dsatow

The weirdest characters I ever played as a player is the Ze Giant Robot and the Coca Cola Kid.
 
Ze Giant Robot is a 3' Gundam suit wherein a 6'6" man contortion-ed himself into.  The idea was, the French became enamored with the idea of giant robots and took scale model designs from the TV to make the suit but the error in scaling made the suit 3' tall.  Not to let good equipment go to waste, they got a contortionist to enter the suit and pilot it.  Those crazy frenchies.
 
The Coca Cola Kid is a walking advertisement for Coca Cola.  He's essentially a martial artist with Coke Can nunchuks.  When he was feeling tired, he'd pop open a can of Coke and get refreshed (END and STUN aid).  He lost his job at Coca Cola when New Coke came out.
 
A friend of mine played the Mime, super powered mime.  Basically, anything he could pantomime became real (though invisible).  If he pantomimed a wall, then an invisible 12def wall appeared.
 
PS: we made much weirder villains, but I don't have enough space.

Dundracon 46 will be at the Santa Clara Marriott this year.
 
Games are posted on the website.  Mask and vaccination mandate is the same from last year.
 
Some changes:
1) The program book will not have descriptions of the RPGs games offered.  This is to slim down the book.  Descriptions are still online.
2) I believe they expanded the number of rooms at the hotel but it stilled filled up pretty fast.  But you can always try.
 
I have a spreadsheet with the HERO based games you can look at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qL-akWd-8Nwpwdm6T7A8JzYO1ZBij6PCiKzwu68Kflw/edit?usp=sharing
 
There are 12 HERO games being offered at Dundracon.
 

So, I was thinking (danger music queues into existence)...
 
When I first learned to play Champions, I thought that the Body and Constitution characteristics were redundant.  Why have both?  I haven't given it much thought since then, but I was thinking, why not make Constitution do the work of Body too?  The idea is if you take Body damage, the damage goes to Con.  A negative Con value means you are dead (just like Body).  
 
Some possible benefits:
As you take more and more Body damage, your Con lowers, showing an effect for the damage you have taken and making it easier for you to be stunned.  In heroic level play, the loss of Con could also affect other secondary stats, like Rec, End, and Stun.  For those people who really want to brutalize wounded players. Calculating stun for figured statistics (if you use figured statistics), would be simpler.  It would just be Str + Con.

It is based on GURPS' Quirks disadvantage.  To work it in Hero, you buy a 5 point Distinctive Feature: Quirky and list 5 quirks about the character.

I know this is fairly old, but since I am learning Python (most for beefing up my resume) over Perl, I try to use the new language in stupid ways for gaming.  So in that spirit, I created a random NPC generator.  It creates a person in the United States around the age of 19 (14-24).  Most of the values are totally random.
 
What I am curious about, is would you add anything to the list of items?  Example output below.
 
Name: Cotton, Vanessa (Daisy)
Last Updated: 5/8/2022
================================================================================
  Sex: Female
  Age: 21
  Born: Sep 4, 2000
    Zodiac sign: Virgo
    Chinese Zodiac: Dragon
    Blood type personality: (A-)
      Creative, clever, cooperative, stubborn, uptight
  Birthplace: San Francisco, California
================================================================================
Physical Description
--------------------
  Height: 5'8" (1.73 m)
  Weight: 273.6 lbs (124.1 kg)
  Handed: Right
  Hair: Dark Brown/Black, Short (dyed)
  Eye Color: Brown
  Corrective Lenses: Yes - Nearsighted
  Bloodtype: A-
================================================================================
Education
---------
  Religion: Agnostic
  High School: John D. Rockefeller High School - 2.0 grade average
  Showed a talent in being artistic
  Was raised with athletics in mind.
  Currently a Student
================================================================================
Relationships
-------------
  Both parents alive
  3 siblings
      brother(age = 19)
      brother(age = 13)
      sister(age = 14)
 
  Never married.
================================================================================
Personality Characteristics
---------------------------
       Extroversion -> Overwhelmingly Extroverted
           Openness -> Strongly Traditional/Conservative
  Conscientiousness -> Significantly Spontaneous/Impulsive
Emotional Stability -> Slightly Sensitive/Tense
      Agreeableness -> Moderately Unselfish/Sympathetic
================================================================================
Hobbies/Pastimes
----------------
  Home improvement
  Team Sports (playing) Hockey
  Following professional team sports Basketball
  Bicycling
  Team Sports (playing) Baseball

Before throwing in with the "I don't think we'd ever need it" club, 
 
I will show you the proper courtesy of due diligence, because I think there's always a chance I could be wrong:
 
How do you see this being different from AVALD or existing Advantages?
 
