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mapping.description
18/10000 · 18
Key English Actions
label
Disadvantages
mapping.description
system.description
entries.Advantage Flaw (R1).name
Advantage Flaw (R1)
entries.Advantage Flaw (R1).description
<p>This Disadvantage is linked to a particular Advantage or set of skills. Whenever the character uses it, there is some a chance for a negative modifier or role playing disadvantage. Here are some examples for certain Advantages:</p>

<p>Contacts: The Contact helps the character, but he is either “annoying” about it or a “hard bargainer.” Where a normal Contact would assist the character for an almost negligible fee, the flawed Contact will haggle and nag until “rewarded.” Some reason should exist why the character would want to keep the contact happy.</p>

<p>Cultures: When the character gets hints or knowledge about a culture, he knows everything except some sort of critical piece of information. Or, if the character has the “sweeping knowledge” of lots of cultures, his interpretations sometimes are almost totally wrong (Game Master option). In order to make this flaw work, the character should not find out about the error until it would be “interesting.”</p>

<p>Equipment: In most cases, some sort of minor mechanical imperfection exists in the equipment that no normal means can fix. For equipment that requires a skill total, Game Masters could either add 3 to the difficulty of all actions using it, or, on a Critical Failure, the equipment either won’t work or malfunctions. For equipment that wouldn’t normally require a skill total, occasional side effects could happen or maybe it requires a periodic Moderate skill check of some kind to keep operating.</p>

<p>Skills: If the character fails at the skill check with one of a set of three related skills, she can’t reroll Critical Successes either until the end of the scene or until she succeeds at the skill check.</p>

<p>Wealth or Funds: The character cannot access his wealth easily. Either it is tied up in red tape most of the time (especially if the character has most of the money invested), or he has to go somewhere to get it (such as having a fortune back East while adventuring in the Wild West), or someone else (reasonably friendly) has control over it and doesn’t always release it easily.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: In general, at Rank 1, a flaw should not debilitate a character or take away his Advantage on a regular basis — but it should make it a little less of a sure thing.</p>
entries.Advantage Flaw (R2).name
Advantage Flaw (R2)
entries.Advantage Flaw (R2).description
<p>This Disadvantage works in exactly the same manner as Advantage flaw (R1), above, but with more serious results. If the flaw came into play occasionally (like every time the character visited a desert), it now comes into play much more frequently (like when he is in any dry environment). If the flaw made things a little more difficult, then the flaw makes things a lot more difficult (the difficulty modifier doubles from the Rank 1 version).</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: Having circumstances that effectively take away the complete benefit of the Advantage is certainly within the bounds of Advantage Flaw (R2), and those circumstances can occur reasonably often (no more than during one quarter of a normal adventure, however). They will force the player to role play and to think about ways to get around the flaw or to try other options, rather than just relying on a particular Advantage, Special Ability, or skill set.</p>

<p>Example: If a character has a set of skills with the flaw that they only work at night — a Rank 2 flaw if only about a quarter of the character’s normal adventuring occurs during the daytime — that would force the character to rely on other abilities and his wits during the daytime. The rules for Advantage Flaw (R2) are otherwise the same as Rank 1.</p>
entries.Advantage Flaw (R3).name
Advantage Flaw (R3)
entries.Advantage Flaw (R3).description
<p>This rank takes on some of the characteristics of an Achilles’ Heel (R3), but more in direct relationship to an Advantage, an attribute, or a large set of skills. The rules for the flaw are the same as for Advantage Flaw (R2), but the effects are even more severe. Not only does the character lose the benefits of the Advantage or attribute (or undergoes a condition that essentially negates it), but he also suffers an additional Disadvantage.</p>

<p>Example: Your character has this Disadvantage attached to her Psionics attribute. Every time she uses her psionic abilities, she taps into the general mood of the people around her. If the people near the psionic are feeling strong or negative emotions, the character gets a nasty headache, causing her to immediately loses the ability to use her mental powers and she can’t reroll any Critical Successes until the end of the scene.</p>

<p>Example: A character has Equipment (R3) — a really powerful weapon. But, whenever the character suffers a Critical Failure using the weapon, the gun not only runs out of ammo, but the character experiences some sort of feedback at a moderate damage total (maybe the weapon’s normal damage minus a specific amount). The character then has to recharge the weapon (either through the use of a Price Disadvantage or by waiting until a major break in the adventure’s action, most likely).</p>

<p>Some other examples:</p>

<p>Infection: Under certain circumstances, the character passes along select abilities and characteristics to another character. The character has an infection score of Physique +2D. (This is not a skill and players may not raise except by taking additional ranks in this version of the Disadvantage.)</p>

