EXPANDED DISADVANTAGES FOR THE HERO SYSTEM

Some time ago I ran a superheroic-level HERO System game. At the time I was given several potential Player Characters with ill-conceived Psychological Limitations and other disadvantages. To counter this, I adapted a number of disadvantages from Steve Jackson's GURPS RPG. I adapted both written descriptions (for Psychological and Physical Limitations), as well as new types of Disadvantages (such as Addiction and Duty). Naturally, Game Masters should decided which, if any of these disadvantages are suitable for their style of play. This list also incorporates a number of Psychological Limitations described in Cyber Hero, Dark Champions, and Ninja Hero.

No changes.

You are addicted to a drug, which you must use daily or suffer withdrawal symptoms. This disadvantage combines elements of a Psychological Limitation, a Physical Limitation and a Dependence.

Modifiers

Cigarettes are cheap, highly addictive and legal, 5 points. Heroin is very expensive, incapacitating, illegal and totally addictive, 35 points.

An incapacitating drug will render it's user unconscious (or at least useless) for about two hours. A hallucinogen will render its user useless for 2 to 6 hours, although they may be active and talkative. A stimulant will drop its users INT roll by one, even though the user thinks he's smarter.

Withdrawal: To give up using a drug requires 14 days of successful EGO rolls. A failed roll means that the addict takes the drug (if available) and must start over. If the drug is not available the addict takes 1 pip of damage and may continue to try to withdrawal; but that day does not count vs. the original 14. BODY loss cannot be healed (by 'normal' means) until the withdrawal attempt has succeeded, or the addict has abandoned the attempt.

No changes.

No changes.

In super hero games the Game Master often has several characters that are dependent on very common substances such as sunlight or water, and have a dosage requirement of daily. This kind of dependence is really not worth any points (figured out it comes to +10 points or higher!). Instead, the character should take a Physical Limitation relating to the problem (such as: "Must immerse self daily") and then explain what will happen if the requirements are not met (such as a: 1d6 Drain to STR, DEX, CON, and END per hour if denied water after a day).

No changes.

No changes, but see Quirks and Physical Lims.

You have a significant responsibility toward others, and you are personally committed to that responsibility. This is not a Psychological Limitation, a Duty is imposed from an outside agency. On the other hand, a Sense of Duty is a wholly 'self-imposed' feeling.

Frequencey:

Examples include: Feudal responsibility toward one's liege-lord. A Military officer's responsibility to his men and superiors. A policeman's responsibility to the citizens of his district.

This is different from a real Duty. A real Duty can be enforced upon you, a Sense of Duty comes from within. If you feel a sense of duty towards someone, you will never betray them, abandon them when they are in trouble, or even let them suffer or go hungry if you can help it. A Sense of Duty is in effect, a form of Psychological Limitation. A Sense of Duty can be bought multiple times for different groups of people. It is a good way to define the "Protective of X" Psychological Limitation.

Size of Group

No changes.

No changes.

Albino: You have no natural body pigment; your hair and skin are white, and your eyes are pink. An albino may seem attractive or ugly, but an "average" appearance is impossible when choosing comeliness. An albino will always be remembered and cannot blend into a crowd. Distinctive Features is required. An Albino must avoid direct sun, as they have no resistance to sunburn. If wished this could be bought as a Susceptibility. An albino is also at -2 for all visual Per rolls, and for any ranged attack rolls made in direct sunlight (this can be countered by wearing sunglasses or tinted lenses, but these can still be removed).

Infrequent, Greatly 10 points

Bad Sight: You are either nearsighted or farsighted- your choice. If nearsighted, you cannot read small print (etc.) more than a foot away, or road signs (etc.) more than 10 yards away. When using a ranged attack your range modifiers are doubled!

If you are farsighted, you cannot read print except with great difficulty, and you are at -3 to perform any close manual labors (mechanics, electronics, most science skills etc.).

Since this is a modern day campaign and glasses or contacts are available, the point values have been modified to reflect this fact.

Blind: You cannot see at all. You may buy up your other senses as compensation if you so choose. You are unaffected by any sort of visual Flash attack, Images, Mental Illusions, Darkness etc., you also suffer no penalties for operating in the dark. In unfamiliar territory you must use a cane or be lead by a companion or a guide animal; walking by cane is slow (1/2 normal movement). Many activities are impossible for a blind person; use common sense. In combat use the fighting while blind rules from Ninja Hero.

