Variable disadvantage

[Tech]

How would you build a disadvantage that changes whenever the villain shows up?

 

2x Stun from......

 

What the villain takes 2x Stun from changes each episode. Also, how much would this be worth?

[tesuji]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

How would you build a disadvantage that changes whenever the villain shows up?

 

2x Stun from......

 

What the villain takes 2x Stun from changes each episode. Also, how much would this be worth?

 

this depends on what it changes to?

 

if it changes to "powers this villain lacks" then its worth didly squat.

 

if it changes to "powers this villain has and likes to use" then it is worth very common plus the normal amount for 2xstun.

 

if its something in between basically decide how often you think it will shift to something that matters and use that as the frequency.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

if it's random I'd just put a -5 on the Disadvantage to reflect that the Hero probably can't get caught by the same thing twice, but he still has a Vulnerability to deal with, and may not even know what it is at any given time!

 

If they can choose, -10 points on the Vulnerability Disadvantage.

 

And I'd be inclined to treat everything as Common just because it's a good place to start.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

Does the victim of the vulnerability know what the random flavor of the week is?

 

Because it makes a difference.

[Tech]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

There's been some misunderstanding: it is a supervillain who has this disadvantage. No, no one will be aware of what it is on a particular day, including the villain who has it. I'm inclined to go with 20 pts for 2x Stun for a Common effect. A list will be created and a D6 rolled whenever the villain shows up to see what the vulnerability is.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

I find it instructive to ask myself "if a player wanted this for his character, what point cost would I assign it?". If my answer is "I would never allow this for a PC", that suggests I should strongly consider why it should be allowed to be used against them.

[Tech]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

I find it instructive to ask myself "if a player wanted this for his character' date=' what point cost would I assign it?". If my answer is "I would never allow this for a PC", that suggests I should strongly consider why it should be allowed to be used against them.[/quote']

 

I don't see this disadvantage as being a problem and I'd have no problem letting a PC have it. I think it's a refreshing vulnerability in originality. However, I plan to give this to a villain I'll GM. I'll make it worth 20 points, as it's the mid point between 2x Stun - Uncommon at 10 pts and 2x Stun - Very Common at 30 pts.

[tesuji]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

There's been some misunderstanding: it is a supervillain who has this disadvantage. No' date=' no one will be aware of what it is on a particular day, including the villain who has it. I'm inclined to go with 20 pts for 2x Stun for a Common effect. A list will be created and a D6 rolled whenever the villain shows up to see what the vulnerability is.[/quote']

 

the question then basically boils down to "how many f the sfx listed are either A - in the pc capabilities or b - commonly available (like electric power lines ) and thus likely to play a role.

 

A long list of SFX "that the pcs dont have access to" makes it a near meaningless, and thus pointless, disad. if half the list is pc available then i would list it as common as in likely to occur half the time.

[Tech]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

the question then basically boils down to "how many f the sfx listed are either A - in the pc capabilities or b - commonly available (like electric power lines ) and thus likely to play a role.

 

A long list of SFX "that the pcs dont have access to" makes it a near meaningless, and thus pointless, disad. if half the list is pc available then i would list it as common as in likely to occur half the time.

 

Assumptions, assumptions. I don't powerGM (the flipside of powergaming). I will use this disadvantage. I could have a villain with 2x Stun from Aluminum Siding and it'd be a valid disadvantage: I use disadvantages. If a villain has a disadvantage or vulnerability not in the pc capabilities, it doesn't mean it won't be used, but it also doesn't mean it will be used every episode either. It also means it's a valid disadvantage, not invalid.

 

As I use them, a disadvantage for a villain is not necessarily something that is in the PC's cabilities of causing to occur, whether susceptibility, vulnerability or what not but merely something that will disadvantage that villain. A good GM will use a disadvantage whether the pc's can use it or whether it happens from a different source. Besides, having GM'd for so long, I've seen vulnerabilities, susceptibilities and psych limits, just to name a few, come into play in ways I'd never would have thought of. Players - the joy and bane of any GM, gotta love 'em.

[tesuji]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

 

Assumptions, assumptions.

i wasn't aware i was making any assumptions. What assumptions did you think i made?

I don't powerGM (the flipside of powergaming).

never said or implied you did.

I will use this disadvantage.

and so if you will make sure the disadvantrage occurs in play, why are you asking how much its worth when you have already decided how it will occur?

I could have a villain with 2x Stun from Aluminum Siding and it'd be a valid disadvantage: I use disadvantages. If a villain has a disadvantage or vulnerability not in the pc capabilities, it doesn't mean it won't be used, but it also doesn't mean it will be used every episode either. It also means it's a valid disadvantage, not invalid.

see my above quote as i covered two cases - hardly ever occuring and occurs half the time. i actually did not cover "every session" but i figured you could extrapolate it out.

As I use them, a disadvantage for a villain is not necessarily something that is in the PC's cabilities of causing to occur, whether susceptibility, vulnerability or what not but merely something that will disadvantage that villain.

see above - where i mentioned things available by environment - electric cables for instance.

 

while the more generic "disadvantage can be used in a broader sense, i find the specific vulnerability is very dependent on whether or not the pc have the capabilities to make it occur, or to tap the environment/scenery.

 

A good GM will use a disadvantage whether the pc's can use it or whether it happens from a different source. Besides, having GM'd for so long, I've seen vulnerabilities, susceptibilities and psych limits, just to name a few, come into play in ways I'd never would have thought of. Players - the joy and bane of any GM, gotta love 'em.

yes the broader category of disads are as flexible as you say. IMX however, perhaps i am not so good a gm, vulnerabilities like 2xstun are rather much limited by pc capability and environment.

 

but again, if as gm you control or determine or otherwise can insure as you claim that the vuln will be occuring in such and such a manner, then dont you already have the answer as to cost? you have effect costed and frequency?

 

it seems like you took the first part of y sentence, the part about it not occuring being meaningles/pointless, and ran with that to imagine i was implying you were a power gamer. I note the very next part gave you a 50/50 meausre. I was merely giving you two benchmarks for cost, not making assumptions.

 

well i did make one assumptions - i was assuming the question of "what does it cost" assumed you did not have an idea on what the frequency was, since the only issue left for pricing was frequency(you had 2xstun already). That assumption seems to have been in error???

[Tech]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

In no particular order:

- I didn't have any idea of how much the disadvantage might be worth when I first wrote this, hence asking in this thread

- I didn't imply you said I powergamed. Just referring to my style of GM'ing; nothing more, nothing less. As there have been threads about GM playing styles, I merely mentioned mine thinking back to that thread.

- I decided to use it and gave it's cost after thinking about it and listening to the suggestions given

- The only possible assumption I looked at (to which I have no problem saying 'I was wrong' for assuming an assumption) is a possible long list of SFX the players don't have access to. The rules are clear that disadvantages that don't disadvantage aren't disadvantages so I was befuddled by the notion that a created list of vulnerable SFX might contain useless SFX, thus making it not a disadvantage.

- All is okay, no arguments here.

[Blackberry]

Re: Variable disadvantage

 

This is interesting. What is it in the nature of this character that they have a randomized Vulnerability?