How to screw players with Absent-Mindedness

[GWJ]

One of my players, Wizard, have only one disadvantage left: Absent-Mindedness. This is trait for -15 points, but usually I can't make situations (or I simply forgot about this, because there are so trivial) in which this disadvantage can make his life harder. I'd really thankful for a lot of examples fot this, in Dungeon Fantasy. My team is wizard, big barbarian in heavy armor, dwarf demolisher, and cleric of death god, if this does matter.

[ronalmb]

One possible way to utilize Absent-Mindedness in a Dungeon Fantasy setting would be to force a roll when the Wizard needs some small object from a bag or pocket (like a potion, or especially a Power Stone). If the check fails, the poor absent-minded fool left the object sitting on the desk back at the inn in town....

[Anaraxes]

Well, let's look at the text of the Disad.

If no engaging task or topic presents itself, your attention will drift to more interesting matters in five minutes, and you will ignore your immediate surroundings until something catches your attention and brings you back.

Note that "drift to more interesting matters" includes being lost in your own thoughts. Even if there's only one thing going on, it doesn't mean you're paying attention to it.

Once adrift in your own thoughts, you must roll against Perception-5 in order to notice any event short of personal physical injury.

I'd expect a DF game to be full of Per checks, and the wizard is going to get a -5 on almost all of them. He won't be spotting traps, ambushes, noticing those hidden items squirreled away in rooms, the fact that the thief just stole his purse. He's likely to have a good Per thanks to a good IQ, but this trait essentially sells Per back by 5 levels.

Strictly per RAW, he's not even going to notice a combat unless he gets hit (though I think that's probably going a bit far), but he might not notice the beginning of one and fail to respond in the first turn or few. That text reads frighteningly close to "automatically mentally stunned at the beginning of every combat".

You may attempt to rivet your attention on a boring topic through sheer strength of will. To do so, make a Will-5 roll once every five minutes.
“Boring topics” include small talk, repetitive manual tasks, guard duty, driving on an empty highway . . .

Emphasis added. You might also count searching a room as a "repetitive manual task". If the job is to go through books and scrolls to see if any of them are relevant to the Big Bad, he's likely to have something else catch his attention and waste a lot of time while he pursues irrelevant trivia. (Think of the TL3 version of TV Tropes and idle websurfing.) He's not going to pick up rumors in a tavern or get clues from socializing with nobles at the duke's cotillion.

Absent-minded individuals also tend to forget trivial tasks (like paying the bills) and items (like car keys and checkbooks).

Forgetting to pay your bill will have some consequences next time you're in town and want to restock. Or he can forget adventuring gear, spell components, or those notes they took back in the library in town when they were researching the Big Bad. "Trivial tasks" here doesn't mean "only tasks that have no adverse consequences". Car keys or checkbook (these days I'd say "credit card") seem trivial to the Absent-Minded, but that doesn't mean losing them is a trivial affair.

Other party members should be complaining about always having to carry this guy, taking his guard shifts and double-checking all his stuff or providing it themselves. The other players get to suffer as a result of this Disad, too. Or else they blow it off and the stuff just isn't available when needed, because the brainiac forget it again.

It's often been observed that GURPS mental Disads are severe (even cinematically severe) cases of whatever disorder they reflect. And -15 is as bad as the "standard" scale gets. It's harsh. If the player wants a cute-but-harmless trait that hints at Absent-Mindedness, make it a Quirk. If he wants 15 points, then it's more adverse than Bad Temper or Cowardice, and as bad with highly addictive, incapacitating substance abuse, Chronic Depression, or extreme Fanaticism.

[Nymdok]

Keep in mind that Absent Minded can be alot of things.
I had a GM that let me play Absent Minded as sort of an acute ADD and I liked that treatment.

The Wizard is always distracted by whats immediately happening in front of him at the expense of everything else. Although not raw, I'd be ok with applying a penalty to actively maintain spells.

Let the wizard wander off once or twice just day dreaming.

Missing items, as mentioned above, are also great.

Do you remember blah blah? Nope sorry Wizard, all you remember is the shiny stone in the barmaids necklace.

