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Abnormally High/Low Body Temperature [Ph]

Infrequent, Slightly: 5 Points

A simple Physical Limitation to understand. This character who has an Abnormally High/Low Body Temperature has a "busted thermostat", and as a result normally runs cooler or warmer than regular people.

A character whose body temperature is lower than normal also tends to have a lower metabolism. They don't eat as much, and sleep more. In addition, it takes a while for them to "get going" and rarely have extra energy. Such characters can never "push" their abilities and make all Dexterity rolls at a -1 penalty. In addition, they get cold easily when the temperature is below 80 degrees.

A character whose body temperature is higher than normal doesn't sleep much, easts more, and always seems "on". However, they also overheat very easily, and tire out quickly. The character must make a Constitution roll to use any ability with an endurance cost of one-fifth his normal Endurance maximum. In addition, they feel uncomfortably warm whenever the temperature is over 75.

Absent Minded [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit is forgetful of, or confused by, anything not related to what he is working on or focused on at the moment. Obviously, the classic absent-minded professor springs to mind.

There are two basic levels to this disadvantage. The 10 point version (Common, Moderate) means the character acts absent minded, but can remember things and function normally without having to make an Ego Roll. The 15 point would normally mean that the character would have to make an Ego Roll to remember things like bathing regularly or where they put the remote control.

Alternately, a GM could treat the Common, Strong version in such a way that the character would only have to make an Ego Roll to remember non-regular occurences, such as delivering a telephone message to someone.

Achilles Heel [Ph]

Infrequently, Greatly: 10 Points

With this Physical Limit, the character's defenses have some flaw that is either obvious or can be easily perceived or deduced by an experienced foe. Opponents receive a bonus of +2 to all Find Weakness attempts against the character. The Frequency value of this disadvantage should be increased if one of more people with the Find Weakness talent are Hunting the character.

Acts Stereotypically (Nationality) [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit acts in a manner which can only be called stereotypical for his nationality. He fulfills in all particulars the common image of his countrymen.

For example, if the character Acts Stereotypically American, he is boisterous, obnoxious, and believes that you needn't learn other languages... because if you talk slow enough and loud enough they'll understand you anyway. If he Acts Stereotypically French, he's surly, hates Americans, smokes, womanizes, and snubs anyone who speaks French with an accent. If the character Acts Stereotypically Australian, he drinks beer by the gallons, considers fistfights a casual recreational activity, and dresses like Crocodile Dundee. The possible list, while not endless, is certainly long (the possible examples for this Psych Limit are not infinite, but there are a lot of them.)

Obviously, this Psych Limit is only appropriate for characters of a nationality which has a stereotype. (In other words, this Psych Limit doesn't work if you want to try to be "Stereotypically Nambibian", because Nambibia might have a stereotype, but it is not widely recognized in film and media.)

Addicted to (Substance or Activity) [Ps]

Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points
Uncommon, Total: 15 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

The character has an unreasonable compulsion to ingest a substance (alchohol, nicotine, heroine, etc.) or perform an activity (gamble, play video games, have sex, etc.).

A frequency of Uncommon means that the addiction is not yet a serious problem for the character, and it only rarely affects the character's daily performance. A frequency of Common means that the addiction is a very real problem, and the character's daily performance is seriously affected. A player should not take this Psych Limit with a frequency of "Very Common", as this would mean that the character spends most of his active life filling the addiction. Similarly, an addiction that has a frequency less than Uncommon is not a true addiction.

Aggressive In Combat [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit might not be a killer, or even someone prone to injuring opponents, but he does want to defeat his enemies as quickly as possible, in as few phases as possible. With that in mind, the character who is Aggressive In Combat will use his attack powers at full strength, unless it is obvious that doing so will maim or kill his opponent (assuming the character has a compunction against doing so). The character will attack full out at first, and then tone his later attacks down to what his opponent can take (the Aggressive character isn't necessarily interested in pulping his opponent... just beating him). Obviously, this Psych Limit is incompatible with Code vs. Killing.