(and I agree with Chris:  the APGs are less "guides to getting familiar with the rules and playing more smoothly" than they are "hey!  Want to twist the rules and do some really goofy stuff?" or "We know you love rules for corner cases; now let's check out some fractals!" books.)
 
 

I'd add a few curious people to the town too.
 
The dunken sot, who claims people aren't what they appear.  "Pure evil demons they be."  He's a little loud and obnoxious but doesn't break any major rules other than drinking too much and bathing too little.
 
A little goblin peddler offering substandard goods at substandard prices.  Things like 50' of rope made up of 3-5 sections tied together of various makes and quality.  Or the mace at half price because its just a lump of metal at the end of a relative straight stick.  The waterskin which holds 3/4 what it normally holds because its been patched up badly.  They have tried to chase him away but he's fairly agile and at least smart enough to argue that he deserves just as much a chance as anyone else.  He keeps coming back because people keep buying stuff from him and the stuff works at least a few times before breaking.
 
Harry's Souvenir Shop:  The first of its kind!  Originally a toy maker, Harry Mudd thinks he's got a bright idea for making money.  He sells little porcelain tower trinkets.  Amulets with the image of the tower.  Dolls of the Mighty Morphin Wizard (a cloth, stuffed doll you can pull inside out to make into a stuffed dragon - slow seller because of the lack of little girls in town).  Sherriff Brawn Action figures (also a slow seller but it stokes the ego of the Sherriff which is always good for business).  Toy swords and wands.  Maps of the Tower (almost totally useless and kind of cartoony, like a map of the stars).  Books on the history of the wizard.  Etc.  His most recent product Grammarspire Mud, which he says the women use keep looking young and beautiful by applying it to their skin.  The townsfolk do buy the mud (as a distraction, which they start calling Harry's Mudd.
 
 
 

I do something similar
Because by straight math, the mechanics work the same.  I thought about that, and in the end the probabilities are the same but rolling OCV +3d6 basically makes rolling low on the 3d6 worse than rolling high.  I figured people might not like that.  But if you think people would more like that, I would be willing to see it that way.

I think I'm going to start bookmarking these threads and just respond with a list of links. 
 
The survey is a nice touch, though.
 
My standing is still "no; I don't do it.  I have yet to find any argument that has convinced me that it is in any way better that the way we've been doing it for decades.
 
 
On a related note, though-- so I can add something constructive to the conversation:
 
I use the to-hit mechanic for Skill v Skill rolls, instead of the RAW way:
 
Okay, you're making a Concealment check to search the room.  The guy hiding the McGuffin had a 12-.  Let me make a quick roll....  he rolled an 8; that's four levels of success....
 
You have a 14- on your Concealment; make your roll....
 
Okay, you rolled a 10; that's four levels of success....
 
Spend ten minutes searching, describe what you're doing to increase your odds of finding something, and try again....
 
Alternatively, of course:
 
Okay, you have a 14 penalty because of the first guy's success, so you roll a 10...  yep.  You found it, barely.  This eliminates the potential for ties, of course, but my preference:
 
 
I use the to-hit roll as the mechanic:
 
Your 14 (or less) plus 11 minus the "defenders" 12-.  Roll 3d6  (apply any modifiers, of course).
 
It eliminates ties, and I use the "level of success" to determine just how long the search might have taken, roughly.
 
Anyone else do that?
 
 

The https://www.thesaurus.com/ is your friend.  Do we win a prize for best name?  Maybe a couple of XP Foxbat might have stashed?
 
The Cartel The Plunderbund (def: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plunderbund) The Consortium The Ring The Corporation The Association The Guild of Cleaners, Fixers, and Safecrackers The Enterprising Villains Involved in Larceny  The Merrymen - Especially if the villain's name is Robin the Hood (a arrow based supervillain - Might have to use this... ) Realistic Opponents of Banks, Businesses, Enterprises, and Righteous Supers.

