All The Time, Greatly: 20 Points
A character with this Physical Limit can hear nothing. Any information he receives must be communicated through other means (such as writing, sign language, telepathy, etc.). The character is immune to any attack against the hearing sense, such as Darkness to Hearing or Flashes vs. Hearing, but also cannot hear shouted warnings, cannot communicate with others easily, etc.
At the GM's option, the character may begin play with "LS: Sign Language" as a native language at no cost.
Common, Moderate:
10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
A character with this Psych Limit wants to die, but can't seem to bring himself to commit suicide (in this, it is different from Suicidal). What he does instead is take foolish risks, go willingly (and sometimes blindly) into danger without considering the risk to himself, and engage is risky behavior designed to kill him.
The character is not necessarily thoughtless when it comes to other people's lives (and it is often the danger to others that keeps the character from allowing himself to get killed). However, when the character is presented with a life-threatening situation, the character feels compelled to dive right in without consideration for the risk.
At Common, Moderate the character may suppress his urge to die if necessary. At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll to do so, while at Common, Total, the character cannot do so except in the direst of circumstances.
Common, Strong: 15 Points
A character with this Psych Limit lies, cheats, and steals for the sheer enjoyment of it. He backstabs those around him on a whim, but usually with some goal in mind. He is certainly capable of telling the truth if it serves his purposes, but prefers to play mind-games on those around him.
This Psych Limit is different from Deceptive in that a Deceitful deliberately and maliciously misleads (and out-and-out lies to) other people, hoping to do them harm. A Deceptive character on the other hand is not necessarily malicious, and tends to omit details and presents information in an intentionally misleading (but still factual) fashion. Admittedly, this is a fine line.
This disadvantage is not appropriate for player characters. It is not listed as Common, Moderate because any villain, given enough motivation (and lacking any Psych Limit that prevents it) will be Deceitful when necessary. Likewise, Common, Total would mean that the character would eventually garner a reputation as a liar and a cheat, and thus be unable to interact with others in any other fashion. Taken at Common, Strong, it represents a character who lies and cheats for the fun of it, but still is honest enough to deal with others when necessary.
Common, Moderate:
10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
A Deceptive person clouds the truth, hides information, and generally tries to make other people have the wrong impression. He may not necessarily lie; he can omit details, give facts in confusing context, and, of course, simply refuse to supply any information at all.
This Psych Limit is different from Deceptive in that a Deceitful deliberately and maliciously misleads (and out-and-out lies to) other people, hoping to do them harm. A Deceptive character on the other hand is not necessarily malicious, and tends to omit details and presents information in an intentionally misleading (but still factual) fashion. Admittedly, this is a fine line.
It is recommended that player characters not take this disadvantage at more than Common, Moderate.
Uncommon, Moderate:
5 Points
Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points
Uncommon, Total: 15
Points
Common, Moderate: 10 Points
Common, Strong: 15
Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
Very Common, Moderate: 15
Points
Very Common, Strong: 20 Points
Very Common, Total: 25
Points
A character who is Delusional believes in something (or severl somethings) that are patently and proven to be not true. The delusions held by the character can be divided up into four basic categories: Quirks, Minor, Major, and Severe.
Quirky beliefs (such as believing that the Earth is really flat and all those NASA pictures are faked) are taken at the Uncommon level. Minor delusions (such as believing that Jerry Falwell really does have regular conversations with god, just like he says) are taken at the Common level. Major delusions (such as believing that the New World Order is secretly plotting the secret communist takeover of the US, despite the general worldwide self-destruction of communism) are taken at either the Common or Very Common level, and Severe delusions (such as believing that you are Napoleon or Jesus Christ) are taken at the Very Common level.
It is suggested that player characters take this Psych Limit no stronger than Common, Moderate.
Very Common, 1 Hour, 3d6 Damage: 5 Points
A character with this disdavantage can only stay out of water for one hour., or else he starts to dry out and die. Water is a very common substance, and the character will take 3d6 of normal damage (no defense) after being out of the water for an hour, and an additional 3d6 of damage each hour thereafter until he is back in the water. The character cannot recover this damage (via REC and/or Regeneration) until he is back in the water.
This disadvantage is not suggested for most campaigns as it can limit the usefullness of the more than the point value may indicate.
Common, Strong: 15
Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
A character who is Depressive has a dark and unpleasant view of himself and the world he lives in. Depressive is different than Pessimistic (although a person who is Depressive is generally also Pessimistic) in that a Pessimist believes that everything always works out in the worst possibly way, but doesn't necessarily have Low-Self Esteem (which is also part and parcel of Depressive).
A person who is Depressive is often glum, listless, and tired. They rarely see the point in expending effort toward any end; they often fall into fits of crying, screaming, or binge-eating, and often do nothing for hours on end.