In addition to not pulling his punches, a character with this Psych Limit will attack the opponent who seems the most dangerous first. He will also be reluctant to flee a fight if it is going badly for his teammates, and will want to chase a fleeing opponent. A character who is Aggressive in Combat will not hide behind cover and snipe at his foes, but rather will move up on them and attack.

This Psych Limit is not the same thing as Reckless in Combat; he won't take foolish chances. However, he will also not be over-cautious.

Albino [Ph]

Infrequent, Greatly: 10 Points

A character with this Physical Limit has no natural body pigment. His hair and skin are white, and his eyes are pink. An Albino may seem attractive or ugly, but an average appearance is impossible when choosing a Comeliness score. An albino will always be remembered, and cannot easily blend in with a crowd. The "Distinctive Feature: Albino" disadvantage is required when taking this Physical Limit.

An Albino must avoid direct sunlight, as they have no resistance to sunburn. If the player so chooses, this could be bought as a Susceptibility. In addition, Albinos suffer a -2 penalty to all visual Perception rolls and for any ranged attack rolls made in direct sunlight. (This can be countered by wearing sunglasses or other tinted lenses.)

Alien Biochemistry Requires Special Medical Care [Ph]

Infrequent, Greatly: 10 Points

This Physical Limit is only appropriate to nonhuman characters, such as aliens or intelligent animals. The character's body chemistry is significantly different from that of a normal human, and as such normal medical practices simply don't work (or don't work as well) on the character as they otherwise would.

Depending on the character's concept, the character may merely need medical supplements to be healed. Other character concepts may require special equipment, strange chemicals, and difficult procedures for medical care to work.

Anyone attempting to use a medical skill to heal the character suffers a -6 penalty to their roll.

Allergy [Ph]

Infrequent, Slightly: 5 Points
Infrequent, Greatly: 10 Points
Infrequent, Fully: 15 Points
Frequent, Slightly: 10 Points
Frequent, Greatly: 15 Points
Frequent, Fully: 20 Points

With this Physical Limitation, the character has a non-life threatening allergy, such as hay fever. When the allergy is active, the character feels ill. In the case of repiratory allergies, the character suffers from watery eyes, a stuffy nose, and is constantly sneezing and coughing. Topical allergies cause the character to break out in hives and constantly itch. Dietary allergies cause the character to grow nauseous and can lead to vomiting, sweating, and balance problems.

The possible permutations of each Allergy are numberless. The exact effects are left up to the individual GM.

Characters whose allergies are potentially fatal should take Susceptibilities instead.

Always Angry And Hostile [Ps]

Very Common, Moderate: 15 Points
Very Common, Strong: 20 Points
Very Common, Total: 25 Points

A character who is Always Angry And Hostile is always complaining, always taking things the wrong way, always seeing offense, and always one inch away from giving you a fat lip. Such characters do not have many friends (if any at all), and most of his associates think he is a boor.

This Psych Limit is really only appropriate for NPCs and villains (especially low-intelligence bricks... the type of brick that is little more than a superstrong thug). If a player character takes this disadvantage, it is strongly recommended that it not be taken above Very Common, Moderate, representing a character whose temper is always on the surface, but one who could put a damper on it if needed. Otherwise, at Very Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego roll to do so. And at Very Common, Total he cannot do so at all except in the most extreme of circumstances.

Always Announces What He's About To Do In Combat [Ps]

Common, Total: 20 Points

This Psych Limit is a standard for overblown, grandstanding villains. The commitment on this disadvantage is Total because the character in question does it without thinking about it. The only way to stop is to buy the disadvantage off completely.

