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Sadist [Ps]

Very Common, Strong: 20 Points

This character delights in cruelty, whether physical or mental. He enjoys inflicting pain and suffering on others. This is usually associated with a sexual fetish, but is not necessarily so. A Sadist will hurt anyone he can, just because he likes to. If an opportunity to hurt someone else arises, the character must make an Ego roll to suppress his natural urge.

This Psych Limit is only appropriate for villains.

Scientific Curiosity [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit want to know a rational and scientific reason behind everything. They don't accept what they see as irrational or paranormal explanations; they can't accept "it just happens". They want to know why things work, and how. When they see something they can't immediately explain, it eats at them until they can figure out a reasonable explanation for it.

In order to force themselves to not try and figure something out, the character must make an Ego roll.

Seeks Proof Of The Existence Of God [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points

This Psych Limit is a more limited version of Seeks "Universal Truths". A character with disadvantage wants to believe in God, but for some reason does not have the faith to actually believe. He searches for some sign that there is a higher power guiding the world; unfortunately, he can never find one that convinces him. Still, he searches.

The character will often fall into introspection about this question. However, he can force himself to concentrate on matters at hand when necessary.

Seeks Revenge [Ps]

Uncommon, Moderate: 5 Points
Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points
Uncommon, Total: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit has had a great and serious wrong done to him by some third party, and the character now seeks to redress the wrong. The specifics of the wrong are up to the player, but usually form the basis of other disadvantages (such as Hunted or Rivalry).

At Uncommon, Moderate the character is able to cease his strive for vengeance when necessary, even when confronted with the object of his revenge. At Uncommon, Strong the character must make an Ego roll to do so. At Uncommon, Total the character never ceases his quest for vengeance except under the most dire of circumstances.

Seeks True Love [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character who Seeks True Love hopes to find that special someone with whom they will spend the rest of their lives. This Psych Limit is different from In Love With (Other Character) because in this case, the character hasn't fallen in love yet. To this end, the character makes every attempt to find Mister or Miss Right.

Unfortunately, most of the people he meets just don't match his rather precise standards. The character unconsciously sabotages his own quest for happiness. In order to avoid doing so when he wishes to become involved with someone, the character must make a successful Ego roll.

An ironic twist to this Psych Limit is the character being the love interest for someone else and not realizing it.

Seeks "Universal Truths" [Ps]

Common, Moderate: 10 Points

A character who Seeks "Universal Truths" wants to find some meaning to existence. He wants to know if there is a reason for life, and if so what that reason is. He wants to know if there is a God, and if so why did he create the world? And if not, how did the universe come into being? Is the world even real, or is it all the daydream of some unimaginable cosmic being?

The character will often fall into introspection about these questions. However, he can force himself to concentrate on matters at hand when necessary.

Sees Himself As The Protector Of (Person, Group, Place, Concept, Or Object) [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit sees himself as the official, chosen, ordained and sanctioned protector of something. A character taking this disadvantage is automatically assumed to be Protective of that which he is supposed to be the official protector.

The character is not necessarily the official protector of anything. How the character became the "official protector", where the "ordainment" came from, and whether or not anyone else sees him as an "official protector" should be determined by the player and the GM. While it is an interesting background note for the character to be, for example, the "Official Protector of Brooklyn Heights Between 35th Street and the Park", its just as interesting to have the only person who considers the character that to be the character himself.

In order to force himself not to act in his "official capacity", the character must make a successful Ego roll.

Sees Most People As Annoyances [Ps]

Very Common, Moderate: 15 Points

This Psych Limit is a stronger variation of Annoyed By Incompetent People. A character who Sees Most People As Annoyances has a hard time dealing with others people... especially when the other people in question are doing something which, in any way at all, hampers the character. The "offense" may be small and slight, but the character will get annoyed at it anyway. He sees almost everyone around him as a bumbling idiot.

In addition, anyone who could possibly (through stretches of the imagination) be considered to be interering with the character in any way (even unintentionally or unknowingly) is targetted for anger and annoyance by the character.

The character can force himself to not react in this fashion when necessary.

Sees The World As Black-And-White, Good-And-Evil [Ps]

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

A character with this Psych Limit is Naive about human nature. The character believes that people are either good, and therefore will not ever have a cause to do bad things, or they are evil, and therefore are never to be bargained with, trusted, or counted on. He cannot think of any circumstance under which a good person might be called upon to do something that might be defined as evil, nor one in which an evil person could be trusted and dealt with fairly. These beliefs guide the character's actions.

At Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego roll in order to act against his beliefs. At Common, Total the character cannot do so except under the most extreme of circumstances.

