Abilities and Flaws

[DC_Desperado]

I dont want to be jumping the gun on the whole advantages and flaws system but i was doing a little talking with lurid and I think i should be addressed. Kalarsys doesnt have a set in stone gauge for the severity of the levels in each advantage and flaw. If level six is the highest, as in you cant get any better than that, there has to be a ratio for the other levels. If your level three in a skill your half way to mastery... however we really dont know what to what extent a mastery is. Some feel that the mastery is too weak and others think the opposite. If you have a flaw thats level four heavy sleeper the question is how heavy do you sleep. The same at level six, do you sleep through everything under the sun or can very little things wake you? I really dont know and I think finding out how the levels work will help us gather a more perminent list of advantages and flaws.

[Lurid Sorcerer]

That's part of the reason for this thread, or at least what I was hoping to get out of it. I've been working on some of these things in the new book.

[Child of Flame]

Although to some extent a flaw or an ability can gauge severity or talent respectively, I never really saw the actual levels as 100% being levels of severity/talent. Rather, I had just been looking at it as a system for which someone would roll die to see if they pass or fail the roll. For instance, someone with a phobia would roll Willpower minus their flaw level.

In short, differences between levels would differ based on what exactly the flaw or ability is. Someone who has a Level 6 Arachnophobia would be scared of anything on six legs, even the mention of a spider would send them running. Do people like that actually exist? Yes, but it's rare for a phobia to be that bad. Conversely, someone with a Level 6 Camping would know the ins and outs of outdoor life and could make a fire with his/her eyes closed.

Is someone always going to be afraid of spiders that much? Probably not; perhaps mentioning "spider" or seeing a picture of a spider doesn't scare them. It may upset them, but not to the point where it's detrimental to the character's mental health. Is someone that's a master of camping always going to succeed in everything outdoorsy?

If you wanted to get really complicated on gauging severity levels, we could go the way actual doctors and psychologists define the severity of certain illnesses. By symptoms, of course. For example, depression varies far and wide in severity. Someone with mild depression may feel a little listless, but they can manage through everyday life, especially if they find healthy outlets. This can deepen, of course, to Level 6, where they'd be downright suicidal. Leave them alone with any sharp object and they're bound to try to take their life. People with very bad illnesses will tend to exhibit more symptoms of that illness than someone that only a mild form of that illness.

Now I've only talked about flaws and didn't really say much about what the in-betweens would mean. That's getting way too complicated. I could go on all day about various mental disorders and levels of severity, and very few people would know what I was talking about, let alone ever incorporate it into their character. It may just be enough to say "He's a Level 4 Sleeper. 75% of the time, you're not going to get him up, unless you put a fire under his ass."

Now abilities, to me, are a little easier to gauge.
Level 1 would be average. You know how to do it. Not any better than anyone else, but you know how to do it. Someone who knows how to swim won't compare to an Olympic swimmer, but at least they're better off than the person who never learned to swim in the first place. Average.
Level 6 would be your Olympic Swimmer, someone that can go great distances with his ability, and someone that can also swim fast.

Again, the in-betweens are hard to define, but I think that's the point of Kalarsys in a way, to try to leave some leeway for the players to say what his or her character can or can't do. Perhaps a Level 6 swimmer ISN'T the fastest, but has a knack for teaching other people how to do it competently, for example.

With that said, let me get into some technical things that I would like to suggest:

Flaw level cannot exceed half your willpower/whateverstatisneeded, rounded up. If you have someone with 2 Willpower and a Level 4 in Alcoholism, you would always fail to resist the urge to drink. This is not how humans/most anthropomorphic beings work. Period. (Rather, someone with 2 Willpower would only be able to make a Flaw of a Level 1. Someone with 3 Willpower can make a Flaw of 2). Coming from experience, because one time I literally had nothing to roll against my flaw, which shouldn't happen (or can be regarded as an automatic fail, maybe).

Lurid had also suggested having a limit to how many points you can get for abilities for having flaws, which needs not work in tandem in any way with the above idea. Let's say that was maybe 4 points or something. You can put more points into flaws than that, but you wouldn't get any more ability points beyond 4 for them.

We've also already stated that abilities can't go BEYOND Willpower, either.

Well, I'll have to wrap this up. Today's a shopping day! My thoughts may be a little disconnected here...I apologize for that...>.< I'll go back and fix it if it's too confusing.

[Lurid Sorcerer]

Breaking away from strict rules concerning what each level of an ability/flaw should represent, I'd like to present some of the explanations that I already have typed up and in the new book. I'm open to suggestions, though I shudder as I type the sentence that opens me up to them....

-= Abilities =-

Allure: There are those that can make themselves appealing to just about anybody. A good-looking singer with obvious musical shortcomings can often sell a lot of records, and an attractive secretary can sometimes gain access to files typically out of reach through normal means. Being naturally attractive or being able to make oneself appear attractive through the use of make-up or gestures counts under this category. For each level in this Ability, a one die bonus when the character is trying to gain favors from another through suggestive means. The roll that is made is CON + Allure vs. WIL. The character being seduced may gain bonuses, such as when the seducing character is pushing them too far and the target is in a happy relationship. The target may bring in lunch from a fast-food restaurant without worrying what the wife would say, but an offer to commit adultery would likely give them pause if they like their current family arrangements. This typically only works with people of the opposite gender, though there are some who are exceptions to this rule. (Underwent several major revisions before being posted, so this thread has already helped. Good job, guys!)