All the Time, Fully 25 points

Color Blind: You cannot see any colors at all. In everyday life this is merely a nuisance. In any situation requiring color identification (buying gems, uniform identification, cutting the yellow wire to disable the bomb) there will be minuses. Certain skills always be harder. When using Criminology, Electronics, Forgery, Science: Chemistry (and related skills), Tracking and Trading you are at a -1 to your roll.

Infrequently, Slightly 5 points

Deaf: You can hear nothing. Any information you receive must be communicated in writing or through sign language (except information from the GM). You may buy KS: Lip Reading. Sign Language is considered a normal Language skill.

All the Time, Greatly 20 points

Dyslexia: You have a severe reading disability. You can never learn to read or write, even simple maps and road signs are beyond you. You can learn any skill normally if you have a teacher. You are considered to be automatically illiterate, but you don't get any extra points from it (although this is a mental problem, you can't make an Ego roll to not be dyslexic, that's why it's here).

Frequently, Fully 20 points

Epilepsy: You are subject to seizures, during which your limbs tremble uncontrollably and you cannot speak or think clearly. In any stressful situation (esp. life threatening) a 13- roll will bring on a seizure lasting 1d6 minutes. If you have any sort of phobia, exposure to the object of fear is automatically stressful, roll once every 10 minutes. You can do nothing while a seizure goes on, and you take 3d6 of Stun damage as well.

Frequently, Fully 20 points

Flashbacks: In stressful situations you may experience some form of hallucination. These are vivid flashbacks - hallucinations, replays of memories and any similar phenomena. The gets to player choose what type of flashback, but the exact contents are left up to the GM. Flashbacks occur on a 6- (on 3d6), they also may be triggered by Psych Lim.

Flashback is 2d6 segments, -2 to all rolls, minor delusions, character knows that they are in a flashback 15 points
Flashback is 1d6 Turns, -5 to all rolls, major delusions, character may not know that they are in a flashback 20 points
Flashback is 3d6 minutes, hallucinations preclude skill use and are 100% real, this could be fatal as character is receiving no input from outside world 25 points

Gullibility: There's one born every minute, and you're it. A gullible person naturally believes everything he hears; he'll swallow even the most ridiculous story, it it's told with conviction (this is why it's a Physical Lim., you can't make an Ego roll to not be gullible).

In order to not believe a lie -or an improbable truth, for that matter- you must make an Int roll, modified by the plausibility of the story. A lie well-told, or involving something you have no familiarity with is at -6 to disbelieve. A lie concerning a topic the gullible character is familiar with is at -3, and a totally outlandish tale will be believed if the character fails an unmodified Int roll. Furthermore you are at -3 on any Trading skill roll.

Infrequently, Fully 15 points

Hard of Hearing: You have suffered some sort of hearing loss, and are at -3 to any hearing perception roll.

Frequently, Slightly 10 points

Illiteracy: You cannot read. Notes, signs, scrolls, books, the names on maps are all foreign to you. The player may pass secret notes and bluebook, but the character is unable to read anything.

Frequently, Greatly 15 points

Lame: You have some degree of impaired mobility. Point bonus depends on the severity.

Manic-Depressive: You suffer from tremendous mood swings which affect you ability to face the world. When in "manic" phase the character believes that his life is perfect and there is nothing he cannot do. When in "depressive" phase the character believes that his life is miserable and there is nothing he can do. At the beginning of each play session roll 1d6; on a 1-3 you are in manic phase, 4-6 you are a depressive. After 5 hours of game time roll 3d6, a 10- indicates a mood swing. Over the next hour your mood will shift to it's opposite and remain in this state for at least 5 hours. Manic characters are +1 on all die rolls, depressive characters are at -1.

Common, Strong 15 points

Mute: You cannot speak. All your communications (even to the other players!), must be written or in sign language. You and the GM can go into another room and talk normally in needed. If you encounter some one who does not know sign and you have nothing to write with, role play it!

Frequently, Fully 20 points

No Sense of Smell/Taste: You have no smell or taste Per roll. This means that you will never notice certain hazards (gas leakage for instance). On the other hand, you can eat almost anything and never have to worry about skunks.

