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Old 02-12-2023, 08:30 AM   #1
Solomon Draak
 
Join Date: Jan 2023
Default Custom Disadvantage: heavy ( derived from Fat )

According to Martial Arts 4th edition, pg 49: Extra Hit points

Quote:
The GM may let martial artists with appropriate
Style Perks increase Hit Points by up to 100% instead
of the usual 30%. Hulking TV wrestlers, heavyweight
boxers, and massive sumotori traditionally enjoy this
benefit. Such giants should use the Build Table
(p. B18) to find weight from HP instead of ST. Use the
“Overweight” column for HP up to 130% of ST, the
“Fat” column for HP up to 150% of ST, and the “Very
Fat” column for HP up to 200% of ST

4th edition disadvantage Very Fat ( -5 ) does away with the -2 to reactions and give bonus only to resist knockback ( not to make slam attacks ).

I prefer the 3rd edition version: ( -10 Fat / -20 Very Fat )

Quote:
You are unusually obese for your race. (A character may also be
just Overweight; this is listed separately, below.)
For -10 points, determine weight normally from ST (p. 15)
and then increase it by 50%. This gives -1 on all reaction rolls;
HT may not be greater than 15. For -20 points, determine weight
normally and double it; this gives -2 on all reaction rolls; HT
may not be greater than 13. In either case, the extra weight
counts as extra encumbrance (see p. 76), which you cannot get
rid of. (Exception: fat encumbrance does not count against you
when swimming.)
Normal clothes and armor will not fit you. You will also be at -3
to Disguise, or to Shadowing if you are trying to follow someone in
a crowd.
As a rule, fat people have many small problems, which the GM
should interpret creatively. However, there are a few small advantages. For instance, fat people get +5 to their Swimming roll, and
are very hard to dislodge if they choose to pin you down by sitting
on you . . . If you are fat, you also get +2 to your ST when you
make (or resist) any Slam attack


Here's the custom disadvantage: Heavy / Very Heavy.
Identical to Fat / Very Fat but the extra weight is due bulky muscle mass.
Problems and reaction penalties are the same, but the bonus to Swimming becomes a penalty ( muscles are heavier than fat, or water ) and the reaction penalty comes with an equal ( +1 or +2 ) bonus when trying to physically intimidate someone. Also, the extra weight doesn't count as encumbrance except when the character tries to swim.

What would be an appropriate point value?
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Old 02-12-2023, 08:41 AM   #2
RyanW
 
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
Default Re: Custom Disadvantage: heavy ( derived from Fat )

The 3e version of Fat had at least one big problem: the bonus to swimming should only apply to staying afloat, and should penalize more athletic swimming efforts. You'll notice that Michael Phelps doesn't really resemble Chris Farley.
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Old 02-12-2023, 08:58 AM   #3
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: Custom Disadvantage: heavy ( derived from Fat )

I believe the reaction penalties were removed from Fat in 4e because different societies have had very different attitudes to people with a lot of body fat. "Rubenesque" figures have that name because of a great artist who painted a lot of them.
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Old 02-12-2023, 09:28 AM   #4
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Custom Disadvantage: heavy ( derived from Fat )

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
I believe the reaction penalties were removed from Fat in 4e because different societies have had very different attitudes to people with a lot of body fat. "Rubenesque" figures have that name because of a great artist who painted a lot of them.
Conversely, professional models for a long time have been extremely thin, if perhaps not quite Skinny in GURPS terms, and they seem to be widely regarded as at the peak of physical attractiveness. C can hardly pass by an image of such a person without remarking on how unhealthy and unappealing they look. Attitudes vary at that end of the spectrum too.
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Old 02-13-2023, 06:30 AM   #5
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: Custom Disadvantage: heavy ( derived from Fat )

Quote:
Originally Posted by Solomon Draak View Post
What would be an appropriate point value?
Per GURPS RAW, Density is normally a Feature like Size so a Heavy trait shouldn't be worth any points either way.

It's primarily designed for GURPS 3E, but take a look at T-Bone's GULLIVER rules. He goes into a lot of detail about the effects of natural Encumbrance and "Negative Encumbrance," covering much of the same ground that your proposed "Heavy" trait does, albeit without the Reaction Modifiers. IIRC, he treats levels of "Natural Encumbrance" as a disadvantage worth -5 points/level.

A different way to handle high density characters is to treat high Density as a Feature which allows you to buy increased ST & HP at a discount, as if you were Size 1 or larger, at -10% per level of Heavy, but with problems associated with much higher mass and ground pressure.

Breaking down the disad into its component parts:

GURPS 3E material treated Cannot Float as a -5 point disadvantage. IIRC, GURPS 4E treats it as a Quirk. -1

Penalty to Swimming can be treated as the Incompetence (Swimming) Quirk. -1.

Having to buy custom-made clothing is another Quirk. -1.

Reaction penalties are generically at -5 points/-1 Reaction if your trait affects "Everyone" (with exceptions as determined by the GM). -5 or -10.

The bonus to Intimidation can be modeled as a 3-point/level Talent. +3 or +6 points.

That gives a value of -3 + -5 +3 for "Heavy" for a total value of -5 points. "Very Heavy" would be worth -7 points (-3 + -10 + 6).
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