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Old 08-17-2018, 12:07 AM   #1
johndallman
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Default [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Electrical [-20] is an exotic physical disadvantage, which appeared at GURPS 4e. You rely on electric power, or have electronics within your body that are not comprehensively protected and shielded. The commonest reason for this disadvantage is being a robot, or something else with the Machine meta-trait, but there are plenty of valid explanations for it, such as electrically powered prosthetics or implants, or alien biology.

Electrical makes you susceptible to attacks that disrupt the functioning of electrical equipment, in ways that ordinary biological creatures are not. These can include advantages, spells and technological electrical attacks, powerful magnetic fields, and electromagnetic pulses from nuclear blasts. Attacks that only affect targets with this disadvantage can be bought with an Aspected, Only on Electrical, -20%, limitation. Critical hits from electrical attacks will knock you unconscious, in addition to any other effects.

High-Tech tells us that machines are vulnerable to radiation if they have Electrical, while Horror has evil computers with this disadvantage, and ghosts with attacks that affect computers. Power-Ups 8 describes cybernetics that have Electrical as a Temporary Disadvantage, Powers has plenty of examples of Only on Electrical and Enhanced Senses has power modifiers that use it. Psi-Tech has implanted devices, and brains implanted in machines, and Psionic Powers has an ideal attack against this disadvantage. That would be handy in Reign of Steel: Will to Live, where all the robots are Electrical, but is unlikely to be available. Just be thankful robots don’t have access to Sorcery: Protection and Warning Spells, which offers complete protection. Transhuman Space: Changing Times has implanted equipment with useful resistance to electrical attacks, which would be worth adding to a revised Ultra-Tech. You even get electric Zombies.

While I’ve played quite a bit of Reign of Steel, we never tried electrocuting robots, since guns and explosives worked OK, and we spent far more time in sewers than power stations. Has this disadvantage had shock value in your games?
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Old 08-17-2018, 01:31 AM   #2
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

A thing worth keeping in mind when considering this trait (especially the last paragraph):
Quote:
Originally Posted by FAQ 3.2.19
3.2.19 Isn't the Electrical disadvantage and limitation worth too many points?
Electrical assumes that you're vulnerable to shorts, drains, and surges as well as all the usual stuff that affects meat-people – acceleration, bends, disease, poison, etc. If this isn't true, then take both Electrical [-20] and Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30], for a net 10 points. It's not a 0-point special effect because, overall, the bad things that affect electrical systems are rarer than the bad things that affect meat. This is how the trait was priced.

As for its effects, it means that EMPs, power drains, and electrical interference that would affect gadgets also affect you. You're susceptible to attacks with modifiers such as "Only on Electrical" and Surge (including all electrolasers, blasters, and stun guns), subject to Technological Spells that would otherwise not affect you (this is in addition to Body Control, Mind Control, etc.!), and affected by any device in the upcoming Ultra-Tech that jams or disables electronics.

One thing that is missing from the Basic Set is that any Electronics that take over 1/3 HP from an attack with the Surge enhancement must make a HT roll to avoid shorting out. Failure disables the target for seconds equal to the margin of failure; critical failure disables it until repaired (see Repairs, p. B484).
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Old 08-17-2018, 01:40 AM   #3
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
Transhuman Space: Changing Times has implanted equipment with useful resistance to electrical attacks, which would be worth adding to a revised Ultra-Tech.
I should note that Changing Times (and other publications after it) are inconsistent with the lore, as the corebook clearly states that THS the brain-computer interface is nano-optical (TS64), and in general 'electronics' use optical systems with molecular memories and processors (TS141) and are completely immune to electromagnetic pulses (the vulnerability to which is the main thing Electrical gets you).
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Old 08-17-2018, 01:55 AM   #4
jeff_wilson
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
I should note that Changing Times (and other publications after it) are inconsistent with the lore, as the corebook clearly states that THS the brain-computer interface is nano-optical (TS64), and in general 'electronics' use optical systems with molecular memories and processors (TS141) and are completely immune to electromagnetic pulses (the vulnerability to which is the main thing Electrical gets you).
ISTR this is intentional on Phil's part to walk back some consequence of all -optical gear.
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Old 08-17-2018, 11:35 AM   #5
johndallman
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
While I’ve played quite a bit of Reign of Steel, we never tried electrocuting robots, since guns and explosives worked OK, and we spent far more time in sewers than power stations.
Oops … forgot the time we got a robot minisub with an EMP generator, but were fooled by the infiltrator robot it was carrying. Not one of our better days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff_wilson View Post
ISTR this is intentional on Phil's part to walk back some consequence of all-optical gear.
Seems reasonable to me; THS is only supposed to be about a century after its publication date, and cutting down on technological miracles that aren't vital to the setting is reasonable.
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Old 08-17-2018, 11:58 AM   #6
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
I should note that Changing Times (and other publications after it) are inconsistent with the lore, as the corebook clearly states that THS the brain-computer interface is nano-optical (TS64), and in general 'electronics' use optical systems with molecular memories and processors (TS141) and are completely immune to electromagnetic pulses (the vulnerability to which is the main thing Electrical gets you).
Wouldn't the EMP disrupt the battery/power grid, thus disrupting the optical-electronics? No permanent damage, but nearly certain disruption.
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Old 08-17-2018, 12:01 PM   #7
ericthered
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

I've found the biggest factor in electrical is susceptibility to EMP.



I has come up in a game recently that EMP in the book doesn't match real EMP's. Real EMP's do damage, while the book EMP renders the character unconscious.
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Old 08-17-2018, 12:37 PM   #8
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I've found the biggest factor in electrical is susceptibility to EMP.



I has come up in a game recently that EMP in the book doesn't match real EMP's. Real EMP's do damage, while the book EMP renders the character unconscious.
There seems to be an implication that characters worthy of a character sheet have surge protectors or something like that. At least I vaguely recall lwcamp offering this as an interpretation of why electrical characters aren't lost forever from such a hit.
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Old 08-17-2018, 02:07 PM   #9
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
There seems to be an implication that characters worthy of a character sheet have surge protectors or something like that. At least I vaguely recall lwcamp offering this as an interpretation of why electrical characters aren't lost forever from such a hit.
According to the book robots (generic npc robots) aren't damaged either. They just shut-down for awhile.

In fact it's cyborgs that are the most susceptible to being damaged, as they lose FP and eventually that turns into HP...
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Old 08-17-2018, 09:11 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Electrical

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
There seems to be an implication that characters worthy of a character sheet have surge protectors or something like that. At least I vaguely recall lwcamp offering this as an interpretation of why electrical characters aren't lost forever from such a hit.
How would you price a character with "circuit breakers" which have to be reset after an electrical overload? :)
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