Infrequently, Slightly 5 points

One Arm: You only have one arm. This means that all Grabs (and STR vs. STR rolls) are at -5 STR; you can only use one handed weapons and cannot use a shield and a weapon at the same time.

Frequently, Greatly 15 points

One Eye: You are missing an eye; you may wear a glass eye or use an eye patch. If you wear a patch you must buy Distinctive Features. When in HTH combat you are at -1 OCV, when using ranged weapons you are at -3 OCV.

Infrequently, Greatly 10 points

One Hand : You have lost a hand. If you have just a stump or a hook, treat it like One Arm, with the exception you can still use a shield. If you have a mechanical grabber you can use two handed weapons with difficulty ( -2 OCV). If you have a bionic replacement, forget it, its not a disadvantage.

Frequently, Slightly 10 points

Skinny: You are notably underweight. Your Comeliness can be at best 14 and should be lower. A high Body stat is unrealistic, the limit is 15. You are at -2 for any Disguise or Shadowing (if there is a crowd) attempt.

Infrequently, Slightly 5 points

Stuttering: You suffer from a stammer or other speech impediment and are at -2 when attempting any spoken skill. Most Pre based skills (Oratory, Interrogation, Persuasion) and several occupations are next to impossible for you.

Infrequent, Greatly 10 points

Weirdness Magnet: Strange things happen to and around you. This is not really a threatening disadvantage, but a continuous nuisance. You always find your self in strange circumstances dealing with (relatively) odd people. New Age types and groupies will hound you.

Infrequent, Greatly 10 points

Youth: You are under the age of 18. Obviously there are places you cannot go and things you will be unable to do (buy beer for example). When using a Pre based skill on an adult you may suffer a -2 penalty depending on circumstances.

Infrequent, Greatly 10 points

Absent Minded: This is the classic disadvantage for all those eccentric geniuses. You have difficulty paying attention to anything not of immediate interest. You have a -5 Per roll to notice anything other than what you currently interested in and occupied with.

You may attempt to keep you attention riveted to a boring topic by making an Ego roll every five minutes. "Boring topics" include guard duty, small talk, driving on an empty highway, repetitive manual tasks etc.

Absent minded people also tend to forget trivial tasks (like paying the bills) and items (like car keys and checkbooks). Whenever it becomes important for the character to perform such a task or bring such an item, roll vs. Int at -2. If failed, this detail has slipped the character's attention attention. This could mean you just forgot to reload your weapons before going out on patrol.

Common, Strong 15 points

Affiliation: you are closely committed to a some form of group. It could be Tribal, Corporate, Military a Gang or any other type of unit. You will do nothing to put this group at risk and will defend other members with your life, if needed. Members are completely committed and have life long membership.

Alcoholism: You are an alcohol addict. This is an insidious form of addiction and more of a Psych Limitation so it is found here.

An alcoholic may confine his drinking to the evening and (for game purposes) function normally. However, any time an alcoholic is in the presence of alcohol he must make an Ego roll to avoid drinking. If failed you go on a binge lasting 2d6 hours, followed by a hangover twice as long. During this time your CV is halved and all characteristic rolls are at -3. When on a binge an alcoholic will suffer extreme mood swings -from extreme friendliness to extreme hostility- and may attack friends, talk too freely or make other mistakes.

Alcoholism is very hard to get rid of. If an alcoholic "withdraws", then he no longer needs to drink daily ... but he must still make an EGO roll,at +3, in the presence of alcohol. A failed roll will bring on a binge. Three binges in a week and the addiction has returned. There is no normal way to buy this disadvantage off.

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Ambition: You will stop at nothing to get ahead, even if it means someone getting hurt. You will not pass up any opportunity for advancement.

Common, Total 20 points

Apathy: You really don't give a damn about what happens to anybody. You won't lift a finger to help an innocent, because nobodys is innocent. You may help friends but may not help a friend that asked for trouble.

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Bad Temper: You are not in full control of your emotions. In any stressful situation, make an Ego roll. A failed roll means you lose your temper and insult, attack or otherwise act against the object of your duress.

Common, Moderate 10 points

Bloodlust: You want to see your foes dead or very incapacitated. You will go for killing blows in battle, put in an extra shot vs. a downed foe just to make sure, attack guards you could have avoided etc. Make an Ego roll to accept a surrender or to take a prisoner.

