Ads and Disads

Some, such as Status, can be either an advantage or disadvantage depending on the level selected by the player.  A Status of 0 is neutral and costs nothing, your character would conform to the average social class of the society they are created in. A status of +3, as an advantage, would cost points and place your character in the upper end of society.  A status of -3 would earn points for the character and place them in the lower echelons of society.

Since advantages and disadvantages, by design, exist to impact the story, their selection during character creation is always a negotiation between the player and the GM, and indirectly with the rest of the players.  The player is responsible for coming up with a story justification for their advantage or disadvantage selection, although most GMs can be counted on to help. 

Why does their 20th century Army Ranger in a mostly vanilla universe have the ability to extend natural claws that do 5+2d6 Ripping Damage? The Illuminati experimented on them when they were a child, of course!

The GM has the final say as to what is permissible, because the GM is responsible for delivering a story that works and is enjoyable.

A new group is forming for a horror campaign; the players decide they will play 17th century New England Puritans.  One of the players wants to take a disadvantage of Vampirism.  It’s likely that this wouldn’t work out so well for the players, but maybe it would be awesome!  It’s up to the GM to know the players and decide if that setup has the makings of a train wreck or an epic story.

There are a limited number of pre-defined advantages and disadvantages for Bardic Tales.  Players should be encouraged to “color outside the lines” during character creation and come up with new ones to meet the specific needs of their story.  There are a number of resources available to provide ideas such as Steve Jackson Games' GURPS Advantage and Disadvantage Lists. The player and the GM should work together to define the specific mechanics of a new benefit as well as the cost.

Advantages and Disadvantages can be divided into two distinct types, quantifiable advantages and disadvantages and role-playing advantages and disadvantages

Quantifiable Advantages and Disadvantages

Quantifiable advantages and disadvantages have a defined impact on system mechanics.  They can add or subtract from a saving throw success number (Eidetic Memory), add or subtract speed points (Lightening Reflexes), or they can add to the success chance with a specific skill or skills (Skill Aptitude).

Because they are quantifiable, these advantages and disadvantages are easy to manage with less potential to be misused but with correspondingly less potential to shape the story.  They are designed to provide new characters with enhancements or minuses to their power or abilities.

Eidetic Memory (EM)

Level Cost Description

1 Standard Aptitude Cost (SAC) +20 to INF save; + 1 to XPM

2 SAC +40 to INF save; + 2 to XPM

3 SAC +60 to INF save; +3 to XPM

EM Eidetic Memory is specific to physical, mental, or magical (includes KI). The main difference lies in the application of the eXPerience Modifier.   XPM can be applied to the others at half.  Physical to mental, mental to magical, etc. and vice-versa.

Aptitudes

An aptitude is a proficiency with a particular skill or set of conditions. Each level bought gives 5% to the skill success chance and +1% to XPM in that area- the broadness of the area is set by the type purchased.

For Psionic and Magical skills in some campaigns (GM discretion) a level or two in Aptitude is required to use those skills.  For instance, in the Author’s High Fantasy campaign the Wizard Package requires Level 3 in Sorcery Aptitude and Level 2 in Mage Born.

Type Cost Description

Type I Standard Advantage Cost (SAC)/Level Specific Skill

Type II 2*SAC/Level General Area, Skill and sub-skills

Type III 5*SAC/Level Level Factor wide enhancement

Role-playing advantages and disadvantages

Role-playing advantages and disadvantages are those that do not directly translate into system mechanics. They will manifest in the story through the character’s behavior and/or how the environment and non-player characters (NPC) react to them.

Because they are not quantifiable they will require more discussion between the player and the GM to correctly set expectations about their impact on play and on the character’s story. There are guidelines for the cost/return for these advantages and disadvantages in the table 4, but these need to be considered a starting point and adjusted for the world/genre/culture the player will be in.

A player wants to take a disadvantage, “non-standard physical attribute” and have horns. (Don’t ask me why, I have no idea.  This is just an example, go with it).  Based on the horns size and prominence the GM would set a disadvantage level (1-5).  Horns that are small and easy to cover with hair would be a 1.  Horns that are prominent and require the character to always wear a hat or hood to cover them would be a 2.  Horns that are obvious to everyone and cannot be hidden would be 3.  These would be considered the baseline and then need to be adjusted for the environment.  If the character is going to be playing in San Francisco in 2010, the GM could apply a -2 because in that environment it’s just not a big deal.  If the character is going to be in Medieval England, then it would merit a +2 and likely lead to the character being burned as a demon in the first run.

Wealth (WLT)/Poverty

WLT Wealth is financial power. (1997 dollars specific) The base wealth is 5,000 dollars in savings and a salary of 25,000 dollars a year. The base also includes an apartment and a vehicle worth about 10,000 dollars. If you don't own a vehicle you can trade that in for 5,000 dollars of savings.