Self-Appointed Expert [Ps]

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

This Psych Limit is a limited version of Know It All. A character who is a Self-Appointed Expert believes that he is an authority on one subject. When dealing with that subject, he acts as if there is nothing else he can learn, and will freely correct what he sees as other people's mistakes when it comes to his chosen subject. He will begrudgingly accept that someone else might know as much about his subject as he does, but will never acknowledge that someone else knows more.

The differing strengths indicate how badly the character reacts if shown up in his own subject.

Selfish [Ps]

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

A Selfish character looks out for himself and everyone else can go to hell. Even when it comes to friends and family, the character will make sure he is taken care of before he looks out for them... if he does. The character tends to operate on a "short-term view"; he does things to look out for himself now, and rarely looks to taking care of things in the future until the future comes.

At Very Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego roll in order to avoid acting in this manner. At Very Common, Total the character cannot avoid acting like this except in the most extreme of circumstances.

Selfish And Calculating [Ps]

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

A character who is Selfish And Calculating looks out for himself, but takes a long-term view toward what that means. If he can make someone indebted to him by doing a favor now, he will. The indebted person will pay (probably in spades) for the favor when the Selfish And Calculating person has a need.

Otherwise, the character operates similarly to one who is merely Selfish.

Sense of Duty [Ps]

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

A character with this Psych Limit feels compelled to do what is expected of him by those in authority over him. This is a common disadvantage for soldiers and policemen. A person who feels a Sense of Duty to an organization or a person would never betray them, abandon them when they are in trouble, or allow them to come to harm. He feels dutybound to do his best for them, even if he disagrees with their actions, their motives, or their goals.

This Psych Limit should never be taken at less than Common, Strong.

Sensitive About His Appearance [Ps]

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

While this Psych Limit is most appropriate for characters whose appearance is unusual, any character can take it. The character is overly concerned with the way he looks. In the case of a character with an unusual appearance (such as a character with fur, or oddly colored skin), the character becomes almost paranoid that others see him as a freak because of the way he looks.

If the character's appearance is normal, he is overly concerned with looking well-dressed, clean, and neat. He become's disturbed by such things as his hair being out of place, or his clothes not matching, or not being clean. And heaven forbid he has a stain or a hole in his clothing.

At Very Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego roll in order to avoid acting in this manner, while at Very Common, Total the character can only stop in the most extreme of circumstances.

Serial Killer [Ps]

Common, Total: 20 Points

While it may seem that the Psych Limit Casual Killer would be included as part of Serial Killer, the opposite is actually true. A Serial Killer is the most coldly methodical of all murderers, rarely (if ever) killing in a moment of rage or on a whim. A character with this Psych Limit plots out the murders he commits as carefully as the director of a film plots out the story.

The character carefully selects his victim, stalking them over time until an opportune time to strike presents itself. Once in possession of the victim, a Serial Killer tortures them before killing, possibly out of some need to sadistically dominate them.

Serial Killers are automatically Psychopathic/Sociopathic.

Being a Serial Killer is different from being a Mass Murderer. In the case of a Mass Murderer:

òVictims are killed over a relatively short period of time, usually hours (less often days). The killings usually occur at several separate locations within a small area (such as two or three city blocks) as part of a continuous "action". Such "killing sprees" are usually one-time occurrances in the life of the killer, but could potentially happen numerous times.

òVictims are typically selected at random and attacked or not at the whim of the killer, or form a part of a target group.

òThe victims are usually connected in some way to the killer. This need not be a personal relationship. (The classic example of a "postal worker with an uzi" is usually a case of an overstressed postal worker who went crazy and now wants to punish the post office by killing people.)

òMass Murderers almost always use guns, and don't torture their victims before killing them.

òAttacks are usually made in public places, such as restaurants, malls, and universities.

In the case of a Serial Killer:

òThe killings are separate ("serial") occuring with greater or less frequency over time (often following the cycle of the moon), sometimes lasting years and not stopping until the killer is taken into custody or dies.

òThe killing is one-on-one (as with "normal" homicides), as opposed to many-at-once.

òThere is very little or no connection between the killer and his victims.

òAlthough there may be a common pattern or victim trait in the killings, serial murders rarely have a clearly defined or "rational" motive.

òSerial murders often occur over a wide area (for example, in the case of Ted Bundy, he killed women in Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arkansas, and Florida before finally being apprehended).

òThe murders reflect redundant violence, a need by the Serial Killer to inflict "overkill" violence on his victim. This may be evidence of a pathological need to sadistically dominate their victim.

òSerial Killers almost always stab, strangle, or poison their victims, and do so slowly so as to inflict terror.

