Drawbacks
Drawbacks are weaknesses for characters to overcome. They’re the flip side of a character’s skills and powers. They provide characters with additional depth and a degree of vulnerability, which can be important for heroes.
FREQUENCY
Drawbacks have three levels of frequency: uncommon, common, and very common. Uncommon drawbacks show up about a quarter of the time, every four adventures or so. Common drawbacks show up about half the time, and very common drawbacks show up three-quarters of the time or more.
INTENSITY
The intensity of a drawback measures how much impact it has on the character. There are three levels of intensity: minor, moderate, and major. Minor drawbacks have a slight impact or are not difficult to overcome. Moderate drawbacks impose some limits, but can be overcome about half of the time. Major drawbacks impose serious limits and are quite difficult to overcome.
POWER/SKILL DRAWBACKS
Some drawbacks are power drawbacks, meaning they apply to a particular power or skill rather than necessarily to the character. You can think of power drawbacks as minor limits on the power. This can be as simple as having to make a Wisdom check to use a Lay on Hands or a complicated ritual a character must do to be able to cast spells. Some drawbacks are built into classes and kits already.
Possible Drawbacks:
ACTION
A skill/power requiring longer than a full-round action to use is considered a drawback if this time limitation was not already a part of the skill/power.
DISABILITY
You lack a particular ability most people have. The frequency of the drawback is based on how often this lack limits you, while the intensity represents how serious a limitation it is. Some examples include blindness (very common, major), deafness (very common, moderate), one arm (very common, moderate), mute (very common, moderate), paraplegic (common, major), one eye (–4 with ranged attacks, common, moderate). Note characters with certain powers may avoid the full effect of the drawback (a telepathic monk who is mute) and will, therefore, earn fewer hero points.
FULL POWER
You have less than full control over the effects of a power. Powers/skills subject to this drawback must be used at full intensity, or not at all. This means you cannot pull punches with an attack , move at less than full speed, and so forth, depending on which power/skill this drawback is assigned. You can still turn the use the skill/power as you wish (it is neither Permanent nor Uncontrolled), you just can’t fine-tune it, it’s either on at full intensity or off entirely.
INVOLUNTARY TRANSFORMATION
You have two or more forms or identities you sometimes change between against your will.
NOTICEABLE
A Continuous, Permanent, or mental power with this drawback is noticeable in some way. Choose a noticeable effect of the power. For example Noticeable Mind Control might cause the subject’s eyes to glow or skin to change color. Noticeable Protection may take the form of armored plates or a tough, leathery-looking hide. Noticeable is an uncommon, minor drawback.
ONE-WAY TRANSFORMATION
When you transform through the use of a power it takes some time for you to return to “normal.” This may be due to a need to “bleed off” excess energy or letting the transformation lapse slowly. Whatever the case, undoing your transformation is involved. Its intensity is minor if it takes a matter of hours for you to return to normal. It’s moderate if it takes hours plus certain resources (a lab, workshop, special equipment or components, and so forth). It’s major if it takes a matter of days or longer.
POWER LOSS
You lose the use of a power with this drawback under certain conditions. Examples include when exposed to a particular substance, when immersed in water, when unable to speak, and so forth. You can also suffer power loss from a failure to do something, like not recharging a power, breaking an oath, not taking a pill, and so forth. Power Loss is minor intensity, with frequency based on how often you encounter the conditions. You regain use of the power when the condition that triggered the loss no longer affects you.
VULNERABLE
You’re vulnerable to a particular type of attack. Frequency is based on how often you encounter your vulnerability. Intensity measures how vulnerable you are; minor vulnerabilities add -1 to saving throws. Moderate vulnerabilities increase the modifier to the save by 50%. Major vulnerabilities increase the save modifier by 100%. So, for example, an attack doing +7 damage normally does +8 damage to someone with a minor vulnerability, +11 to someone with a moderate vulnerability, and +14 to someone with a major vulnerability.
WEAKNESS
You suffer harm from something normally harmless to others. It may be a vampire’s weakness to sunlight or holy water or a hero’s weakness when exposed to glowing meteorites. Alternately it may be the lack of something, like a vampire’s need for blood, an addict’s need for a drug, an amphibian’s need for water, and so forth. Frequency is based on how often you encounter your weakness. Intensity is based on the effect the weakness has on you.
• Minor: cumulative –1 on checks, attacks, or AC.
• Moderate: cumulative –1 penalty to all checks, attack rolls, and AC, or a –1 cumulative drain on an ability score.
