Why is Cursed so expensive?

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

Cursed + Weirdness Magnet is an especially pernicious combination.

You realize that now I'm trying to figure out what this character should be capable of!

And, because he's got those two traits, Unfazeable doesn't seem all that wrong to take... because otherwise he's having Fright Checks left and right!

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by zorg

Not taken by players =/= useless

Consider Affliction.

Uh-hunh. Cursed is useful for actual curses.

[nanoboy]

Yeah, you can make an Affliction with Grants Disadvantage: Cursed and give it an eternal time limit. If an enemy knows about it, they'll think twice before messing with you. Even if they kill you, they could end up worse than dead.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

Cursed + Weirdness Magnet is an especially pernicious combination.

Honestly, I'm not sure I'd give someone taking both disadvantages the full points. It seems to be that most of the point value of Weirdness Magnet is already in the "Unluckiness, but you can get it more than once per session", which Cursed already covers. I suppose an extra -5 points could be justified for "Your bad luck is weird, and freaks people out", so the total "Weird Cursed" would come in at -80 points.

[Ubiquitous]

In regards to how much it's worth and if it's too expensive; I took it in a game once, and I enjoyed the experience because I got 75 points for hurdles I jumped through skillful thinking and blind luck; if it had gone worse I'd advertise it as a hellhole-express, but it basically breaks down to how your GM'll treat it; if you get the same treatment I did, -75 seems accurate; malfunctioning rifles and helicopters, but it could go to -20 for lightweight, merciful GMs or up to -500/1000/as many points as you want because your GM will cripple you so badly at every oppertunity you'll find the character unplayable.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

You realize that now I'm trying to figure out what this character should be capable of!

And, because he's got those two traits, Unfazeable doesn't seem all that wrong to take... because otherwise he's having Fright Checks left and right!

Marvin the andriod comes to mind.

[PK]

Originally Posted by zorg

Not taken by players =/= useless

Consider Affliction.

Ayup. See the example abilities in both GURPS Powers and GURPS Psionic Powers that use this build. I love making NPCs with this ability (since players are never gullible enough to take it, even when I ask nicely!). One player in an old Necroscope game got cursed for 6 hours, and it damn near killed him. :)

[Kraydak]

Part of the problem is that Cursed *is* so expensive. Hugely expensive disadvantages are hard to run (both for the player and GM) at the best of times. Hugely expensive, vague disadvantages? Pity the GM who is supposed to input *75* points of pain for the PC, no more, no less. If he gets it to within +/- 20 points I'll be (honestly and truly) impressed. 20 points is huge and accordingly I would ban it in any game I would run.

Except if it has a hefty mitigator or something. Cursed (mitigator: only if you don't do X) would be fine. One of the character concepts I have kicking around is someone with Cursed (mitigator: moving target, never stay in the same place more than X time)+Massive supernatural enemy, always shows up (Mitigator: moving target, never stay in the same place more than Y>X time).

[Ubiquitous]

Originally Posted by Kraydak

Part of the problem is that Cursed *is* so expensive. Hugely expensive disadvantages are hard to run (both for the player and GM) at the best of times. Hugely expensive, vague disadvantages? Pity the GM who is supposed to input *75* points of pain for the PC, no more, no less.

Looking at it mathematically, treat it as five uses of Unluckiness or whichever 15-point luck Disad there is; easy enough benchmark. For added insurance that you're pulling it in all the right places, slip them into high-tension/high-risk situations, like escapes or combat.

I dunno, I'm of the opinion that if a Player is comfortable with the GM having so much control over his misfortune and is willing to take so many points, it's better to go way overboard in making sure than to hang back and make it too easy.

[Fnordianslip]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Ayup. See the example abilities in both GURPS Powers and GURPS Psionic Powers that use this build. I love making NPCs with this ability (since players are never gullible enough to take it, even when I ask nicely!). One player in an old Necroscope game got cursed for 6 hours, and it damn near killed him. :)

Hah, indeed! I once had an NPC with the evil eye. Basically, he could afflict people with Cursed and had a high enough level that you basically couldn't resist. One PCs super abilities stopped working completely, allowing him to be captured. Another, when she failed a kick attack, ended up flying though the window of an 11th story building. As an affliction, this is really, really brutal. Oh, did I mention that after they escaped the villain, the entire party got in a car accident with a truck on the way home? After that, they basically stayed in their rooms, in bed, and away from sharp objects till the duration ran out.