Distinctive Features and Multiform

[Psylint]

Looking for advice on how to cost/model various characters with Distinctive Features.

 

1. Character has a demonic visage, very creepy including wings and talons, but uses invisibility regularly.

 

Personally I think this is okay, because I conceive of the disadvantage of distinctive features being a social one, but I'd like input from other perspectives. From my perspective, easily concealed means that the distinctive character can talk to Joe the Mailman without Joe freaking out.

 

2. A character like the Hulk who has a form with very distinctive features, but isn't around all the time.

 

3. Ego Signatures: e.g. Bob the Jedi looks like an average Joe, but when he engages in combat he has a very distinctive style that anyone trained in martial arts is bound to recognize.

 

Maybe I just need more coffee.

 

 

Thanks

[tesuji]

Re: Distinctive Features and Multiform

 

Looking for advice on how to cost/model various characters with Distinctive Features.

 

1. Character has a demonic visage, very creepy including wings and talons, but uses invisibility regularly.

 

Personally I think this is okay, because I conceive of the disadvantage of distinctive features being a social one, but I'd like input from other perspectives. From my perspective, easily concealed means that the distinctive character can talk to Joe the Mailman without Joe freaking out.

 

2. A character like the Hulk who has a form with very distinctive features, but isn't around all the time.

 

3. Ego Signatures: e.g. Bob the Jedi looks like an average Joe, but when he engages in combat he has a very distinctive style that anyone trained in martial arts is bound to recognize.

 

Maybe I just need more coffee.

 

 

Thanks

 

Working from a modern day supers perspective - it would vary with setting of course

 

demonic visage would likely be common and strong reaction for about 15 cp

 

 

hulk would be applied to the hulk form only and be similar to demon, unless the large hulk isn't fearsome, in which case it would

 

jedi iirc is somewhat covered by rule using "noticeable by those with specialized training" but in general unless the knowledge of jedi training is very widespread i would have it be small group. However the quyestion becomes "so what"? Does being spotted as a jedi provide some disadvantage? Is their prejudice against them? Do you gain bonuses in combat if you know they are jedi? If not, then what disadvantaghe is there. For instance, you cannot take a disad for "DF: wears green" because wearing green doesn't disadvantage you, again unless wearing green (same for "is a martial artist")) is a societal negative. Supers dont get DF for being supers in many genres although particular types might, like mutants in a mutant-hostile/suspicious world like xmen.

[Greywind]

Re: Distinctive Features and Multiform

 

3. There's a Style disadvantage floating around somewhere for that...

[ghost-angel]

Re: Distinctive Features and Multiform

 

1. Full value, about 15 points as suggested

 

2. Normally if the DF only applies to one form of several I reduce the commonality by 1 step, if it's already at the lowest level I just reduce it by 5 points in value.

 

3. Distinctive Feature: Style applies the "Detectable By Large Group" modifier, unless it's a Martial Arts Campaign where that can be a big factor or you encounter a lot of martial artists, in which case it's at the normal level.

[Istaran]

Re: Distinctive Features and Multiform

 

As far as number 2 goes, I've wrestled with it a bit but I'd have to say it's probably worth the points it's normally listed at, but only to the form that has it. I'm not unsympathetic to G-A's position though.

With Multiform, you purchase the power to completely replace one character sheet with another. It lets you wipe out one set of advantages and disadvantages and replace it with a different set. The distinctive features Disad is already being limited by the fact you need to replace it with a different Disad (or just have less points) in your other form. Also, while you are in the form that has DF, you are distinctive. Multiform does not allow you to remove the penalties of DF except by removing DF from your character by switching to the other character sheet. Does Susceptibility or Vulnerability need to be adjusted because you don't take extra damage while you are using a different character sheet?

 

As for the Hulk example in particular, shifting to the Hulk form is a lot like pulling out a gun. At best it's like you're holding it and pointing it at the ground, not about to shoot someone. But even if the threat is not direct and immediate, it is still there and everyone recognizes it. You can't use that form without everyone being aware of the threat you pose.

 

(FWIW my own character has a comparable situation; his apparantly human form has no distinctive features, but his dragon form generally draws anti-mutant hate and has a reputation for violence as well as just being physically imposing to a degree on par with the Hulk (more from the sharp pointy bits than just raw muscle, though 40 str is nothing to sneeze at). He definitely has DF.)

 

As far as #3, DF has two modes of operation that make it function as a Disad. The first is when it triggers biases and so forth. If being a Jedi has a widespread social stigma in your campaign, then maybe it can qualify (or maybe that should be a Social Limitation?). The lesser usage is the "Noticed and Recognized" minimum level of the Disad. The basic point of it is that people can easily spread word of who you are and what you've done and have it come back to bite you later. When Arilendyscaex the dragon walks down the streets of Seattle, everyone will notice that they passed him on the street and will be able to point the police or the mob in his direction (depending on what he did -this- time). He can't hide in a crowd and escape detection. And when the police question witnesses to the incident at the 7-11 they may have 20 contradictory descriptions of him, but every one of them will be enough to pick out that it was him and not someone else.

Bob the Jedi, however, can generally ignore just about every limitation that Distinctive Features would provide, since even those who are looking for "that guy that fights like a Jedi" and know how to recognize what fighting like a Jedi looks like would not be able to pick him out of a crowd without engaging the crowd in combat. (And even then he could Conceal it by chosing to fight with simple punches and kicks as though he were an unskilled novice if he knew hiding his identity was more important than winning the fight.)