Alternatives to Lecherousness

[Stormcrow]

Scroll up the previous page. We've been talking about self-control rolls.

[swampthing]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

OPH is not suitable for any of the three archetypes above: like Brett said, a very common consequence of Lecherousness or Compulsive Seduction is that you will be assaulted by someone who believes that their wife/child/beloved reacted too well to you.

That could justify taking Enemies.

[AlexanderHowl]

The real problem with Lecherousness is that the self-control number drops by 5 against Beautiful/Handsome characters and 10 against Very Beautiful/Handsome characters. Quirk levels of Lecherousness can be fun to play though, and a Very Beautiful/Handsome character with Lecherousness is probably going to avoid too many negative reactions from the target of their affections.

Of course, an ideal build for a lecherous man is Allure 4, Appearance (Very Handsome), Immunity (STDs) (at 5 CP, it is considered acceptable for normal characters), Voice, Lecherousness (6), and Sterile (Reversable). He almost always makes a pass and, 75% of the time it is accepted (and the other 25% of the time the individual regrets not accepting), and he never suffers consequences in the form of STDs or siring children. Of course, the fact that he screws the client's mother, aunts, wive, sisters, daughters, nieces, etc. may complicate his life (add Xenophobia (6) for a character who seduces female SS officers before they torture him or who convinces the vampiress that fooling around before dinner is a good choice).

[Alden Loveshade]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

....I think Lecherousness touches on some behavior that has only become really reprehensible in the last decade or so, after the advantage was written. It won't agree with current thinking....

I think you've touched on one of the things that makes designing a generic system difficult. In my personal experience, I've associated with different microcultures in America. Something that was considered innocent and even expected in one was considered offensive in another.

However, I think GURPS effectively covers this. "You have an unusually strong desire for romance" would apply to any society. "If you fail, you must make a 'pass....'" I believe this is purposely left very generic, so that a "pass" can be interpreted for the particular society.

[Varyon]

I believe I mentioned it in the other thread, but I'd really like to see some option where characters who fail their SC roll can act as though they made it, but take penalties of some sort (accumulating Stress, IQ/Will/Per - or even DX - penalties for being distracted, etc) if they do. It gives mechanical incentive to succumb to one's flaws from time to time, without requiring the character to take ridiculously-stupid actions, and would probably result in characters feeling more like real people (or fictional ones from stories) than the borderline-caricatures SC Disadvantages imply.

[AlexanderHowl]

The reason they are disadvantages is because they compel or limit a character. People who suffer from lecherousness (compulsive sexuality) do incredibly dumb things to get laid. Heck, normal people do incredibly dumb things to get laid, though not as frequently as people with lecherousness.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

The reason they are disadvantages is because they compel or limit a character. People who suffer from lecherousness (compulsive sexuality) do incredibly dumb things to get laid. Heck, normal people do incredibly dumb things to get laid, though not as frequently as people with lecherousness.

Well, "Do this thing or suffer -1 to all rolls for the next hour" (or whatever) certainly compels/limits the character, but doesn't outright require the character to do the thing (maintaining a degree of player agency). It's a lot like the taunting/tanking-type abilities of Defender-class characters in DnD 4e (the last edition I played any of), where the target isn't required to attack the Defender, but trying to attack someone else has a serious drawback (a to-hit penalty, and possibly taking damage). The characters will still do stupid things on account of their Disadvantage, but typically not with the frequency the Disadvantage calls for (and probably not to the same extent).

Granted, this is something of a tangent, so I may opt to create a new thread to discuss it.

[dcarson]

It is also similar to what I think is RAW for what happens when a character fails a Contest vs a NPCs Sex Appeal, Fast Talk or such. You are not required to actually succumb but you take a penalty on actions against them for a while.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by dcarson

It is also similar to what I think is RAW for what happens when a character fails a Contest vs a NPCs Sex Appeal, Fast Talk or such. You are not required to actually succumb but you take a penalty on actions against them for a while.

I strongly suspect this is where I got the idea from. For those interested in the tangent, I've started a new thread here.