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Old 03-05-2019, 12:19 PM   #1
Biscuri
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Default Self Affliction is possible?

I have searched both the books and forums for that information, but I can't find it anywhere. Is it possible to use an affliction on yourself? To grant an advantage, for example.
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Old 03-05-2019, 12:28 PM   #2
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

Yes. But you'll still have to make your usual attack roll and also try to resist your own ability, to see if it works.

Here's a link to PK's MyGURPS page which covers the question, as well as some of the more obscure differences and disadvantages between self-affliction and using the base form directly.
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Old 03-05-2019, 12:29 PM   #3
Sunrunners_Fire
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Biscuri View Post
I have searched both the books and forums for that information, but I can't find it anywhere. Is it possible to use an affliction on yourself? To grant an advantage, for example.
Beneficial Afflictions (GURPS Powers, pg 40) is likely what you are looking for.
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Old 03-05-2019, 12:37 PM   #4
Biscuri
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

Thanks, that solves all my doubts about it.
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Old 03-14-2019, 11:47 AM   #5
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

If we were to stop using a blanket "Affliction" and define these as different advantages (due to different basic function)...

"Beneficial Affliction" is "succeeds on a successful resistance roll" + "requires consent" ?

However what is 'benefit' can be subjective, so if the default operation were called "Resistible Affliction", since the "Beneficial" kind is no longer resisted (instead, it substitutes an ACTIVATION roll by the user's attribute) it might be called an "Activatable Affliction", since presumably any ally who did not wish to accept your affliction could simply opt not to make the activation roll, and automatically reject the affliction.

The major distinction between the forms is who controls the advantage when it's something that uses direction or activation. In the classic sense, activation rolls and actions are done by the one who afflicted it. In the "beneficial" sense, it is the target who makes those rolls because they actively control the ability.

That distinction isn't there for passive stuff though, like giving people extra DR or HP or Injury Tolerance. If you want to buff allies who have low resistance attributes, the classic ability is going to be easier (they fail more often than they succeed) than the "beneficial" form, which you would only want if you had to buff already high-resistance allies.

If you wanted to switch between both forms (classic for low-resistance allies, "beneficial" for high-resistance allies) then unless there's some enhancement for it, I think you'd define it as buying the Affliction advantage twice, the 2nd at 1/5 cost (essentially a +20% advancement, except it can't be bought off with limitations) as Alternative Attacks.
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Old 03-15-2019, 01:15 PM   #6
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

I let an Affliction be beneficial or not, picked at purchase time (you can have both, with the other as an AA if you really want to choose). Beneficial afflictions are automatically resisted if the target isn't willing, but give you a bonus to extend the duration.

My testing has shown that it's work getting both if you want to curse some and help others, especially if it's an Affliction you're going to use on yourself part of the time. Warp (others) is a classic example, justifying why you have one that's an Affliction (others) and why you would take Warp as an AA for your personal use.
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Old 03-17-2019, 06:07 PM   #7
Bicorn
 
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
Yes. But you'll still have to make your usual attack roll and also try to resist your own ability, to see if it works.
I'd skip the attack roll in most situations, it's not that hard to hit yourself.
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Old 03-17-2019, 08:31 PM   #8
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

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Originally Posted by Bicorn View Post
I'd skip the attack roll in most situations, it's not that hard to hit yourself.
When it comes to resistance, you need the margin of success of the attack to compare to the defense roll. Plus a resistance roll requires that the attacker actually succeed on his roll, not just win the Contest by a smaller margin of failure, so you'd be depriving the defender of a small portion of their chance of winning if you didn't roll at all.
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Old 03-18-2019, 02:22 PM   #9
Bicorn
 
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Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
When it comes to resistance, you need the margin of success of the attack to compare to the defense roll.
Afflictions still don't work that way. Unless you buy the Affliction with Malediction, the resistance is just a HT roll with a penalty equal to the Affliction's level, not a resistance contest.
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Old 03-18-2019, 02:46 PM   #10
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Self Affliction is possible?

That's why the sentence begins with "When it comes to resistance...". That constrains the scope of what follows.
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