Destiny as a Disadvantage

[Ryhope Wood]

Hi folks

 

Need your advice on a disadvantage that reflects a characters predetermined destiny. It is actually for a series of NPCs I'm building based on the works of Robert Holdstock.

 

In Ryhope Wood, the myths and legends of our subconcious collective are given form. They are archetypes of myth and legend and are born to fulfill the destiny of the story or tale.

 

Perhaps the nearest fit is a psychological limitation that compels them to fulfill the story but it kinda implies that they have some control when they don't.

 

Any thoughts,

 

Ian

[Old Man]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Could maybe use some variation on Unluck. I've been toying with the idea of adopting the 'destiny' disadvantage from Riddle of Steel and applying it to FH. There, if your character is Destined To Be Slain By A Spear, baddies attacking it with spears get extra dice.

 

It seems like it should be simple enough to graft that onto FH, a Hero genre that desperately needs more disad options. Susceptibility and Vulnerability aren't really applicable to 'typical' FH campaigns, so you wind up stacking the psych lims and before you know it your starting character is a paranoid schizophrenic with severe Tourette's and a half dozen phobias. Oh wait, that's me. Never mind.

[Alibear]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Vulnerability to Spears is what you are looking for.

 

Let's face it most Pc's should take cursed as a disadvantage. Call it player character or whatever you like but bad stuff always happens to PC's.

[BlackSword]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

White Wolf has several disadvantages related to Destiny. One is Dark Destiny, in which no matter how hard you try your efforts will be futile. There might be some disadvantage called, 'fated' where the PC has a pyschological issues knowing they have some fate awaiting them. 'Marked' for people who believe the prophecy relates to the character so the NPC will behunted, both by those who want the prophecy fulfilled, as well as those who hope to stop it. There could be an unknown "Luck/Unluck" where the Character's actions will always push them one step closer to their fate, for good or ill of the party. For instance the character may be disarmed in a fight, flail around and pick up the Sword of Destiny that was lost in this dungeon centuries ago.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Well, the Master List of Limitations on the Global Guardians website handles this sort of thing as a Physical Limitation, on the premise that it's not something that the character can voluntarily overcome. Check out the running notes for Fated.

[Zed-F]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

I agree with the use of a physical limitation for something which the character cannot overcome.

[Ryhope Wood]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Hi all

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I took a look at the Fated disadvantage mentioned above. It seems better suited to detailed actions. I liked the idea about using Unluck more as it better fits the concept of fate.

 

It maybe that I'm trying to define as a disadvantage something that should just be left to roleplaying and background flavour, especially as it applies only to NPC. The destiny in the Robert Holdstock books is more a role in a myth that the characters ultimately have to complete. For example, they will steal a statue from the sorceror, kill their own brother, and ultimately die by his hand in revenge and they can't avoid it.

 

Ian

[Cantriped]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Hmm, well something like that is partially plot device, but if you wanted to define it points wise then destiny is really a lot of different limitations depending upon what you need it to do. But basicly I'd handle it kinda like a Luck/Unluck in most circumstances, every adventure you roll X, if you make the roll (or fail could work too if its a negative destiny) then at some point in the scenerio something will happen that has some bearing on his destiny. For example the Blast of an enemy sorcerer might miss and accidenly knock a valuable statue right into that PCs lap.

Now in most cases the PC should have the option to attempt to fight their destiny, maybe he throws the statue back at the sorcerer before running because its the only thing available to use as a weapon. in this case that part of his destiny is uncompleted and "fate" (the roll) will continue to put him in the appropiate situations until he finally completes his destiny.

Whether this counted as Luck or Unluck would be up to the GM. This does create a small problem, a lot of destinies involve the manner of the characters premature death, which if you roll wrong could really ruin your players day, so those kind of Destinies should be kept for NPCs where you won't end up with Butt hurt players. (though the vulnerability idea posted above would work well for most of those if you chose to use them anyway)

[Lucius]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Hunted: Fate. More powerful, extensive noncombat influence.

 

Hunted is usually a concrete individual or a group, but I see no reason it can't be more abstract. Every game, if the roll is made, something happens that pertains the character's Fate - perhaps only a dream or vision, or some foreshadowing, or something that noticeably brings the Fate a step closer (she is fated to die by the hands of a Goblin; she learns that the child she just rescued, and promised to take back to his home, lives on the OTHER side of the Goblin Haunted Hills) or even that something "offstage" that the character doesn't even know about brings the Fate that much closer.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Watched by the palindromedary

[Erkenfresh]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Even worse than a premature death would be a "postmature death". The character MUST fulfill the destiny so anything that would kill him before completing it just wouldn't. He could throw himself off a cliff and somehow survive, be it snagging a branch on the way down or whatever. This might give the character a sense of invincibility, which would be bad.

 

I probably wouldn't give this option to my players. I'd probably muck it all up.

[Old Man]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Vulnerability to Spears is what you are looking for.

 

Well, I picked a poor example. Vulnerability wouldn't work for "Destined to Die on a Friday".

[Markdoc]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Well' date=' I picked a poor example. Vulnerability wouldn't work for "Destined to Die on a Friday".[/quote']

 

Sure it would - you'd take more damage from anything on Fridays

 

I have this disadvantage with mondays.

 

Cheers, Mark

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

I'm going to side step the other's posts for the moment. In terms of the question proper, can you model "destiny" as a disad, yes, but it depends really on precisely what you want to model. If you're looking for 'destiny' then we need to determine what exact destiny they'll have, and how debilitating it is.

 

I'd probably build it across multiple boards. There's an immediate level of 'social limitation' - does anyone else know the character has a destiny? Does that change how the character is treated?

 

Psychological Limitation - they're own binds to the destiny itself, although this may only manifest at specific times as a forced action. In which case, to not fulfill the destiny would be an EGO roll to resist, and that's certainly a psych lim.

 

Reputation - as said predestined character.

 

Instead of worrying about building in a specific 'destiny' - which you can do - it's probably more effecient and effective to build it as a concept across the various options.

[Alibear]

Re: Destiny as a Disadvantage

 

Sure it would - you'd take more damage from anything on Fridays

 

I have this disadvantage with mondays.

 

Cheers, Mark

 

 

That's a psych lim Mark. Quite a common one too. Cue music..