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Old 09-13-2019, 09:06 AM   #1
johndallman
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Default [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

Noisy [-2/level] is a mundane physical disadvantage. You make noise constantly unless you’re comatose, or switched off if you’re a machine. Other people are at +2 per level to perceive you via sound, and you’re at -2 per level to Stealth. This disadvantage appeared at GURPS 4e, as the opposite of the Silence advantage.

The reasons why you’re Noisy are up to you. You may be just clumsy and totally incompetent at Stealth, or you could be a machine with a noisy engine, a robot with noisy actuators, or suffer a Neurological Disorder that produces constant swearing. Constant talking short of Compulsive Behaviour, or carrying a boom-box would not qualify, since others can suppress those without actually incapacitating you, much though they might like to. You can’t take more than five levels of Noisy without GM approval, and each level gives -1 to reactions occasionally as you disturb people listening to music, or otherwise paying attention to sounds.

Noisy doesn’t see much use in GURPS supplements. There are limitations for a few powers with the same name, and a fair number of robots from various sourcebooks have it. There are quirk-level versions in Power-Ups 6, and it’s used in Sorcery: Protection and Warning Spells. But that’s about all.

I’ve never seen this disadvantage in use, but it has potential for characters with no subtlety at all. Has it made a stir in your games?
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Old 09-13-2019, 09:53 AM   #2
evileeyore
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

I've seen it once. In a 'less than serious' DF style fantasy the Fighter type took it mitigated with "Only while wearing armor" to represent he was extra clunky while armored up.
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Old 09-13-2019, 10:07 AM   #3
ericthered
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

I always seem to use it for things other than sound. I built one character who is magically noisy: basically every mage in the setting has a detect magic effect, and he's very very obvious to them.
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Old 09-13-2019, 11:25 AM   #4
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

Temporary Disadvantage (Noisy 5), -10% can function as a magnified version of Nuisance Effect (Obvious), -5%.
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Old 09-13-2019, 08:37 PM   #5
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
Temporary Disadvantage (Noisy 5), -10% can function as a magnified version of Nuisance Effect (Obvious), -5%.
I think I did something like that for a Ring of Invisibility variant once: when worn, it shifts your 'image' into the Astral Plane, so you're brighter there (attracting attention that you may not want), but invisible to the physical world. Was somewhat inspired by the One Ring, though I didn't try to create all the other features it had, as that would be a hell of a lot of work, there are things that I'm not even sure how to model, and if I managed something that I thought fit well enough, other Tolkien fans would say that I should have done this or that differently.
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Old 09-14-2019, 06:58 AM   #6
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

I've seen it once on a half-giant DF character to reflect being generally bumbling and oafish. They made up for the lack of stealth by being a truly superior meat shield.
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Old 09-14-2019, 01:01 PM   #7
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Noisy

I've seen one PC with Noisy at one level, to reflect a 'talent' for tripping on things, humming when they shouldn't, and having innards that rumble when silence is necessary. Basically, the guy was just noisy, even when he was trying not to be, so it fitted. As the character was a techie and occasional shooter, and not a scout or 'face', it worked out okay.
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