XP Edition, Service Pack 1

Book of Banes

By Jonathan S. Coolidge, D.O.

Overview:

General disabilities have a disadvantage rating, indicating overall level of power.

            Additionally, many disadvantages take the form of diminished basic raw scores or other statistics, as outlined in the basic rules of character creation.  One may also modify advantages with restrictions that will lower the overall rating of the advantage, thus lowering its cost.  Some restrictions are specific to certain advantages, and are outlined with the advantage in the Manual of Unnatural Power.  Others are more generalized, and are outlined below.

            A disadvantage at rating zero or less is not a disadvantage at all, but simply a matter of character development.

Itemized Deductions:

Under some circumstances, it may be possible to describe the exact same disadvantage using several different sets of rules.  It is my hope that for the sake of balance, most of the time these parallel descriptions of the same thing would be of equal value.  If not, the one that favors the character (has the higher Ad point reward) takes precedence.  A character cannot “double-dip”—one cannot gain Ad points twice for the same disadvantage.  However, one can draw points twice for two different disadvantages caused by the same curse.  For example, a character with froggy skin with a dependency on water would also have the disadvantage of an unusual appearance.  However, the character could not also claim at the same time a vulnerability to deserts or other settings in which water is scarce, because the water dependency has already been claimed.

Note that there may be several different ways to create essentially the same character.  The method that makes the best economic use of Ad points should be used.  However, GMs are encouraged to introduce “fudge factor” modifiers as needed if the best choice of numbers generate a character that appears too unbalanced.  For more information ask your GM or a tax professional.

Paired Disadvantages:

                Some disadvantages are modifiers to advantages.  Rather than having a fixed rating, they modify the rating of the accompanying advantage.  Common sense should be used in deciding which modifiers are and are not relevant to particular advantages.  They should not reduce the advantage rating into a negative range (thus making it into a disadvantage) unless having the ability with the paired disadvantage actually is worse than having nothing at all.  Bear in mind that some advantages and disadvantages, particularly Transformation and Involuntary transformation, are acquired seperately even though doing so might seem to violate the duplication principles above.

Example Disadvantages:

Dependency:

                A dependency can be an addiction.  It can also be a physiologic need, the trade-off of being a member of an exotic species.  In either case, each time one misses fulfilling one’s dependency, one sustains damage in the form of toxicity- physical or toxicity- mental.

                The rating is determined first by the frequency of the subject of one’s need.  It is then modified by how often it is needed.  If the Dependency item can be carried, the character may keep a reasonable supply of the dependency item on one’s person, but there is always the fear of losing it.

                A character deprived of the item of dependency after the chosen interval begins to take damage (usually in the form of health damage, but possibly in the form of toxicity- physical or mental, such as in the case of drug dependencies) at a rate of 1d20 for every next interval down.  For example, a character with a daily dependency will, after one day of deprivation, begin to suffer damage of 1d20 an hour until the item of dependency is provided or the character dies.  Characters with an hourly dependency sustain damage once every full minute in which their item of dependency is not provided.

Endurance and Resistance, Physical and Mental:

                The basic rules for MI, PI, and EI are outlined with the Character Generation rules, which also outline the core rules of the game.  Reprinted below (again) is the table listing the costs for raising Integrities, edited for space and assuming one has already factored in raw score modifiers earlier.  (MR, PR, and ER have been omitted, as they are by default zero, and thus cannot be lowered as a disadvantage.)

                Physical features that can affect Integrities or provide Resistances but also have social stigmas (such as scales or fur in a society where this is abnormal) are acquired separately.

Involuntary transformation:

                If the light of the full moon brings out your lupine qualities, then this disadvantage is for you.  However, it encompasses a wide range of other forms of forced metamorphosis as well, and has the potential to be one of the more complicated disadvantages. The following rules are done to help bring order to potential chaos, and to help keep the character sheet reasonably tidy.

                This disadvantage is acquired separately from a voluntary Transformation advantage. A character who transforms both at will and unwillingly into the same form has both the advantage and the disadvantage. Advantages that only the alternate form have a Paired Disadvantage (see separate entry.)