Athletics: There are many benefits to being athletic. Fame and fortune are among perks had besides the general health and fitness being athletic can bring someone. When selecting this Ability, the player will chose a sport or activity that the character is skilled at. At all levels, the character gains a number of dice equal to their level as a bonus when challenging feats are performed, supposing that they are activities that are performed in that sport (a football player would gain a bonus when running, for instance). Other bonuses are also gained at certain levels. At level one, this Ability grants the character a knowledge of how the sport or activity is performed and the equipment involved. At level two complex rules of the game and strategies are more easily understood by the character. At level three, the character is good enough to participate in a minor league of the sport, perhaps earning some recognition. At level four, they are likely to be participating in a well-known team, and fans who closely follow the sport will know the character by name. The character probably holds a salaried position on the well-known team and the sport is their full-time job. Level five grants the character a high salary, and high recognition among fans of the sport, and perhaps those who are not familiar with the sport will still recognize the character's name. Finally, at level six, the character is a sports legend. They are likely rich and constantly followed by the press. Their abilities are unquestioned. Bear in mind, however, that as fame increases, so does the possibility of being defamed, and their activities are more closely monitored by the public as their fame grows.

Awareness: Occasionally, the biggest clues are right in front of you, but they just do not stand out enough to be noticed by most. A thing that is not where it used to be, some faint sound, or a brick that does not match the others can give a hint as to what is going on. Maybe there is danger just around the corner, or a valuable hidden item where no one would think of looking. In these situations, the Tale Spinner can request, seemingly at random, for a character to roll CON plus their level in this Ability. If they score high enough, they are given a hint about whatever it is that is out of place. Players may use this ability manually as well, and the Tale Spinner may give them more detailed descriptions or hints if they score well. Tale Spinners, however, should be careful not to give away that something is around. Making false checks can prevent a feeling of there always being something nearby when a check is called for, or the rolls could be made well in advance of a situation. (Note: You will not see Perception on this list. It has been included in this ability because they are similar enough that it seemed ridiculous to have them separate.)

Medicine: As is the case with most things, it is much easier to make someone's body stop functioning than it is to repair functionality. Mending wounds, setting broken bones and diagnosing and treating illnesses can be quite a task. Those without proper training are bound to do it improperly, possibly causing more harm than good. Each day, a character can use this ability to restore some of another character's health or remove a negative effect, such as poison or illness. The roll can only be made once per day per character healed. When treating wounds, the number of HP restored is equal to a roll of INT plus the level of this Ability the character has attained. This number is cut in half (rounded up) if the character performing the medical actions does not have proper medical supplies (bandages and such). When removing a poison or treating an illness, the poison or illness is assigned a number of points, and each time a Medicine roll is made against it, the score is subtracted from this number. In this way, the condition gradually fades, dealing negative effects until it is removed.

(Shit, I thought I had more done than this. Oh, well.)

-= Flaws =-

Addiction: Certain substances are chemically addictive, and others can cause feelings that are addictive. These addictions can place a financial burden on the character or place the character in harm's way. In some cases, both. With one or two points, the character finds themselves indulging at least once every two days. With three or four, it becomes every day. Any higher and it becomes twice a day. The frequency of these activities goes up in more stressful situations. If this requirement is not met, the character begins taking penalties to appropriate stats equaling the level of this Flaw. Common addictions include tobacco products, alcohol, and gambling. For quantity, bear in mind that at levels 5 and 6, the character would smoke two -packs- of cigarettes a day, not two cigarettes.

Allergy: People can have inappropriate immune system responses to a variety of things, including certain types of animals, foods or many other substances such as metals. At levels up to three points, the effect is a mild to severe irritation when in contact with the substance and for several hours after. At four points, the character can become sick, experiencing nausea, vomiting, and painful rashes. Five points is enough to see a character incapacitated for a day or two after moderate contact, and six is enough for the character to experience up to a week or more of incapacitation or even death with prolonged exposure. Relevant stat penalties are generally equal to this Flaw's level, though at higher levels roll opportunities may be negated depending on the circumstances. In most cases, this Flaw cannot be removed through the use of experience points; an individual generally has very little influence over the internal processes of their body.

Clumsy: Not everyone is gifted with a swan's grace. In fact, some people seem to just be drawn to situations where the probability of self-injury is extremely high. When performing physical feats requiring Concentration and Dexterity, characters with this Flaw can expect to deduct a number of dice equal to this Flaw's level from their rolls. Woe be the neurosurgeon, gymnast or dart-thrower with a Flaw such as this!

Dulled Sense: Listening to loud music and staring at computer screens all day can take a toll on your ability to perceive your surroundings, but genetics can have the same effect. Up to three points in this flaw will cause a character to lose that many points when using their dulled sense. More than that, and at certain ranges they do not get to roll at all, where four points represents distances moderately far away and six points being a total or near-total loss of the sense. Sight and hearing are common senses limited by this Flaw, with smell and taste being much less common (and worth fewer points in most cases). A chronic numbness in one or more limbs is much less common, but more area of the body should be covered as the number of points goes up. The number of points awarded may go down if the character starts with items to overcome the flaw (such as glasses). This Flaw is one that cannot be removed using experience.


Obviously, there are more on the list than this, but I want to get some feedback about how well you guys like the way these descriptions are written. Do the numbers balance out to your liking? Are any of them hard to read or understand? I'd like to make sure I'm doing it right before writing the rest of them.