azato Posted November 6, 2010 Report Share Posted November 6, 2010 We are in Chicago in 1936. The character is Irish and we are looking for disads. I had this thought where the character is a functional alcoholic and that before the adventure he would have to make an ego roll and lose, say 1D6 in character points, if he fails. Those points could be taken from Dex and perhaps suffer negatives on certain skill rolls. What are some suggestions on how to best set this up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted November 6, 2010 Report Share Posted November 6, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Simple enough. Look up dependance in Fred. Substitute some other cha for stun and decide how quickly you want those points back. Only problem with this is that it means your character would only be functional when he's drunk. Is this what you wanted? If not you might want to treat it as a psych lim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azato Posted November 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... No, I want this to be a hindrance....that to stay sober is a problem. And if he isn't sober then he takes some penalties. It is like a cross between a psychological problem (has problems not drinking) with a physical problem (limitation when he is drunk) It may have to be a two step disadvantage, but that is, in some ways double dipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... I'd use Dependence, just in reverse. Rather than how difficult it is to obtain, set the point value by how hard it is to for the character to resist drinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starcloud Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Hmm. You have two parts here. The first part is that he has a psychological need to get drunk. The second part is that he is physically impaired when drunk. This isn't necessarily double dipping. In fact, in 6e Alcoholism is listed under an example for Dependence. (Must drink at least once an hour or suffer Incompetence) as a 15 point Addiction. So if he *doesn't* drink he suffers the effects of increasing Incompetence, and if he does, he suffers the effects of being drunk. (penalties to OCV and DCV for the most part (6e2, page 37 & 47)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azato Posted November 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Hmmm, need to read and think. @starcloud I don't know that I want the character disadvantaged either when he is sober and when he isn't. At that point it becomes trying to determine for each situation what you want him to be...almost like a multiform or muli-power for a disad. I know it is legal, but I don't think that is what I want. But i do appreciate the thoughts though. I will probably lean toward's @CO's advice. I was thinking of coming up with a custom Disad...at least this give me some guidelines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mackinder Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Actually, it puts me in mind of a 'WKRP In Cincinnatti' episode. The DJs are doing a community service piece about drink-driving. They have a guy from the local sheriff's department in their booth, with a reflex tester thingie, and the plan is that they will get drunk on-air and the guy will measure just how messed up their reflexes become. Trouble is that one of the DJs starts off with reflexes just this side of dead, and which actually get BETTER as he gets drunker - which upsets the guy from the sheriff's department considerably. Not familiar with 6th Ed, but it occurs to me that one could buy a selection of Perks/Powers/Abilities/Whatever (Luck, Skill Levels, extra defenses, etc.) with the Limitation that all of these only work when that character has had a skinful. (And, MAYBE, a totally different package for when sobriety is in force.... ) I realize this is not a disad, which is what is being asked for here, but it still may be worth consideration in conjunction with the right set of disads. Kind of a watered-down (so to speak ) Multiform - noting also that personality changes between one condition and the other are not unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccabe Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Actually, it puts me in mind of a 'WKRP In Cincinnatti' episode. The DJs are doing a community service piece about drink-driving. They have a guy from the local sheriff's department in their booth, with a reflex tester thingie, and the plan is that they will get drunk on-air and the guy will measure just how messed up their reflexes become. Trouble is that one of the DJs starts off with reflexes just this side of dead, and which actually get BETTER as he gets drunker - which upsets the guy from the sheriff;s department considerably. =QUOTE] That was "Doctor" Johnny Fever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mackinder Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherSkip Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Versus Venus Flytrap, who followed the standard progression expected. Gotta love Tim Reid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starcloud Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Hmmm' date=' need to read and think. @starcloud I don't know that I want the character disadvantaged either when he is sober and when he isn't.[/quote'] Being drunk is not a Disadvantage or Complication. It's a situational penalty. "Is he drunk? Then he suffers these effects." Even "functional" drunks aren't as functional as they might look and sound. That's what the penalties represent. And alcoholism is an addiction, represented by the increasing anxiety and distraction that *not* drinking incurs, thus the Incompetence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Re: How to portray alcoholism... Build two disads: one is the standard intoxication penalty. The other is a withdrawal symptom penalty, with negatives to DEX and INT rolls, and a huge but tightly-defined hit to EGO to resist taking a drink when it's available and a slightly lesser EGO penalty to avoid the distraction of looking for a drink when it's not at hand. Build the two disads so they are equal in value. Then at any time, the character has to be in one of the two states. He can go from dry and shaky to drunk with booze in a matter of ten-twenty minutes; he makes the reverse transition four hours after his last drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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