Advantages List: Cinematic vs Realistic

[Captain Joy]

EDIT: Last update – 6 January 2022

From the GURPS Fourth Edition Traits Sorter: "In future versions of the Sorter, we plan on implementing a variety of defaults." Let's see if we can't help that along.

I have attempted to split up advantages into cinematic, metagame, and realistic groups. If you believe I've got it wrong with any particular advantage, I want to hear about it. Note that exotic/supernatural advantages were not considered.

Genre convention lists, that allow for normally exotic or supernatural advantages to be considered both mundane and cinematic can be found at post #108.

Similar listings for disadvantages can be found at the Disadvantages List: Cinematic vs Realistic thread. Similar listings for skills can be found at the Skills List: Cinematic vs Realistic thread.

Cinematic (and neither exotic nor supernatural) Advantages:
Some seem to be cinematic extensions of a realistic option.
Absolute Timing (p. B35: "somewhat cinematic" and seems exotic)
Chronolocation (p. B35: "somewhat cinematic" and seems exotic)
Cultural Adaptability (p. B46: "definitely a cinematic ability")
Double-Jointed (seems exotic per 56: "any part of your body may bend any way")
Enhanced Defenses (p. B51: "definitely cinematic")
Gadgeteer (p. B57: "a 'cinematic' gadgeteer")
Gunslinger (p. B58: "intended for cinematic")
Intuitive Mathematician (seems exotic p. B66 "astrogation … engineering design … diff. eq.")
Luck (p. B66: "There are three progressively more 'cinematic' levels of Luck:"; Martial Arts: Gladiators, p. 18 flags it as "exotic or cinematic")
Perfect Balance (seems exotic p. B74: "tightrope … tree limb … without … die roll")
Photographic Memory (reserved for savant syndrome per this thread and wikipedia)
Rapier Wit (p. B79: "silly campaign")
Social Chameleon (p. B86: "cinematic advantage")
Trained By A Master (p. B93: "may wish to forbid it in a realistic campaign")
Weapon Master (p. B99: "best suited to … 'cinematic'")
Xeno-Adaptability (p. B46: "definitely a cinematic ability")
Zeroed (per Kromm's post, unless you consider MIBs realistic)

Metagame (and neither exotic nor supernatural) Advantages:
Or, advantages for which no consensus has been reached.
Common Sense
Daredevil (GURPS Martial Arts, p. 29: "borderline-supernatural")
Gizmos (p. B57: "not realistic")
Intuition (p. B63 "You usually guess right.")
Luck (realistic per GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 36; GURPS Martial Arts, p. 29: "borderline-supernatural")
Serendipity (GURPS Martial Arts, p. 29: "borderline-supernatural")
Signature Gear

Realistic (and neither exotic nor supernatural) Advantages:
Many realistic leveled advantages become unrealistic at too-high levels.
3D Spatial Sense (probably not harshly realistic)
Absolute Direction (probably not harshly realistic)
Acute Hearing (4 levels max per GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 36)
Acute Taste and Smell (3 levels max per GURPS Bio-Tech, p. 57)
Acute Touch (3 levels max per GURPS Bio-Tech, p. 57)
Acute Vision (2 levels max per GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 36)
Administrative Rank
Alcohol Tolerance
Allies
Alternate Identity
Ambidexterity
Animal Empathy (often part of Telepathy power)
Animal Friend (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Appearance
Artificer (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Autotrance
Business Acumen (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Charisma (consider limiting to 4 levels, like a Talent)
Claim to Hospitality
Clerical Investment
Combat Reflexes (realistic per GURPS Tactical Shooting, pp. 3, 8, 36, …; though it's more cinematic than Enhanced Dodge, fnord)
Contact Group
Contacts
Courtesy Rank
Cultural Familiarity
Cybernetics (only at TL9+)
Danger Sense (realistic per GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 36; "borderline-supernatural" per GURPS Martial Arts, p. 29)
Deep Sleeper
Eidetic Memory
Empathy (GURPS Martial Arts, p. 29: "borderline-supernatural"; often part of Telepathy power)
Extra Attack (one extra attack max p. B53)
Fashion Sense
Favor
Fearlessness
Fit
Flexibility
G-Experience
Gifted Artist (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Gigantism
Green Thumb (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Hard to Kill (only 1 or 2 levels p. B59)
Hard to Subdue (only 1 or 2 levels p. B59)
Healer (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
High Manual Dexterity
High Pain Threshold
High TL
Honest Face
Illuminated (supernatural according to its description in B60, but Pyramid #4/2: Modern/Action 1, p. 20 allows for mundane possibilities)
Improved G-Tolerance (only 5 and 10 point versions p. B60)
Independent Income
Indomitable (GURPS Mysteries, p108: "should be used with caution")
Language Talent
Legal Enforcement Powers
Legal Immunity
Less Sleep
Lightning Calculator
Longevity (can yield unrealistic results per Flyndaran post #39)
Mathematical Ability (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Merchant Rank
Military Rank
Musical Ability (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Night Vision (2 levels max per GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 36)
No Hangover
Outdoorsman (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Patrons
Penetrating Voice
Peripheral Vision
Pitiable
Plant Empathy (often part of Telepathy power)
Police Rank
Rank
Rapid Healing
Reduced Consumption (one level only p. B80)
Religious Rank
Reputation
Resistant (within reason p. B81)
Security Clearance
Sensitive (often part of Telepathy power)
Shtick
Single-Minded
Smooth Operator (Talent: 4 levels max recommended, B89)
Social Regard
Status
Talent (4 levels max recommended, B89)
Temperature Tolerance (1 to 2 levels max recommended, B93)
Tenure
Unfazeable (GM may disallow in frequent Fright Checks campaign, B95)
Unusual Background
Versatile
Very Fit
Very Rapid Healing
Voice
Wealth

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

Luck

Obviously this is one of those perpetual things, but IMO not cinematic.