This is not a truly evil trait, the character is not sadistic or a fiend, just rather ruthless. His animosity is limited to "legitimate" enemies such as criminals, enemy soldiers etc. This is a disadvantage for those more shady vigilante-type characters.

Common, Strong 15 points

Bully: You like to push people around any way you can get away with. Depending on you personality and position this could be physical attacks, intellectual harassment or social slandering. Make an Ego roll to avoid gross bullying when you know you shouldn't - but to roleplay it properly bully anybody you can.

Common, Strong 15 points

Casual Killer: You have no compunctions about killing. You will kill quickly and without hesitation, without a second thought - it's part of your nature. While your choice of targets may be dictated by other Psych lims, you will feel no remorse for those you do kill. It is recommended that only criminals and 'villain' characters take this disad, as it is very cold blooded and brutal. PC's who desire a 'heroic' character with this attitude should look into "Vigilante Mentality".

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Code of Honor or Code of the

Combat Paralysis: You tend to "freeze up" in a combat situation. This is not cowardice; the mind is willing, but the body is weak. In any situation in which personal harm seems imminent roll vs. Ego. A failed roll means you don't act for that phase, success means you can act normally. If you freeze, you must roll vs. Ego (at +1) each of your phases until you succeed. Having a friend give you a quick slap on the back, to snap you out gets you a +1 as well. You only roll once per situation.

Common, Total 20 point

Compulsive Carouser: You cannot resist the urge to party! You must go in search of a social gathering a least once per day and participate for at least an hour. The amount of time spent and drinks consumed will depend on your finances, the better off you are the longer you will stay. If you must avoid a certain party, make an Ego roll, if failed you will join in. Once in you'll stay at least an hour (make an Ego roll each hour). If you keep failing the roll, you stay until evicted or the party ends.

Uncommon, Moderate 5 points

Compulsive Carouser (Hollywood style): You cannot resist the urge to party! You will try almost any mind - altering substance without a second thought, and aren't particularly picky about your choice of romantic partners. You like your music loud and your men/women hot! You're the type that is likely to start the day with beer and cornflakes.

Common, Moderate 10 points

Compulsive Gambler: You cannot pass up an opportunity to gamble. If there is no game of chance or bet going, you will start one. You will play any game proposed to you, whether you know it or not. You must gamble at least one hour per day. To avoid making bets or getting into a game make your Ego roll (modified by your class of opponents).

Uncommon, Strong 10 points

Compulsive Liar: You lie constantly, for no other reason than the joy of telling the tale. You will invent stories about your deeds, lineage, wealth - whatever might impress your audience. Even if exposed as a liar you will cling to your stories, calling your accuser a liar and a scoundrel.

In order to tell the truth, you must make an Ego roll. If you narrowly miss this roll, you can "sort of" tell the truth. If the person is a question is a PC, the roll is made out of sight of everyone else (thus keeping everyone in the dark).

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Contempt for Society: This the punk attitude, you don't like the establishment and don't care for rules. You have no respect for traditional authority even if it means getting into trouble.

Common, Strong 15 points

Curious: You are naturally very inquisitive. When presented with an interesting item or situation you must make an Ego roll to not examine it (even if you know it to be dangerous!).

This is not plot curiosity (where did the UFO come from?, what's in the cave?) but the real thing (what's this button do?)! You will push buttons, open doors, unwrap presents and do anything to investigate a situation in which you are not 100% familiar. You will rationalize your curiosity to others who try to talk you out of it (I must know!).

Cowardice: You are extremely careful about your physical well-being. Any time you are called on to risk yourself in a physically dangerous situation, you must make an Ego roll. If there is a risk of death, then the roll is at -5. If you fail the roll, you refuse to endanger yourself (unless you are threatened with a greater danger!).

Uncommon. Total 15 points

Delusions: You believe in something (or several things) that are simply not true. This may cause others to consider you to be insane. They may be right. If you suffer from a delusion, you must roleplay this belief at all times! Delusions will fall into four basic groups; Quirks, Minor, Major, Severe. Examples are as follows:

Varies Varies

Devoted to Justice: You put the ideals of justice (or your conception of them) above everything else. Most of your actions in life, and all actions as a crimefighter are taken with the idea of increasing the "amount" of justice in the world, or always doing the "just" thing. This does not mean that your are always doing the just (or right) thing - you could be mistaken, confused or 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.

