Naanomi Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Say you have a character who has something widely known about them... that is utterly false. Not something harmful (which could be Negative Reputation or the like) but something that could be used to your advantage. One character, who was a flashy gadgeteer stage magician, was well known to have awesome magic powers, and was concidered a legitimate practitioner of magic by the occult community... both utter BS. We had a Reputation perk which covered it well. Now, however, a character is joining the team who has taken over the persona and powers of her villainous father. Her father had big, well known weaknesses to bright lights and light based attacks. She, however, does not... and is in no hurry to advertise this fact. She also has the acting skill to ham it up enough to keep people buying it for a long time. Reputation didn't seem to fit (the +PRE/Interaction skills really didn't mechanically convey a false weakness). Any other thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: False Personal Information I'd keep it as some type of perk. Sounds a lot like the relationship between Ms. Martian & Martian Manhunter (in the comics at least). She essentially presents herself as a 'Martian' Supergirl but is in fact a 'white martian' with some different abilities and weaknesses than 'green martians'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starcloud Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: False Personal Information Hm. It does sound like a complication.. that isn't a complication. So make it a Reputation or a Social Complication and give it a custom adder to bring it to 0 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: False Personal Information I think the Acting Skill is enough to continue convincing people of what is essentially a really cool Background Hook. Not everything needs be expressed in points - that's a trap to make sure you not get caught in. If you really want, a few Acting Skill Levels (Only To Play Up Light Weakness) can be bought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naanomi Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: False Personal Information I think the Acting Skill is enough to continue convincing people of what is essentially a really cool Background Hook. Not everything needs be expressed in points - that's a trap to make sure you not get caught in. If you really want' date=' a few Acting Skill Levels (Only To Play Up Light Weakness) can be bought.[/quote'] The ability to keep the act is in skills... but there has to be some advantage to every enemy pulling the lasers and floodlights on me when they could be doing something more productive... or trapping me 'powerless' in a bright-lit room when I am captured. I *love* wasting points on 'every little thing' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: False Personal Information You know, buy an Alternate Identity Perk defined as "That's Right, I'm Just Like My Dad!" -- it is a lot like an alt ID in that people think you are something you're not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: False Personal Information Or maybe a low-powered shape-shift vs. the "detect BS" sense group? (with a skill roll limitation, of course!) Yes, Detect BS is one of the "normal" senses, with the range, sense and transmit adders built-in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Re: False Personal Information I'd probably class it as Reputation, with a note that it has a "nonstandard effect." And after all, Acting IS an "Interaction Skill." Probably adjust the cost down a little. Lucius Alexander has a reputation for putting a palindromedary in every tagline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naanomi Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Re: False Personal Information I like the 'Deep Cover' type perk... it *is* fundamentally a perk of false public knowledge about the 'real you', not hard to redirect it towards what I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccabe Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Re: False Personal Information What about "False Identity " from Dark Champions, seems close to what you're trying to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prestidigitator Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Re: False Personal Information Hmm. If she's so adamant about keeping up the illusion of those weaknesses, it's almost acting like a weakness anyway, since she really cannot act in a way that someone with the weakness couldn't. Thus I'd think twice about charging points for it. Maybe a Social Complication along the lines of, "has a dark secret," but not so extreme. But I'd personally be inclined to just make it part of the character's background, myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prestidigitator Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Re: False Personal Information Hmm. Another thought puzzle. What if a character was believed by a local community (e.g. a village) to be the king? That character would certainly enjoy a lot of social benefits...for a little while. They would constantly be having to maintain the lie, and would have to become more and more fearful of getting caught out over time. Certainly any time soldiers or messengers or the like who might have seen or know about the true king and his whereabouts come through town, the character is going to have to scramble. And when they ARE caught, they are going to have a "royal" mess to deal with: debts incurred, hatred from every corner, perhaps even a lynch mob and being hunted by legal authorities. Should this character have to pay for the initial "advantage"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naanomi Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Re: False Personal Information The 'False King' Scenario seems easier to me because the 'benefits' of being a king (Wealth, Reputation, Fringe Benefits, a Castle/Base, Followers) are easier to determine than the benefit of 'incorrect weaknesses'. I would buy all the 'perks' of being King, then either limit them or have a big Social Complication: Secret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Re: False Personal Information I would also use the Reputation Perk ... maybe something like "Daughter of Character X" ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Re: False Personal Information If it's a well-known true weakness, that would fall under Reputation as a Disad/Complication. Since it's well-known, but not true, people would presumably waste at least a few attacks trying to take advantage of the weakness, so it's a net plus for the character. Buy it as positive Reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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