Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-09-2020, 03:12 PM   #1
Dragondog
Never Been Pretty
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Default Minion Ally

Having an Ally is an advantage. If the Ally is a Minion, it's an even greater advantage (unless he has IQ 0 or Slave Mentality).

But what if you, the PC, is an Ally (Minion) of some NPC. How much would that be worth as a disadvantage?
__________________
Daydreams of a Dragon: My blog
Dragondog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2020, 03:35 PM   #2
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: One Mile Up
Default Re: Minion Ally

Duty (Involuntary, possibly Extremely Hazardous), at whatever frequency the PC can expect to be called upon.
Gold & Appel Inc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2020, 06:21 PM   #3
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Minion Ally

I'm thinking "Duty to PC" on an Ally should probably not be counted as reducing an Ally's CP total since that actually makes an ally better, if anything maybe social advantages where an ally is more likely to serve ONLY you should have their prices inverted into advantages?
Plane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2020, 03:41 AM   #4
Dragondog
Never Been Pretty
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Default Re: Minion Ally

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plane View Post
I'm thinking "Duty to PC" on an Ally should probably not be counted as reducing an Ally's CP total since that actually makes an ally better, if anything maybe social advantages where an ally is more likely to serve ONLY you should have their prices inverted into advantages?
My question isn't about a NPC being an ally to a PC. My question is about a PC being "forced" to be an Ally (Minion) to an NPC and how many points such a disadvantage would be worth
__________________
Daydreams of a Dragon: My blog
Dragondog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2020, 06:13 AM   #5
Phil Masters
 
Phil Masters's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: U.K.
Default Re: Minion Ally

Involuntary Duty, and/or anything else needed to represent the reason for all the cringing. Vow, perhaps, or Secret, or Fanaticism.

Note, though, that NPCs don't as a rule have Allies on their character sheets (unless it's the Summonable version, which is more of a magic-or-similar power than a social relationship). They have small-a allies, obviously; some NPCs hang out together, support each other, yadda yadda. But the Ally advantage represents a specific plot condition; the PC has dependable support from an NPC, and the GM can't arbitrarily say "oh, they're off doing their own thing" when that's more convenient for the plot. So wondering exactly what the PCs have that makes them Minions to an NPC is pointless. They have what they have.

(Okay, the other type of NPC who might get Allies on the character sheet, for convenience, is a Transhuman Space-style character who has a penumbra of servitor AIs. But that's just for reference, and PCs are unlikely to be the AI servant of an NPC, and if it does happen, they're probably an unusually free-willed and independent-minded AI.)
__________________
--
Phil Masters
My Home Page.
My Self-Publications: On Warehouse 23 and On DriveThruRPG.
Phil Masters is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2020, 06:51 AM   #6
Dragondog
Never Been Pretty
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Default Re: Minion Ally

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Masters View Post
Involuntary Duty, and/or anything else needed to represent the reason for all the cringing. Vow, perhaps, or Secret, or Fanaticism.

Note, though, that NPCs don't as a rule have Allies on their character sheets (unless it's the Summonable version, which is more of a magic-or-similar power than a social relationship). They have small-a allies, obviously; some NPCs hang out together, support each other, yadda yadda. But the Ally advantage represents a specific plot condition; the PC has dependable support from an NPC, and the GM can't arbitrarily say "oh, they're off doing their own thing" when that's more convenient for the plot. So wondering exactly what the PCs have that makes them Minions to an NPC is pointless. They have what they have.

(Okay, the other type of NPC who might get Allies on the character sheet, for convenience, is a Transhuman Space-style character who has a penumbra of servitor AIs. But that's just for reference, and PCs are unlikely to be the AI servant of an NPC, and if it does happen, they're probably an unusually free-willed and independent-minded AI.)
Exactly.

I was thinking of some setting elements and letting the PC have Ally (Minion) if he was the one in control was easy. But I then wondered what it would look like if things were turned around and the NPC was in control of the PC.

And Fanaticism would also fit, in addition to whatever disadvantages are used for the reverse of Ally (Minion). Thank you for pointing that out (even if that wasn't your intention).
__________________
Daydreams of a Dragon: My blog
Dragondog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2020, 10:24 AM   #7
oneofmanynameless
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: New Hampshire, USA
Default Re: Minion Ally

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
Duty (Involuntary, possibly Extremely Hazardous), at whatever frequency the PC can expect to be called upon.
Other disads could do the trick such as fanaticism, but this would be my go-to if a PC was someone elses Minion. This or Reprogrammable, depending on why and how the PC was being forced to be a minion.

I only know of one place off the top of my head where a minion ally was fully stated out in a supplement (MH6:Holy Hunters, the animated servitor) and it has Reprogrammable on it's character sheet.

From that I would assume that a GM should put some disad like this on the NPCs character sheet when they are building a Minion.

The nature of that disad can determine the exact mechanics of what could undermine your minion enhancement should the GM want it to be possible to undermine your minion enhancement, as well as the nature of the minions loyalty and how they will follow orders.
oneofmanynameless is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2020, 07:44 AM   #8
Phil Masters
 
Phil Masters's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: U.K.
Default Re: Minion Ally

Quote:
Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless View Post
I only know of one place off the top of my head where a minion ally was fully stated out in a supplement (MH6:Holy Hunters, the animated servitor) and it has Reprogrammable on it's character sheet.
The Transhuman Space Personnel Files have several. But they naturally tend to be Reprogeammable.
__________________
--
Phil Masters
My Home Page.
My Self-Publications: On Warehouse 23 and On DriveThruRPG.
Phil Masters is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
involuntary duty, minion

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:36 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.