• Major: cumulative –1 drain on all ability scores. The base time before a weakness affects you is 20 minutes.
FREQUENCY
Drawbacks have three levels of frequency: uncommon, common, and very common. Uncommon drawbacks show up about a quarter of the time, every four adventures or so. Common drawbacks show up about half the time, and very common drawbacks show up three-quarters of the time or more.
INTENSITY
The intensity of a drawback measures how much impact it has on the character. There are three levels of intensity: minor, moderate, and major. Minor drawbacks have a slight impact or are not difficult to overcome. Moderate drawbacks impose some limits, but can be overcome about half of the time. Major drawbacks impose serious limits and are quite difficult to overcome.
POWER/SKILL DRAWBACKS
Some drawbacks are power drawbacks, meaning they apply to a particular power or skill rather than necessarily to the character. You can think of power drawbacks as minor limits on the power. This can be as simple as having to make a Wisdom check to use a Lay on Hands or a complicated ritual a character must do to be able to cast spells. Some drawbacks are built into classes and kits already.
Possible Drawbacks:
ACTION
A skill/power requiring longer than a full-round action to use is considered a drawback if this time limitation was not already a part of the skill/power.
DISABILITY
You lack a particular ability most people have. The frequency of the drawback is based on how often this lack limits you, while the intensity represents how serious a limitation it is. Some examples include blindness (very common, major), deafness (very common, moderate), one arm (very common, moderate), mute (very common, moderate), paraplegic (common, major), one eye (–4 with ranged attacks, common, moderate). Note characters with certain powers may avoid the full effect of the drawback (a telepathic monk who is mute) and will, therefore, earn fewer hero points.
FULL POWER
You have less than full control over the effects of a power. Powers/skills subject to this drawback must be used at full intensity, or not at all. This means you cannot pull punches with an attack , move at less than full speed, and so forth, depending on which power/skill this drawback is assigned. You can still turn the use the skill/power as you wish (it is neither Permanent nor Uncontrolled), you just can’t fine-tune it, it’s either on at full intensity or off entirely.
INVOLUNTARY TRANSFORMATION
You have two or more forms or identities you sometimes change between against your will.
NOTICEABLE
A Continuous, Permanent, or mental power with this drawback is noticeable in some way. Choose a noticeable effect of the power. For example Noticeable Mind Control might cause the subject’s eyes to glow or skin to change color. Noticeable Protection may take the form of armored plates or a tough, leathery-looking hide. Noticeable is an uncommon, minor drawback.
ONE-WAY TRANSFORMATION
When you transform through the use of a power it takes some time for you to return to “normal.” This may be due to a need to “bleed off” excess energy or letting the transformation lapse slowly. Whatever the case, undoing your transformation is involved. Its intensity is minor if it takes a matter of hours for you to return to normal. It’s moderate if it takes hours plus certain resources (a lab, workshop, special equipment or components, and so forth). It’s major if it takes a matter of days or longer.
POWER LOSS
You lose the use of a power with this drawback under certain conditions. Examples include when exposed to a particular substance, when immersed in water, when unable to speak, and so forth. You can also suffer power loss from a failure to do something, like not recharging a power, breaking an oath, not taking a pill, and so forth. Power Loss is minor intensity, with frequency based on how often you encounter the conditions. You regain use of the power when the condition that triggered the loss no longer affects you.
VULNERABLE
You’re vulnerable to a particular type of attack. Frequency is based on how often you encounter your vulnerability. Intensity measures how vulnerable you are; minor vulnerabilities add -1 to saving throws. Moderate vulnerabilities increase the modifier to the save by 50%. Major vulnerabilities increase the save modifier by 100%. So, for example, an attack doing +7 damage normally does +8 damage to someone with a minor vulnerability, +11 to someone with a moderate vulnerability, and +14 to someone with a major vulnerability.
WEAKNESS
You suffer harm from something normally harmless to others. It may be a vampire’s weakness to sunlight or holy water or a hero’s weakness when exposed to glowing meteorites. Alternately it may be the lack of something, like a vampire’s need for blood, an addict’s need for a drug, an amphibian’s need for water, and so forth. Frequency is based on how often you encounter your weakness. Intensity is based on the effect the weakness has on you.
• Minor: cumulative –1 on checks, attacks, or AC.
• Moderate: cumulative –1 penalty to all checks, attack rolls, and AC, or a –1 cumulative drain on an ability score.
• Major: cumulative –1 drain on all ability scores. The base time before a weakness affects you is 20 minutes.
Comments