[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Impulsiveness

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by capnq

I've had kind of the opposite experience. I tried to play an Impulsive character once, and had a very hard time thinking of things for him to do.

Impulsiveness is one of the classic ADHD disadvantages, so it's easier to play if you think in those terms.

For example:

Open mouth, insert foot.

Start a project never considering that you might not have the time, money, resources, and/or skill to finish it properly or in a reasonable amount of time.

Insert yourself into a tense situation where you aren't welcome and don't have all the facts. Only start to figure out how to extract yourself once you're right in the middle of the mess.

Immediately volunteer to do something which superficially seems like a good idea, even though any degree of thought will tell you it's actually a hopeless, soul-sucking death slog. Bonus points if it's the sort of trendy management-inspired nonsense that has all the older and wiser people in the room trying to become invisible so that they don't get "voluntold" to do it.

Alternately, think of impetuous young cavalry officers whose only battlefield strategy is "Charge!," eager-beaver interns, or the sort of dog whose first impulse is to chase it or eat it, and then figure out exactly what it's chasing or eating after it's fully committed.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Overconfidence means that you never, ever look at your skill level or skill modifiers and certainly never think to compare your relative skill to your opponent or the task at hand. You have utter faith in your abilities. Death or injury is something that happens to other people, not you! You cheerfully volunteer for suicide missions because you believe that you're guy who's going beat the odds and make it back.

It's only -5 points, why would you treat it worse than Berserk and On the Edge? With that last line you've shoved it into Terminally Ill territory!

[Bruno]

In a dungeon delving game, a PC with Impulsiveness is the best antidote to PCs (or players) who spend 30 minutes figuring out the tactics on opening a door. "Bored now!" *kicks open door*. I particularly like this with Catfolk.

The people I play with have all been playing separately and together for a long time, and we have a high percentage of GMs in my groups. There's a certain amount of "looking for the material the GM probably prepared" going around the table, and Impulsiveness is a great way to explain why your character does it. Curiosity is another good disadvantage for this, as generally are the usual suspect disadvantages that make you "heroic" and "helpful".

That said, my face-to-face group may be full of players with Impulsive, at least at the game table. If we can't find the GMs prepared material, we do something. Doing things is fun!

[capnq]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

For example:

Insert yourself into a tense situation where you aren't welcome and don't have all the facts. Only start to figure out how to extract yourself once you're right in the middle of the mess.

That's what jumping into the harbor was. It also served to introduce my character to the adventuring party.