<p>The Game Master and the player should determine how the character spreads the infection. It could happen as the side effect of an attack, through physical contact, or through some other means. When the character performs the requisite action, he generates an infection total (which does not count as a separate action). The target generates a Physique or stamina total as well (which does not count as an action). If the character’s infection total exceeds (not equal to) the target’s Physique or stamina total, the target is infected.</p>

<p>An infection passes certain Special Abilities and Disadvantages to the target (specified by the player and the Game Master when the player gives the character this Disadvantage). It is possible for the infection to pass more ranks in Disadvantages on than Special Abilities, but is not possible for it to pass more ranks in Special Abilities than Disadvantages.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that the infected character may well hate the character responsible for his new state, so the infecting character may have gained an Enemy. In fact, there should exist some overwhelming reasons why this is actually bad for the infecting character — it is a Disadvantage, after all.</p>

<p>Game Masters who do not feel that the Enemy Disadvantage is enough of a negative could also work in other sorts of Advantage flaws as side effects of spreading the infection.</p>

<p>For an extra rank in the Advantage Flaw: Infection Disadvantage, the infection die code increases to Physique+4D. Also, the penalties for infecting another characters should be more severe — maybe the character infected then knows things about the infection character that will give him an advantage over his enemy, or perhaps the infecting character temporarily loses abilities or attribute pips.</p>

<p>Minor Stigma: There is something that the character cannot do without performing the “proper rituals” before or after (a fighter whose cult must “purify” him after killing someone; a psychic who cannot use Psionics without special equipment).</p>

<p>Stench: The character smells terrible due to one of his Advantages or just because he exists. Add 6 to the difficulty of all stealth attempts, as everyone can smell him coming. This also affects interaction attempts, giving them at least a +1 to the difficulty</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: Advantage Flaw (R3) takes a powerful Advantage and turns it into a worse-than-useless Disadvantage for a comparatively brief period of time. A single Advantage can have more than one Advantage flaw, and, if the character wants, several flaws, of various ranks, can link to one Advantage. See other ranks of Advantage flaw for more information and examples.</p>
entries.Age (R1).name
Age (R1)
entries.Age (R1).description
<p>The character is a teenager or just past middle age. And, since this is a role playing game and not real life, he’ll stay that way. In general, characters who are “too young” often have to role play through episodes where they are not taken seriously, where they are ignored, and where they have less rights and control than older characters. Those who are “too old” get treated in much the same way — characters in their prime often defer to the character, but they also treat the character as if he were infirm or possibly senile.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: In general, the Game Master should try to treat the character as if he were “too old” or “too young” and have fun with it. Game mechanics are seldom required, as good role playing can make things work here, but if they become necessary, add 3 to the difficulty of intimidation and persuasion actions performed by the character that his age would bother (a young character trying to lead a group of experienced characters, or an older character trying to convince younger characters that he is “with it”). A character may only have one version of Age.</p>
entries.Age (R2).name
Age (R2)
entries.Age (R2).description
<p>The Disadvantage is the same, only more so. Instead of being a teenager, the character is a preteen child. Instead of being just past middle age, the character is old. The role playing situations are basically the same, but the effects are more dramatic.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: An old character receives +1 to the difficulty of physical actions (those that rely on Reflexes, Coordination, and Physique) that require unusual exertion (running, jumping, fighting, etc.). A young character adds 1 to the difficulty of all mental actions (those that use Knowledge, Perception, or Presence) when attempting to solve “adult” problems or interact with adults. Players should role play both versions true to type. Two Disadvantages suitable for association with this one include Reduced Attribute (especially for Age: Old) and Hindrance.</p>

<p>Characters may be “young” or “old” and not take this Disadvantage. Older characters in good shape have no problems jogging, lifting, fighting, or whatever, and young, intelligent people can often interact and think just as well — if not better — than adults. This Disadvantage addresses those characters, young and old, who can’t keep up as easily.</p>
entries.Bad Luck (R2).name
Bad Luck (R2)
entries.Bad Luck (R2).description
<p>The character is exceptionally unlucky. This Disadvantage is under the Game Master’s control most of the time. The easiest way to handle it is, whenever the player rolls the dice and a Critical Failure comes up, not only does it take away the highest die in the roll, but something bad happens. The Game Master can choose from not allowing the player to reroll Critical Successes until the end of the scene, the character loses an action during the next round, or invoking some sort of strange, but not too terrible, “bad luck effect.”</p>

