Parahumans: What types do you think the canon needs, what type would you like to be?

[TGLS]

That's easy to explain, it's called "appearance". I am not saying that charisma doesn't exist, just that it takes more than just sitting there, for example a minute's conversation.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by TGLS

That's easy to explain, it's called "appearance". I am not saying that charisma doesn't exist, just that it takes more than just sitting there, for example a minute's conversation.

Not for him. He was sitting and often not facing these people. It's not appearance based as far as I can tell. It seems to affect certain types of people more often than others, specifically the easily manipulated. Charisma is the only word/concept I know of that accurately fits what I've seen.

Our other brother has instinctive Fast Talk skill but lacks most of the charm, so I can tell the difference between the two.
(I watched while he convinced our mom to apologize for "making" him have to break into her car to get her credit card. It was freaky to witness. Once I pointed out what was going on, it negated the Fast Talk. And she's very intelligent.)

I, of course, lack either charisma or social skills, and have had to work hard to get to my present default levels.

[TGLS]

Fair enough, but as written, appearance works better because it is entirely passive, while charisma needs active communication. Unless you want something esoteric, like Affliction (This dude is awesome), or Charisma (Cosmic, no communication required).

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I didn't mean the Herakles. I thought you wanted canon to add some more 'rational and productive' templates.

Well, I meant logical for the setting or good for the setting. Both would be nice.

[Astromancer]

Here's something that would be good, if it could be bioengineered, the ability to understand/make sense of what you're sensing. That's several GURPS advantages together isn't it?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Here's something that would be good, if it could be bioengineered, the ability to understand/make sense of what you're sensing. That's several GURPS advantages together isn't it?

Depends on what you mean by understand/make sense of. It's mostly skills.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Depends on what you mean by understand/make sense of. It's mostly skills.

Is it? There was this farmhand that got hired by the University of North Dakota in the 1950's, my Biology Prof Doctor Urban (great guy broke my heart when he died in 1981) actually met the guy. This man, I forget his name, could walk through a field of wheat and find the useful mutants.

He found all of the wheat stalks with multiple heads in a single pass. They could give him detailed notes on what to look for. He could find in a single walk through the fields what the scientists couldn't find in a week's searching.

That sounds more like an advantage than a skill.

[Flyndaran]

Perception based skill. Just having good eyesight alone is an advantage. Actually using it to analyze the wheat from the chaff is a skill.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

That sounds more like an advantage than a skill.

Could be an advantage to find things fast. Knowing what you're looking at is a skill (probably agronomy in this case).