drawback of Potential Advantage: Heir ?

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Yes, at the price of stunted development later.

No, their development is never stunted. At any given point they either have just as much stuff as anyone else, or more stuff. There's never a point where they have less of anything except flexibility.

I mean, are you saying that you'd consider it an even bigger sacrifice on their part to simply start the game with 50 points of un-paid-for Advantages and have to pay that back? Inquiring minds want to know so they can plan their 350-point starting DF characters.

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Except Heir requires a trigger that both the player and the GM agree upon. If the player tries to put off the trigger until beyond the end of the campaign, the GM should not accept the condition. Once a condition is agreed upon, it is up to the GM to judge what happens and to enforce the payment of the debt.

Can a player find a loophole regarding the condition? Sure. Does that invalidate the "free" money? No.

So far, I'm not seeing any reason why the free money should be considered valid except adherence to the RAW.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Wealthy [20] gives 5 times average starting wealth, so Heir (Wealthy) [10] gives 2.5 times starting wealth and the promise of a hassle-free upgrade later.

In the example used (B33: Potential Comfortable), the character has 1.5x the starting wealth instead of 2x the starting wealth, so I think you would halve the difference not the multiplier, otherwise the example would've had "half double" x(2/2)=x1= no extra starting wealth at all.

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

I don't follow you here. Money a meta-trait? Enemies?

The idea that when you gain money or normal equipment it's not logged as point changes on the sheet, so approaching it as 0-point features. It could be assumed that equipment you might consider an IQ 0 ally/minion even though it might actually have value, has some factor balancing it when you get it.

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

To avoid having to pay character points for the upgrade, spend the cash immediately.
You'll stay at your current Wealth level.

Ah, but what if spending the money earns you status (living above your means) or allies ("he paid me a million dollars for a bicycle!") etc.

The only solution is clearly to secretly burn the money so that you retain control over your bonus CP.

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

I'm not seeing any reason why the free money should be considered valid except adherence to the RAW.

The reason seems to be flexibility but flexibility might be overrated.

I don't think the problem is necessarily "straightforward heir" but "drop wealth to pay for heir".

To use iconic characters as one example: B323 Xing La gained 10 points by being Struggling. Let's say she is made the adoptive daughter and heir of B415's William Headley who paid 10 for Comfortable.

The difference between them is 20 points and represents shifting between 50% the $SW and 200% the $W, a 150% improvement. Half of that is a 75% improvement, which when added to 50% would create 125%.

Covering that difference only costs 10 points, but it means when William dies, Xing La must pay the next 10 available points and cannot improve.

She could save up her bonus CP for that potentiality, but saving them up means she can't put them to use. The same way that someone who saves their bonus CP for Impulse Buys "just in case" can't put them to immediate use either.