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Old 02-16-2018, 03:06 PM   #1
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Code of Honor

Code of Honor is a self-imposed mundane mental disadvantage, worth [-5 to -15]. It appeared in the GURPS 3e Basic Set, and hasn’t changed greatly since then. You adhere to principles of “honorable” conduct, even when they cause you considerable risk and difficulty. Opponents can exploit this, although doing so may not be perfectly honourable on their part, because they know you’ll go to great lengths to maintain your honour.

The value of a Code of Honor depends on how widely it applies, and how much it limits your actions. A [-5] code applies to your peers, and is informal, such as a pirate’s or brigand’s code, or is formal but not very limiting, like a professional’s code, or the Hippocratic Oath. A [-10] code is formal and applies to peers, such as a gentleman’s or soldier’s code, or is informal and applies to everyone. A [-15] code is formal and applies to everyone, such as a chivalric code, or requires suicide if broken, like a samurai’s code.

Code of Honor is the first disadvantage covered in this series that’s often considered desirable, in that many professions and almost all military services go to some effort to instil one in their members, and will punish those who clearly fail to act on it. It also tends to build a good reputation, which is always valuable.

The social reason that codes of honor get widely adopted seems to be to control conflict, and keep it from being merely opportunistic dog-eat-dog. This presumably goes back to the days of warrior nobility, who needed to maintain an image of trustworthiness and respectability, even if the source of their power was violence. Professional codes similarly prevent abuse of professional skills. Even formal codes tend to have some room for debate around the edges, over whether something is dishonourable, or if it comes under the code.

There are quite a few Codes of Honor defined, at least loosely, in GURPS supplements. Action has “Stay Bought,” Adaptions “Gentlewoman’s” and “Confucian,” and Aliens: Sparrials “Gentleman Thief’s.” Banestorm has a lot of fully-defined codes: “Arab,” “Elven,” “Halfling,” “Northman’s”, “Sahudese,” “Stays Bought” and “Theatrical” plus an example king’s personal code. Casey and Andy has Satan’s code of honor, and Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout the professional code for reactor operators. DF7 adds “Professional messenger,” and DF9 “Shaman’s.” Fantasy has “Highwayman’s,” “Roman” and “Arena.” Horror indulges in “Cabalistic,” “Oathbound,” “Traditional Secret Society,” and “Vampire Society,” while Madness Dossier mentions “Crimefighter” [-15] along with a Delusion, but Codes of Honor are too abstract for drugs to inflict. Infinite Worlds has setting-specific tweaks to “Professional” and “Soldier’s,” plus “Centrum” and “Infinity Patrol,” and something the SS think is a CoH, although I disagree. Lands Out of Time adds “Caveman” and Magic: Plant Spells has “Forest Protector.”

Martial Arts has a detailed “Bushido,” and “Xia” for Chinese knights-errant, and Gladiators adds a detailed, if rare, code for gladiators. Monster Hunters adds “Angelic” and “The Hunter’s Code” and Mysteries has the detailed versions of “Gentleman P.I.,” “Private Investigator” and “Police.” Power-Ups 6 has some quirk-level codes, and the quirk of lacking an expected code, while Powers explores Code of Honor as a required disadvantage. Psis adds “Psychic’s” and Social Engineering “Prisoner’s.” Space defines several: “Asteroid Miner’s,” “Ethical Psionic’s,” “Hacker’s,” and “Mercenary’s,” and Supers has “Comics Code” and “Costumed Villain.” Tales of the Solar Patrol has the only slightly less four-colour “Solar Patrolman’s” and “Villian’s,” plus “Naturalist’s” and “Trader’s.” Underground Adventures has “Caver’s” and Vorkosigan Saga has the culturally-specific Vor code.

Dipping back into 3e, GURPS WWII went into Soldier’s CoH in some detail, distinguishing between officer and enlisted versions, and normal and extreme versions of both. The extreme version was expected in all the Imperial Japanese services, and some German units, although it was possible in any service.

I use Code of Honor quite a bit, as a player and GM. I tend to feel that if I’m playing a soldier, policeman, or other user of violence, there need to be some rules to restrain that. As a GM, honourable foes are more interesting for the PCs, and less likely to just kill them, given the chance.

How have you used, or abused, this disadvantage?
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