I know a couple of HERO GMs have dropped because of the omicron variant and infection rates.  Here are the games I know are scheduled that are still so far going on.  If there is no game number, it hasn't been formally scheduled yet (reasons unknown probably due to website lack of update).  I hope I'll not be the only one running.
 
Opening Day
GM: Walter Manbeck
Type: RPG
System: Hero 6th Ed. (Champions)
Players: 6
Provided: Characters may be provided by GM
Power Level: 8 SPD, CV 14, power ? 80 pts, 25-35 def
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
The Society of the Seven and BASTION have invited you to the grand opening of their new orbital space station. Please RSVP with your coordinates for spatial displacement, orbital shuttle pickup, or expected arrival time at the docking bay.
 
P01 Atlantis Rising
Only available via On-line Pre-registration
Friday noon in 133 for 8 hours
GM: Jim Puder
Type: RPG
System: Hero pre-5th (Champions)
Edition: Some 4th
Players: 6
Provided: Players provide their own characters
Power Level: 12-14 DC, 5-7 Speed, 9-13 CV on sliding scale
Variations: Only 2 find weakness per target, no speed-affecting powers
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
As the tides rise inexorably, and the storms continue unabated, a dark omen is revealed. Atlantis is rising, and with it will come a flood of proportions not seen since the Old Testament. Will you answer the call to oppose this massive cataclysm? Can you resist the power of the Mad King of Atlantis and his minions?
 
4 Legacies
Saturday 6 PM in 133 for 6 hours
GM: Jim Puder
Type: RPG
System: Hero 5th Ed. (Champions)
Edition: 4th/5th blend
Players: 6
Provided: Players provide their own characters
Power Level: 12-14 DC, 5-7 speed, 9-13 CV sliding scale
Variations: Max 2 lvls find weakness; no speed affecting powers
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
Ursus, a long-time Superhero, has reached a point where he feels too old to stay in the game. But as he looks around, he realizes he has left no legacy for his children. Now, a rash of robberies in which the lead perpetrator appears to have his exact powers is plaguing San Francisco. Can you stop him before he destroys what's left of his good name?
 
Sentinels, Evil Mutants & X-Men!!
GM: Matthew Laycock
Type: RPG
System: Hero 5th Ed. (Champions)
Players: 5
Provided: All characters provided by GM
Power Level: 75 active 300-350
Variations: pre-generated characters
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Family
In true 1970?s Chris Claremont style I present to you the Uncanny X-Men!! Have you ever wanted to play your childhood favorite characters? Now is the time! Ever dream of tanging with Juggernaught? Or seeing if you really had a better idea of how to challenge Magneto?!!!
 
The Black Glove Gambit
GM: David Rakonitz
Type: RPG
System: Hero pre-5th Ed. (Champions)
Edition: 4th w/some 5th
Players: 6
Provided: Characters may be provided by GM
Power Level: Max 60 point attacks, Max PD 33/ ED 33
Variations: minor
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
Storm the Knight of Freedom's secret base before the forces of villainy seize the prize. Meanwhile, the mysterious Black Glove makes her move in a deadly game.
 
210 Space Nazis Strike Back
Saturday 8 AM in 143 for 8 hours
GM: Don Satow
Type: RPG
System: Hero 6th Ed. (Champions)
Edition: some 5th
Players: 6
Provided: Characters may be provided by GM
Power Level: 12DC, 8CVs 5 Spd
Variations: No find weakness/lack of weakness
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
With their defeat in 2020 by a rag tag team of superheroes, one lone Space Nazi carrier ship carries on its mission to return to the motherland (Earth).
 
Trenchcoat Brigade: When memories outnumber dreams
Sunday 10 AM in for 8 hours
GM: Joe Di Lellio
Type: RPG
System: Hero 5th Ed. (Champions)
Players: 6
Provided: All characters provided by GM
Power Level: 8-12DC; Appropriate CVs & defenses
Variations: some 4th Ed mods
Rules Knowledge: Expected
Game Content: Mature Themes
You awaken and remember your success in hell. The memory has an odd, dreamlike quality... and now that you ponder, which was it?
 
