[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Supernatural Features and Unnatural Feature

[johndallman]

Supernatural Features [Variable] are aspects of your appearance which are not immediately obvious, but mark you as being some kind of supernatural creature when they are noticed. That causes a reaction penalty among people who notice them, and also give a bonus to skill rolls to identify whatever you actually are. This disadvantage appeared at GURPS 4e.

Supernatural Features give -1 to reactions and +1 to skill rolls to identify your actual nature per [-5] they are worth, once people notice them. The conditions when that applies depend on the details of the feature. You can’t have this disadvantage if your appearance is Monstrous or Horrific, since those levels make it obvious that you aren’t any kind of normal person.

Unnatural Feature [-1 each] is an aspect of your appearance which isn’t normal for your species. They make you easy to identify, but don’t mark you as being something supernatural. This disadvantage appeared during the GURPS 3e period, when it was [-5] or more and did the job of Supernatural Features.

Unnatural Features must have a specified source, such as a curse, disease, surgical modifications, etc. They don’t need to worsen your appearance level, but if they do, you can take that as a disadvantage. They give you -1 per feature to your Disguise and Shadowing skills, and +1 per feature to others’ attempts to follow or identify you, including their Observation and Shadowing rolls. Those penalties don’t apply if you can find a crowd of people with similar Unnatural Features to blend into. Distinctive Feature is a physical quirk whose game-mechanical effect is very similar.

It’s obvious that the example Supernatural Features in Basic were originally created for vampires:

• No Body Heat, noticed on contact. This is worth [-5], or only [-1] if you can gain body heat for a while, such as after feeding for a vampire.
• No Reflection [-10]. You are not reflected in mirrors, still waters, etc., and technological devices cannot form images of you. This might be noticed by anyone (perhaps on a Perception roll) near a reflective surface. [-10], and some cultures will assume this means you have no soul.
• No Shadow [-10]. You never cast a shadow, which can be noticed by anyone in good light.
• Pallor [-10]. You look as if you’re a corpse, with pale skin, sunken eyes, etc. This can be noticed by anyone who sees you in good light without makeup. It is only [-5] if you can look healthy on a temporary basis, such as a vampire after feeding.

Supernatural Features, reasonably enough, mainly appear on templates for characters with appropriate supernatural abilities. Unnatural Features have more varied causes: Discworld has some examples, Bio-Tech has lots and almost every supplement with mad science adds a few. Unnatural Features appear as options on some templates, mostly for fantasy or horror settings. DF necromancers, and clerics of death or night can have Supernatural Features, and necromancers can build you Unnatural Features. Horror adds seven new Supernatural Features (spoilers) and a basket of Unnatural ones; Madness Dossier appears to add more, if you trust your senses. Monster Hunters uses these disadvantages in its deduction system, and Power-Ups 6 has quirk-level Supernatural Features. Template Toolkit 2: Races uses both disadvantages, and Thaumatology has more Supernatural Features for wizards. Ultra-Tech has details on Unnatural Features for robots, while Zombies only need these disadvantages if they’re the subtler kind.

These disadvantages are clearly needed for modelling monstrous characters, victims of curses and so on, but I’ve never had the urge to use them, as player or GM. How have they worried characters in your games?

[RogerBW]

I haven't played a GURPS game with monstrous PCs, and in my usual gaming style I don't need this kind of thing fully statted and costed up. I suppose I could see it showing up as the result of a curse or some such.

[WingedKagouti]

Supernatural Features is in the "Most campaigns doesn't want it"-bucket. But any campaign featuring non-humans trying to disguise themselves as humans will likely find it vital, especially if some of those non-humans are PCs. Monsters Hiding in Society is an obvious example, whether that is World of Darkness style or a an anime highschool setting where the students are practicing belnding in.

I've personally statted up a couple of demons and spirits where Supernatural Features was a vital component. I never actually played those characters for various reasons, but that doesn't diminish the importance of having this disadvantage appear in the Basic set.

[ericthered]

I once built an all-monsterous monster hunters team using the sidekicks book and test ran them through an adventure. Almost all of them had Supernatural Features. It almost never came up, because they were the hunters and not the hunted. (There was the one incident where the taxi-cab driver had a 400 lb golem on one side of the car and a 0 lb ghost on the other, but that didn't actually threaten anything)

[Dalin]

My cleric (in animist skin) in a recent DFRPG campaign had Unnatural Feature (Spirit wind blows hair and clothing in unnatural ways). It became one of his most distinctive traits that everyone at the table enjoyed talking about. ("Which way is your hair blowing today, Zafir?") It didn't cause many hassles, really, because he wasn't prone to subtlety and rarely tried to disguise himself or blend into a crowd.

One of the PCs in my current Nordlond campaign took Unnatural Feature (Heavy Scarring over entire body). The character has only been present in one session so far, so this hasn't come into play much. Another character used Unnatural Feature to represent the fact that he is unusually large (effectively SM+1 with no mechanical effects beyond the details for Unnatural Feature).

[Pursuivant]

Supernatural Feature/Unnatural Feature are another GURPS 3E Vampire the Masquerade (this one from GURPS: VtM companion) advantage, originally called "Inhuman Feature."

Within reason, this is a fun player character disad, since it forces PCs to spend extra time and take extra precautions to avoid being recognized by their SF/UF. UF is also a handy quirk for "freak" PCs or NPCs with physical traits that make them stand out in a crowd, like "Body completely covered in tattoos," "Bearded lady," or "Body completely covered in fur."

Arguably, traits like Very Fat or Skinny inherently carry a level of UF (-1) if they make you look very different from the norm. Likewise, Appearance above Attractive or below Unattractive might also count as a UF just because people are more inclined to remember you.

Presumably, the big difference between SF and UF is that Supernatural Features are detectable using suitable supernatural powers, like magic, psi, or sanctity, or else cause a -1 reaction from most people you encounter.

By contrast, Unnatural Features are something that's possible for your species, but highly unlikely, like Albinism (referenced in the Basic Set), massive scarring, or extensive and distinctive tattoos. Dwarfism and Gigantism might also count.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

By contrast, Unnatural Features are something that's possible for your species, but highly unlikely, like Albinism (referenced in the Basic Set), massive scarring, or extensive and distinctive tattoos. Dwarfism and Gigantism might also count.

You can get a lot more creative with Unnatural Features in any futuristic setting featuring Bio-tech mods. And very noticable cybernetics might also count.

[Dexion]

Yes. In my futuriste campaign, I have two characters that are Cat girls with cat ears and Unnatural feature is perfect for this ^^