Characters who suffer from this Psych Limit don't have to announce their every action (in other words, they don't have to speak like, "Now I'm going to throw my Martial Kick at your head! Then I will Martial Punch you in the face!"), but rather has to announce whenever they change targets ("Now that I've defeated Puma Princess, you're next, Box Boy!") or decides to stop fighting to do something else ("Bah! This fight is pointless! I'll activate my superbomb, teleport away, and be finished with the lot of you!").

Characters with this disadvantage are incapable of being subtle or sneaky in combat, for obvious reasons.

Always Calm And Collected [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

A character with this Psych Limit always has himself together, never panicks, and never gets overly emotional, even when its appropriate to do so. While this can, in some instances, be a good thing (keeping his head in stressful situations, for instance), most of the time other characters find him to be distant, unfeeling, and cold. Of course, the character isn't really Emotionless, but rather is so used to keeping himself composed that expressing any strong emotion (hate, Grief, love, lust, fear, etc.) is difficult for the character, and when he does do so, he tends to sound like he's reading memorized lines from a script rather than saying how he feels.

At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to avoid acting in this manner. At Common, Total the character can only force himself to act otherwise in times of great extingency.

Always Fights Fair [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

A character who Always Fights Fair has a limited Code of Honor that prevents him from taking advantage of others in combat. The character will not fight someone who is obviously no match for him, and will only use weapons against armed opponents (and even then, he will only use a comparable weapon to the one his opponent is using).

The character will never attack without warning, will never attack noncombattants, will not "fight dirty", and won't hold hostages against the opponent giving up rather than fighting.

At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to force himself to use "dishonorable tactics". At Common, Total the character will not do so except in the most dire of circumstances.

Always Has An Answer [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character who Always Has An Answer cannot resist answering other people's questions, even when they weren't directed at him. He is not trying to be a Know It All; he will not attempt to give an answer when he doesn't have one. He simply feels compelled to share whatever knowledge he has with those around him.

In addition, the character often shares trivial information with others. He doesn't do this to make himself look intelligent or knowledgeable, but rather simply because he knows something and wants other people to know it.

At Common, Moderate the character can force himself to not act in this manner when necessary. At Common, Strong he must make an Ego roll to do so.

Always Obeys The Orders Of His Superiors [Ps]

Very Common, Strong: 20 Points
Very Common, Total: 25 Points

This is a simple Psych Limit that should only apply to characters who are a part of a military or paramilitary organization (such as the US Army, the FBI, the CIA, the NYPD, etc.). Since almost all of their daily activities are dictated by their organization, the frequency of this Psych Limit is automatically Very Common.

Most characters who take this disadvantage should take it at the Very Common, Strong level, since a character with Total commitment is basically a fanatic with little to no will of his own. This disadvantage should not be taken at the Moderate level; Feels Loyalty to His Superiors should be taken instead.

Always Questions Orders [Ps]

Very Common, Moderate: 15 Points
Very Common, Strong: 20 Points

Like its close cousin Always Obeys The Orders Of His Superiors, this Psych Limit should only apply to characters who are a part of a military or paramilitary organization. The frequency of this Psych Limit is likewise always going to be Very Common. However, it should never be taken as Very Common, Total, since such a character would very soon find himself constantly disciplined for insubordination.

A character with this Psych Limit always reviews the orders he is given and compares them to his own personal standards of what sensical and proper orders should be. This is not Refuses To Follow Orders; the character can and will go along with what his superiors tell him to do. However, he will ask questions, make comments, and possibly offer other alternatives before doing so. A character with the Very Common, Moderate form can rein in his urge to question orders if he has to; a character with Very Common, Strong must make an Ego Roll to do so.

Always Questions The Morality Of His Own Actions [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

A character who Always Questions The Morality Of His Own Actions always wants to do the right thing. To this character, the end never justifies the means. If a plan to defeat Dr. Destructo means using people or hurting them in some way, this character won't go along with it without much heel-dragging and deep thought. This doesn't mean that the character can't be talked into doing something of questionable morality, particularly if some greater good really would be served. It does mean, however, that he won't go along with it without some serious soul-searching, discussion, and deep thought.