 

I know a couple of HERO GMs have dropped because of the omicron variant and infection rates.  Here are the games I know are scheduled that are still so far going on.  If there is no game number, it hasn't been formally scheduled yet (reasons unknown probably due to website lack of update).  I hope I'll not be the only one running.
 
Opening Day
GM: Walter Manbeck
Type: RPG
System: Hero 6th Ed. (Champions)
Players: 6
Provided: Characters may be provided by GM
Power Level: 8 SPD, CV 14, power ? 80 pts, 25-35 def
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
The Society of the Seven and BASTION have invited you to the grand opening of their new orbital space station. Please RSVP with your coordinates for spatial displacement, orbital shuttle pickup, or expected arrival time at the docking bay.
 
P01 Atlantis Rising
Only available via On-line Pre-registration
Friday noon in 133 for 8 hours
GM: Jim Puder
Type: RPG
System: Hero pre-5th (Champions)
Edition: Some 4th
Players: 6
Provided: Players provide their own characters
Power Level: 12-14 DC, 5-7 Speed, 9-13 CV on sliding scale
Variations: Only 2 find weakness per target, no speed-affecting powers
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
As the tides rise inexorably, and the storms continue unabated, a dark omen is revealed. Atlantis is rising, and with it will come a flood of proportions not seen since the Old Testament. Will you answer the call to oppose this massive cataclysm? Can you resist the power of the Mad King of Atlantis and his minions?
 
4 Legacies
Saturday 6 PM in 133 for 6 hours
GM: Jim Puder
Type: RPG
System: Hero 5th Ed. (Champions)
Edition: 4th/5th blend
Players: 6
Provided: Players provide their own characters
Power Level: 12-14 DC, 5-7 speed, 9-13 CV sliding scale
Variations: Max 2 lvls find weakness; no speed affecting powers
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
Ursus, a long-time Superhero, has reached a point where he feels too old to stay in the game. But as he looks around, he realizes he has left no legacy for his children. Now, a rash of robberies in which the lead perpetrator appears to have his exact powers is plaguing San Francisco. Can you stop him before he destroys what's left of his good name?
 
Sentinels, Evil Mutants & X-Men!!
GM: Matthew Laycock
Type: RPG
System: Hero 5th Ed. (Champions)
Players: 5
Provided: All characters provided by GM
Power Level: 75 active 300-350
Variations: pre-generated characters
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Family
In true 1970?s Chris Claremont style I present to you the Uncanny X-Men!! Have you ever wanted to play your childhood favorite characters? Now is the time! Ever dream of tanging with Juggernaught? Or seeing if you really had a better idea of how to challenge Magneto?!!!
 
The Black Glove Gambit
GM: David Rakonitz
Type: RPG
System: Hero pre-5th Ed. (Champions)
Edition: 4th w/some 5th
Players: 6
Provided: Characters may be provided by GM
Power Level: Max 60 point attacks, Max PD 33/ ED 33
Variations: minor
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
Storm the Knight of Freedom's secret base before the forces of villainy seize the prize. Meanwhile, the mysterious Black Glove makes her move in a deadly game.
 
210 Space Nazis Strike Back
Saturday 8 AM in 143 for 8 hours
GM: Don Satow
Type: RPG
System: Hero 6th Ed. (Champions)
Edition: some 5th
Players: 6
Provided: Characters may be provided by GM
Power Level: 12DC, 8CVs 5 Spd
Variations: No find weakness/lack of weakness
Rules Knowledge: Useful
Game Content: Mainstream
With their defeat in 2020 by a rag tag team of superheroes, one lone Space Nazi carrier ship carries on its mission to return to the motherland (Earth).
 
Trenchcoat Brigade: When memories outnumber dreams
Sunday 10 AM in for 8 hours
GM: Joe Di Lellio
Type: RPG
System: Hero 5th Ed. (Champions)
Players: 6
Provided: All characters provided by GM
Power Level: 8-12DC; Appropriate CVs & defenses
Variations: some 4th Ed mods
Rules Knowledge: Expected
Game Content: Mature Themes
You awaken and remember your success in hell. The memory has an odd, dreamlike quality... and now that you ponder, which was it?
 
