Dependence...without addiction

[Hitchhiker]

I am currently creating a character who is dependent on his bed, but not really addicted to it. Imagine an old man using his bed for life support, protection, attacking, transportation and other important stuff - but if he leaves the bed, he can still walk around normally and live. He just loses the benefits from his bed. I created the bed as a vehicle, but as the character is dependent on the bed, I still wanted to include a disadvantage.

 

I solved this as follows:

 

No Dependent Substance, No Damage Taken When Leaving Bed, Characters Powers Are No Longer Available (10), Time Before Suffering Effects: Instantly (25)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 35

 

Do you think this is a good solution?

[Monolith]

If the character does not have his powers without the bed it would seem more like a Focus than a Dependence.

[austenandrews]

I don't get it. If the bed is a vehicle with certain powers, what else does he lose, besides those powers, when he leaves it?

 

-AA

[Celtic Cowboy]

Writing it up as a vehicle you're already getting a huge point break - and dependance on a focus for you powers is built into the point breaks of vehicles and the various focus limitations.

[Hitchhiker]

I'll try to explain it better.

 

Think of a real old man. He's weak. He can barely lift suitcase. He can't even punch a hole into butter. He needs one hour to walk a mile.

 

Now he enters his bed. He has:

- a 15 PD/ED force field

- complete life support

- a 5d6 Energy Blast

- a 5d6 Sight Flash

- 10 " of movement

- 10 " of flight

- sight invisibility

- 10 " of teleportation

 

As soon as he leaves his bed, he loses all these powers. Apart from that, nothing happens to him.

 

So should I make this a focus?

[Snarf]

Looks like you should buy all that stuff as a focus. Using a disadvantage is unecessary. After all, you can already get a buttload of points just by making all his characteristics low.

 

If you really like the idea of a disadvantage, you could make him need the bed as a life support system. Maybe it contains drugs he needs or does his kidney dialysis or something.

 

If I had that bed, I would never stand up again.

[Mancer]

If all the Old Man does is activate the Bed and it is actually the bed which has all these powers (i.e., head board that fires lazers or whatever) then build it as a vehicle.

 

If however, the Bed imparts these abilities to the Old Man (making him some sort of bed ridden superhero) then make it an appropriate focus. At first this seems like a bulky focus but remember if it is easily transported (i.e., goes with him when he uses all those nifty movement powers) then it doesn't qualify. However, in any case, I think you should avoid using disadvantages to reflect this if you can.

 

BTW, i'm very curious as to the details of this bed-ridden character. what genre, what role does he play in your campaign.

 

 

MANCER

[Hitchhiker]

I'll create the bed as a vehicle. Thanks for all the help.

 

Mancer: He's a scientist in a scifi-fantasy-crime world. Though he is weak and quite old, he discovered a great secret that could mark the beginning of a new age. Now he is looking for the right person to share his newest invention with...which I will not tell you about here.

 

He's one of the most important NPCs in my campaign. A bit fussy sometimes, but nevertheless he's a bright fellow.

[CorpCommander]

Virtual Light

 

Actually there is a similar character concept in William Gibson's book "Virtual Light" in which a lead character requires the computers and lifesupport of his vehicle. I can't remember the name of the character or give more details because my ex-roommate's ex-girlfriend stole the book. Grrr &*^%$#. Anyway. I wouldn't make it a bed. Bed just doesn't sound right. Why not make it a form of encounter suit?

 

--CC

[Hitchhiker]

Looks like I have to read more books from William Gibson (so far, I've read Neuromancer, Count Zero and Idoru)...sounds quite interesting.

 

I won't change the appearance of the vehicle - it's a mobile, multi-functional bed. Yes, it does look awkward, but the campaign will feature a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor, so it's all right.

[Snarf]

...the campaign will feature a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor, so it's all right.

 

Give the bed a computer brain so it can talk like Kit from Knight Rider

 

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash had a character you would probably like who was completely crippled except for his kickass van. That was a funny book.

[CorpCommander]

Originally posted by Snarf

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash had a character you would probably like who was completely crippled except for his kickass van.

 

back in the late 80's and early 90's I read so much cyberpunk that I think I am starting to confuse the stories. I think I was wrong about Gibson and that the character I am thinking of is this one from Snow Crash.

