09-30-2014, 01:37 PM | #11 | |
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Endor
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
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The best rule-of-thumb I've come up with is to pay close attention to the text descriptions of the appearance levels, and judge based on other characters' reactions. I'm pretty comfortable with assigning Attractive out of the blue for pretty much any media character who's at all presented as cute or studly or otherwise attractive to others; heck, it's only +1, why not? While I reserve the higher levels to characters who actually get called out in dialogue or action for being exceptional lookers, e.g. if the character doesn't have the "horde of admirers, stalkers, paparazzi, and jealous competitors" effect in the story, then they aren't Very Handsome/Beautiful, no matter how much I personally think they are. Soft-focus and swashy music may also be a sign. Another way I look at it is to think of the Appearance level as akin to a "frequency of appearance" rating, which is a bit meta but can work. An Average character may be good-looking to the audience, but it never has any effect on the plot, so we don't stat it. While every time a Very Beautiful/Handsome character is on screen/stage/page, we're aware of that portrayal. It's easier to judge negative appearance, since the text examples specifically call out physical deformities for Ugly or worse. Again, I'm willing to throw around Unattractive without much guilt; it's only -1, and helps make a character memorable. |
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09-30-2014, 01:53 PM | #12 |
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lynn, MA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
I allow players to buy custom reaction mods by the numbers.
Appearance is [2] per +1 for each gender or [5] per +1 for all who look upon you. It's pretty simple to set up how you like. |
09-30-2014, 02:00 PM | #13 |
formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans'
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Wyoming, Michigan
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
I like combining Attractive appearance and Pitiable on characters based on small, stereotypically cute critters like mice, housecats, rabbits, raccoons, and so forth. I haven't actually played such a character yet, but I have built a few.
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Ba-weep granah wheep minibon. Wubba lubba dub dub. |
09-30-2014, 02:31 PM | #14 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
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I definitely wouldn't take +2/+6 [16], because it has a built-in negative reaction and Enemy (Watcher or worse), with no point compensation. And indeed, it seems that whenever I pick a photo to represent an [N]PC, someone will comment on a positive appearance, so I think taking a +1 most of the time is reasonable. Whether you want the non-Androgynous second level of Appearance depends on who you'll be facing and what is your main skill. I'm currently in a campaign where named female NPCs happen to be significantly rarer than male ones, so I'm glad I didn't take non-Impressive/non-Androgynous Handsome appearance. ---- Something of a rarely-mentioned features of +1 appearance is that it triggers Lecherousness, and you can take note of that and later use it to manipulate the character. |
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09-30-2014, 03:45 PM | #15 |
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
Does it have a built in enemy, or does the modifier turn negative when you gather -4 total negatives?
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09-30-2014, 03:47 PM | #16 | |||
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
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Someone with blotchy skin, actual blemishes, or details simply too fine to show up in a particular art style or at that resolution in most "shots" (TV, movie, etc.) can easily account for an effective +1 over actual appearance... which could also mean an Ugly Character is merely Unattractive. Unless you know that a character is supposed to - for example - have an asymmetrical figure, an illustration of such a character can easily be mistaken for a poor quality drawing. There is the general Hollywood bias towards making characters better looking (unless said character is supposed to have a very low Appearance level), both because "sex sells" and because when you've got good resolution and you're showing an image that is several times life size, it can make a even a minor blemish quite noticeable and even unpleasant to view. This bias is present in television, movies, magazines, video games... any visual medium. On top of this is, of course, style preference for the art in addition to appearance preference. Again, before we try any fancy tests, thinking through it seems to at least provide material for a decent working hypothesis. Between artistic style (which I also should have mentioned earlier) and medium choice, even if everyone can tell "That's supposed to be so-and-so..." they can also tell "...but you can't really tell he's got blotchy skin in that, and the way you draw makes him look a bit thinner than he really is." Heh, this reminds me of my difficulty in designing my Mii on the Nintendo Wii. =P
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) |
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09-30-2014, 04:03 PM | #17 | |
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
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I think this is to reflect "obvious consequences". If you have any significantly enticing trait, reality says you'll get attention for it if it becomes well known. This is how high ST characters might get challenged to fights (in appropriate settings) as well as living the "exciting life" (so sometimes in inappropriate settings as well). It does seem worded a bit strongly for just that. Then again I don't know if I like the "Reputation" based build. Even though sexual attraction is a relatively standardized thing, it just strikes me as something that is in the eye of the beholder. That is to say, telling me I am paying for a +2/+4 seems silly. I wonder if I (or rather my character with Handsome) should just be paying for a flat bonus, and the fact that those attracted to my sex will be making rolls in general that those not attracted to it will not is about them... just as someone that isn't sexually attracted to me but has some other reason to enjoy my looks (the +2 cap I don't get at all) seems odd. Of course, I wish for more granularity anyway... and there is the matter of Health and Appearance. I still wonder if it should start out as some sort of derived quantity and then you pay for the Advantages to modify it.
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) |
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09-30-2014, 07:06 PM | #18 | |
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
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09-30-2014, 07:16 PM | #19 |
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
One thing I would like to see is a hybrid of the higher appearance levels
For instance, so Aphrodite could have +8 to those who like goddesses, and +5 to things who don't really care for them Since a Universal Transcendant person is going to lose a beauty contest to Very Beautiful person who is of the Judges favored type |
09-30-2014, 07:20 PM | #20 | |
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Re: [Basic] Advantage Of the Week: Appearance Levels
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advantage, advantage of the week, appearance, appearance level, week, [basic] |
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