[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Decreased Time Rate

[johndallman]

Decreased Time Rate [-100] is an exotic mental disadvantage. Your subjective time passes at half the speed of most people, so you only get a turn every two seconds in combat. This is a very serious problem for an adventurer, or anyone who wants to drive a vehicle on roads with normal people. Even if you avoid such things, you can only do half as much in a day as normal people, so it tends to be economically crippling.

This existed in 3e, as the disadvantageous version of Altered Time Rate. 3e also had Slow Metabolism, which was drastic: you lived at 1/10th speed, although your lifespan was ten times as long. Per level. While there have been fictional species that lived that slowly (see Iain M Banks’ The Algebraist), role-playing interactions with them would be very hard work.

GURPS supplements have a few uses for this disadvantage. It can be a side-effect of drastic Bio-Tech modifications, or a Madness Dossier brain implant. Magic makes its effect usable as a powerful attack spell, and it is a side-effect of the Green Mind power in Plant Spells. Technical Grappling adds more details on its effects in combat. Space suggests it for natives of low-temperature ecosystems, and Underground Adventures for creatures that live in Earth’s core.

I’ve never seen this used, or even considered for a PC. Have you?

[Phantasm]

Once or twice I've an Affliction (Disadvantage) to afflict it, generally to counter speedsters who have levels of Altered Time Rate.

I've also had Ent-type NPCs that had it. (It's likely that Quickbeam - a rather "hasty" Ent in The Two Towers (novel) - lacked DTR while the rest of the Ents had it as a racial disad.) There, the NPC's ST, DR, and IT:Homogenous helped counter the fact that it was only acting every other turn. But then, trrreeeeee....

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

I've also had Ent-type NPCs that had it.

Personally, based on the book's description of the Ents once they're "roused" and attacking Isengard, I probably wouldn't give them Decreased Time Rate. I'd give them something like Compulsive Behavior (Contemplation) instead, basically forcing them to make a self-control roll every time an opportunity to think about something came up, and if they failed, taking a lot longer to come to a decision (without necessarily getting any bonuses for taking extra time, either).

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

Personally, based on the book's description of the Ents once they're "roused" and attacking Isengard, I probably wouldn't give them Decreased Time Rate. I'd give them something like Compulsive Behavior (Contemplation) instead, basically forcing them to make a self-control roll every time an opportunity to think about something came up, and if they failed, taking a lot longer to come to a decision (without necessarily getting any bonuses for taking extra time, either).

It has been a long time since I read LotR, but I thought Ents achieved Decreased Time Rate once revved up; before that, they're even slower. XD

More on topic, I've never taken this for a PC or NPC but I've come close. Real-world issues are actually the cause; I'd never finish the character because the game was canceled, or I'd get confused over something and have moved on before I got around to asking for help with it here. XP

Oh, and instead of taking it outright, most of my ideas end up using it as a Temporary Disadvantage tied into an Advantage, such as a powerful but slow Alternate Form or a super-speedster gaining some useful traits as a side-effect of a self-enforced slowdown.

[David Johnston2]

My "Arean" Template Cost -109 points

-4 ST, +1 IQ,

Advantages: Magery 0 +5, +3 Resistant Intoxicants +3, Temperature Tolerance +5,

Disadvantages: Decreased Time Rate -100, Low Pain Threshold -10, -4 Magic Susceptibility -12,

Intended for a planetary romance setting where visitors from Earth have a few advantages.

[RogerBW]

Not seen it used in play, but I could see it (particularly in the extended lifespan version) as a biomod for the crew of an STL starship.

[Culture20]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Oh, and instead of taking it outright, most of my ideas end up using it as a Temporary Disadvantage tied into an Advantage, such as a powerful but slow Alternate Form or a super-speedster gaining some useful traits as a side-effect of a self-enforced slowdown.

I’ve used it as a temp disad for True Faith before; essentially the character has to spend so much mental focus praying or meditating on koans that movement, actions, and thinking are slowed.
It’s pretty handy for a lot of all-out style defenses where movement is unlikely.

[Anthony]

There have been various critters where I've considered doing this, but I eventually decided against it because it seemed like it would be horribly annoying in play.