General Tips For Conflicting Disadvantages

[coronatiger]

If a PC has two disads that would cause them to react in different ways in the same situation, how would you resolve it? Example: Lecherousness and Intolerance, meeting a beautiful individual from a hated group. (Note that I'm looking for general tips that could be used to resolve any conflict, although I'm aware that it may not be possible. )

If you don't have general tips, feel free to give an example of a situation with conflicting disads and how you would resolve it.

Edit: The Lecherousness/Intolerance combo can get a little too dark, so please make no more replies regarding that. Check out my new post about Curious vs Sense of Duty instead.

[awesomenessofme1]

In that particular example, I would just roll a self-control roll and reaction roll and base my reaction on those results.
For example:
Successful self-control roll: Just base it off of the result of the Intolerance reaction roll.
Failed self-control roll+Neutral or Good reaction: Act on Lecherousness, but colored by Intolerance.
Failed self-control roll+Poor or worse reaction: This one I'm not so sure about. Unless you want to get into really dark territory (which doesn't make sense for many characters), I'm not sure what an appropriate reaction would be.

[AlexanderHowl]

It depends on whether or not they fail their self-control roll and then on their reaction (I would give them a +3 bonus to their self-control roll though). On a success, they would react normally to the group they find intolerable. On a failure, they would attempt the seduction. On a Good or better reaction, they will care about consent. On a Neutral reaction, they would use coercion. On a worse reaction, they would use force.

Combining Intolerance and Lecherousness is difficult because of the final two consequences, and I would suggest forbidding the combination except in groups that are comfortable with the inevitable consequences. An individual with Intolerance does not feel that their target is fully sapient, so they do not see any particular problem with causing them harm, though they will avoid doing so unless compelled to avoid legal entanglements. If society does not care what happens to the targets, then a person with Intolerance can do what they want, up to murder and sexual assault. Someone with Lecherousness will be compelled to commit sexual assault if their advances are repulsed on a worse than Neutral reaction, regardless of the legal consequences, because they do not see their target as fully human.

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

An individual with Intolerance does not feel that their target is fully sapient, so they do not see any particular problem with causing them harm, though they will avoid doing so unless compelled to avoid legal entanglements. If society does not care what happens to the targets, then a person with Intolerance can do what they want, up to murder and sexual assault. Someone with Lecherousness will be compelled to commit sexual assault if their advances are repulsed on a worse than Neutral reaction, regardless of the legal consequences, because they do not see their target as fully human.

That's not RAW intolerance. (And likely not RAW lecherousness either).

Back to the OP, it would depend on the disadvantages, I don't think there are any universal way of resolving such conflict.

[Stormcrow]

Lecherousness says you must make a control roll when in contact with an "appealing" member of the sex you find attractive. One could argue that if you're Intolerant, you don't find that person appealing. The GM might have you make a reaction roll, including your Intolerance penalty. On a Good reaction or better, your Lecherousness takes over.

[coronatiger]

A couple of thoughts to start with:

• If both disads require self-control rolls (and you fail both), the one with the largest margin of failure wins out.
• If they come in levels, the higher level wins.
• The disad with the highest CP cost wins.

Are any of these usable?

[AlexanderHowl]

Both should apply unless suitably limited (individuals with completely incompatible disadvantages should have Split Personality, with each incompatible disadvantage in a different personality).

[Aldric]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Lecherousness says you must make a control roll when in contact with an "appealing" member of the sex you find attractive. One could argue that if you're Intolerant, you don't find that person appealing. The GM might have you make a reaction roll, including your Intolerance penalty. On a Good reaction or better, your Lecherousness takes over.

Even a good reaction makes you cold and stiff (wrong type of stiff, and there are at least 3 that I know of).
I think you need better than that for Lecherousness to take over.
I wouldn't actually allow a character with a relevant intolerance above quirk level anyway.

I'm also thinking that, if two disadvantages come up at the same time a lot maybe they're actually incompatible and you should eventually buy off one of them...

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Lecherousness says you must make a control roll when in contact with an "appealing" member of the sex you find attractive. One could argue that if you're Intolerant, you don't find that person appealing. The GM might have you make a reaction roll, including your Intolerance penalty. On a Good reaction or better, your Lecherousness takes over.

For that specific case, this is likely the best answer imho !

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Aldric

Even a good reaction makes you cold and stiff (wrong type of stiff, and there are at least 3 that I know of).
I think you need better than that for Lecherousness to take over.

Intolerance describes what happens with Good, Neutral, and worse reactions. It doesn't say anything about Very Good reactions or better, so I think the Good reaction is what you get for Good and above: you'll never get better than a stiff and cold tolerance.

Lecherousness doesn't necessarily imply warmth and smiles or even hopping in the sack. If the person is attracted to someone they are Intolerant of, it may manifest as a cruel, self-loathing kind of harassment. This would only belong in a very dark and very adult kind of game.