It should be noted that not all people who suffer from depression are Suicidal.
At Common, Moderate the character is able to "shake off" his depression and act in a normal manner when necessary. At Common, Strong he can only do so with a successful Ego roll, and at Common, Total he cannot do so except in the most dire of circumstances.
It is suggested that Player Characters take this disadvantage at no more than Common, Moderate.
Uncommon, Strong:
10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Very Common, Strong: 20
Points
This Psych Limit is only appropriate for characters who has the Berserk or Enraged disadvantage. A character who is Despondent After Going Berserk/Enraged is embarassed and horrified at the fact that he loses control to the point of mindless violence.
After recovering from his berserk or enraged state, the character must make a successful Ego roll; if the roll is failed, the character falls into a bleak despair during which he dredges up memories of every bad thing he might ever have done while in such a state.
The Frequency of the Psych Limit depends on the Berserk/Enraged disadvantage. If the character goes Berserk 8 or less, the Psych Limit is Uncommon. At 11 or less, it is Common, while at 14 or less it is Very Common.
Common, Moderate: 10 Points
A character with this Psych Limit has held himself apart from normal society for so long that he no longer knows how to correctly interact with anyone outside of his daily experience. Because of this detachment, he no longer reacts appropriately, does not communicate well, and doesn't get pop culture references that have become general knowledge. Worse for the character, he has become so used to this "condition" that he really isn't interested in learning how to fit in.
The character can force himself act correctly when necessary.
Common, Total: 20 Points
A classic "master villain" Psych Limit, Determined To Rule "The World Of Man" indicates a character who is different from the average "Wants To Rule The World" mastermind in that the character considers himself different, and therefore set above, normal humanity. The character uses this difference to legitimize his claim to ruling the world.
Characters with this Psych Limit should be aliens, "gods", extra-dimensional travelers, mutants, or otherwise different from "normal humans" (or even "normal superhumans").
Obviously, this Psych Limit is appropriate only for NPCs.
Very Common, Total: 25 Points
A character with this disadvantage puts the ideals of justice (or his conceptions of them) above anything else. Most of the actions in his life, and all actions taken as a crimefighter are made with the idea of increasing the "amount" of goodness in the world, or always doing the "right thing".
This does not mean that everything the character does is the right thing -- the character can be mistaken, confused, or simply have odd ideas about what constitutes justice.
A similar Psych lim. is Devotion to Talion, also known as the Mosaic law. This law is summed up as "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." If you have this Psych lim. you believe that the evil a man does must be returned in kind.
Common, Strong: 15
Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
A character with this Psych Limit will do anything to make the object of his devotion happy, will do anything the other character says, and wishes to protect the character to his utmost ability. The character may have other Psych Limits with affect how far the character will go to make happy or protect the other.
At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to purposefully do something that makes the object of his affection angry, that goes directly against the other characters wishes, or that endangers the other character. At Common Total the character cannot do so except in the most extreme of circumstances.
In addition, if this disadvantage is taken at Common, Total the character can make an Ego roll to disobey one of his other Total strength Psych Limits if it serves the purposes of this Psych Limit. (In other words, a character with both Code vs. Killing and this disadvantage (at Common, Total) could make an Ego attack in order to kill someone who was threatening the object of his affection, should such action be necessary.)
Very Common, Total: 25 Points
Also known as "Mosaic Law", Talion is summed up as "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". A character with this Psych Limit believes that the evil a person does must be returned in kind. "Making the punishment fit the crime" is the motto of a character who is Devoted to Talion.
As can be expected, very few such characters have a Code vs. Killing. This tends to make this Psych Limit inappropriate for player characters.
Common, Strong: 15
Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
A character with this Psych Limit acts in accordance to his religion (or rather, in accordance to his own interpretation of his religion) at all times. He may (or may not, depending on the religion) spend time trying to convert his companions to his own beliefs, and will most certainly argue with people over the accuracy of his faith when the question arises (except, of course, when proselytizing and argument about faith are inappropriate for the character's religion).
At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to purposefully violate on of the tenets of his faith. At Common, Total the character cannot do so except under the most dire of circumstances.
[De] Uncommon, 1
Day, 3d6 Damage: 5 Points and
[Ph] Infrequently, Fully: 15 Points
A character with Type 1 Diabetes has a dependency to insulin, which you must take daily or suffer physical harm from the effects of the disease. In addition, you also have a physiological weakness from the diabetes with makes you less resistant to other diseases (-3 to CON checks related to diseases). This condition should be listed as two separate disdvantages on your character sheet: A Dependency and a Physical Limitation.