This Psych Limit is only appropriate for villains. Its my honest advice that any player who wants his character to have this Psych Limit be barred from your games and watched closely.

Sexist [Ps]

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

This Psych Limit is a specific variation of the Prejudiced disadvantage. A Sexist character (who may be male or female) is prejudiced against members of the opposite sex. He (or she, in the case of female students) treats such people with scorn and derision, and takes the most stereotypical of views about them as the truth.

A male Sexist tends to believe that women are good for only two things: cooking for the men and satisfying the man's sexual needs. They're opinions are unwanted and unneeded, and women should be seen and not heard. Their place is in the home, raising the (preferably male) babies.

A female Sexist tends to believe that all men are closet rapists who are all secretly conspiring to keep women in some form of bondage. They are filthy pigs whose minds are in the gutter. Anything a man can do a women can not only do better, but should be.

At Very Common, Moderate the character can suppress his feelings about members of the opposite sex when necessary. At Very Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego roll in order to avoid acting in the above-described manner.

Showboat [Ps]

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

A character who is a Showboat has an uncontrollable urge to grab the glory whenever he can. To do so, he will step on others (even his teammates). A character with this Psych Limit has no time for teamwork or cooperation; he's too busy making himself look good. Should the character and his teammates fail at whatever they are doing, the character will become angry with this teammates for "letting him down".

This Psych Limit includes Showoff and Conceited; it is not appropriate for the character to take those Psych Limits and this one as well.

At Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego attack in order to avoid acting this way. At Common, Total the character cannot stop acting like this except in the most severe of circumstances.

Short [Ph]

Infrequently, Slightly: 5 Points

The character is below normal height. The obvious disadvantage of being Short are an inability to reach high objects. The character's Running and Jumping are reduced by 1" each. In addition, the character is generally perceived to be weaker and less physically impressive than he actually is, and can possibly be seen as being younger than he actually is. Any combat-oriented Presence Attack the character makes suffers a -2d6 penalty.

If the character wishes to be extremely short, he should take Dwarf/Midget instead.

Showoff [Ps]

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

A Showoff does whatever he can to get people's attention on himself. Not everything the character will do is done in this light, but anything that could possibly be considerd attention-getting is done with just a little bit more panache and flair, with the intention being that the character wants others to see how well he does it.

The character is not necessarily Arrogant or Conceited. Likewise, the character is not necessarily a Showboat.

At Common, Moderate the character can force himself to stop acting in this manner when he must. At Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego attack in order to avoid acting this way.

Shy [Ps]

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

A Shy character is uncomfortable in the presence of strangers. The character has trouble speaking to strangers, and when he does speak, is barely articulate. Such characters tend to be quiet individuals, even when they do speak.

Characters with this Psych Limit suffers penalties to Presence based skills. The specific limit depends on the severity of the disadvantage. At Common, Moderate, the character is merely uncomfortable around strangers (especially around attractive or assetive ones), and suggers a -1 to any Presence-based skill roll.

At Common, Strong, the character is very uncomfortable around strangers, and tends to be quiet even with friends. At this level the character suffers a -3 to any Presence-based skill roll.

At Common, Total, the character avoids strangers whenever possible. He is incapable of public speaking, and is barred from taking any skill that deals with the public (such as Bureaucratics, Oratory, Conversation, or Acting). In addition, the character suffers a -6 to any skill roll for other Presence-based skills (such as Streetwise).

This disadvantage must be bought off one level at a time.

Signature [Ps]

Common, Total: 20 Points

A character with a Signature has a trademark that he leaves at the sight of all of his escapades. This disadvantage is only appropriate for those who work on the wrong side of the law or are in the habit of angering important or powerful people. (Otherwise, it should be bought as a Quirk.)

An individual character's Signature may be trivial (such as leaving a flower at the scene of his crimes) or very elaborate (filling the area with blue balloons). Regardless of the Signature, the character feels compelled to leave it.

A Signature ensures that the characters enemies and victims know who committed the crime; worse, it may lead to "copy-cat" crimes for which the character could be blamed, even though he did not commit them.

Significantly Different Anatomy [Ph]

Frequently, Slightly: 15 Points

This Physical Limit is only appropriate for characters whose bodies are completely different from those of normal human beings, such as aliens or characters who are made of some substance other than normal flesh. The character's anatomy is different from that of normal humanity to be almost unrecognizable to a paramedic or doctor.

Unless the person providing medical care has been trained in the character's anatomy, no medical skill will work if used to heal the character, and may actually harm the character if the attempt is failed (GM option).