Each level in wealth is worth plus 5,000 dollars in savings, and +15,000 dollars a year salary. Each level in wealth also gives you 2 "wealth points". If you are taking the Disad “Poverty”, then all these numbers are reversed except that you only lose 5,000 dollars in salary per level.

Every two wealth points allows you to have a higher level of home. You can buy another home for 4 wealth points, an apartment for 2, a small apartment for only 1. You can buy hovels at half point a piece... The levels of home are: none, hovel, small apartment, apartment, small house, large house, estate, mansion. A car can be improved, or purchased, at 10,000 dollars per wealth point. If you wish you can turn each wealth point into 5,000 dollars in cash. Remember, that means you are living in an ordinary apartment and have a cheap car if you use all of them. Also, the levels of houses are relative.... an extravagant apartment with all sorts of electronics and nice furniture is like a small house.

Status (Status)

STA Status is the character's position in his society. It affects how much of the financial and material base the character has access to, and how much NPC support the character can receive. It affects Native Culture Lore, Native Language, Streetwise, and the financial and material base for the character. Every level of status will gain you a "wealth point"(see above) and +10% to the mentioned skills. Every negative level will make you lose a wealth point or 2,500 dollars in savings.

Appearance (APP)

APP Appearance is the character's beauty and attractiveness to members of the character's race and society. It affect's physical reaction rolls. The positive levels are: attractive, very attractive, beautiful, stunning. The negative levels are: unattractive, very unattractive, ugly, hideous.  Improve APP is a CTF skill.

Cautionary note for all involved

Advantages and Disadvantages are a powerful tool to shape the story and work best when they are used toward that goal.  There is a lot of room for them to be abused to min/max a character, particularly the Role-playing advantages and disadvantages.

It should be expected that roleplaying disadvantages should be adhered to consistently by the character and the GM should enforce behavior in keeping with disadvantages. 

If a character has a phobia disadvantage making them irrationally afraid of spiders, they should run away from combat with a giant spider.  If they try to enter that combat, they should be required by the GM to succeed at a Willpower Save at significant minuses.  If they fail the Save they should be required to run away.  When the player took that disadvantage they also took a responsibility to play it correctly, if the GM needs to dictate the actions of a player character things are not working the way they should.

It should also be kept in mind that characters often deviate from their initial concept.  If the disadvantage is no longer serving the character or story they should be allowed to be “bought off” using experience points (XP) earned during play.  It’s good, but not required, for this change to be supported by a story element.

Examples from other sources

Everything from here down are examples of Ads and Disads I pulled online… the next step is to go through them and

• evaluate them for in or out.

