03.11 Ron d6 Disadvantages: Xeno-Flaws
Aliens are not all advantages and no disadvantages. There are downsides too – Xeno-Flaws. If some sort of penalty makes sense to you, either for play balance or because the alien’s background demands it, you can find a good sampling of negative special abilities on the chart to the right. Some Xeno-Flaws are deep seeded in the culture of the species while others are biological They are divided out here.
Bio-Flaws (1 points)
Allergy
If the character is exposed to a fairly common substance – like smoke from a fire, a particular food, sunlight – the character is stymied until the condition is removed.
Metabolic Difference
The character needs more life support – air, food, etc. – than normal and will begin to take stun damage, and then wounds, after hours of malnutrition. For example, the character must eat a meal every six hours or, every hour after the six are up, the character takes one stun that cannot be recovered except by eating. After the character takes enough stun to go unconscious, he begin staking 1 wound every hour until death.
Bio-Flaws (2 points)
Atmospheric Incompatibility, Minor
The character must take regular medication or wear a breath filter when in normal (Human-standard) atmospheres. If the character does not, he or she takes one stun every minute until unconsciousness, and then one Wound every ten minutes until death.
Nutritional Requirements
The character must ingest (or breathe) an element not common to Human-norm foods (or air) and has physical problems (much like Metabolic Difference, only more severe) when the character cannot get this requirement. The character should be able to last a fairly long time without the element(a day or three, perhaps) but has a severe reaction when without it for long.
Vulnerable
Because of the character’s physiology (or perhaps, psychology) he or she has a severe weakness to one type of attack (example: the character takes extra damage from fire, electricity, impact, or etc. or opposed skill attempt, like Con or Interrogate).
Bio-Flaws (3 points)
Allergy, Moderate
The character is strongly affected by reasonably common things that she cannot always avoid. When exposed to the allergen, the character must generate a Moderate Stamina or Resist total (as an action) or he takes 3D (for 3-points) in damage. The character can resist the damage through applicable defenses, but she has to generate the stamina total as an action every round she is exposed to the allergen.
Atmospheric Incompatibility, Major
The character must wear an environment suit when in “Human” atmosphere or die of asphyxiation. The character requires special life support elements that may be fairly common but are not in Human atmosphere (or the character requires the exclusion of certain elements).
Delicate Build
Due to the character’s fragile bone structure, he suffers a -2 modifier to all Toughness rolls to resist damage.
Environmental Incompatibility
The character is sensitive to something in the environment – an extreme of temperature, the chemical content of rain water, etc. Exposure to this without the proper protection causes the character to be stymied until the condition is removed or protection is found.
Infection 1
(Same as Advantage Flaw)
Poor Vision
Alien has poor vision compared to humans and suffers a -1D penalty for actions involving vision at a range of greater than 50 meters
Rot, Minor
The character’s body is rotting. He periodically loses pieces of himself (such as fingers and toes) and must pause to fuse them back on (this is a simple action but takes a round to perform). The character suffers no damage from this, but it should inconvenience her. For instance, in combat, the character’s fingers might fall off, causing her to drop her weapon — this makes an excellent Critical Failure complication.
Small
The character is one size category smaller than Medium – Small. Scale Modifiers apply.
Symbiosis 1
The character is bound symbiotically to another, drawing strength or energy from him. Symbiosis can be either physical or mental. For every 100 meters by which one character is separated from the other, both lose -1 to either their physical Attribute totals or their mental Attribute totals. If the character’s symbiote is killed, the character loses 1D points from the Attributes affected until he can convince another character to willingly bond with him (the bonding process should be simple – like sharing blood – but it must be done with willing participants).
Vulnerability, Major
The character will be seriously injured or die if exposed to a particular substance that may be rare, but does not normally have this effect (large amounts of salt water; a certain type of normally harmless radiation; an element usually found in Human food; etc.). The character takes a Wound every round he or she is “exposed” to the element until the element goes away.
Bio-Flaws (4 points)
Allergy, Major
As for Moderate Allergy but Increase that damage to 4D for the 4-point version.
Light Gravity
Alien is native to a light-gravity world. When on standard-gravity worlds, reduce his Move by -3. Unless he’s wearing a special powered harness on such worlds, also reduce his Strength and Dexterity by -1D.
