Total Amnesia

[Michael Hopcroft]

Yesterday in Chat I ran into an interesting problem of how you play and run a character who has Total Amnesia -- the character has no idea who he is, and doesn't know what he can do until he does it. Thus a character can have, for example, mad combat skills that make him one of the most dangerous men alive -- and not even know it until people who harass him start to die.

 

One suggestion was that the GM keep the character sheet, but that's a sort of metagame issue.

 

As far as what goes ON the character sheet, I suggested Total Amnesia as a Physical Complication (All the Time, Greatly Impairing) for 30 points. It's a Physical Complication in my opinion because it's not something you can overcome with willpower like a Psych Comp; you can't will yourself to remember what you've forgotten.

 

So what are people's opinions on how to handle this complication?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

To simulate the powers you could add No Conscious Control at the -1 Level, or heck even the full -2. The GM just tells you when they turn on.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

To simulate the powers you could add No Conscious Control at the -1 Level' date=' or heck even the full -2. The GM just tells you when they turn on.[/quote']

 

You know, that would be a nasty problem to have. Imagine a spellcaster whose spells go off seemingly at random whenever he's upset, and who doesn't know why or how he can cast spells.

[Beast]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

I have a character how has Total Amnesia

for her,her body knows

she just has not shown all her powers

it is a great way to show new powers with in a theme

 

but once a character sees a power they can do you would need to buy off the limitation unless they are a slow learner

 

look how long it to Peter Parker in Spider-man 1 to learn how to use his webs,leaping,dodging,spidey sense and climbing

once the character figures out the basis of his powers

learning them will go quick unless they are a slow learner

 

Piety saw the pedestal she was on has musical instruments on it(she had been a statue for an unknown amount of time)

when she found her's inside and held them ,she held them like a pro her body knew how to hold and use them

 

if you want to buy off a big limatation(unless it is on an MP slot)it is going to take a long time for the character to buy them off especially if they are major powers

I could see it for those powers that the GM might has said that they are way to powerful for that game and now they are under GM control are more manageable

 

I think it would be better played as an role playing element/disadvantage/complication

[Sean Waters]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

In practice whether the player knows what the character can do, or only the GM does is a matter of 'which way are people going to enjoy it more?'.

 

I've played it both ways in the past and either can be a good experience. I would not consider withholding the sheet 'metagamey', almost the opposite and some players prefer that approach.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

Well, you could just hand the GM a tabula rasa character sheet and say "75 points of Mystery Complications and 400 points of Mystery Powers, please". You would have to fill in the character sheet as you go, learning various aspects of the character's abilities.

 

Not for everyone (and way more work for the GM), but it could be an interesting character, or campaign (although I see the latter degenerating into "I cut myself - do I heal faster?", "I'm trying to fly to the ceiling" if the players are not into the spirit of the game).

[torchwolf]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

A variant also works: a partly filled-out character sheet that represents to the player "this is what you know about yourself and your abilities up to this points", giving some Char (or an estimated range; "you have a Competent INT") and filling it out as the player discovers his abilities (and especially Complications: "you felt kinda angry when Joe criticized German foreign policies, so you may have some personal opinion on that subject").

 

Amnesiacs with sudden flashbacks are wonderful for plot hooks.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

A variant also works: a partly filled-out character sheet that represents to the player "this is what you know about yourself and your abilities up to this points", giving some Char (or an estimated range; "you have a Competent INT") and filling it out as the player discovers his abilities (and especially Complications: "you felt kinda angry when Joe criticized German foreign policies, so you may have some personal opinion on that subject").

 

Amnesiacs with sudden flashbacks are wonderful for plot hooks.

 

A partial approach is another option, but it seemed the post wanted a total amnesiac. Of course, the partial character sheet would start to fill out as he discovered things about himself anyway.

 

The GM could also spend some or all of his xp as more abilities he's always had but hasn't yet rediscovered.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

Another idea, create a character with a Power and Skill set a full 100 points over the campaign limit. Have the GM not only go over it, but remove everything, and hand back a Character sheet with Characteristics only.

 

The GM then doles out what the character knows, and since the character was built with more points than the campaign limit they don't know what they'll get, some of the powers will be left off eventually. Especially as the player might start to change how they attempt things in play, possibly creating new powers.

 

This way the player has some idea of what to work with (a bit metagamey) but isn't utterly reliant on the GM (removing some work from the GMs plate). They can attempt things to try and trigger Powers they built earlier. Heck the GM may even start handing out some of those at lesser levels too.

[Utech]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

The most interesting aspect of total amnesia is probably not the characteristics or powers, but the skills. Create a skill-heavy character and you'll have lots of time for the character to work out what he can do.