 

If your humor is tongue in cheek read this book. Read Cryptonomicon as well if you know what is good for you. Both books excel. And be sure to order Pizza from La Cosa Nostra Pizza Delivery!

 

--CC

[Hitchhiker]

Originally posted by CorpCommander

back in the late 80's and early 90's I read so much cyberpunk that I think I am starting to confuse the stories. I think I was wrong about Gibson and that the character I am thinking of is this one from Snow Crash.

 

If your humor is tongue in cheek read this book. Read Cryptonomicon as well if you know what is good for you. Both books excel. And be sure to order Pizza from La Cosa Nostra Pizza Delivery!

 

--CC

 

Aye, I've read Snow Crash. What a funny book it was. And it did inspire me somewhat. But I've had the character in mind before I read the book. Really.

 

And as a matter of fact, I am currently reading Cryptonomicon, but it's darn long and I have about fifty other books waiting to be read. Anyway, I won't give the bed a computer brain...there are enough talkative and annoying characters in my campaign.

 

 

But I like his style.

[zornwil]

I don't see why not make the vehicle a sort of dependence or physical limitation for the character. When he's out, he's very weak. Personally I'd go for Phys Lim as I think about it. He's not like a normal vehicle super who relies on his vehicle for powers but at the end of the day can get around pretty well and be reasonably self-sufficient without it.

[Snarf]

Points can already be gotten just by lowering his strength and constitution and such. Only if he was legless or something would you absolutely need to use a physical limitation.

[zornwil]

Originally posted by Snarf

Points can already be gotten just by lowering his strength and constitution and such. Only if he was legless or something would you absolutely need to use a physical limitation.

 

This isn't about how many points he gets, it's about whether the character is disadvantaged significantly compared to a normal person when deprived of his bed. As I understand it, he is. Last I looked, physical limitations didn't require so dramatic a requirement as "no legs" to be applied, although by all means legless would be worth a lot greater disad than bedless and infirm.

[Snarf]

I'm just saying it sounds a little like double dipping. A STR of 0 already makes you helpless and infirm. I would either get the low stat or the limitation but not both.

 

It sounded to me like leaving the vehicle doesn't take away the strength, so to speak, but entering it gives him strength. I could be missing the point here, but a disadvantage seems redundant.

 

This could be a good topic to debate. Is there such a thing as a redundant disadvantage?

[zornwil]

Originally posted by Snarf

I'm just saying it sounds a little like double dipping. A STR of 0 already makes you helpless and infirm. I would either get the low stat or the limitation but not both.

 

It sounded to me like leaving the vehicle doesn't take away the strength, so to speak, but entering it gives him strength. I could be missing the point here, but a disadvantage seems redundant.

 

This could be a good topic to debate. Is there such a thing as a redundant disadvantage?

 

Well, that's a good point, if all his stats reflect his state then I suppose it would be fair to say. I guess it just depends on how he "acts" outside the context of his bed. So maybe it would be double-dipping.

 

And now you raise a favorite peeve of mine in HERO - because of the many points for disads encouraged, I see way too many characters with waht I consider dup disads such as Psych Lim "Afraid of fire" and Vulnerability "to fire". That's stupid - if he's vulnerable of COURSE he's afraid! Someone pointed out to me and I agree that if his fear goes way beyond his vulnerability, i.e., he goes shrieking when someone lights a cigarette, then fair enough. But I see a lot of that. Also things like Psych Lim "Devotion to Duty" and "Follows Orders" - again MAYBE it could be justified but only in extreme circumstances.

 

But when you force players to produce 100+ points in disads (which I do not and never have) that's often what you get.

 

So yes, there are redundant disads.

[Hitchhiker]

Originally posted by zornwil

Well, that's a good point, if all his stats reflect his state then I suppose it would be fair to say. I guess it just depends on how he "acts" outside the context of his bed. So maybe it would be double-dipping.

 

Originally posted by Snarf It sounded to me like leaving the vehicle doesn't take away the strength, so to speak, but entering it gives him strength. I could be missing the point here, but a disadvantage seems redundant.

 

You're right. All his stats remain the same if he leaves the bed and he doesn't gain increased characteristics when he enters it. But as soon as he sits in his bed, all the powers from it are available for him. Without his bed, he's somehow like a turtle without its protecting shell.