                Note that a transformation that is activated by a quirky but controllable mechanism (such as turning into a gigantic panda whenever splashed by cold water and resuming human form when soaking in warm water) does not count as both Transformation with a Paired Disadvantage: requires trigger and Involuntary Transformation. It is a disadvantage if one always transforms; it is an advantage with a paired disadvantage if one still has the option not to transform in the presence of the shifting trigger.

                For example, a werewolf who can only shift during a full moon has an advantage. A werewolf who cannot avoid shifting during the full moon has a disadvantage. A werewolf who can shift at will at other times but is forced to shift on a full moon has both an advantage and a disadvantage. (The Transformation advantage does not have the full moon trigger as a paired disadvantage.)

                Determining Ad point costs of Involuntary transformation involves too many variables to assign a rating simply by adding up individual disadvantages, without introducing sizable unbalancing ad point paybacks.  (The introduction of trivial rating one abilities or disabilities can make huge point fluctuations when raising or lowering a rating from x to ix or xi.) Therefore, a revised, two-step approach is done.

For example, if one shifts into a mermaid whenever splashed by or submerged in water, in a campaign setting similar to the real world, one has Raw curse vii, because the inability to walk upright, the social stigma of being a mythical creature, and other elements make life outside of water practically impossible for any length of time in that form, which would be a rating vi disadvantage by itself.

If the character transforms into an alternate personality that is not controlled by the player, the overall rating depends on that other personality’s effect on the character’s interests. If the alter ego is actively out to undermine the character’s life, the rating could be as high as vi or vii. If the alternate persona is simply a benevolent forest creature, however, the effect is only significant in that the player has lost control of the character; the minimum value of this disadvantage is generally iv. Note that advantages and disadvantages that are available only to the alter ego and not to the character’s player are game mechanically only applied towards the Raw curse, and are not factored otherwise as advantages or disadvantages.

                The mermaid above in her natural form can breathe water, granting in essence Freedom from need- Air IV (with a –1 rating because it only applies while being underwater.) This ability is lowered to Freedom from need- Air III, because it only applies in altered form. She also has the ability to swim with her tail, considerably faster and with greater agility than a person with scuba gear and foot fins.  We’ll call this Swimming III, an ability giving one effectively the same speed and agility of a dolphin or porpoise. This is lowered to Swimming II for the same reason. (Being splashed by water is an abundant trigger; see Paired Disadvantages below.) Both of these abilities count separately from the Involuntary Transformation disadvantage.

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                Stress transformation (* above) is a Common Incidence modifier.  With this disadvantage modifier, the transformation happens whenever the character takes more than 40 points of MI or PI with a single hit.  The character is allowed an action roll vs. d20 using Wil as raw score, and if successful, the forced shift is prevented.  Difficulty increases by d10 for each additional 20 points MI or PI lost with the same injury, and the character has to roll again each time an injury is sustained, making combat or tax audits very difficult.

Stress transformation- Abundant is similar to Stress transformation as above, but the rolls are made whenever the character loses 20 or more points of PI or MI, with the additional d10 difficulty with every 10 points of damage over 20 sustained in a single injury.

If more than one incidence is used, the total incidence of all circumstances is considered.  For example, if one is forced to change under stress (Stress transformation, but not in and of itself the abundant version) and on full moon nights, the odds of either coming up are enough to qualify as a collectively abundant incidence.

Working with the mermaid example, suppose she assumes human form on land and mermaid form whenever at least partially submerged in water.  Incidence of simply having water spilled on you is abundant, but bathing and swimming is simply common.  (Most people take baths in private and aren’t going anywhere until they’re done bathing, so the disadvantage does not apply to a nightly bath.  Obviously, going swimming or certain forms of intimacy are affected.)

Sensory limitations:

The opposite of better senses is weaker senses, or worse yet, no sensation at all.  Working around being visually or hearing impaired can make for an interesting character.  Note that logically incompatable abilities, such as improved hearing and deafness, should not be allowed.

Vision impairment- Color-blindness i: Like the majority of people with color-blindness, the character can perceive some colors but not all of them.  Usually red and green are faded into a yellow-brown, and the two are indistinguishable.  General perception of color may also be faded.  (An action roll using Sen as a raw score might be needed to determine accurate colors in a pinch.)  This is the type of color-blindness dogs and cats have.

Vision impairment- Color-blindness ii: The character cannot see color at all.