<p>Example: A character with Bad Luck is running from a group of terrorists that he’s been fighting for some time. He tries to jump across an elevator shaft when the player rolls a Critical Failure on the dice. Well, the character probably failed in the jumping attempt (so he falls), but, instead of being able to grab for a cable or a lower ledge, the character’s belt gets caught on a hook. Now, the character has to free himself before the terrorists come around the corner and blow him away.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: A character may take Bad Luck (R2) if he already has the Good Luck or Great Luck Special Ability. The character might even, on occasion, use the benefits of the Good Luck or Great Luck Special Ability to get out of trouble or partially negate the effects of Bad Luck (R2) — that’s the way it works. Also, the Game Master should remember that the character has Bad Luck (R2) — not the player. If the player gets into a consistent “streak” of rolling Critical Failures on the dice, then the Game Master should start “skipping” the invocation of Bad Luck (R2) occasionally — more than three or four occurrences of Bad Luck (R2) during an adventure is a little much.</p>
entries.Bad Luck (R3).name
Bad Luck (R3)
entries.Bad Luck (R3).description
<p>The rules for this Disadvantage are the same as for Bad Luck (R2). However, a Critical Failure or a total equal to one more than the die code of the skill or attribute causes Bad Luck (R3) to activate. (For example, if the character has 5D in a skill and rolls a total of 6 on the dice — which is one more than the die code in the skill — the Disadvantage comes into play). The effects are exactly the same, only the Game Master might make the setbacks more uncomfortable.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: See Bad Luck (R2).</p>
entries.Bad Luck (R4).name
Bad Luck (R4)
Key English Actions
entries.Price (R1).description
<p>This is a Disadvantage similar to Advantage flaw. But, instead of there being something wrong with the character’s Advantage or a set of three related skills, there is a “price tag” attached. Every time the character wants to use the ability, he has to pay a Price at least a few times during the adventure to continue using the ability.</p>

<p>The Price might be an actual fee — and a significant one at that. If the fee isn’t paid, the Advantage goes away until the price can be paid. But this won’t work for many Advantages (at least not in an interesting manner), so there are other ways to do it.</p>

<p>Most likely, the Price will be a role playing effect. Maybe every time a Contact does a favor for a character, he not only demands the normal, negotiated recompense (if any), but the character must do a favor of equal importance for the character. Or, whenever a piece of Equipment is used, parts of it need replacing or servicing by a specialist (who may charge a high fee or ask a favor), most likely after the adventure.</p>

<p>One more suggestion for Price (R1) would be that the character has to pay one Fate Point or three Character Points at the end of an adventure to “pay for” the use of the Advantage or skills. This reflects the fact that the use of the Advantage takes something out of the character when it is used.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: The Price should be fairly easy to meet, but it should take some work. At this rank, it should be something that the character can role play along with an adventure or resolve between short adventures or parts of longer adventures (like paying off the recipient of the Price). However, if the character does not pay the Price, the Advantage does go away — and, if in the Game Master’s opinion the character does this too often, both the Advantage and the Price should go away permanently. Price can be taken often at various ranks, and the same Price can be linked to more than one Advantage — though, unless the Price is actually double (the character has to pay the same price twice as often), it only counts as one Disadvantage.</p>
entries.Price (R1).name
Price (R1)
entries.Price (R2).description
<p>The Price for using a particular Advantage, or group of Advantages or set of three related skills, is much higher than mentioned in Rank 1, but the rules are the same. Contacts will be extremely hard to pay off or do favors for — maybe an entire short adventure has to be devoted to paying back a contact who helped out.</p>

<p>Optionally, paying two Fate Points or six Character Points at the end of an adventure where the Advantage was used is a quick way of paying the price.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: See Price (R1).</p>
entries.Price (R2).name
Price (R2)
entries.Quirk (R1).description
<p>The character suffers from a personality quirk that makes certain types of role playing and interaction more difficult This quirk could simply be a habit or an affectation that has gone too far, or it could be a minor psychological problem. Some examples include:</p>

<p>Dependency: The character has a slight dependency on a substance or even a role playing event. The character might be a pack-a-day smoker who, if he doesn’t get a cigarette at least once every few hours of game time, he gets irritable and loses Critical Success rerolls during interactions. Or maybe the character always has to have the last word in any situation and will often beat an argument into the ground rather than “lose.”</p>

<p>Kleptomania: When in a store or surrounded by small, portable items, the character will occasionally try to “lift” something. When possessed by his Quirk (see rules below), the character suffers +3 to the difficulty of sleight of hand, lock picking, or related attempts at theft because he really doesn’t know he’s doing it.</p>

<p>Indecision: The character does not like making decisions and will delay making them. When role playing, the player should actively participate in group discussions, but he should be wishy-washy and indecisive at critical moments.</p>

<p>Stutter: When under pressure, relaxed, nervous (such as failing a skill roll), or some other fairly common “mood” hits the character, he stutters. The upshot is the character suffers +3 to the difficulty of any interaction at this time and player should role play having a hard time getting his ideas across to the other players. This lasts until the player rolls a Critical Success.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: Good role players will have fun with these, and other, Quirks that they come up with. Indeed, this Disadvantage is often more fun to play than many Advantages — but the Game Master should make certain it is being role played Whenever the Game Master thinks it appropriate, he should make the player generate a willpower or Presence total against a base Moderate difficulty to “indulge” in his Quirk automatically (that is, “suffer” for it). The negative effects of the Quirk immediately come into play. Also, if the character repeatedly makes this roll, resisting the impulses of the Quirk, the Game Master should start modifying the difficulty upwards until the character fails. Multiple Quirks can be selected.</p>

