Hermit Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Note: Not a poll. I defy my addiction... for now I've heard a lot of discussion about CVKs and such in the past, and I once even put up a poll for your favorite character motivation. However, I was wondering what Pyschological limitations do you almost always find yourself getting for your characters(if any) and why? Near as I can tell, the most popular ones are: Code Vs Killing: Or some variation, life is precious to most super hero genres. It comes in degrees, moderate to total, but most players seem to think this is almost obvious. Protective of Innocents: Another big one, almost synonamous with being a hero. Overconfident: More popular with official published characters than PCs from what I've seen. Maybe it's just my group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Escafarc Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Actually I seem to take Overconfidence or it's opposite on almost every character. I just find it easy to roleplay and I find it useful(overconfidence that is) for getting the game moving again when it bogs down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 I often make characters with "Hatred of ", with the "something" being something that is a major trigger for that particular character, something he or she just can't stand. Usually it's something pretty egregious, like "those who harm children" or "racists" or "casual killers", and I tend to take it at either Strong or (more often) Total. I also like "ego signature" characters, those with a compulsion to leave behind a calling card of some sort. Finally, whenever I play the jokester/smart-ass sort of character (Hawkeye/Blue Beetle-inspired sorts), I usually stick them with something like "Total Compulsion to Make Smart Comments and Insult Opponents". That often results in said characters being the target of Enraged villains, of course, but it's the cost one sometimes has to pay for fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phydaux Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Hmm... Seems the ones I give CVK are the ones I don't give Overconfident. Hunter by Viper is a big one for me. At one time Quasar had "Hunted by Guys in Turtle Armor 14-" I left it up to the GM to figure out why. And in ~15 game sessions the Guys in Turtle Armor never showed up. There was this one guy in my old gaming group that would give his characters stuff like "Iritable Bowel Syndrome" and "Male Patern Baldness" and claim they were worth 5 points each. He was a git, though. I had a fantasy character once that I gave Curious, Impulsive and Overconfident. She didn't live through the first session, though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Protective of Innocents, CVK, Overconfidence are all pretty common. Basically all variations of "heroic" and "crazy enough to be a superhero" . Protective of X (children, teammates, etc.) In superheroic characters I am very unlikely to put in phobias - just seems against the grain. In a more comedic-themed campaign I likely would (Like Meteor Man in the movie being able to fly but afraid of heights, so he cruised around 3 feet from the ground...). Well, I sometimes will put in fears of X happening - "being blinded", "losing mental powers", etc but nothing like "Arachnophobia", etc. Wisecracker comes up in various forms as it's often hard for me as a player to resist my own smart-ass impulses, so it may as well be on the sheet. What can I say, Spider-Man is my heroic idol. Curious, or for scientists, Scientific Curiosity. Partly as GM helper - way to get into plots, get into trouble that is usually somewhat safer than Unluck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 20 pts -- Psych Lim: Takes All His/Her Responsibilities Seriously (Very Common, Strong) If you say you'll do something, you'll do it or die trying. If you have a duty, you will give your 110% to fulfill every part of that duty, both to the letter /and/ to the spirit. If you hold a position or an office, you will do your utmost to prepare for any rational contingency that that position might require you to handle. And if you lead men, you will take care of those men before you even start to take care of yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangog Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Bathophobia Ñ Afraid of deep water.Ê Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Re: Your favorite Psychological Limitation for your heroes? Originally posted by Hermit Note: Not a poll. I defy my addiction... for now Admiting it is the first step. I don't think I have any favorites. I do tend to change my disads later in the campaign to suit how I've been playing the character. In zornwil's game my charater wound up paranoid and alcholic. Neither of which were present during creation. Though I tend to let players nail down disadvantages later in the the campaign as well. I find the interaction with other PCs helps define the character as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshairCollie Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 99 percent of my characters have CvKs. My more recent ones have 'Takes His/Her Responsibilities Seriously', as I've been playing more dedicated sorts than 'hey, this hero biz is cool' sorts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 I don't take this one often (so far, I've only worked it onto one character that I play), but it is by far my favorite: "Firmly believes XXX to be his sidekick" (replace XXX with one of the other PCs). Much, much fun to play.....especially when you pick some stuffy or grumpy super as your patsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Arrow Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 It's got to be Code vs. Killing. By and large , it's the epitome of heroism (well, excluding the Iron Age). Virtually all of my heroes have had CvK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 What's important is how and if these common limitations are actually enforced. A good Protective of Innocents disad should be watched closely. 