 

BOURNE

I fought my way out of an embassy.

I climbed down a fifty-foot wall --

I went out the window and I was

doing it -- I just did it. I knew

how to do it.

 

MARIE

People do amazing things when

they're scared.

 

BOURNE

Why do I? -- I come in here --

instinctively -- first thing I

do -- I'm looking for the exit --

I'm catching the sightlines -- I

know I can't sit with my back to

the door --

 

MARIE

You're paranoid. You were shot.

It's natural.

 

She's not listening. He leans in. Flat out now.

 

BOURNE

I can tell you the license plate

numbers of all three cars out front.

I can tell you that the waitress is

left-handed and the guy at the

counter weighs two-hundred and

fifteen pounds and knows how to

handle himself. I know that the

best, first place to look for a gun

is the cab of that grey truck

outside. I know that at this

altitude I can run flat out for

half a mile before I lose my edge.

I knew that you were my first, best

option out of Zurich? How do I

know all that? How can I know all

that and not know who I am? How is

that possible?

 

[torchwolf]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

A partial approach is another option, but it seemed the post wanted a total amnesiac. Of course, the partial character sheet would start to fill out as he discovered things about himself anyway.

 

The GM could also spend some or all of his xp as more abilities he's always had but hasn't yet rediscovered.

 

Hmm. True, but I would think that the PC would get a sense of some Char as soon as he looked in a mirror (many normally visible Distinctive Features, possibly Striking Appearance), started interacting with others (a sense of if INT and PRE was higher or lower than that of those he met, what Language the PC reads and speaks and how well if not native, maybe an Interaction Skill if not the exact Roll); motor skills would probably be remembered as soon a relevant situation occured; possibly habitual behavior like a former convict shielding his food when he eats - all of which may be clues and not necessarily obvious to either the PC or the player, but may be picked up by others and commented upon, which would be hints to the player... darn, I'd like to play an amnesiac right now. I like mysteries.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

Since I would expect the character to re-learn whatever abilities they had/have pretty darn quickly in a campaign, I'd allow at most a 5-point Complication they must buy off at some point TBD by the GM when they have enough points. I might impose temporary Requires a Roll or No Conscious Control conditions or the like, but it'd be a temporary plot device, not full Limitations unless the player really wants to take the time/experience to "fully re-learn" the abilities over a long period of time.

 

Otherwise, I'd simply restrict the Skills (particularly Knowledge and Professional Skills) the character starts with, and possibly the roll on any Contacts they have (since the contact would probably have to find them, not the other way around; or the character might find the contact in their address book but forgot details about how to get ahold of them, how they should talk when they do, etc.).

[Sean Waters]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

Total Amnesia is probably a bit much really:

 

Marie: You'll be needing trousers - you seem to have forgotten all about social conventions!

 

Bourne: Blubble?

 

Marie: And speech, bladder control....

 

The way to do this would be to decide how often it is a problem, how much of a problem, and work from there. In essence it is letting the GM write your background and (probably) several of your Complications.

 

At one level it is nothing more than a plot device (and worth a few points at best) and at the other it could cover all of your complications and then some - and get you killed because you had no idea The Plastic Surgeon was hunting you, until he opens your jugular.

[Greywind]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

...makes me glad you aren't my plastic surgeon...

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

I've had a character with "total amnesia" since before 4th edition. He knows what all his powers are, but no who he is/was. He's learned just about everything else about his current life, except for the who and why. Who is he? Where did he come from? How exactly did he get his powers? Why is VIPER hunting him? What was he doing in the lab where he was found? Is there a "cure"?

[Sean Waters]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

I'm sorry, I've forgotten what this thread was about...

[Markdoc]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

...makes me glad you aren't my plastic surgeon...

 

Hey, if he'd paid his bill, he'd be fine....

 

cheers, Mark

[Markdoc]

Re: Total Amnesia

 

I actually ran a game where all of the PCs were amnesiacs. I asked them to outline - in a general way - what the focus of their character would be (actually, I got them to choose a Tarot card to represent their character).

 

I made up the characters and held the sheets, giving the players only the obvious facts (physical appearance, etc) and a few teaser hints (You feel like you have been here before ... etc)

 

Then I started all of the PCs seperately with a few solo sessions, allowing them to meet up, one by one as the plot advanced. Since they all had unusual powers and all had complete amnesia, and somebody seemed to be trying to capture or harm all of them, they had a strong incentive to band together to try and work out what was going on.

 

It was a pretty cool game, if I do say so myself

 

cheers, Mark