The character will resist (and probably resent) being pushed into something that might be morally questionable without thinking about it or talking it out first. If a player wishes to take this Psych Limit for his character, the GM should allow it only if he is sure the player actually can and will play the disadvantage correctly. If the player's idea of "questioning the morality of his own actions" boils down to...

Player 1: "I don't know if we should do this."
Player 2: "But this will let us beat Dr. Destructo."
Player 1: "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."

...then some other disadvantage would probably be better for his character. A character who takes Always Questions The Morality Of His Own Actions really needs to be convinced that there isn't a more honest, morally upright, non-morally-questionable way to accomplish whatever the current goal is.

This limitation should always be taken with the Common frequency. Uncommon isn't true to character, and Very Common is excessive. A Moderate commitment means that the character can be persuaded. A Strong commitment means that even if he believes in the reasons for doing something morally questionable, and is convinced that there really is no other, better course of action, he still must make an Ego Roll to go along with it. A Total commitment means that the character won't go along with a morally questionable course of action unless the stakes are high enough (such as "if I don't do this, every person on the planet will die").

Ambitious [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 20 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

An Ambitious character wants to succeed, and is willing to do almost anything to do so. They are inherently competitive with anyone they perceive (rightfully or not) as rivals for advancement.

Player characters should not take this Psych Limit above the Common, Strong level, and it is recommended that they not take it above Common, Moderate. At Common, Moderate, the character wants to get ahead, but won't hurt others to do so. At Common, Strong, the character is willing to sacrifice others to his own ambitions, but is capable of taking the needs of those who are close to him into consideration. At Common, Total, the character cares very little about what happens to other people if they are between him and his goal.

Amnesia [Ph]

Infrequent, Slightly: 5 Points
Infrequent, Greatly: 10 Points
Frequent, Slightly: 10 Points
Frequent, Greatly: 15 Points

A character with Amnesia has previously suffered some head injury which caused brain damage. The specific damage has caused the character to permanently forget details of life before the injury occurred. The erasure of memory may be complete or partial, as the player wishes, and the specific details the character has forgotten is also up to the player.

Note that forgetting how to do certain things (such as how to talk) can be better covered by using other Physical Limits.

The Frequency of the Physical Limit is determined by how often the missing information is needed, while the Strength is determined by how important the forgotten information is. As these considerations are variable, the GM must determine the specific points for this disadvantage. For example, a forgetting how to drive a car isn't as great a limitation in New York City as it is in Miami, Florida, as there is a wide and varied choice of public transportation systems in New York.

A variation on this Physical Limit is Recurring Amnesia. In this case, not only has the character forgotten all details of life prior to the accident, he also no longer has the ability to retain learned information beyond a certain point. What this means is that every time the character wakes up, he has forgotten everything all over again, and must relearn it every day. This is a Frequently, Total limitation, and worth 20 points.

Note that Amnesia can also be taken as a Psychological Limit; in that case, it represents a memory that was so traumatic that the character has blocked it out.

Amnesia [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

A character with this Psych Limit has suffered something so painful and traumatizing that he blocks all memory of that event and his life before it out. He may be able to remember certain personal details (like his name), but won't remember anything else. Friends, family, his home, his job; nothing will be familiar to him.

At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to remember something about his past life. At Common, Total he cannot do so except under the most dire of circumstances.

This Psych Limit should not be bought off except when accompanied by extensive roleplaying, and should be a momentous occasion in the life of the character.

It should be noted that Amnesia can also be taken as a Physical Limitation; however, as a Physical Limitation it would imply actual brain damage instead of the blocking out of psychological trauma

Amoral [Ps]

Common, Total: 20 Points

An Amoral character simply doesn't consider morality issues when he is deciding his actions. Right and wrong don't matter; to an Amoral character, such concerns are unimportant, silly, or make-believe ideals that are followed by others. He cannot be persuaded by appeals to his sense of decency. To put it simply, an Amoral character believes that whatever happens, happens, that the ends justify the means, and that the strongest and smartest wins.