Very Common, Total 25 points

Fanaticism: You believe very strongly in one country or religion or code etc. It is more important to you than anything. You might (or might not) die for it, but you will put it ahead of everything else! If your country/religion demands adherence to a certain code of behavior, you will follow that code rigidly. If it requires obedience to a leader, you will follow that leader with out question. You must roleplay your fanaticism.

Note that a fanatic does not have to be either mindless or evil. Kamikaze pilots, Moslem terrorists and Patrick Henry ("Give me liberty or give me death") are all fanatics.

Common, Total 20 points

Glory Hound: This is advanced overconfidence, you cannot have both. You will always take time to talk to the press, pose for photos and sign autographs. You insist on being in the limelight and will always take the greatest risks, create complex plans that feature your abilities, lead the charge... etc.

Common, Total 20 points

Gluttony: You are very overfond of good food and drink. Given the chance, you most always burden yourself with extra provisions. You will never willingly miss a meal. If you are presented with a tempting morsel or a good wine which, for some reason, you should pass on, make an Ego roll. This is not a terrible weakness, but an obvious one.

Uncommon, Moderate 5 points

Greedy: You lust for wealth. Any time riches are offered - gains from an adventure, spoils of crime, or just bait -you must make an Ego roll to avoid temptation. This roll may be modified if the amount offered is is small (or large) relative to your own level of wealth ($500 won't mean much to a Millionaire, while a small time crook would have a hard time resisting). Honest (see below) characters are at +4 to resist a shady deal and +8 to resist outright crime. However, almost any greedy character will eventually do something illegal.

Common, Strong 15 points

Gunslinger Mentality: You must challenge any martial artist (or other great fighter) to a duel to see which of you is the better fighter. You will not rest until this fight occurs.

Common, Strong 15 points

Honesty: You MUST obey the law, and do your best to get others to do so as well. In an area with little are no law you will not go "wild", you will act as though the laws of your home were in force (this will often limit your options!). Faced with unreasonable laws, you must make an Ego roll to break them, and a second to avoid turning yourself in afterwards! If you ever behave dishonestly, you will lose eps.

You may fight (or start a fight, if you do it legally). You may even kill in a legal duel or in self defense - but you may never murder. You may steal if there is a great need, but only as a last resort, and you must attempt to pay back your victims later. If jailed for a crime you did not commit, but treated fairly and assured of a trial, you will not try to escape.

You will always keep your word and you will always assume others are honest as well. You are allowed to lie if it does not involve breaking the law.

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Hunting "X" : You are in pursuit of someone or some group. For whatever reason you feel compelled to track down the target NPC(s) and punish them properly.

Uncommon, Strong 10 points

Impulsive (Reckless): You hate talk and debate. You prefer action! When alone, you will act first and think later. In a group, when everyone else wants to stop an discuss something, you should put in your two cents' worth quickly -if at all - and then do something. If it is absolutely necessary to wait and think, make an Ego roll to do so.

Common, Strong 15 points

Intolerance: You dislike and distrust some (or all) people who are different from you. If you make you Ego roll you will tolerate this person, but will be cold and distant; if you fail you will make it plain that you find him inferior and offensive; if you really fail you may attack the person (or a least refuse to associate with him).

Various, Total Various

Jealousy: You have an automatic bad reaction toward anyone who seems smarter, more attractive, or better-off than you. You will resist any plan proposed by this "rival" and will hate it if someone else is in the limelight.

Uncommon. Total 15 points

Kleptomania: You are compelled to steal -not necessarily things of value, but anything you can get away with. Whenever you are presented with a chance to steal, you must make an Ego roll, at up to -3 if the item is especially interesting to you (not necessarily valuable, just interesting). If you fail the roll you must try and steal the item. Stolen items can be kept or sold, but not returned or discarded.

Uncommon, Strong 10 points

Lazy: You are adverse to physical labor. You will do your best to avoid any work - especially hard work - at all costs.

Uncommon, Moderate 5 points

Lecherousness: You suffer from an unusually strong desire for romance. Whenever in more than the briefest contact with a member of the opposite (or same) sex, you must make an Ego roll (this will be modified by the other persons Comeliness). If you fail, you must make a pass of some sort, using whatever wiles or skills you can bring to bear. You must then suffer the consequences of your actions, successful or not.

Note that a Lecherous person may change his/her standards of attractiveness according to what's available (friends don't let friends beer goggle)!