Rot, Major
The character loses major parts of his body periodically due to rotting (such as limbs) and must pause to replace them. Doing so requires no skill total but does take three rounds to perform. The trigger that causes this to take effect should occur no less frequently than a Critical Failure during combat and interaction rounds.
Symbiosis II
Rules are the same as Symbiosis I, save that the character is bound both mentally and physically to another, and will lose from both sets of Attributes if separated.
Vulnerability, Lethal
The character has a violent reaction to a fairly uncommon substance that, when he or she is “exposed” to it, can kill the character. The substance should do at least 4 wounds every round the character is exposed to it until he or she is removed from the substance’s area of effector until the character is “treated” (example: a severe allergy to a bee sting -only more so; a very severe physical vulnerability – like being hit on the head does extra wounds; etc.).
Stymied – A character who is stymied loses his Wild-Die reroll during his actions until the situation is removed. If he rolls the dice and gets a six on the Wild Die, he cannot re-roll. This counts for all Character points spent as well.
Cultural Flaws (1-Points)
Cultural Aversion
There is some social situation that will provoke the stymied effect (exposure to nudity, being disobeyed by an inferior, witnessing fully clothed females.)
Minor Stigma
There is something that the character cannot do without performing the “proper rituals” before or after (perhaps, if the character kills someone, he or she must be “purified” at a temple, or maybe the character has an extremely strict code against lying, etc.).
Sense of Duty, Minor
The character feels compelled to take certain actions out of a love of code or perceived duty to something else. The character may, at times, do things he finds morally questionable in order to achieve a greater good. With “Sense of Duty” the character’s beliefs do not come into play very often.
Cultural Flaws (2-Points)
Alien Outlook
The character’s psychology prevents him or her from interacting in a certain way (or several minor ways). Perhaps the character has absolutely no sense of humor – or an incredibly bizarre one – or the character is, by nature, so stubborn that charm and persuasion are impossible for the character to comprehend. Note that this should be a Disadvantage, not an Advantage. There are times when the Disadvantage may help the character, but it should not do so most of the time.
Illiterate
A character can be considered Illiterate for one of two reasons: (1) Simply due to his inability to read or (2) He does not speak the local language. These people may be extremely intelligent and well-read people, but have difficulty exhibiting that in their new country.
Sense of Duty, Major
The character with the Sense of Duty Disadvantage believes very strongly in something and will attempt to persuade others of the rightness of his beliefs. His patriotism or loyalty to an ideal plays a role in his day-to-day life.
Cultural Flaws (3-Points)
Alien Understanding
Something makes the character misunderstand certain common situations. Perhaps he or she views persuasion as taunting or a common method of greeting as an attack; a smile as a form of aggression. The character may buy this off by learning about the culture (adding levels to his Culture skill).
Cultural Flaws (4-Points)
Code of Honor
There is something that would so disgrace, dishonor, and/or embarrass the character that death would be a preferable alternative. It should be something that (hopefully) won’t come into play if the character can roleplay well (losing a fight is not really a good idea) and that the character may be able to correct immediately after it has occurred. Perhaps the character serves someone (either another character or a gamemaster character) and, if that character is killed, he will choose suicide. Or, the character will never lie and, if he does lie by accident(by intent would break the code), suicide is the most likely option – unless atonement is possible. Again, this is such a lethal Disadvantage that the character should not be forced into suicide or death situations. Other options should always present themselves. It should make the character more interesting and more challenging to roleplay – not just dead.
Kamikaze Code
There is something the character would more than willingly die to do. This may relate to another Disadvantage (such as Pursued or Enemy) or may just be some sort of strange outlook on life. Perhaps the character has a mortal enemy that he or she would gladly die to kill (or maybe even dishonor), or there might be a task the character wishes to accomplish before death and, once it is accomplished, the character has no will to live. This Disadvantage must be played with care. While it does not mean the character will automatically kill himself upon completion of the mission, the character might believe that he will (it might even be out of the character’s control). But, if this obsession is roleplayed interestingly over the course of several adventures, it can be “bought off’ at the climax of the action.
Technological Ignorance
The character knows almost nothing about technology and has a difficult time
grasping new concepts. He suffers a -1D penalty whenever he attempts to use any item more advanced than simple stone age-era tools (until gamemaster deems he has become acclimated to them).