 

Just an FYI about Steve and Flying Dodge.  Here is one of his response to the flying dodge question.  There are others, many others if you search that particular forum.
 
https://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/57593-flying-dodge/#comment-57593
 

I recommend using a Triggered hand-to-hand attack, with the Trigger being a successful Block.  Not a Martial Arts Maneuver, but it seems to me that the key element is waiting for the opponent to attack first, then blocking the attack and immediately counter-attacking.

Ahhh, I read the original question differently; appreciate the clarification:
 
  
So I would expound on something you actually said earlier:
 
 
In comics, movies, series, etc., the heroes fight a tough fight and some, many or even all of them get injured; but, then the fight is over, you may have a scene in recovery for dramatic purpose; but, by the time the story continues, and they have their next mission, everyone is miraculously healed.
 
In a RPG, just like we take Navy Corpsmen into battle, and the Army Field Medics; having healers on the team can make the team FAR more effective, and make the game more fun.
 
That is why in old school D&D you always had a Cleric on the team.  That is why almost every party or squad based MMO has a healer archetype.
 
In the superhero genre, it is a little less needed, because many characters heal faster than normal - but not all of them, and this just isn't addressed in the comic, movie, series, etc.  Spiderman doesn't have regen, and his skin isn't tough - he survives by using his Spider-sense and super-reflexes to never get hit.  But, in a comic, movie, series, etc., even after a brutal fight, with his costume thrashed, bleeding everywhere, they skip ahead, and by the time he goes out again, he's all good (and his costume is all repaired too)...
 
So in a game, you either gloss over healing-based downtime and skip ahead a bunch, or every character is a mini-Wolverine and all have some level of regen, or, you have a healer on the team...
 
So, combining all these thoughts;
A character in a super group who can heal, is there because many supers can't be treated by "normal" medicine, and the healer can help them. Unlike a comic, movie, series, etc.; the group doesn't want to have to heal-skip time constantly, nor do they all want to have to have regen. Having a healer on the team, makes the entire team more effective. The characters can still spend their downtime doing all manner of altruistic activities; but, will play the "fun stuff" in the characters life in the game. How's that?
 

To figure out LTE costs for overland travel, this is how I would do it.
 
Figure out the shortest distance moved by all the player characters in a single turn.  Then determine how much endurance is spent by each player going that distance.  This gives you LTE end loss.  For most players this will be about 3 LTE per turn since the minimum burn is 1 LTE per 20 minutes.  Most normals will last 5-7 hours.  Normal Heroes (not super) will probably last about 11-16 hours.  This is not modified for rules regard sleep or food, so you might want to look that up as well.  If you have a character that is burning more than 1 LTE per 20 minutes, most travelers would probably slow down to accommodate a rate of speed for them that would be 1 LTE/20 minutes.
 
In 5e, multiple this distance by 0.6 to get kph travel.  
In 6e, multiple this distance by 0.3 to get kph travel.
Multiply kph by 0.621371 or .62 to get mph.  This will give you distance travelled.  Approximate movement modifiers to shorten the distance travelled due to "road conditions" in your campaign.

One solution to the problem, is magical healing.  If you go to hospital, you might have problems with magical healing.  Here are some issues:
 
1) Magic is believed not to exist.  Hospitals are all about repeatable proven scientific results, which is why most do not go in for homeopathic or hearsay cures.
2) Magic is the work of the devil.  If a born again Christian was healed by the power of "Azarath Metrion Zinthos", a law suit again as well as protests and boycotting.
3) Magic is dangerous.  If a hospital used "magical" healing and things didn't turn out right, they'd be in for a law suit.  So even if it does work, the plantiff can say that the magic also made them impotent and are suing for damages and emotional distress.

The funny thing, it reminds me of a time I played a martial artist and an explosion targeting a nearby hex was happening.  So I aborted my phase to be 4" farther away figuring losing the top 6 dice would let it bounce off me.  The GM rolls to hit and bungles it badly.  He randomly rolls direction and guess what, it lands on top of me.  Top 4 dice were all 6s, though damage was average.  If I had just stayed still I would have been unharmed.