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Loner: You prefer to work by yourself, without help from others. There are many reasons for a character to feel this way, he may think that his goals are to dangerous to involve anyone else, or that other people aren't worthy enough to work with him, or that others may try to stop him once they see how he operates.

Common, Strong 15 points

Megalomania: You believe that you are a superman, or have been destined to conquer, or you have been chosen for some great task. It is suggested that you take the Fanatic disadvantage -for yourself. You also most choose some goal- usually of conquest or the completion of some great task. You will allow nothing to stand in the way of this goal.

Very Common, Total 25 points

Miserly: This is like Greed (see above), except that you are more concerned to holding on to what you already have. You can be both greedy and miserly! When called upon to spend money, you must make an Ego roll and will always look for the best deal possible. A failed roll will mean that you will refuse to spend the money - or, if the money absolutely must be spent, you will haggle and complain interminably.

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Must Overcome Failure to Protect _______: You have suffered some devastating loss at the hands of the criminal (or something similar) element. You feel that if you had done something different, or had done what ever you did do better, you loved one(s) would still be alive to day. This event has shaped your entire life, causing you to become a crimefighter to make up for this previous failure.

Common, Strong 15 points

Mysterious and Enigmatic: The less any one knows about you the better. You may work with others, and even be part of an organized group, but you will never reveal anything you don't have to to them. Thus your identity, information sources and abilities will be kept secret-and you will go to great lengths to keep it that way. You tend to show up out of nowhere with crucial information or equipment and no explanations.

Common, Strong 15 points

No Sense of Humor: You never get any jokes and think everyone is serious at all times. Likewise you never joke and are very serious at all times.

Common, Moderate 10 points

Obsessed with Crimefighting: You live and breathe crimefighting to the point that it has taken over your life. This obsession prevents you from ever relaxing, having normal relationships and can even cause one to skip sleeping or such normal human preoccupations as bathing. It is not recommended that a player takes "Obsessed with Crimefighting" and "Devoted to Justice".

Very Common, Strong 25 points

On the Edge: Sometimes it seems that you don't care whether you live are die. You are not actively suicidal, but you do take unreasonable risks in combat. each Turn you are in combat make an Ego roll to avoid making some for of pushed attack, or any other sort of near - insane suicidal behavior of you choice. Finally when you face a life threatening situation, you must make an Ego roll to decide to retreat.

Common, Strong 15 points

Overconfidence: You feel yourself to be far more powerful, intelligent and/or competent than you really are. Any time you act in a cautious manner make an Ego roll. If you fail you may not be cautious, instead, go ahead as if you could handle the situation.

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Pacifism (Code vs. Killing): This is that fun Psychological Limitation that everyone uses and everyone abuses. This is how I am going to interpret the various forms of Code vs. Killing. By the way, it is presumed that everyone has a standard reluctance to kill for 0 points. This usually takes the form of: "Hey he's using a 12d6 EB on me so I'm going to use my 12d6 EB back." This also means you don't haymaker normals with your 60 STR and so on.

Paranoia: You are out of touch with reality. Specifically, you think that everyone (or at least Them) is plotting against you. You will never trust anyone except old friends…and you keep an eye on them just in case. This goes very well with Delusions. Note, just because you are Paranoid, doesn't mean They are not out to get you!

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Phobias: Your have a fear of a specific creature, object or circumstance. I'm not going to list all of them here. If you want to check out a list of phobias, see GURPS or Call of Cthulhu.

Variable (usually Total) Variable

Pyromania: You like fires! You like to set fires, too. You must never miss a chance to set a fire, or to spend time appreciating one you encounter. Make an Ego roll to override this love of flame in absolutely necessary.

Uncommon, Strong 10 points

Retirement Plan: You are solely motivated by money. Any way to make a buck is good no matter what the risk, after all, the bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff.

Common, Strong 15 points

Sadism: You delight in cruelty …physical, mental etc. This is an "evil" trait, and is more suited to NPCs. When a sadistic character has an opportunity to indulge in his desires, but knows he shouldn't, he must make an Ego roll to restrain himself.

Very Common, Strong 20 points

Shyness: You are uncomfortable around strangers. This leads to minuses on any Pre based skill. The grades are listed below. This disadvantage must be bought off one level at a time.

