Limited Lifespan

[Karmakaze]

I've always felt a little odd about the good old Life Support: Extended Lifespan.

 

On the one hand, if it makes sense for a character, then it's only a few points. On the other hand, unless your campaign will be lasting longer than a human lifespan or rapid-aging attacks are common, it's kind of a non-issue.

 

Conversely, what if you have a character from a short-lived race, or has a terminal illness. Do you buy the disad "reduced lifespan" even if the projected death date is well past the projected end-of-campaign? Is it a PhysLim? Do you just sell back 1 point of everyman Life Support?

[Vondy]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

You have a point - unless the game will cover a long enough span of time for the Truncated or Extended Life Span to come into play, then it probably doesn't merit the outlay or points, or the points gained via the disadvantage. You're basically applying the maxim "a limitation that does not limit isn't worth any points" in reverse: "an advantage that doesn't give an advantage isn't an advantage." It makes sense, and is food for thought.

 

On the other hand, such things can come into play in some genres, even where the game doesn't span a large period of time. An immortal character hit with an aging effect with just shrug, for example, and if the game does span a reasonable period of time (a decade or to) its possible that it will create a problem in societies where they might be viewed as freaks or demons or some such. How long can Miss Gorgeous look 20 without questions popping up? I don't mention ignoring the age disadvantage because that's optional. All in all you have a point, however. In a game that doesn't span a long period of time and where no aging effects come into play (a good percentage of them), then the power (or limitation) is essentially pointless.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

Flare was written up with a Disadvantage that she aged twice as fast as normal. It was a psychological limitation, on the basis that it had no real physical impact, as you note, but that she was concerned and would be drawn towards possibilities for reversing the problem.

 

As for the LS: Lengthened Lifespan, either make it worth something in the game (a defense against aging attacks, perhaps) or charge nothing for it would be my choices. I suspect the other players would be a bit unhappy if you said "OK, it's 75 years later. Anyone without LS: Extended Lifespan needs a new character with no XP while the others continue using their more powerful characters."

[schir1964]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

You have a point...

Ditto.

 

Summed up very nicely Von D-Man.

 

- Christopher Mullins

[CraterMaker]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

For that matter, Does Not Age falls into the same category (tho it's slightly more useful, of course..). The aging issue only came up in our games when Time Travel did. It was, like Flare (rep to you for bringing this up), more of a mental mindset than a physical "Power".

 

On the other hand, it's only a few points, and I'd pay a few points for "Membership In Mensa".. But I'm wierd like that.

 

-CraterMaker

[Sean Waters]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

Extended lifespan is cheap and I sometimes just buy it to justify my character write up, or because I like the idea of them still being around in 300 years time. I can't remember any character I've ever played getting any real value out of it (no aging rays, no huge gaps in the narrative), save kudos. By and large that is enough.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

Another small in-game reward I'd use for characters who've lived a long life already - occasionally, something from that experience helps them out. If the comics are any guide, they've likely at least heard of other long-lived characters, if not encountered them in the past.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

Another small in-game reward I'd use for characters who've lived a long life already - occasionally' date=' something from that experience helps them out. If the comics are any guide, they've likely at least heard of other long-lived characters, if not encountered them in the past.[/quote']

 

You could treat it as a sort of variable contact pool, but that kinda begs the question, 'why not buy it as contacts?'

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

You could treat it as a sort of variable contact pool' date=' but that kinda begs the question, 'why not buy it as contacts?'[/quote']

 

It need not be someone who would actually be a contact. And they won;'t have ongoing acess, or even a favour, from the individual. It could even be an old conflict.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

I suppose, as it is a power, you could make a 'power tricks' roll to get some 'lived for ages' related knowledge.

 

Mind you that is a bit unfair on those recently born immortals.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

If someone wanted some control, the Power Skill idea is a good one. A recently-born immortal should get some other in-game advantage from time to time, or don't charge him for this because it's just going to be background anyway.

[Karmakaze]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

This originally came up when I was working on a concept of a character whose superpowers were killing her. The fact that she'd been quoted an amount of time left to her was a part of the concept. I couldn't quite wrap my head around "PsysLim: Three Months to Live" -- especially as these things, in genre, tend of get extensions as the story demands. Alternately, I'd considered talking to the GM about having a second character written up and just let the deadline play out...

 

Arguably for a short-lived race, a SocLim could cover it, as others might not want to enter into long-term contracts with the character, or disrespect their shorter life experience.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Limited Lifespan

 

In another game, a long time ago, we decided that everyone had 1000 life points and that they lost them at a rate appropriate to their race so humans lost 2d10 a year or somesuch*. That way you had no idea what your lifespan was until you got real close to the end.

 

This was a fantasy game and all magic involved the expenditure fo life energy - either your own or that of others - which explained why there were so many black magicians about and why all the white ones were old and did not like doing magic. it also explained why the long lived elves did not tend to have necessarily progressed much further in magic than humans - learning will take you so far but the practice is a problem, and an elf is losing a LOT more than a human with each spell (well the same number of points translates to a lot more years lost anyway).

 

You could start off with a certain number of points for the character's 'life energy' and subtract, say, however many points of END they use on powers, as a side effect. You might say that 'casual power use' does not attract this loss - so anything under half their normal AP, and it does not age them. It is pushing yourself that burns you out.

 

Anyway, it is an idea.

 

 

 

 

*OK that gives a longer than average lifespan, but injury and disease also caused loss of points, so it balanced out.