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Old 03-25-2011, 01:06 AM   #1
Sir Tifyable
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Sheffield, England
Default Resistance to Sex Appeal

A post in RPK's Monster Hunter leaks thread set off a train of thought. Someone queried why the first character posted had "No Game" (= Incompetence: Sex Appeal) when she might be quite attractive.

Of course, Sex Appeal isn't about how attractive you are - it's your state of mind. How much are you willing to 'vamp it up' to persuade someone to do what you want?. In fact, the more attractive you are, the less likely you are to need the skill.

I think that most Attractive or Beautiful people are more likely to develop the skill Resist Sex Appeal - otherwise they'll pretty quickly acquire an undesirable reputation.

I'd call it a Will-based skill, and Easy, because you don't want to have to pay too much for something that's basically a socially defensive skill.

As well as attractive/beautiful people, of course, it will be developed by those whose religion discourages extramarital physical relationships, or those whose Status makes them a target for gold-diggers or those looking for a Reputation.

Thoughts?
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Old 03-25-2011, 01:15 AM   #2
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Tifyable View Post
A post in RPK's Monster Hunter leaks thread set off a train of thought. Someone queried why the first character posted had "No Game" (= Incompetence: Sex Appeal) when she might be quite attractive.

Of course, Sex Appeal isn't about how attractive you are - it's your state of mind. How much are you willing to 'vamp it up' to persuade someone to do what you want?. In fact, the more attractive you are, the less likely you are to need the skill.

I think that most Attractive or Beautiful people are more likely to develop the skill Resist Sex Appeal - otherwise they'll pretty quickly acquire an undesirable reputation.

I'd call it a Will-based skill, and Easy, because you don't want to have to pay too much for something that's basically a socially defensive skill.

As well as attractive/beautiful people, of course, it will be developed by those whose religion discourages extramarital physical relationships, or those whose Status makes them a target for gold-diggers or those looking for a Reputation.

Thoughts?
Totally unnecessary. If someone wants to resist Sex Appeal they just don't go for it. And of course pretty people usually have higher standards so all attempts to use Sex Appeal on them are going to be penalized.
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Old 03-25-2011, 01:23 AM   #3
jason taylor
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

Actually, I would disagree. A skilled courtesan for instance might want to make sure she doesn't give away to much for free. On the flip side a religious person might want to make sure she is as cold as ice normally but really, really-well really-at kosher times. Skill at controlling appeal might be a useful trait.
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Old 03-25-2011, 01:27 AM   #4
knoterich
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

thaths why i love naughty and dice.
but i dont think you should be resistant to sexappeal only because you have it. for players its yust a kind of roleplaying the character and about storytelling.

the big difference is when magic comes into play but you get a resistance for that with your will already
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Old 03-25-2011, 01:38 AM   #5
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
Actually, I would disagree. A skilled courtesan for instance might want to make sure she doesn't give away to much for free. On the flip side a religious person might want to make sure she is as cold as ice normally but really, really-well really-at kosher times. Skill at controlling appeal might be a useful trait.
No skill is needed. Characters are as open or closed to sex appeal as their player wants them to be.
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Old 03-25-2011, 01:43 AM   #6
Icelander
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
No skill is needed. Characters are as open or closed to sex appeal as their player wants them to be.
Why have a skill for it, then?

If the GM, playing NPCs, decides whether or not they are open to Sex Appeal and the players, playing PCs, decide the same mutatis mutandis, the skill would seem to be a worthless point sink.

As it happens, though, what you describe is not how things work in GURPS. So it's all good.
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Old 03-25-2011, 01:50 AM   #7
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by Icelander View Post
If the GM, playing NPCs, decides whether or not they are open to Sex Appeal and the players, playing PCs, decide the same mutatis mutandis, the skill would seem to be a worthless point sink.
It would be, except that the GM usually doesn't set the sex appeal difficulty all that high.
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Old 03-25-2011, 05:57 AM   #8
Danukian
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
No skill is needed. Characters are as open or closed to sex appeal as their player wants them to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Icelander View Post
Why have a skill for it, then?

If the GM, playing NPCs, decides whether or not they are open to Sex Appeal and the players, playing PCs, decide the same mutatis mutandis, the skill would seem to be a worthless point sink.

As it happens, though, what you describe is not how things work in GURPS. So it's all good.
I agree with Icelander here: Sex Appeal is an Influence skill, same as Fast-Talk. In many settings it is classic and iconic (Cold War Espionage, for instance). It totally defeats the purpose of the skill and listed modifier if you simple say "Not interested" with no buy off as much as it would for Fast Talk. The RAW Will check works perfectly fine with the appropriate situational modifiers.
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Old 03-25-2011, 06:36 AM   #9
Sir Tifyable
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
Totally unnecessary. If someone wants to resist Sex Appeal they just don't go for it. And of course pretty people usually have higher standards so all attempts to use Sex Appeal on them are going to be penalized.
Oh, that's relief, then. So good to know that no-one ever slept with someone when they knew it was bad judgement and something they'd regret in the morning, or need to conceal from their spouse/regular partner. No need for anyone to take the Sex Appeal skill then - success or failure in such things is destined.

But as commented above, Sex Appeal isn't just about getting the person into bed (or a discreet summerhouse in the rose garden). It's the skill in use when Cameron Diaz smiles sweetly up at you and asks if she can just nip in and use the employees' bathroom, because she's desperate. The clanking noise in her purse is almost certainly not high-tech surveillance/hacking kit...

And yes, pretty people, along with the other kinds I listed above, will have developed a resistance. Imagine Cameron turning up to a party. She's Beautiful, Very Wealthy (multimillionaire many times over), High Status (major movie star)... How many sleazebags will be trying it on? Of course she's going to have some resistance!

The question is how to model it? It could be a new skill, which you could develop to a very high skill, or some other approach. It's up to you whether you choose to penalise an attempt at Sex Appeal (penalty to the success roll) or boost the chance to resist it (have a better Will roll to resist). And it will work better if it is separate form the normal Will roll, as the examples above make clear very well. Otherwise every beautiful person would have either a huge Will or a very loose reputation.
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Old 03-25-2011, 06:42 AM   #10
Witchking
 
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Default Re: Resistance to Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by Sir Tifyable View Post
Imagine Cameron turning up to a party. She's Beautiful, Very Wealthy (multimillionaire many times over), High Status (major movie star)... How many sleazebags will be trying it on? Of course she's going to have some resistance!
Depends on your point of view...if the above is true than poor Cam may be very lonely. A practitioner with skill may BE a scumbag but the skill lets him appear to be something different...
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