Vision impairment- Nearsightedness iii: The character has to wear glasses to see in the distance.  This is a rating iv disadvantage if corrective eyewear is not available in the campaign setting, or if vision is too poor to be refracted.

Vision impairment- Farsightedness ii: The character can see well in the distance, but cannot see up close.  This generally only becomes an issue when trying to read or otherwise work with details up close.  This is a rating iii disadvantage if corrective eyewear is not available in the campaign setting, or if vision is too poor to be refracted.

Vision impairment- Blindness vi: The character cannot see at all.  Note that if the character uses special abilities that allow one to see events, such as precognition psionics or astral projection, the character is either able to see those events or otherwise becomes aware of events through senses familiar to that character.

Hearing impairment- Poor hearing i: The character has a hard time hearing words in conversation and frequently has to ask for things to be repeated.

Hearing impairment- Deaf v: The character cannot hear.

Sensory impairment- No sense of smell or taste i: The character is missing two senses.  Guess which.

Sensory impairment- No sense of feeling iv: the character cannot feel touch, including certain forms of pain.  This makes the person succeptable to injury, complicated by gangrene if he or she does not routinely inspect one’s body, particularly the feet.

Visible traits:

                An entire gauntlet of bizarre traits are possible.  Rather than collecting points for each one individually, the overall appearance has to be considered.  (In a world occupied mostly by the mundane, pointed ears does not draw any additional attention on a red being with giant horns, but is certainly noticable on someone who otherwise appears human.)

                The following table provides an overview of ratings and degrees of abnormality of appearance.  The examples apply in a world in which people who do not appear human would be ostracized or viewed with suspicion.

                A dog or cat might be dismissed as a neighborhood animal, but the character might need to be rescued from municipal animal control.  A wolf or snow leopard will frequently end up dodging tranquilizer darts, and his or her friends will be harassed frequently about permits.  A live mythical beast will be impossible to explain.

Note that the above disadvantages do not apply if one merely has the ability to shapeshift into such a form.  However, these drawbacks do apply when determining the overall rating of the Involuntary Transformation disadvantage.

Vulnerability:

                This can be everything from the classic weaknesses of garlic and mirrors that are the bane of Hollywood vampires, to the anaphylactic allergic sensitivity to peanuts or bee stings that send several thousand people annually to hospital emergency rooms.  A character’s personal nemesis could cause physical damage, or, like the case of the crucifix to some versions of vampires, it could instead cause damage to the psyche (in the form of MI loss.)

                Exposure to one’s vulnerability item causes 1d20 toxicity damage to touch.  Ingestion of a small amount does 1d100 toxicity damage.  If the item is a metal and is made into a weapon (such as a silver bullet or a cold iron blade), it does double damage—in addition to its normal damage form, one adds in the same amount of toxicity damage.

                When acquiring this disadvantage, it is assumed to be physical unless specified as mental.  Physical vulnerabilities deal toxicity- physical damage in PI.  Mental vulnerabilities deal toxicity- mental damage in MI.

Paired Disadvantages

As detailed at the start of this treatise, a disadvantage can be paired to an advantage, reducing the overall value of the advantage.

Only works when transformed:

                If a character has the Transformation advantage, then one may have abilities only available while transformed. The abilities gained are traded off against the disadvantages built into the alternate form. Since the Transformation advantage is voluntary, the disadvantages can be shed at any time, and thus they are not counted against the total value of the alternate form. (Involuntary transformation is a separate disadvantage detailed above. Note that one can have both Transformation and Involuntary transformation into the same form, though each is figured separately.)

                All abilities by default are lowered by one rating if they are only available while transformed. The GM may change this modifier as needed for individual circumstances.

Only works under circumstances or activation trigger:

                Some advantages require more work than others to make it work.  While having to jump in order to fly is a no-brainer, having to cast a blood rite to invoke this ability is another story. Generally, an advantage’s usefulness is only as much as its ease of activation.  The following table is suggested as guidelines for lowering the rating of an advantage based on occurrence of circumstances:

                Reducing a rating by one rank means the same as lowering it by one Roman numeral.  An ability cannot be lowered below rating I, but the modifier can and should be applied after factoring in other modifiers.  So, an ability that only works under very rare circumstances that is normally rating III but raised to rating V because of other features is still lowered to rating I.