Uncommon, 1 Day, 3d6 Damage: 5 Points
A character with Type 2 Diabetes has a dependency to insulin, which you must take daily or suffer physical harm from the effects of the disease.
Infrequent, Fully: 15 Points
A character with this Physical Limit has a power which he cannot use without killing themselves. In general, the power in question will be his most powerful attack or defense power; the GM should make sure that the power in question is appropriately dramatic and important for the Physical Limit to be appropriate.
If the character will probably (and understandably) be hesitant to use the "lethal" power. The occasion upon which he uses it (if any) should be a dramatic and powerful roleplaying moment, in which the character has no other choice. However, the GM should not maneuver the character into such a position; rather, he should let the player maneuver himself into it if he wants to. The character is always free to choose not to use the power.
Frequent, Slightly: 10 Points
This character has some specific dietary requirement; he cannot eat certain foods, or can only eat certain food, as determined by the player. The character is not necessarily poisoned if he eats foods in contradiction to his Dietary Restriction; he simply cannot digest and use food which goes against his requirements. (For example, a character with Dietary Restriction: Carnivore can eat vegetables, if necessary, but he won't actually gain any nutritional value from them.
The permutations of this Physical Limit are nearly endless. Some possible variations include:
òCarnivore: The character's preferred food is meat. In addition, the character may be further restricted to either cooked or raw meat, or may be able to eat either. Other possible variations of this variation include only being able to eat fish, or not being able to eat fish, or only being able to eat carrion.
òHerbivore: The character's preferred food is plant matter. What particular part of a plant is up to the player. The character may be able to eat any part of a plant, or may be restricted to leaves, bark, or fruit. In addition, the character may be able to eat any plant, or only a few species.
òNo Processed Foods: The character can eat anything he wants, as long as it doesn't have any additives. Artificial flavorings, preservatives, etc., all ruin the food for the character. In this case, the character probably treats health food stores as a grocery.
òUnusual Additives Required: The character can eat anything he wants, as long as the required additive has been included. The exact nature of the additive is up to the player and should fit into the character's concept. If the additive is normally toxic to humans that the character is required to purchase Immunity to that substance.
The character should have a concept explaining why the character has this disadvantage.
Common, Moderate:
10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
As the name implies, a character with this Psych Limit has a very simple and clear cut view of how the world works, and becomes upset when he is forced to realize that the world very often isn't always black and white.
It should be mentioned that this disadvantage applies to more situations than when the players must team up with a villain, or are forced to let a villain go on orders from the government due to a plea bargain. It also applies to such situations as when a popular sports hero, viewed as a rolemodel by the character, is arrested for murder. Or when the character's girlfriend says "I love you, but I don't want to marry you."
A character with a Common, Moderate committment to this disadvantage may get upset and have trouble concentrating during such times, while a character with Common, Strong must make an Ego roll in order to continue operating normally in such situations. The latter character will be much more vocal about his dislike for the situation and may even do something rash to "correct" it.
Uncommon, Strong:
10 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Very Common, Strong:: 20
Points
For a character with this disadvantage, there is something for which he feels utter loathing. The feeling is not as powerful as a hatred, and in general, the character can stand to be in close contact with the object of his dislike when such is necessary. In general, a character who dislikes something will take active steps to avoid the object of his dislike, and will only voluntarily enter into a situation where they can't do so if such action is necessary.
The object of the dislike could be almost anything: a specific person, a type of character, big business, a type of behavior, having to perform a specific task, etc. The possibilities are literally endless.
The different levels of frequency depends on how often the character will come into contact with the object of his hatred.
This Psych Limit should not be used to represent Prejudice or Racism.
Common, Strong: 15 Points
A character that Distrusts Authority believes that the government does whatever they want, whenever they want, and there is nothing that the average man can do about it. He assumes that any police officer he interacts with is just looking for a reason to violate his civil rights, that the IRS is just looking for a reason to audit him and seize his property, and that the FBI and the CIA keeps files on ordinary citizens just in case.
This attitude colors the way the character interacts with authority figures. The character will generally act sarcastically, be verbally hostile, and uncooperative with any government official.
The character has a feature that sets him apart from others. He will be easy to recognize and remember, easy to pick from a crowd and enemies will have less trouble tracking the character down.