Slow Reactions [Ph]

All The Time, Greatly: 20 Points

With this Physical Limit, the character's reaction time is less than what it should be. The character acts last in any given phase, and suffers a -1 to any hand-to-hand attack roll. In addition, any Dexterity roll involving reaction time suffers a -2 penalty.

Snobbish [Ps]

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

This Psych Limit is only appropriate to characters of the highest economic and social class. This character tends to look down on everyone he does not consider a part of his own class. He avoids those he finds to be "common", and if he can't avoid them, he bristles whenever he has to come into close contact with them. The character acts condescending at best, and openly insulting at worst, towards those he considers to be "less" than he is.

At Common, Moderate the character can make himself be polite to those of the lower classes he considers worthy of politeness (and may even have a few friends among them). At Common, Strong the character must make an Ego roll in order to avoid acting in that way. At Common, total he cannot act otherwise except in the most dire of circumstances.

Stagefright [Ps]

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

A character with this Psych Limit becomes nervous and uncomfortable when in front of large numbers of people. In such situations, the person stammers, is visibly flustered, and sometimes visibly shakes.

When taken at Common, Moderate, the character is capable of speaking normally in front of a crowd with some effort. At Common, Strong, he must make an Ego roll in order to do so, while at Common, Total, he cannot do so under any circumstances.

This Psych Limit works well with Easily Embarassed and Shy.

Stalker [HW]


Less Powerful than PC, limited to certain geographical area, appears 8 or less : 5 Points
Less Powerful than PC, limited to certain geographical area, appears 11 or less: 10 Points
Less Powerful than PC, limited to certain geographical area, appears 14 or less: 15 Points

In some ways, this Physical Limitation is similar to Biggest Fan; however, where the Biggest Fan generally means no real harm to his "hero", a Stalker follows the character with a darker intent. A Stalker is psychotically obsessed with the character.

The Stalker's goal is to find some piece of information about the hero that only he knows. This will allow the Stalker to have a personal link to his "hero". While on the surface, the Stalker's activities seem to mimic those of the Biggest Fan, the truth is that the Stalker is willing to go to any length to meet and become close to the character... even going so far as to threaten or harm his loved ones.

Should the character somehow ever not live up to the Stalker's preconceived image of the character, the Stalker will decide to kill the character as punishment for disappointing him.

Stigmatic [Ph]

Infrequent, Greatly: 10 Points

This Physical Limit is only appropriate to characters who are deeply, devoutly religious. The character periodically suffers from wounds which mirror those that were suffered by Jesus Christ, as described in the New Testament of the Bible. These wounds are painful and bloody, but are never fatal.

Specifically, the wounds are punctures of the wrists and feet (Jesus was nailed to the cross with spikes), whip-like lacerations on the back (Jesus was flogged before being crucified), punctures and scratches of the forehead (Jesus was forced to wear a crown of thorns), and lastly, a stab wound in the side (Roman guards stabbed Jesus with a spear to see if he was dead).

Generally, a Stigmatic will suffer only one of the manifestations (most commonly punctures of the wrist). Rarely, two or three manifestations will occur. No Stigmatic in recorded history has ever suffered more than three.

Street Loyal [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character who is Street Loyal in general only looks out for himself. However, if someone does him a favor, he pays it back. Perhaps not immediately, but eventually. He treats with respect those that treat him with respect, and treats fairly those who treat him fairly. He will not betray someone he considers worthy of his loyalty. Those who aren't worthy are fair game, however.

Stubborn [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A Stubborn character wants to get his way, all the time. He is very hard to get along with if he doesn't get it. He rarely changes his mind, even with the strongest of persuasion, and when he does, it is often only to end whatever argument he is in.

In order to "give up" and accept not getting his way, the character must make an Ego roll. It is suggested that a player character not take this Psych Limit higher than Common, Strong since such a character would never be willing to compromise, and would soon be too annoying.

Stuck Up [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit believes that most of the people around him are not worthy of his time or attention. His friends (who, remarkably, are all very similar to him) and anyone in authority over him count, but no one else does except in how they can assist the character. The character expects the "nobodies" to be grateful of his attention, and is befuddled (and even offended) if his attitude toward them makes them angry. (The character's attitude is "It's not my fault their losers".)

The character must make an Ego roll in order to treat a person he normally considers a "nobody" like a "real person".

Stutterer [Ph]

Infrequent, Greatly: 10 Points

A character with this Physical Limit suffers from a stammer or similar speech impediment. The character suffers a -2 to any skill roll involving the spoken word, especially when addressing a large number of people. Most Presence-based skills (especially Oratory and Persuasion), as well as several Professional Skills are next to impossible for the character to learn.