A character with this disadvantage should have at least one other Psych Limit which explains what his motivations and goals are, since ordinary right and wrong don't figure into his plans. For instance, the character may have Must Protect Northern Ireland From English Aggression along with Amoral, which tells us that the character will use any means necessary to drive the English out of Northern Ireland, and will not consider the rightness or wrongness of any act in the pursuit of that cause.

Anarchist [Ps]

Very Common, Moderate: 15 Points
Very Common, Strong: 20 Points

A character with this Psych Limit distrusts all authority, wants to be able to do anything he wants (although he may have other Psych Limits which cause the character to limit his own actions), and he resists any interferance from the government (which he views as unnecessary at best and a criminal dictatorship at worst) to the best of his ability (and again, within the limits of his other Psych Limits).

The character is generally uncooperative with any government functionary, especially one whose duties lie in the area of regulation. He tends to talk back to cops, and disrepects other forms of civil servants. And he downright hates anyone having anything to do with collecting taxes. Perhaps the only civil servant he can abide is a mailman.

At Very Common, Moderate the character can cooperate and follow orders when necessary. At Very Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to do so.

Annoyed By Incompetent People [Ps]

Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points

A character who is Annoyed By Incompetent People cannot stand people who are less than able at whatever it is they are doing. Checkout clerks who can't work a register, delivery people who drop things, movie concession people who are slow, workers at fast food restaurants who get drive through orders wrong. All of these cause the character to get irate and usually verbally angry.

In order to remain calm and not make a spectacle of himself, the character must make an Ego roll.

Antagonistic And Mean [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit is not only Antisocial and Bad-Tempered, but actively seeks out arguments and fights. He picks on people, especially those who won't fight back. However, he is not a Bully; a Bully will back off if the victim fights back. This person hopes and dreams that his victim fights back, just so he can kick the shit out of the wimp.

A character with this Psych Limit actively tries to piss off other people; he is intentionally rude, purposefully inconsiderate, and enjoys getting into fights and arguments.

This Psych Limit is not appropriate for player characters.

Antisocial [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

This not character is simply not very polite or friendly, all of the time. He may not be actively rude or insulting, and he may not go out of his way to insult or antagonize other people -- in fact, he may go out of his way to avoid talking to other people entirely.

Player characters should only take this disadvantage at the Common, Moderate level, which means that the character can behave and act nice if he really had to. Common Strong would be too annoying for group interaction, as he would have to make Ego Rolls to see if he had to be nice to someone, and Common Total would mean that the character couldn't be nice at all. Villains could take this advantage at higher point levels.

Antisocial and Bad Tempered [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 20 Points
Common, Total: 25 Points

A character with this disadvantage is not only Antisocial, but he's mean and about it. People who intrude upon his life are likely to be met with insults at best and physical violence at worst.

As with Antisocial, it is recommended that a player character only take this at the Moderate level.

Apathetic [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points

This character doesn't care about anything or anyone. In fact, the character doesn't seem to have much passion about anything, nor does he show compassion towards others. The character most often appears to be simply along for the ride.

Player characters should only take this disadvantage at the Common Moderate level for much the same reasons as Antisocial. At that level, the character can care about specific concerns or people, but usually he doesn't, and he has a difficult time expressing concern when he does feel it.

Aristocratic/Regal Attitude [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points

A character with this Psych Limit speaks and acts as if he were royalty. He is stand-offish but polite, proper at all times, speaks impeccably, and expects his commands to be followed.

To other characters, the Aristocratic/Regal characters is obviously Stuck Up and feels he is "too good" for other people. This may or may not be true, but it is not hard to believe it about the character. He is also seen as bossy (and this one is true).

At Common, Moderate the character can resist his urge to act in this manner when necessary. At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to do so. At Common, Total he may only do in dire emergencies.