Signature: You have a trademark that you leave at the sight of all you escapades. This only a disadvantage for those who work on the wrong side of the law or are in the habit of anger important and powerful people (otherwise buy it as a quirk). The signature may be trivial (a flower) or very elaborate (filling the area with blue balloons). regardless of the signature, you must always leave it. A signature ensures that you enemies and victims will know who committed the crime; worse, it may leave to "copy-cat" crimes for which you could be blamed even though you didn't commit them!

Common, Total 20 points

Street Loyal: You are the type who stays "bought". Once circumstances have thrown you in with others you will not betray them. If they betray you, then they lose that immunity. You are considered trustworthy by those who want your services, and gullible by those who have taken advantage of you.

Common, Strong 15 points

Stubbornness: You always want you own way. You will make yourself hard to get along with if you don't get it! The other characters may have to make a lot of Persuasion rolls to get you to agree to perfectly reasonable plans.

Common, Strong 15 points

Survival: You are always looking for yourself and will stop at nothing to get out of the deprived life you are leading. Whatever it takes, no matter what the risk, you will attempt to make a better life for yourself any way your can. You will not turn down any paying job, no matter how suicidal it seems.

Common, Strong 15 points

Thrillseeker: You get a "rush" from putting yourself into a dangerous situation, and then getting out again. You may have a deeper reason for this (ie. another Psych lim.) or just a deathwish, but you are definitely attracted to the danger and excitement of it all.

Common, Strong 15 points

Triggerhappy: You are always on the lookout far a chance to shoot things. You regard gunfire as a good way to solve most problems - shoot first, ask the remains questions later. This limitation is similar to Casual Killer, in that both types of characters will kill, the difference is that the Triggerhappy character shouldn't have the same uncaring attitude. Also Triggerhappy characters are willing to shoot anything with anything thus cars, windows, buildings - they're all in danger of getting blasted. Finally Triggerhappy characters usually have "hair-trigger" tempers and are willing to start a fight over any imagined insult, thus such characters are poor choices for any sort of infiltration missions (They are great for combat missions though, usually having more guns than the rest of the group combined.).

Common, Moderate 10 points

Truthfulness: You hate to tell a lie - or you are just very bad at it. In order to keep silent about an uncomfortable truth (lying by omission) make an Ego roll. To actually tell a lie make an Ego roll at -3. A failed roll means that you blurt the truth, or you stumble around so much that the lie is obvious.

Uncommon, Strong 10 points

Vigilante Mentality: You have set yourself up to be judge, jury and executioner. You have a set of standards by which you judge people, and those that fail to meet these standards will be punished harshly (or fatally). These laws may be well known, or personal to the character.

Most characters with this Psych lim. are willing to kill those that they decide must be punished. Thus this is like Casual Killer, but with a focus.

Common, Total 20 points

No changes.

A quirk is a minor personality trait. Examples are too numerous to list, so the the writer recommends checking out a copy of the GURPS rule book for a further explanation. Note: some quirks are better defined as Distinctive Features.

Quirk 1 point each, max. of 5.

No changes.

No changes.

There is something about you that you would rather not have revealed. Point value depends upon the effect of having the secret revealed. If a secret is revealed (and the character survives) then the disadvantage is replaced with other disadvantages equal to twice the starting value of the secret. You buy of the secret with the new points. (Recommended new disadvantages would be Reputation, Hunted, Psych Lim., Vow, Quirks etc. If a disadvantage is bought that exceeded the limit and is worth a reduced amount of points to the character, it still counts full for the 2x secret value rule)

Condition:

See Secret.

No changes.

No changes.

You have sworn an oath to do (or not to do) something. This disadvantage is considered different from a Psychological Limitation in several ways. For starters, a Vow can be considered to have Total commitment; second: it often has only a set time limit (usually at least a year); third: the writer liked it this way (but you knew that); fourth: the writer feel that a typical Vow will affect a character's actions less than a Psychological Limitation will (in that a typical Psych Lim. will usually come into play every game session, a Vow probably won't).

Level
Minor (Vow of silence during daylight: vegetarian; chastity {for a game this is minor!}) 5 Points
Major (Never us an edged weapon; vow of silence at all times; never sleep in doors; own no more than your horse can carry) 10 Points
Great (Never refuse a request for aid, always fight with the wrong hand; hunt X till you destroy him; challenge every knight you meet to combat) 15 Points

No changes.