Reverse of Weirdness Magnet

[Stone Dog]

Originally Posted by Inquisitive Raven

Mundane Background is merely the opposite of Unusual Background for games where an Unusual Background is normal.

Yeah, Unusual Background is an advantage that lets you do certain things that are unusual in your campaign world. Mundane Background is a disadvantage that forbids you from doing certain things that are usual in your campaign world.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Wraithe

Normalcy magnet [15 points]

Mystic maps will turn out to be complete gibberish, leading nowhere interesting, unless occasionally, to a good restaurant.

Shouldn't it be a clean but uninspirational restaurant with reasonable pricing and adequate service? ;]

Originally Posted by Wraithe

"Normal" people who realize you are a Normalcy Magnet will react to you at a +1 (+2 during a crisis), while thrill seekers, paranormal investigators and adventurers will react to you at -4, once they realize you are a Normalcy Magnet.

I can see a -4 from Thrill-Seekers if the Normalcy Magnet shows up at the exact wrong moment and foils a weird (but thrilling) stunt, but it seems a little (ahem) extreme otherwise... Let's remember that cannibalism is a -3 here... As for paranormal investigators and adventurers, I would think that they would regard the Normalcy Magnet as a refreshing little oasis who is remarkably fun to be around unless they refuse to leave when they need them to...

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Incidentally I've found that ruling that WM includes Unluckiness, that is explicitly stating that it will result in you being automatically screwed over once a session, but in a weird way, as per the Unluckiness disadvantage, has pretty firmly moved it back into the serious disadvantage category and not the free points I have to ban to discourage everybody from taking it that it used to be. It probably should always have been played like that, but adding the slightly harder rule of Unluckiness to the description clarifies it a lot.

I'm not sure I'd rule it that way . . . the "spirit" of the disadvantage isn't that you're more prone to failure and misfortune, but that odd things just seem to find you. While usually not good for you, this isn't the same as being less lucky at life. My own game-mechanical enforcement is that any entity in the setting that's regarded as cryptic, mythic, paranormal, strange, supernatural, unconfirmed – you know, weird – gets +5 on all rolls to locate you (senses, spells, the lot), and you have -5 on all rolls to avoid location vs. same (Camouflage, Stealth, False Aura, whatever). Reaction rolls from same are modified by five in whatever direction leads to nosiness and intervention. I enforce this only in noncombat situations. This leads to things like old Gypsy women whose powers don't work due to low mana (-5) having no trouble divining your location, visiting aliens noticing you from orbit, and talking dogs deciding they like you and following you around.

[rosignol]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

Adventuring PCs find adventure isn't Weirdness Magnet. Adventures are nasty and disturbing things that make you late for dinner. Weirdness Magnet just involves odd things happening on the way. Things that are a bit irritating, but not usually very dangerous.

Yup.

For example... unbeknown to one of my PCs, her 'wierdness magnet' is the result of a prophecy discovered by a cult of dark ones that indicates she will be the mother of the ender of all things... so long as the union is willing.

So they're basically engaging in a really disturbing and inconvenient courtship (as appropriate to a cult of insane not-quite-humans). Like sending her an eyeball the first day, a heart the second, and a painting of herself on the third.

[benz72]

Originally Posted by rosignol

Yup.

For example... unbeknown to one of my PCs, her 'wierdness magnet' is the result of a prophecy discovered by a cult of dark ones that indicates she will be the mother of the ender of all things... so long as the union is willing.

So they're basically engaging in a really disturbing and inconvenient courtship (as appropriate to a cult of insane not-quite-humans). Like sending her an eyeball the first day, a heart the second, and a painting of herself on the third.

I was thinking it was really good until I got to the gift list and then I though "We have climbed the apex of creepy stalkerdom"

[rosignol]

Originally Posted by benz72

I was thinking it was really good until I got to the gift list and then I though "We have climbed the apex of creepy stalkerdom"

spoiler: Eye-heart-you

The cultists thought it was quite clever.

IMO, a 15-point disadvantage should cause the PC to occasionally wonder if the points are worth the inconvenience. :>