• Organize them

• And start writing them up

Advantages

Q= quantifiable R=Roleplaying

Extra Flexibility, Flexibility, Double Jointed  5/10 Q

Danger Sense 15 Q

Dark Vision, Infravision, Night Vision 25 Q

Disease-Resistant 5 Q

Doesn’t Breathe 20 R

Doesn’t Eat/Drink 10 R

Doesn’t Sleep, Reduced Sleep 20 R

Extended Lifespan, Unaging, Immortality 5/level R

Absolute Direction 5 R

Acute Hearing, Ultrahearing 2/level Q

Acute Taste and Smell 2/level Q

Acute Vision, Peripheral Vision 2/level Q

Ambidexterity 10 Q

Amphibious 10 R

Animal Empathy 5 R

Fearlessness 2/level R

Immunity to Disease 10 Q

Immunity to Poison 15 Q

Perfect Balance 15 Q

Patron (Unwilling) Variable R

Racial Memory 15/40 R

Healing, Rapid Healing, Very Rapid Healing, Regeneration 5 Q

Speak with (Animals, Fish, Plants, Rocks, etc) 15 R

Non-Standard Physical attribute, (Scales, fur, horns, hide, etc) 3 R

Non-Standard Physical Attack (Fangs/Bite, Claws, Venom) 15/40/55 Q

Were Form, Shapeshifting (Were) 5/form Q/R

Disadvantages

Q= quantifiable R=Roleplaying

Absent Mindedness -15 R

Addiction Variable R

Alcohol Intolerance -1 R

Alcoholism -15/-20 R

Amnesia -10/-25 R

Berserk -15 R/Q

Blindness -50 R/Q

Cannot Harm Innocents -10 R

Code of Honor -5 to -15 R

Compulsive Behavior -5 to -15 R

Curious -5 to -15 R

Duties Variable R

Duty (Involuntary) Extra -5 R

Excommunicated -5/-10 R

Honesty -10 R

Illiteracy 0 or -10 R/Q Not applicable to certain cultures

Intolerance (Racial) -5 R

Intolerance Variable R

Low Pain Threshold -10 R

Magic Susceptibility -3/level Q

No Sense of Humor -10 R

One Arm -20 R/Q

One Eye -15 R/Q

Phobias Variable R

Reputation Variable R

Sense of Duty -5 to -20 R

Truthfulness -5 R

Vow Variable R

Vulnerability Variable Q

Xenophilia -5/-15 R

Xenophobia -15 R

Advantages

Name Points Effect

Acute Hearing 2 +1D PER, Search/Conceal, Sneak

Acute Smell 1 +1D PER

Acute Taste 1 +1D PER

Acute Touch 2 +1D PER, Pickpocket, Sleight of Hand, Lockpick

Acute Vision 2 +1D PER; +5 long range shots,+1D Search

Ambidexterity 2 no off hand penalty

Animal Friendship 1 +1D Animal Handling, Beast Riding

Artistic Ability 1 +1D Forgery

Blandness 1 +1D Con, Stealth

Fearlessness 2 +1D Command, Con, Bargain, Seduction

Internal Compass 1 Easy PER roll to find direction

Language Ability 1 +1D Languages

Musical Ability 1 +1D musical skills

Natural Lie Detector 1,2,3 +1/Point Bargain, Con, Gambling

Natural Resistance:Cold 2 +1D STR, Stamina to Cold

Nat. Res.: Disease 2 +1D STR, Stamina to Disease

Nat. Res.: Electricity 2 +1D STR, Stamina to Electricity

Nat. Res.: Poison/Drugs 3 +1D STR, Stamina to Poison & Drugs

Nat. Res.: Radiation 2 +1D STR, Stamina to Radiation

Night Vision 2 no minus for partial dark, +1D Sneak

Observation 1,2,3 +1/Point PER skills

Presence 1,2,3 +1/Point Bargain, Command, Con, Bureaucracy, Seduction

Spatial Awareness 1,2,3 +1/Point MEC skills

Sixth Sense 1,2,3 +1/Point PER, Search/Conceal, Stealth, Surprise

Disadvantages

Name Points Effect

Addiction 1,3 1: common cigs, coffee; 

3: addictive drugs or spice...

Cowardice 3 -1D Bargain, Command, Con, Seduction

Curiosity 2

Debt 1,2,3 1: 10,000 creds; 2: $25,000; 3: $50,000

Easily Intoxicated 1 -1D stamina when drinking

Gambling 2

Hatred of Authority 2

Hearing Impairment 1,3 -1/Point PER, Stealth

Hunted 2,3,4 the higher the Points the greater the resources of the hunter

Illiterate 2 -1D KNO skills

Moral Qualms 2 code against killing, that sort of thing

Night Blindness 2 -1D vision based skills at night

Phobias 1,3

Suscept. to Disease 2 -1D resistance

Traumatic Flashbacks 2,3

Unmistakable Feature/s 1 scars, tattoos, etc

Vision Impairment 1,2,4 1: requires corrective lenses 

2: partial, -1D ranged weapons, search 

4: total blindness, no vision skills

Vengeful 2

Types of Advantages & Disadvantages

Dependents, Enemies, Bad Reputation

Everyone has people. People who hate you, people who love you, people you have to take care of. Sometimes they, or the stories they tell, can be a major detriment to activity as an adventurer.

Dependent NPCs

The spouse, the children, the young sibling, the girlfriend with very expensive tastes, they can all be a problem. Each in their own degree, of course.

Irregular: -5

Occasional Drain on Funds (spendthrift lover, family at home, favorite beggar)

Regular: -10

Constant Drain on Funds (as above, but more frequent)

Intemperate Friend: -15

Lover, family member, friend who gets into danger frequently. Only -10 if capable of protecting him/herself.

Enemies

Then there are the people who wish you no well at all.

Bounty: -10

There is a price on your head!

Rival: -15

Hunted by rival adventurer of same ability

Hunted: -10 to -30

Hunted by major unofficial power (bandit lord, etc.: -10

Hunted by Major Power in area:-25

Hunted by Major Presence (see clerical rules): -30

Bad Reputation

Watched: -5 to -20

Watched by distrustful local authorities:

Irregularly: -5

Regularly: -10

Watched by general populace due to bad reputation:

Deserved:-15

You're Innocent!:-20

Patrons, Status, Good Reputation

Then again, it's always good to have friends.

Patrons

Friend or Associate who supplies occasional stuff: +5

Merchant or Guild that supplies cut rate stuff: +15

Local authority figure who supports PC: +25

Presence who looks after character: +30

Status

Note that this is not the same thing as wealth, though the two are often closely related.

