House rules for Comliness - critique, please

[pinecone]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

And you can add in lims from TUV...."Badonkadonk" +2D6/+2 180 degrees: rear facing...

[Enforcer84]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

I've never had a problem with Comeliness. I use it in much the way you do but without perks.

 

To each their own of course.

[Beast]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

what works for you

 

I see no need to not use Com

I don't need to remember any player's Com

it is on the character sheet in the characteristics section

no need to hunt through the character's perks or talents to find them

Com will either be used as the base roll or complementary roll

[Sean Waters]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

I think doing it as a Talent has merit since it allows for offsetting Appearance and Resistance Talents. An argument could be made that someone who has an Appearance Talent like Great Body +1d6/+1 could be offset by the Resistance Talent Unfriendly (resists Seduction) by expanding the Resistance effect slightly to say it provides +3 PRE only for resisting COM-modified friendly PRE attacks (a -2 Limitation at a guess).

 

I'd suggest that COM is already built as a talent i.e. it is in fact limtied PRE, with the limtiation value already figured in. I'd suggest that how that limited PRE manifests is just sfx.

 

Just because someone is beautiful doesn't automatically make them more immune to appeals to their vanity. At a point per plus' date=' Resistance also fits in nicely to the idea of Hero defenses costing less than attacks. It would also enable greater customization over just using generic COM.[/quote']

 

You are quite right, someone who is good looking may well react favourably to appeals to vanity, even though they have heard it a thousand times before, but then would likely react badly to intimidation or persuasion based on an opponent's good looks - in a contest of who is prettiest they always think they are - it is basically just sfx manifestation.

[prestidigitator]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

I often use Com instead of Pre when the character isn't actively trying to impress others (sort of a passive/Persistant form of Pre). In some limited cases (biggest example being for first impressions) I use a Com roll as Complimentary or give Com/5 bonus dice to a Presence Attack when the character IS actively working at it.

[Kdansky]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

Looks cool, though I have now resorted to "you may use a COM roll as a Complementary Roll". Very simple, very clean. Or I just give +1 per 5 COM when it works (basically COM becomes "+1 to social rolls (5cp), Only Vs Opposite Sex (-1)")

 

Simple, clean, easy and fair pointwise.

[Maur]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

Why only vs opposite sex? You don't think those of the same sex react differently based on the looks of those they are talking to?

[Kdansky]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

Well, it's more a "This will only have an effect on half the population", which is mainly the opposite sex (or the same in case of homosexuals, but that is obvious, isn't it), sometimes it won't be, for example if you look pretty and try to bribe someone, chances are, it won't help much, but if you try to get some information, it might even work on the same sex. In the end, I think it's about useful half the time, therefore half the cost I go so far as to assume that a pretty woman will have a bigger effect on men than a pretty man will have on a women, based on the general oppinion that men react more strongly to looks.

 

Yes, it's handwaved a lot, for practicality. And very rarely, it might even backfire due to jealousy.

[Watchman-BN]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

Here's an interesting scenario to run through this matrix:

 

My campaign has a powered armor hero who has a physical limitation that he shocks people when he makes skin-to-skin contact. For this and other reasons, the character is rarely out of his powered armor. (Yes, this reduces the value of the disad and limits his roleplay options.)

 

The character sheet obviously has a comeliness score, but the character's looks and even his voice--because of a suit voice modulator--are non-factors during almost all interactions. I suppose we could say his armor is "pretty", but that seems...odd. What would you do? Give him a limitation on his COM?

 

And yet, there have been times when the NPC's see him out of his armor and surprised to see that he has lovely eyes and a kind smile, etc. So his char score is a real, vital thing to the character.

 

How I've handled COM Depending on the interaction, I'll add modifiers or dice, or both, and usually also alter the pre-disposition to the NPC. I emphasize COM specifically because I think munchkins de-emphasize it and it is rewarding to see their failed interaction attempts with the alien princess while the pretty boy can succeed with much less effort.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

And you can add in lims from TUV...."Badonkadonk" +2D6/+2 180 degrees: rear facing...

 

I'd rep you but I'm out.

 

I'd suggest that COM is already built as a talent i.e. it is in fact limtied PRE, with the limtiation value already figured in. I'd suggest that how that limited PRE manifests is just sfx.

 

 

 

You are quite right, someone who is good looking may well react favourably to appeals to vanity, even though they have heard it a thousand times before, but then would likely react badly to intimidation or persuasion based on an opponent's good looks - in a contest of who is prettiest they always think they are - it is basically just sfx manifestation.

 

I've always tried to take Com into consideration in situations where it is a factor, and am glad to see so many ideas about how to implement (or seamlessly eliminate) it.

[prestidigitator]

Re: House rules for Comliness - critique, please

 

The character sheet obviously has a comeliness score' date=' but the character's looks and even his voice--because of a suit voice modulator--are non-factors during almost all interactions. I suppose we could say his [i']armor[/i] is "pretty", but that seems...odd. What would you do? Give him a limitation on his COM?

 

And yet, there have been times when the NPC's see him out of his armor and surprised to see that he has lovely eyes and a kind smile, etc. So his char score is a real, vital thing to the character.

 

I'd say the Disadvantage is being disadvantageous, even if it is mostly because it is keeping the character from being able to use the comeliness he paid for some of the time. You can pay lots of character points for an Energy Blast that you have never decided to use in-game. Does that mean you should be refunded the points? (Well, maybe if you work out a way to give up the Energy Blast too, but anyway....) If the player feels bad about investing the points in something he's not using, he could probably come up with more inventive--or at least interesting--ways to overcome the disadvantage, or even have it manifest now and then. Or maybe he could install new options for his faceplate and voice modulator. Or maybe he could have an accident with a nasty flask of acid....

 

Just some ideas. If there's REALLY a substantial limit on the Com, and you truly feel the Disadvantage is being disadvantageous enough in other ways, perhaps a limit on the Com could be appropriate too. It's your game, and you know the feel of it best.