'Real' superheroes clear the battlefield of innocents or try to move the combat location away from civilians for instance. You shouldn't just be given a free 10-20 points simply because all heroes supposedly 'protect the innocent'. Let's see you actually DO it, instead of immediately jumping into glorious combat the second you get the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pteryx Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 My favorite Psych Lim... ...is any pairing thereof that'll often come into conflict. Especially if the conflict is RPed out rather than just rolled. -- Pteryx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 I created a superhero, who was a more of an ends justify the means type of guy. Always at odds with the cliche boy scout superhero of the group as you might imagine. Course as a joke I gave my guy hatred of clowns. Never came up though, they didnt exactly take me to the circus. Course i wish the Joker (or like villain) would have showed up might have been interesting. Course I imagine the Joker wouldnt be breaking out of Arkham every other Tuesday for a while:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rage Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Originally posted by Badger I created a superhero, who was a more of an ends justify the means type of guy. Always at odds with the cliche boy scout superhero of the group as you might imagine. Course as a joke I gave my guy hatred of clowns. Never came up though, they didnt exactly take me to the circus. Course i wish the Joker (or like villain) would have showed up might have been interesting. Course I imagine the Joker wouldnt be breaking out of Arkham every other Tuesday for a while:D So basicly you created the cliche gun(adamantium claws, explosive ping pong balls whatever) bunny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston GM Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Favorites, but not common. My favorite ones I use infrequently. They're special because they only crop up once in a while. Also, since I'm a GM, these tend to be applied to NPCs and villains. Weakness for beautiful ladies - common, strong. If you meet a beautiful lady, you want to take her to a fancy restaurant, a gallery opening, or a night at the opera. You'll even extend this invitation while she's trying to attack you, provided she's not being crass about it. Just imagine how your teammates will envy you when they discover that you posted bail for a villainess so she would be able to attend the dinner date you had arranged. Courteous - common, moderate. You always call people sir or ma'am. You always say please and thank you. You don't just shoot the intruders in your base. You politely ask them to leave first. This is especially entertaining when you give the psychlim to a ruthless villain. He regrets that you refuse to answer his questions, and he'll even mention that ... right before he sighs and blows up your head. Must humiliate opponents - common, strong. No explanation needed. This is just plain fun ... and it earns you a lot of hunteds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted November 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Houston, those are some great limitations One of my favorites had a variant of "Sucker for a pretty face". EDIT: Afraid I couldn't do the "Must Humilate" one though, just totally unlikable for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phydaux Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 I had a buddy who gave a character of his "Susceptibility to Coffee." He gave another "Vulnerable to Move Throughs" on the basis that "Nobody does Move Through attacks..." I killed that character by accident the very next session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Well, my cat character has these psych lims: Moody "pretty self explanatory" Toys with Prey : She'd wake up villians just so she could knock them out again. Agents hated her... My brick had "Defenses? What's that?" He wouldn't dodge, block, etc... Ice Pirate has "Curious" and a quirk that is "Ooo Shiny" And another character had a variant of Overconfidence: "In awe of own abilities" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Trying To Buy His Way Into Heaven combines real well with Devoutly Religious. The character does good deeds because he believes that this is the way to insure a pleasant afterlife. He is not necessarily a nice guy otherwise; he may be snide, condescending, and even insulting. But he does good deeds in the belief that God expects him to. This does not stop the character from being rude while "helping" others. In addition, the character may help one charity group, then refuse to give to another because he has already "done what he could" for charities. Another of my favorites is Little Man Syndrome. The character with this Psych Limit is the Barney Fife type... small and scrawny but never backs down from a fight, especially when its with someone who insults his height or size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BNakagawa Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 I am currently enjoying a character who is a cowardly hypochondriac who dislikes being touched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur Face Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Depends on Genre I Guess I'm mostly a Dark Champions - Wuxia - Ninja Hero kind of guy, so I almost always use Code of Vengeance, Floating Hunted, and Code of Honor/Confrontation. The Code of Honor is more of a "fairness for a true test a skill" thing, not a "I don't hit girls thing"; if someone pulls a knife on me, I won't shoot them, but in most cases I'll just try to take it away from them & smack them around a bit. I also never use a CVK, because I don't think its realistic. I care about stopping villians, but if the villian is heinous & evil I'll use whatever force I think will stop him/her. If they wake up from it, so be it. And, as Storn so eliquently said on another thread, I feel its a hold-over from the 1950's. KInd of funny since you consider that I'm a die-hard JLA fan. But then that pesky DC comic came out (in 1983, me thinks) called "The Vigilante", forever changing my perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccabe Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Psychological Limits Devil-May-Care [shows no fear]= "Ahha...a challenge" Angered when losing= "No more Mr Nice Guy!" Secretive= doesn't let anyone know what powers he has or where they really come from. (works really well with invisible powers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 My favorites (the reason Foxbat has reformed in my campagine) are "Believes he's a comic book character" and "must narriate own actions." "Using his Fabulous Foxbat-stealth, Foxbat and his mutant ninja ally silently creep up behind the unsuspecting super-villian, who somehow detects them through sheer dumb luck!" Most common are CVK, "protective of XXX," and "With Great Power there must always come . . . Great Responsibility." Just seems in genre (unless you're playing an Iron Age / Dark Champions, in which case "Vengful" becomes the defining characteristic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Code versus Killing is always a good one but Won't Kill if Avoidable which is the Legion standard also works if less pointed. Killer if they are like Wolverine. You might also have a Psych lim that sets off a beserk/enraged. Such as fear of being touched as the Psy Lim and Enraged if touched as the consequence. I moved to addictions for some of the villains like Cocaine or alcohol. It gives the heroes some indication where they can weaken the foe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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