Zeroed

How is this not cinematic? Real hackers can't actually keep an identity scrubbed perfectly and indefinitely.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Luck: Obviously this is one of those perpetual things, but IMO not cinematic.

I've started using Impulse Buys for things like Luck now, so my inclination is to disallow it anyway.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Zeroed: How is this not cinematic? Real hackers can't actually keep an identity scrubbed perfectly and indefinitely.

There are plenty of people on the planet that are not in any database. I agree it would be cinematic to claim this disadvantage and still function in a modern society. But, as TL goes down, the ability to be Zeroed and function goes up. For this reason, I hesitate to blanketly label it as cinematic.

EDIT: Maybe there should be grey-area list with caveats? E.g. Cinematic in TL7+ societies. I think I will start adding some qualifiers to this list.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

I've started using Impulse Buys for things like Luck now, so my inclination is to disallow it anyway.

Spending Points on Successes doesn't seem less cinematic. Is this supposed to be a general list or your private version of GURPS?

There are plenty of people on the planet that are not in any database.

If you arrest them, or otherwise get biometric data on them it's not trivial or automatic to scrub them. Zeroed, as I understand it keeps the character scrubbed regardless of what the the character does. You can get arrested, do a press conference, and sign a book deal for cash and Zeroed will still work. That's pretty cinematic.

I agree it would be cinematic to claim this disadvantage

It's not a disadvantage. The disadvantage version is probably negative Status and Social Stigma.

and still function in a modern society. But, as TL goes down, the ability to be Zeroed and function goes up. For this reason, I hesitate to blanketly label it as cinematic.

EDIT: Maybe there should be grey-area list with caveats? E.g. Cinematic in TL7+ societies.

What if you have Zeroed and become Secret Emperor of Rome? I think in any society where it's an advantage at all, there's a point where it becomes absurd.

[Sunspark]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If you arrest them, or otherwise get biometric data on them it's not trivial or automatic to scrub them. Zeroed, as I understand it keeps the character scrubbed regardless of what the the character does. You can get arrested, do a press conference, and sign a book deal and Zeroed will still work. That's pretty cinematic.

Zeroed explicitly mentions this - it notes what happens if you get arrested, and you can only deal in cash or barter or you lose the advantage. For something like that where it is maintained regardless of what you do, I'm guessing that you'd need to add the Cosmic enhancement.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Sunspark

Zeroed explicitly mentions this - it notes what happens if you get arrested, and you can only deal in cash or barter or you lose the advantage.

Yes, but this gets confusing because Kromm has also said that it assumes active maintenance. If it was just "you are temporarily a non-person" that wouldn't be remotely an advantage for anybody. As long as you insist on getting paid for the book deal in cash or use a fake identity, anyway.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Luck: Spending Points on Successes doesn't seem less cinematic.

I consider them both cinematic.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Is this supposed to be a general list or your private version of GURPS?

!!! :) !!!

It's supposed to be a general list, although I can't deny my personal biases aren't present.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Zeroed: It's not a disadvantage.

Oops, I mistyped.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

What if you have Zeroed and become Emperor of Rome? I think in any society where it's an advantage at all, there's a point where it becomes absurd.

E.g. A character that snuck across the southern border from Mexico to the U.S. might realistically have this advantage, no?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

I consider them both cinematic.

It's supposed to be a general list, although I can't deny my personal biases aren't present.

RAW is that Luck isn't necessarily cinematic or supernatural (though it can be). It can also just be a meta thing because you don't want to make a dozen characters before you can get the guy who makes it off Omaha beach. I've met that guy, he lives across the street from me in the Assisted Living place, and is not a movie character.

E.g. A character that snuck across the southern border from Mexico to the U.S. might realistically have this advantage, no?

No. Because nothing is actively scrubbing them. Being an undocumented person in the real world isn't remotely advantageous; it's all suck.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

E.g. A character that snuck across the southern border from Mexico to the U.S. might realistically have this advantage, no?

Not even remotely. Zeroed is the ability to _stay_ undocumented...apart from documentation you deliberately create.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

It's supposed to be a general list, although I can't deny my personal biases aren't present.

Luck is spelled out in Tactical Shooting as a realistic Advantage, so should be moved on the list. I also don't think Double Jointed is spelled out as cinematic, and it's probably necessary to make a good contortionist.

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

E.g. A character that snuck across the southern border from Mexico to the U.S. might realistically have this advantage, no?

They probably still have documentation in their home country (Zeroed is no documentation anywhere). Being an illegal immigrant is more appropriately covered by things like Secret, Enemy (Border Patrol), Social Stigma (Second Class Citizen), low Wealth, and so forth. Depending on the GM's interpretation of current events, of course, things like Claim to Hospitality might also be appropriate.