<p>The Game Master may allow multiple inclusions of the same version of this Disadvantage, with all modifiers cumulative and an increase by +5 per inclusion to the willpower difficulty</p>

<p>Additional Note: Some players may choose to have their characters role play Quirks they already have or might like to play. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. It can be hysterical to have a player “steal” dice out from under another player’s nose (symbolizing the fact that the character is taking necessary items away from the other player’s character) as long as things don’t go too far (that is, when people start getting upset). However, players who are “indecisive” should not play characters who are indecisive — since they would be anyway. This is too much like getting a Disadvantage for nothing.</p>
entries.Quirk (R1).name
Quirk (R1)
entries.Quirk (R2).description
<p>The rules for Quirk (R2) are the same as for Quirk (R1), only the chance of occurrence is much greater and the effects are larger.</p>

<p>Dependency: The character needs to fulfill his dependency much more often (once a scene, perhaps). The character also experiences one automatic Critical Failure per scene that he doesn’t (a smoker might have a coughing fit in the middle of a tense negotiation or during a stealth attempt, for example).</p>

<p>Secret: There’s something about the character that she needs to hide. If it were discovered, it would put her friends, family, and even her own life at risk. This could be a civilian identity (if she has a heroic alter ego) or a skeleton in the closet.</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: The difficulty of resisting the “impulse” is now Difficult, but all other rules are the same as under Quirk (R1).</p>
entries.Quirk (R2).name
Quirk (R2)
entries.Quirk (R3).description
<p>These “personality quirks” are much more serious. The character might be a junkie, a psychotic with a certain type of behavior, or has a severe phobia (he’s deathly afraid of something). Some examples:</p>

<p>Dependency: The character is a junkie, always after a “fix.” The “fix” might be an illegal substance, or a perfectly normal one, or even a type of role playing interaction (maybe the character has to try to come as close to dying as he can).</p>

<p>Paranoid: The character trusts no one. He receives a +6 to the bonus number when trying to resist being conned, but he also receives this “bonus” when trying to be persuaded — and he must be persuaded before he’ll help even his closest friends. “Everyone is out to get him.”</p>

<p>Phobic: The character is deathly afraid of something. It could be heights, open spaces, spiders, or another character. Unless the character makes his willpower roll (below), he dissolves into terror.</p>

<p>Vengeful: The character cannot stand to “lose” or be “wronged.” If the character perceives herself as looking foolish (or whatever), she will go to great lengths to get even (in reality, the character probably takes it too far).</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: The character has Very Difficult Presence or willpower roll to make to overcome the Quirk — at the least. If, in the Game Master’s judgment, there is a reason the character should have modifiers to the difficulty, then he will. Players who don’t want to play a character that can frequently lose control should avoid this option. Other rules are the same as under Quirk (R1)</p>
entries.Quirk (R3).name
Quirk (R3)
entries.Reduced Attribute (R2).description
<p>Something about the character’s species, age, physical condition, or some other factor has permanently reduced one attribute by one pip. The character may not reduce the attribute die code below 1D, and the attribute die code may never be increased by spending Character Points (though gaining a Special Ability would help).</p>

<p>Restrictions/Notes: The reduction in die code increases by one pip for each additional rank taken in this Disadvantage. (Remember that three pips equal one die.) The character may have different variations on this Disadvantage for each attribute, including Extranormal attributes. Only one rank may be taken with an Extranormal attribute of 0D, and the character’s species must be required to take at least 1D in the affected attribute. Characters who have this Disadvantage on an Extranormal attribute before having any die code in that attribute may never take that Extranormal attribute.</p>
entries.Reduced Attribute (R2).name
Reduced Attribute (R2)
entries.Wild Luck.description
<p>The character has the weirdest luck. To simulate this, the player takes for his character an equal number of points (not ranks) in the Bad Luck Disadvantage and in any version of the Luck Special Ability. In situations where the Bad Luck or Luck could be triggered, the Game Master rolls a six-sided die. On an odd number, the Bad Luck occurs. On an even number, the Luck Special Ability happens (and the player may choose which Luck benefit his character gets).</p>
entries.Wild Luck.name
Wild Luck
label
Disadvantages
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OpenD6 Space System / disadvantages — English

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Key
mapping.description
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read-only
String age
a year ago
Last updated
10 months ago
Source string age
a year ago
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src/lang/translations/en/od6s.disadvantages.json, string 2