Doesn't Have A Temper can still fight his way out while under the influence of the same drug.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

How would you build a drug that curbs a Psychological Limitation?

 

For instance, you've got a villain who goes Berserk "when Captured." Once the po-po catch him and lock him up, a judge orders the prison's medical staff to administer some sort of drug that represses his violent fear of being in confinement.

 

What's the mechanic for this? A Transform? That would likely work, I suppose. Transforming him into Same Character Without the Psychological Limitation. Then once the drug wears off, he changes back to his old self.

 

Can you think of a different or better way to build it?

 

A Multiform usable against others? The second form is identical to the first, except the disad in question is replaced with an Accidental Change if the drug isn't taken regularly (and perhaps some minor dulling of other abilities to balance).

[Frenchman]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

We are only talking about psych lims, Right? If I missed it and thats not all, then ignore what I'm about to type.

 

Unless I'm mistaken a character with a psych lim can resist its influence with an EGO roll, modified by the severity of the limitation.

 

So it seems the simplest way to build your anti-psychosis pill would be as a bonus to Ego rolls, only to resist psych lim (-2 or more), always on (-1/2)

I add always on because then the person can't just choose to 'do it anyways'

In my limited experience with anti-depressants, and I'm assuming you want something similar and that we'd build depression as a psychlim, I wasn't able to just be sad, depressed, or angry - not even when I wanted to or should have.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

A Multiform usable against others? The second form is identical to the first' date=' except the disad in question is replaced with an Accidental Change if the drug isn't taken regularly (and perhaps some minor dulling of other abilities to balance).[/quote']

I hope you're joking!

[prestidigitator]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

We are only talking about psych lims, Right? If I missed it and thats not all, then ignore what I'm about to type.

 

Unless I'm mistaken a character with a psych lim can resist its influence with an EGO roll, modified by the severity of the limitation.

 

So it seems the simplest way to build your anti-psychosis pill would be as a bonus to Ego rolls, only to resist psych lim (-2 or more), always on (-1/2)

I add always on because then the person can't just choose to 'do it anyways'

In my limited experience with anti-depressants, and I'm assuming you want something similar and that we'd build depression as a psychlim, I wasn't able to just be sad, depressed, or angry - not even when I wanted to or should have.

Good point! Sounds 100% legal according to standard rules, too (well, don't know about the Always On, but at least the part about providing the Ego bonus). No rules interpretation necessary!

[Dust Raven]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

I hope you're joking!

 

No. I'm sure it's a serious suggestion. Lots of cases of Multiform UAA being put to good use. If you buy it right, the other form can even add in the Psych Lim "Slavishly Loyal to [your character]".

 

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

No. I'm sure it's a serious suggestion. Lots of cases of Multiform UAA being put to good use. If you buy it right' date=' the other form can even add in the Psych Lim "Slavishly Loyal to [your character']".

 

 

Well, every time we get into an ugly "how to" question, out comes Transform. Isn't Multiform UAA just a variant on Transform? A very expensive one, however, if you want to affect powerful characters!

[Dust Raven]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Well' date=' every time we get into an ugly "how to" question, out comes Transform. Isn't Multiform UAA just a variant on Transform? A very expensive one, however, if you want to affect powerful characters![/quote']

 

Well, I suppose you could have suggested Duplication UAA or perhaps Summon, either one creating an identical copy of the target minus the unwanted Psych Limit. Just use this once then kill the original.

 

Transform is probably the most accurate method here anyway, if intent was really to turn a character with a go-nuts psychic limit into one what could still violently kill everybody in the room but be in complete control at the time. Change Enviornment would have worked except you can't create one that gives bonuses (though it would force the target to make that EGO roll on their Psych Limit). Of course, if you wanted a person docile... Mind Control.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Well' date=' I suppose you could have suggested Duplication UAA or perhaps Summon, either one creating an identical copy of the target minus the unwanted Psych Limit. Just use this once then kill the original.[/quote']

 

hmmm...we could Link the Summon or Duplication to an EDM UAA to shunt the original out of the way for the duration.

[OddHat]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Mind Control vs CON, One Comand Only: Be Calm works fine. You'll need a strong dose to overcome some psych limits, but that's close enough to "realistic" for game purposes. Throwing in a Drain or Suppress EGO, INT, and PRE simultaneously might make sense as well.

[Hierax]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Aid with points to buy off Disadvantage, partial reductions of intensity possible.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Well' date=' every time we get into an ugly "how to" question, out comes Transform. Isn't Multiform UAA just a variant on Transform? A very expensive one, however, if you want to affect powerful characters![/quote']

Or a really cheap one if you want to, "transform," them into pansies.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

I would allow a specially built Aid/Succor to remove/decrease a Disadvantage. However' date=' I would also rule that Adjustment Powers affecting Disadvantages are halved as if affecting Defenses.[/quote']

Aid with points to buy off Disadvantage' date=' partial reductions of intensity possible. [/quote']

This is the way I'd do it. I do things like this all the time. Don't forget to buy down the fade rate, so that it lasts, say for about 24 hours, then you just dose his waffles every morning.

 

But I wouldn't automatically halve the effects like for defenses. Only for those Disads that are like defenses: Susceptibility, Vulnerability, and I can't think of any others off-hand. And yes, it has to be bought vs. a specific Disad, or else have an expanded effect range advantage, e.g., +1/4 "Any one Psych Lim" - although even in this case I would interpret it to mean "Any one Psychological Problem," so it doesn't remove oaths and codes of conduct, but it can remove any one phobia or neurosis, et al.

[Silbeg]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

How would you build a drug that curbs a Psychological Limitation?

 

What's the mechanic for this? A Transform? That would likely work, I suppose. Transforming him into Same Character Without the Psychological Limitation. Then once the drug wears off, he changes back to his old self.

 

That is exactly how I would do it, actually.

 

For it to be a mental change, you would need BOECV. Then, since it is a drug, it should probably be Based On CON.

 

Since you are only suppressing a current psych lim, I would guess that a minor transform would be good enough?

 

However, I would have the transform be pretty specific... like removing a specific Psych Lim ("Remove Overconfidence"), or whatever.

[ideasmith]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

Since you are only suppressing a current psych lim' date=' I would guess that a minor transform would be good enough?[/quote']

 

I would rule that a Major Transform was needed.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Supressing a Disadvantage

 

http://www.killershrike.com/MetaCyber/MetaCyberCharacters_BodyTech_PharmiTech.shtml

 

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