Flashbacks Frequency

[JCurwen3]

Flashbacks is strange in that it has something like a self-control number, but instead of to resist, it's to fail, and there is no gradation built-in.

You have a flashback on a 6 or less (rolling 3d). This only happens under stressful conditions, if you fail a self-control roll for another disadvantage, or if you fail or just pass a Fright Check.

Are there any rulings on how to make this happen more often?

I thought of turning the self-control number values on their head, something like this:

6 or less: listed cost
9 or less: 1.5 x listed cost
12 or less: 2 x listed cost
15 or less: 2.5 x listed cost
Always: 3 x listed cost (this would mean every time you could have a Flashback, you would)

Does that seem reasonable / balanced? Or is there another take on it?

[SuedodeuS]

6 or less to fail is comparable to 15 or less to pass, so I'd be inclined to base it off of that. In that case, 9 or less is the "base level," and costs x2. 12 or less is x3 (2*1.5), 15 or less is x4 (2*2). Always On would be worth x5 (2*2.5). Note that in this case, Always On means the character would be constantly hallucinating, although personally I'd be OK with your interpretation of just not getting a resistance roll.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

6 or less to fail is comparable to 15 or less to pass, so I'd be inclined to base it off of that. In that case, 9 or less is the "base level," and costs x2. 12 or less is x3 (2*1.5), 15 or less is x4 (2*2). Always On would be worth x5 (2*2.5). Note that in this case, Always On means the character would be constantly hallucinating, although personally I'd be OK with your interpretation of just not getting a resistance roll.

I like this. Only one thing is, in order to make Flashbacks that were always on I'd say you'd need to slap a +50% Cosmic on it such that "Every moment is a stressful situation".

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I like this. Only one thing is, in order to make Flashbacks that were always on I'd say you'd need to slap a +50% Cosmic on it such that "Every moment is a stressful situation".

The modifier for always being on without any stressors is from Powers, where it is intended for use with a Temporary Disadvantage for powers that, when active, automatically have the disad permanently on (the example is of a character with a tiger Alternate Form that is always Berserk). Still requiring a stressor would be less limiting than this, although personally I'd be fine with such a Disadvantage (rather than a Temp Disad) requiring the stressor and still be 2.5x cost.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

The modifier for always being on without any stressors is from Powers, where it is intended for use with a Temporary Disadvantage for powers that, when active, automatically have the disad permanently on (the example is of a character with a tiger Alternate Form that is always Berserk). Still requiring a stressor would be less limiting than this, although personally I'd be fine with such a Disadvantage (rather than a Temp Disad) requiring the stressor and still be 2.5x cost.

The reason it wouldn't apply in this case is that the 2.5x for Temp Disad is for disadvantages with self-control numbers. Flashbacks doesn't have a self-control number - instead by RAW it is roll 3d and on a 6 or less you fail and have a flashback. I house-rule allowing this level for self-control number disadvantages.

I see the x2.5 cost given for Temp Disad meaning that, in stressful situations, you get no self-control roll. The times when Temp Disad would usually trigger would generally be stressful situations, so it's an automatic turn-on of the disadvantage effect. But I would allow a PC have a normal disadvantage with no self-control number for x2.5 and then they'd always be slaves to their disadvantage under any stressful condition.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

6 or less: listed cost
9 or less: 1.5 x listed cost
12 or less: 2 x listed cost
15 or less: 2.5 x listed cost
Always: 3 x listed cost (this would mean every time you could have a Flashback, you would)

Does that seem reasonable / balanced? Or is there another take on it?

6 or less, unmodified, triggers 10% of the time. 9 or less, unmodified, triggers something like 37.5% of the time. 12 or less triggers something like 75% of the time, 15 or less something like 90% of the time.

Your main problem is that the difference in compensation, between one player taking Flashbacks on 6-or-less and another taking it on 9-or-less, is too small. You should probably use x2 listed cost for 9-or-less, but given how small the difference is between 9-or-less and 12-or-less, the correct cost modifier for 12-or-less can arguably be x2.5, as well as x3.

Keep in mind, Flashbacks are much more crippling, when they trigger, than mental disadvantages are.

And it's possible that a character that triggers his Flashbacks on a 12 or less simply is almost as unplayable as a Blind character is, while a 9-or-less Flashbacker might be as unplayable as a Deaf character. That could well be why the designers decided to not include more-likely-to-trigger versions.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I thought of turning the self-control number values on their head, something like this:

6 or less: listed cost
9 or less: 1.5 x listed cost
12 or less: 2 x listed cost
15 or less: 2.5 x listed cost
Always: 3 x listed cost (this would mean every time you could have a Flashback, you would)

Does that seem reasonable / balanced? Or is there another take on it?

It seems like a reasonable extrapolation of the disadvantage compared to others. I don't much like the idea of tripling the value, but at least it doesn't greatly magnify the disad.

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

Note that in this case, Always On means the character would be constantly hallucinating, although personally I'd be OK with your interpretation of just not getting a resistance roll.

I think Always On, as it applies to traits like Flashbacks, is supposed to mean that you always suffer the effects whenever the triggering conditions are met, not that those effects are on continuously.

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

I think Always On, as it applies to traits like Flashbacks, is supposed to mean that you always suffer the effects whenever the triggering conditions are met, not that those effects are on continuously.

The example from Powers (page 106) is of a character who is permanently Berserk when he's in his tiger Alternate Form (the 2.5x value is applied to Berserk as a Temporary Disadvantage). The character isn't perfectly fine until he is hit for 1/4 HP or more in a round (or sees a loved one suffer similar harm) - if he's a tiger, he's a mad, savage tiger trying to kill anything nearby.

As I said, I personally don't have a problem with a character built with the 2.5x value simply auto-failing an SC roll rather than being permanently under the effect of the Disadvantage, but that isn't the way the 2.5x value works as written.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

The example from Powers (page 106) is of a character who is permanently Berserk when he's in his tiger Alternate Form (the 2.5x value is applied to Berserk as a Temporary Disadvantage). The character isn't perfectly fine until he is hit for 1/4 HP or more in a round (or sees a loved one suffer similar harm) - if he's a tiger, he's a mad, savage tiger trying to kill anything nearby.

Yes, and Flashbacks is not a trait like Berserk. It differs in some important respects, mainly in that the levels of effect have defined durations. Making it Always On has to mean that the check roll is automatically failed, otherwise the levels become meaningless in determining the value.

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

Yes, and Flashbacks is not a trait like Berserk. It differs in some important respects, mainly in that the levels of effect have defined durations. Making it Always On has to mean that the check roll is automatically failed, otherwise the levels become meaningless in determining the value.

I misunderstood your comment - I thought you were saying the always on version of controllable Disadvantages (Bad Temper, Berserk, etc) was intended to work like that. Of course, as Flashbacks normally doesn't have an always on version, it's kind of hard to discuss the intent behind it. Are you aware of a Flashbacks-like trait that has such a version?