How abusive is this?

[JmOz]

I already know the answer...VERY, but it actualy fits the character I am thinking of doing

 

I am thinking of buying all of his characteristics down to 0 (Except Body/Defenses/Stun), then buying all of the stats with the "Does not work in intense magnetic fields).

 

Basicaly the concept is that the character is a colony of nanobots, when effected by a intense magnetic field he becomes USELESS, he no longer even looks like his normal (not true) form but rather a black metalic pool of goo (His true form).

 

So with this in mind, and thinking that a disad will work better than a lim on EVERYTHING, anyone have any ideas?

[CBikle]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

I'd say no.

 

I don't allow or want PCs that become completely useless when their "weakness" comes up. It makes the GM (me), look like a dick when that

"weakness" does occur in game and completely demolishes that player.

 

Same reason you don't want a PC who buys everything through his powered armor (OIF).

 

Plus your character sheet would look really weird and would annoy me whenever I glance over it.

[JmOz]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Ohh I agree, probably a bad idea for a PC, this character is for the most part an NPC Hero, maybe a oh we have a guest player, play Nano-Boy. Because of the secondary use I want to make sure he is pointed up normaly.

 

I do think that he will not be quite as useless as originaly planned (Still useless, but leave him enough to run away)

[David Johnston]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

 

So with this in mind, and thinking that a disad will work better than a lim on EVERYTHING, anyone have any ideas?

 

That is surely a physical limition "character becomes totally useless any time the GM feels like it".

Although actually the weakness would work better if it was just a susceptibility.

[Dust Raven]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

The rules suggest not lowering any Primary Characteristics below 5, at least not without GM permission. In general, I'd suggest against it unless it's intended for them to stay that way. In otherwords, no buying them back up with a Limitation.

 

Disads definately seem to be the way to go. I'd shy away from Physical Limitation. You just don't get enough points from that. Blind is worth 25 (the max), and a blind man can still walk around and get things done. Susceptibility seems highly appropriate, with the character being affected by a massive Characteristic Drain instead of damage.

[JmOz]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

The rules suggest not lowering any Primary Characteristics below 5, at least not without GM permission. In general, I'd suggest against it unless it's intended for them to stay that way. In otherwords, no buying them back up with a Limitation.

 

Disads definately seem to be the way to go. I'd shy away from Physical Limitation. You just don't get enough points from that. Blind is worth 25 (the max), and a blind man can still walk around and get things done. Susceptibility seems highly appropriate, with the character being affected by a massive Characteristic Drain instead of damage.

 

Good Points.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Another vote for the large Susceptibility. Of course, you could also limit a lot of his abilities with "Not in intense magnetic fields" as well.

 

I agree with the concern that the character is utterly useless in an intense magnetic field, but that's the point. If a PC presented me with that concept, I'd let them know it will come up once in a while, so the player needs to be OK with that.

 

I wonder if a better answer for this particular concept would be a multi-form with no control over the change. The puddle of goo would seem not to be susceptible to many attack forms, so a Desolid, Always On may be appropriate for that form. Taken simply as "everything drops to zero in a Field, whether by susceptibility or limitation, makes the character a one shot kill in a magnetic field (or just leave him there as the Susc drains his BOD to negatives).

[David Johnston]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

The rules suggest not lowering any Primary Characteristics below 5, at least not without GM permission. In general, I'd suggest against it unless it's intended for them to stay that way. In otherwords, no buying them back up with a Limitation.

 

Disads definately seem to be the way to go. I'd shy away from Physical Limitation. You just don't get enough points from that. Blind is worth 25 (the max), and a blind man can still walk around and get things done. Susceptibility seems highly appropriate, with the character being affected by a massive Characteristic Drain instead of damage.

Really? I have "blind" as being worth 20. Quadriplegics are worth 25 in my opinion.

[prestidigitator]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Just buy a Susceptibility. That's what they are for.

[ghost-angel]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Why not Accidental Change: Into Puddle Useless Of Goo In Magnetic Fields (Always, Uncommon) 20pts.

 

Or more if it's a Common or Very Common occurance.

 

This way you're still a pile of machinery with a BODY Stat so you're not instant dead. But you can't do anything until outside the field and can reform your nanite arrays.

[Dust Raven]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Really? I have "blind" as being worth 20. Quadriplegics are worth 25 in my opinion.

 

5ER p 336 sidebar.

[The Souljourner]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

What other people have said - take a disadvantage. Such character-wide problems are exactly what disadvantages are for.

 

Plus, intense magnetic fields are so uncommon that I probably wouldn't give you any cost break anyway. At least with the disadvantage, you'd get some points for it.

 

-Nate

[tesuji]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

So with this in mind' date=' and thinking that a disad will work better than a lim on EVERYTHING, anyone have any ideas?[/quote']

 

As a Gm i would want that represented as a phsyical lim with infrequently and totally limiting, not as a sell back all stats, especially body.

 

that said, i tend to discourage "totally helpless" PC concepts. In practice, i tend to find a player with them tends to fall into to camps:

1. One who hasn't thought thru what being totally helpless means and isn't prepared to be bored stiff when this comes up.

2. a player trying to pull the "gun to his own head" extortion trick of taking a big point disad worked to be so debilitating the Gm won't ever really force him to pay the piper. "After all, the Gm won't kill me for it or make me sit too long doing nothing cuz "that wont be fun""

 

neither of them work out well in practice.

[CBikle]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

As a Gm i would want that represented as a phsyical lim with infrequently and totally limiting, not as a sell back all stats, especially body.

 

that said, i tend to discourage "totally helpless" PC concepts. In practice, i tend to find a player with them tends to fall into to camps:

1. One who hasn't thought thru what being totally helpless means and isn't prepared to be bored stiff when this comes up.

2. a player trying to pull the "gun to his own head" extortion trick of taking a big point disad worked to be so debilitating the Gm won't ever really force him to pay the piper. "After all, the Gm won't kill me for it or make me sit too long doing nothing cuz "that wont be fun""

 

neither of them work out well in practice.

 

Right. As GM, I once had a player submit a character that had most of his points (characteristics/powers/etc) bought through a focus and then bought the Dependence disad, with the character being dependant on the focus (this is illegal now of course).

[pendelfield]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Since the character is a NPC I don't see any problem with buying the stats down some, but i don't think I would go below 5 as mentioned above.

 

Accidental change in intense magnetic fields would work well as some of the others mentioned.

 

Though I do have a some questions, what are the nanobots made of? If they have some amount of ferrous metal in their composition will they be drawn toward the source of the magnetic field? And once a hunted finds out about this disadvantage he will be very easy to capture and confine, which could be useful as a hook to get PC's involved in a game.

[JmOz]

Re: How abusive is this?

 

Right. As GM' date=' I once had a player submit a character that had most of his points (characteristics/powers/etc) bought through a focus and [i']then[/i] bought the Dependence disad, with the character being dependant on the focus (this is illegal now of course).

 

Seems to me there is a published character with this, Howler IIRC...