Important position (local sheriff/magister): +15

Member of lesser nobility/authority group: +20

Member of ruling nobility/authority group: +25

Local ruler/authority figure: +30

Good Reputation

From local beloved family:+10

Local hero: +15

Has performed deeds celebrated in song/news :+20

Combat

These are abilities that help the character in combat and other special circumstances. Many are talents or natual abilities that cannot be trained. Others can be picked up as the character goes along. Some are not available to humans except as the result of special magical blessings, or curses.

Ambidexterity^1: +15

Can use either hand in combat to handle particular weapons. This is NOT the same thing as two-handed combat. See below.

Armored Skin: +10/pt

This is unusually thick and durable skin that acts like armor against most physical traumas. Humans do not have this naturally, but some races do, though very rarely beyond 2 points worth.

Infrared Sensing: +5

This is the ability to perceive differences in temperature acutely enough to differentiate possible targets in absolute darkness simply by the heat they give off. Humans do not have this sense, but other species who might conceivably spawn intelligent offspring, such as reptiles, can detect these radiations. The amount of detail available through infrared radiation is limited. Except under very special circumstances it is impossible to read by infrared.

Night Vision^1: +15

Can see better in dark. This is an innate ability of some races. A human does not have Night Vision normally, though some magical gift might bestow the ability on a deserving human.

Rapid Healing^1: +15

Heals at double rate. This can be taken multiple times, though each time just adds another multiple to the rate. Buy it twice, get three times the rate. Buy in thrice, get four times the rate, etc. Generally, a human cannot have more than the basic Rapid Healing without some kind of magical intervention.

Two Weapon Work: :+20

Can use two weapons at once without penalty. Normal penalties for using two weapons are in the Combat section. A character can always use one weapon to attack and one to parry. This is the ability to attack twice without losing parry ability. While Ambidexterity is useful for this ability, it is not necessary.

Physical Problems

These can be a relatively benign as red-green color-blindness or a hunched back (worth 5 points each) to being bed-ridden (though that doesn't give much opportunity for adventuring). They are permanent.

Missing Limb: -20

Missing Eye: -10

Near-sighted: -15

Missing thumb and forefinger of bow drawing hand :-20

Repulsive Looks: -5 to -20

Hard of hearing: -5 to -20

Deaf: :-25

Nearly Blind: :-25

Psychological Problems

These are various psychological problems that characters may have. They are permanent.

Addiction, minor:- 5

May have withdrawal symptoms without (roll vs. COx2)

Addiction, major: : -15

May have withdrawal symptoms without (roll vs. CO)

Bad Temper: - 5

May attack blindly (roll vs. INx2)

Berserk: -10

May attack blindly (roll vs. IN)

Cowardice: -10

May freeze up (roll vs. IN)

Phobia, uncommon situation: - 5

May freeze up (roll vs. IN)

Phobia, common situation:-10

May freeze up (roll vs. IN)

Duties and Vows

These can be geas enforced by the Presences or just very strong attitudes a character cannot shake off for convenience sake. The numbers given can vary depending on how intense the attitudes are held/enforced.

Chivalry:- 5

A minor generic sort of gentility toward enemies, Defend the defenseless, etc.

Honesty: -10 to -20

Will not or can't tell a lie: -10

Will not allow a lie to be told in your presence:-20

Pacifism: -10 to -20

Self-defense only:-10

Will not fight at all: -20

Sense of Duty: -15

Will die if duty calls for it

Sense of Honor: -10

Will die for honor: -10

Vow of Poverty: -20

Gives all goods to charity

Geas: -5 to -20

Must fulfill conditions of geas or be Cursed:

Magic

This is the ability to use magic. Magic is defined differently in different campaigns and there could be several different forms for which these talents would have to be acquired separately. The ability to use magic may or may not have an effect on clerical magic.

Latent Magic Talent ^1 ^2

Could learn magic, someday: +15

Magical Aptitude ^1 ^2 ^3

Knowledge of magic basics: :+25

Religion

This is assuming that being a member of a particular religion is well-received the surrounding culture; tne awards could become disadvantage points if the character is a member of a suppressed religion.

Follower:+ 5

Lay member of a cult or church

Initiate/Acolyte ^2: :+15

Apprentice priest, consecrated follower of a Presence

Acolyte/Deacon/Paladin ^2: +25

Lay priest, consecrated follower of a Presence

Priest ^2: +35

Can intercede with a Presence

Psychic[edit]

Empathy, animal ^1 ^2: +10

Sense emotions of animals (PW)

Empathy, all ^1 ^2: +15

Sense emotions (PW)

Other Psychic Talents ^1 ^2: :+ 15 to +30

See GM

Quirks and Oddities

Any (maximum of 5): - 1

Little oddities of behavior (such as a common catch-phrase like "Well, you know...") or small aberrations in appearance such as the way you wear your hair, you have mismatched eyes, are missing a little finger, etc.