The funny thing, it reminds me of a time I played a martial artist and an explosion targeting a nearby hex was happening.  So I aborted my phase to be 4" farther away figuring losing the top 6 dice would let it bounce off me.  The GM rolls to hit and bungles it badly.  He randomly rolls direction and guess what, it lands on top of me.  Top 4 dice were all 6s, though damage was average.  If I had just stayed still I would have been unharmed.

The funny thing, it reminds me of a time I played a martial artist and an explosion targeting a nearby hex was happening.  So I aborted my phase to be 4" farther away figuring losing the top 6 dice would let it bounce off me.  The GM rolls to hit and bungles it badly.  He randomly rolls direction and guess what, it lands on top of me.  Top 4 dice were all 6s, though damage was average.  If I had just stayed still I would have been unharmed.

To figure out LTE costs for overland travel, this is how I would do it.
 
Figure out the shortest distance moved by all the player characters in a single turn.  Then determine how much endurance is spent by each player going that distance.  This gives you LTE end loss.  For most players this will be about 3 LTE per turn since the minimum burn is 1 LTE per 20 minutes.  Most normals will last 5-7 hours.  Normal Heroes (not super) will probably last about 11-16 hours.  This is not modified for rules regard sleep or food, so you might want to look that up as well.  If you have a character that is burning more than 1 LTE per 20 minutes, most travelers would probably slow down to accommodate a rate of speed for them that would be 1 LTE/20 minutes.
 
In 5e, multiple this distance by 0.6 to get kph travel.  
In 6e, multiple this distance by 0.3 to get kph travel.
Multiply kph by 0.621371 or .62 to get mph.  This will give you distance travelled.  Approximate movement modifiers to shorten the distance travelled due to "road conditions" in your campaign.

The funny thing, it reminds me of a time I played a martial artist and an explosion targeting a nearby hex was happening.  So I aborted my phase to be 4" farther away figuring losing the top 6 dice would let it bounce off me.  The GM rolls to hit and bungles it badly.  He randomly rolls direction and guess what, it lands on top of me.  Top 4 dice were all 6s, though damage was average.  If I had just stayed still I would have been unharmed.

To figure out LTE costs for overland travel, this is how I would do it.
 
Figure out the shortest distance moved by all the player characters in a single turn.  Then determine how much endurance is spent by each player going that distance.  This gives you LTE end loss.  For most players this will be about 3 LTE per turn since the minimum burn is 1 LTE per 20 minutes.  Most normals will last 5-7 hours.  Normal Heroes (not super) will probably last about 11-16 hours.  This is not modified for rules regard sleep or food, so you might want to look that up as well.  If you have a character that is burning more than 1 LTE per 20 minutes, most travelers would probably slow down to accommodate a rate of speed for them that would be 1 LTE/20 minutes.
 
In 5e, multiple this distance by 0.6 to get kph travel.  
In 6e, multiple this distance by 0.3 to get kph travel.
Multiply kph by 0.621371 or .62 to get mph.  This will give you distance travelled.  Approximate movement modifiers to shorten the distance travelled due to "road conditions" in your campaign.

If you have a little computer savvy, you can use this:
 
https://www.nomic.net/~uckelman/mkhexgrid/
 
There is also this from Dr. Phillippe Marquis:
https://graph-paper-printer.en.softonic.com/
https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/graph_paper_printer.html
 
I use Dr. Marquis' program for a lot of things, though I got it as a direct download from his site a long time ago.  The mkhexgrid program I have been using lately to create poster sized prints and print them out at Kinkos.  A bit expensive but kind of cool.

#1 I have no issue with any of the solutions presented thus far and I think everything is well discussed.  I have nothing against creating two new stats or not creating two new stats.  The specific GM knows how much those stats will be applicable and used.  I am only suggesting an alternate solution.
 
#2 If the you want to reduce the stat's effect on perception (since by design you can't generally lower the perception below 9+ unless you allow negative stat effects), you could always use a physical limitation.  I would guess at least a -2 PER per 5 point limitation. To be honest, I would make it -2 @ 5pts, -5 @ 10pts, and -8 @ 15 pts.  Similarly, you could use buy it as a limitation on special senses too: -2 @ 1/4, -5 @ 1/2, and -8 @ -1.  Note different GMs would weigh these differently, but I would not go below -2 per 5 pts of physical disadvantage as it becomes less disadvantage and more of a cheap way to buy INT.