A will roll to keep from switching targets mid combat. "Wait, which one is MY orc again?"

Nymdok

[malloyd]

I think most of the combat penalties are going too far myself. But penalties to just about every Per check, certainly. Can't remember where you stored the item you need right now seems like a fair combat drawback. If you went off to do something in town (buy supplies, get your Power Item recharged, stop by the temple to get healed, show up for a court proceeding to determine what fraction of your magical loot is due as taxes) looks like you got distracted on the way and forgot. Used up some bit of gear, or really missed having something and resolved to buy one for next time? Forgot about it by the time you got back to town. Learned something vital to the mission? Must have neglected to tell the rest of the party. Ordered to bring them to the magic loot tax hearing too? Never mentioned it to anybody.

[Randyman]

IMO: "Screw the player" (or PC) is bad attitude/behavior on the part of a referee, even in DF. "Challenge the player/PC" is far healthier and more mutually respectful, and still includes "make sure the Disadvantage is sufficiently disadvantageous so as to make it worth the points", which is what the above replies are presenting.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

I'd expect a DF game to be full of Per checks, and the wizard is going to get a -5 on almost all of them. He won't be spotting traps, ambushes, noticing those hidden items squirreled away in rooms, the fact that the thief just stole his purse. He's likely to have a good Per thanks to a good IQ, but this trait essentially sells Per back by 5 levels.

Strictly per RAW, he's not even going to notice a combat unless he gets hit (though I think that's probably going a bit far), but he might not notice the beginning of one and fail to respond in the first turn or few. That text reads frighteningly close to "automatically mentally stunned at the beginning of every combat".

All of this is conditional on the wizard drifting off. Left to their own devices they will, but sensible allies will make sure the wizard is paying attention at critical times. If the party is surprised, the Wizard is at risk of being both surprised and adrift, but if the party is kicking in a door they won't be.

Absent-Minded is a terminal trait for a solo adventurer but can be mitigated quite a lot in a party.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

All of this is conditional on the wizard drifting off. Left to their own devices they will, but sensible allies will make sure the wizard is paying attention at critical times. If the party is surprised, the Wizard is at risk of being both surprised and adrift, but if the party is kicking in a door they won't be.

Absent-Minded is a terminal trait for a solo adventurer but can be mitigated quite a lot in a party.

Good point; however, I wonder. If I were prone to absent-mindedness, and a friend was by my side prodding me every few minutes, snapping his fingers, or shouting in my ear: "Hey!? You still with us? Mind your step! Look out!"... wouldn't I grow annoyed with this guy who's continuously taking me away from my interesting thoughts?

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Strictly per RAW, he's not even going to notice a combat unless he gets hit (though I think that's probably going a bit far), but he might not notice the beginning of one and fail to respond in the first turn or few.

I think this needs to be tempered by the "personal injury" clause - melee close by or spell volleys at range are both signs that personal injury could be on offer in short order.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Michele

Good point; however, I wonder. If I were prone to absent-mindedness, and a friend was by my side prodding me every few minutes, snapping his fingers, or shouting in my ear: "Hey!? You still with us? Mind your step! Look out!"... wouldn't I grow annoyed with this guy who's continuously taking me away from my interesting thoughts?

Maybe, though if you have the slightest sense of self-preservation you might appreciate it more than you resent it while in a dungeon full of ravenous monsters!

Prodding the wizard every couple minutes would be fairly distracting for the one doing the prodding, though...and for the wizard if they happened to actually be on-focus at the time! Personally, I'd expect the protocol would run more to letting them drift off, if so inclined, during most situations where immediate combat isn't expected, but making sure to poke them into alertness when it is. And don't let them stand guard, obviously...they can be a stand-by reserve for your guards, but they're really not capable of standing a watch themselves.

In most cases I'd argue that even if nothing is particularly happening, exploring dungeon isn't a boring task! But it's best to be sure the wizard is awake before kicking in a door anyway, especially if perhaps you've been standing around for a while waiting while the thief sneaks ahead to reconnoiter or works on a lock or something.