The PC has a scar obtained from a youthful duel. It is across the face and cannot be concealed unless the character wears makeup, or a hood (which in itself is conspicuous). Unless the scar is particularly hideous, it does not cause an adverse reaction. Quite the opposite, women are very interested in the story behind the scar. [Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable: 10 points]
Just what it says. The nose is large, no legendary like Cyrano de Bergerac. People will remember him for his nose and he might have a nickname or two dealing with it. It will be difficult to conceal without a lot of makeup, or magical intervention. [Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable: 10 points]
If you buried something and dug it up a few weeks later, that would describe this character's odor. He can easily be noticed in a closed room, and outdoors close, or downwind. In a tight spot, he is downright repulsive and causes eyes to water. [Easily Concealable, Always Noticed and Major Reaction: 10 points]
As above, but caused by some unnatural, difficult to dispel source (ie. magical curse). [Not Concealable, Always Noticed and Major Reaction: 20 points]
The character has no physical features, but tends to make others uneasy. In social situations, this is definitely a penalty. In addition, dogs, and other animals tend to bark, growl and otherwise get skittish around the PC. Other character will notice something about the character, but will not be able to define it (unless they are sensative to Auras). [Not Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable: 15 points]
The PC has stark white hair. This is unusual and people tend to notice it. [Easily Concealable, Noticed and Recognized: 5 points]
Common, Strong: 15
Points
Common, Strong: 20 Points
A character with this Psych Limit distrusts the members of a specific group. He doesn't necessarily dislike that group (although he may), but rather views them with suspicion. The character always thinks they are up to something, but he isn't quite sure what.
This Psych Limit is quite different from Prejudiced Against (Group) in that it is possible that the character likes, admires, or is even friends with a member of this group. It is not specific people he distrusts, but rather the group as a whole.
Common, Total: 20 Points
With this Psych Limit, there is some important fact about the character in question that is a secret... and it is so secret that even the character himself is unaware of it. The exact nature of the secret is up to the player, but the possibilities are many and varied. Perhaps the character is actually the child of a well-known hero/villain. Perhaps the character is actually an alien, and his parents never told him. Perhaps the character was grown in a lab and given false memories about his background. Regardless of the secret, the character is unaware of it.
There should be some reasonable, if not necessarily easy way, for the character to eventually find the secret out. However, such revelation should be the end result of many long and intense roleplaying sessions.
All The Time,
Slightly: 15 Points
All The Time, Greatly: 20 Points
All The
Time, Fully: 25 Points
A character with this Physical Limitation is generally from another time period, and doesn't comprehend the day to day rules of society that most people take for granted. Examples include when to not cross a street, how to drive a car, what a telephone is for, how to summon emergency help, etc. The character simply has no grounding in the rules and taboos of modern life. Most skills involving blending in or interacting with other people are performed at a -2 modifier, and the character cannot take any Knowledge Skills dealing with current culture.
The closer the character's native time period is to the current time of the campaign, the less this Physical Limitation is worth.
Frequent, Greatly: 15 Points
A character with this disadvantage never learned how to use most or all of the technology that everyone else takes for granted. Generally, this means the character is out of place in time. (Such as being from the past or the far future.)
Examples include not being able to drive a car, not knowing what a television was, not being able to use an elevator, etc. The character is unable to learn any skills which involve modern technology, unless they are obviously based on technology the character can use. (This determination is up to the GM.)
Common, Strong: 15
Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
A character with this Psych Limit is the descendant (usually son/daughter or grandson/daughter) or a famous hero or villain, and feels compelled to follow the "family tradition" because of this legacy.
At common, Strong the character's heart isn't truly into what he is doing (for one reason or another, he just doesn't want to be a hero/villain, but feels he has to be lest he let his family down). At common, Total, the character is enthusiastically pursuing the "family tradition".
The character may have other Psych Limits regarding his devotion to family history.
Frequent, Greatly: 15 Points
The character with this Physical Limit is very short and small. A Dwarf must be less than 4' 7" tall as an adult. The character's weight will usually be much lower than that of a normal adult, though it may come close to normal depending on the character's build. Most dwarves also have problems with bone growth; their bones grow curved or at unequal rates, making it difficult for them to move easily.
The character is severely limited due to his small stature: shelves are all too tall, clothing must be purchased in the children's sections or specially ordered; the pedals of a car are too short to be reached, and the dashboard is too high to be seen over; chairs and tables are built to the wrong scale. Other limitations are probably self-evident.
Depending on the character's concept, the character's Strength and Constitution will most likely be less than normal.
Frequent, Greatly:
15 Points
Frequent, Fully: 20 Points
A character with this Physical Limit has a severe learning disability. The character cannot easily learn to read or write, and even simple maps and road signs are often beyond the character. He can learn any skill normally if he has a teacher.
The amount of hinderence is determined by how severe the problem is. At the lesser level, the character has difficulty with anything involving number sequences and reading. They can learn to read, but do so slower than most people, and frequently see things out of sequence. This causes them to suffer a -2 penalty to all skill rolls involving numbers or reading. In addition, if the character reads something wrong, he may not realize it.
At the stronger level, the character cannot learn to read or do anything more than basic math (on his fingers). Without special training, the character is considered Illiterate, but gains no extra points for it.