Arrogant [Ps]

Very Common, Moderate: 15 Points

This character thinks and acts as if he were better than everybody around him. He may not necessarily be unfriendly or rude about it, but he has an attitude of assumed superiority. This is different from Conceited, in that Arrogant is an attidue of "I am just so good!", while Conceited is "I am just so much better than you are!"

Player characters should only take this disadvantage at the Moderate level for similar reasons as the Antisocial disadvantage.

Arrogant and Unfriendly [Ps]

Very Common, Moderate: 15 Points
Very Common, Total: 25 Points

This character not only thinks that he is better than everyone else, he is rude about it. He won't simply say "I think you'd better let me handle this"; he'll say "I think you'd better let me handle this because you obviously aren't up to it." The character also acts like he doesn't enjoy interacting with his inferiors... in other words, almost everyone else in the world... and he doesn't.

Player characters should only take this disadvantage at the Moderate level for similar reasons as the Antisocial disadvantage.

Astigmatic [Ph]

Frequent, Greatly: 15 Points

A character with this Physical Limit has bad eyesight. Whether he is Nearsighted or Farsighted is up to the player, but in any case the problem is caused by a deformation of the character's eye. What this means is that the character's vision cannot be corrected by contact lenses; to have clear vision, he is forced to wear glasses. In short, taking this Physical Limit is a bit like buying the character's normal vision through a focus.

This disadvantage functions identically to either the Nearsighted or Farsighted limitations, with the added complication that the character now has a pair of glasses to watch out for. Glasses are easily damaged in combat, can be stolen as if they were a focus, can be interfered with by dirt, grease, mud, etc, and are otherwise vulnerable to attack.

Asthma [Ph]

Frequent, Greatly: 15 Points

You suffer from asthma attacks. Attacks can be brought on by two things: Fatigue and Stress. Anytime you become fatigued (use more END in a phase than your CON), you must make a CON roll or suffer an attack. Anytime you are in a stressful situation (GM's ruling), you must make an EGO roll or suffer an attack.

During an attack, any END loss you suffer is doubled (including the END loss that brought on the attack, if any). You will wheeze and have a hard time speaking in complete sentences. You activate powers that require verbal components (incantations), and you are at -3 to DEX and INT based skill rolls, as all your concentration is needed just to breathe.

Once an attack has started, roll vs. CON every Phase. On a critical success (roll a 3), or three consecutive successes, you recover. A failure costs you one END. On a critical failure (roll an 18) you take begin to take 1d6 of END loss each phase. If your END reaches zero, you will begin to lose STUN (see Hero Rules). If you lose all of your STUN you will pass out and begin suffocating. For each multiple of your STUN you lose, lose 1 BODY (eg. If you normally have 20 STUN; at -20 you lose 1 BODY, at -40 you lose another BODY, etc, etc).

Avoids Long Term Commitments [Ps]

Uncommon, Storng: 10 Points

A character who Avoids Long Term Commitments is unwilling to enter into any serious relationship (romantic, business, etc.) that lasts longer than a few months (at most). He doesn't want to be "dragged down by entanglements", and feels that the easiest way to do this is to avoid the entanglements entirely.

If he dates at all, the character tends to date either many people at once or one person after another for a few weeks each. He tends to live in cheap motels rather than apartments, pays cash for everything (and never has credit cards). If he owns a car, he bought it with cash.

The character makes no promises that cannot be fulfilled quickly. And if he does make promises that cover the long term, he invariably breaks them.

In order to enter a long term commitment (regardless of what type), the character must make an Ego roll.

Avoids Using Powers [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit, for whatever reason, dislikes using his powers, and tries to avoid situations where he needs to or is forced to do so as much as possible. The specific reason why the character feels this way is up to the player.

At Common, Moderate the character can force himself to use his powers when necessary, but never does so for casual reasons. At Common, Strong he must make an Ego roll in order to do so.