Sucker For A Sob Story [Ps]

Uncommon, Moderate: 5 Points
Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points
Uncommon, Total: 15 Points

A character with this Psych Limit can't help himself from helping someone in distress, even if the person is not actually in distress. All that is necessary is that the person have a story portraying themselves in distress. When the character knows that the person in distress isn't actually in trouble, he will still want to help them.

This is not the same as Charitable. While the two disadvantages are very similar, this Psych Limit implies that the character has no common sense regarding his feelings of charitability.

A character who takes this disadvantage at Uncommon, Moderate can suppress this urge when necessary. At Uncommon, Strong the character must make an Ego roll to do so, while at Uncommon, Total they cannot do so except in the most dire of circumstances.

Suicidal [Ps]

Uncommon, Moderate: 5 Points
Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points

A Suicidal character has urges making him want to kill himself. These urges are usually strongest at times of stress or depression, and it is at this time that the character comes closest to actual ending his own life.

This Psych Limit should not be taken at a Frequency greater than Uncommon. The character would thus be far too annoying and depressive to be enjoyable. It should also not be taken stronger than Strong. A character who is "totally" Suicidal has most likely already found a reason and a means to kill himself.

This disadvatage works well with Despressive and Pessimistic.

Superstitious [Ps]

Uncommon, Moderate: 5 Points
Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points

A character with this Psych Limit believes in one or more common superstition. This belief guides the characters actions and attitudes at such times as the superstition applies. Most superstitions are based on actions and consequences. If the character does some specific action, or doesn't do it, he will either benefit or be penalized. Other superstitions proclaim that some object or action is lucky or unlucky.

The specific superstition or superstitions the character believes in is up to the player. The possible examples are almost infinite. Some possible examples include:

òA black cat crossing your path means bad luck. So is walking under a ladder.

òBreaking a mirror gains the character seven years of bad luck.

òSpilling salt is bad luck, unless you throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder.

òFour leaf clovers are good luck. So are rabbit's feet.

òHanging a horseshoe over your door will bring good luck to everyone in the house, unless you hang it so the horns of the shoe point downward (thus allowing the "luck to run out").

At Uncommon, Moderate the character can force himself to override his normal feelings. At Uncommon, Strong the character cannot avoid acting in such a manner except with a successful Ego roll.

Suspicious Of Outsiders [Ps]

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

A character with this Psych Limit does not trust people who are not part of his own "group". What specific group towards which the character feels suspicion is up to the player. Possible examples include people of another ethnic group, another nationality, another political group, another social class, etc.

The character is not necessarily Prejudiced of members of the group; rather, the character wants to keep an eye on them and expects the worst from them. He will be slow to trust them.

At Common, Moderate the character can suppress his suspicions when necessary. At Common, Strong the character must make a successful Ego roll to do so, and at Common, Total the character cannot suppress his suspcions except in the most extreme of circumstances.

Swashbuckler Mentality [Ps]

Common, Strong: 15 Points

This Psych Limit is most appropriate for male characters. A character with a Swashbuckler Mentality feels that an exciting and adventuresome life is the only life to live. The character regularly trades jibes with friends, but accepts no insult from strangers. He lives to sweep women off their feet (and does so with style, of course) with poetry and flowers. The character will accept any challenge, no matter what the odds. He fights aggressively and confidently.

In order to avoid acting in this manner, the character must make a successful Ego roll.

This Psych Limit works well with Fearless and Showoff.

Sworn To (Perform Action Or Accomplish Goal) [Ps]

Uncommon, Strong: 10 Points
Uncommon, Total: 15 Points
Common, Strong: 15 Points
Common, Total: 20 Points
Very Common, Strong: 20 Points
Very Common, Total: 25 Points

A character with this Psych Limit has some specific action or goal that they have dedicated themselves to accomplishing. The exact goal is up to the player, and should be chosen with advice from the GM. When the character is given a chance to pursue his goal, he will take it. The Action or Goal can be almost anything; however, if the action or goal is revenge, Seeks Veangeance should be taken instead.

The Frequency of the disadvantage is determined by how much of the character's life he devotes to the pursuit of his goal. At Uncommon, the character actively pursues the goal, but does not allow it to interfere with his regular life. At Common, the character spends a great deal of time on it, but most of his life is still spent on other things. At Very Common, the character spends most of his time in an attempt to fulfill the goal,

At Strong, the character can force himself to not pursue a chance at accomplishing his goal if he makes a successful Ego roll. At Total, the character feels compelled to take such opportunities in all but the most dire of circumstances.