[DF] How Many Abilities Should A Race Get?

[AlexanderHowl]

In DF? Anyway, you can make it Cutting Attack (Cosmic, Ignores DR, +300%; Melee Attack, Reach 1-4, Dual Weapon, +0%) for the same price if the damage output is a problem.

[Hide]

Just bear in mind that true succubi are demons, and that is how they are defined in this world.

Originally Posted by scc

Being a demon is not a core trait of succubi (...)

Being a demon is a core trait for a succubus.

1. All succubi are demons that drain energy trough sex.
2. Not all demons that drain energy trough sex are succubi.
3. Not all creatures that drain energy trough sex are demons.

And the “very first” succubus was a demon; I suppose you are referring to “Lilith” (from Hebrew texts circa XV century). Lilith became a demon of the “succubi” type. On the other hand, that particular piece of text was developed around the medieval times, when a situation I explained before took place.

Originally Posted by scc

(...) Given how varied succubi tend to be it's likely that they began as a collection on unrelated myths, not all of them demonic (...)

So? That statement is like saying “earth is flat because we have myths about earth being flat”. It has been established earth is not flat. While not under the same (scientific) scope, historical and formal definitions of succubi have established that succubus are demons.

And other creatures, that are not demons but gather energy during sex, are not succubi.

Myths prior-to (even after) the established definition of succubus may refer to something else (not necessarily the succubi). I already explained this to you, such creatures could be aliens, fairies, sídhe, etc.

Originally Posted by scc

(...) If the view of blood as the source of life was so strong, blood-letting would have never caught on a a treatment (...)

There was a lot of taboo around bloodletting; most of it involves religion and I don't feel this is the place for that.

Bloodletting is available today because of science, which made a major breakthrough just like it did with artificial insemination (debated in religion) and organ transplantation. The thing here is that creeds or beliefs could not hinge the advancement of science on this field.

Originally Posted by scc

(...) I never put Universal on the trable.(...)

Well, this tread is about providing abilities for succubi…

You said it was going to be troublesome if the succubi took universal/cosmic for attractive appearance. And I told you that was not an issue at all, because the succubi do not work under the human norms.

Maybe there’s something about demons that does not work with your setting, that’s fine; if in your setting cats are dogs and dogs are giraffes, that’s OK... Simply take into account that it’s not the case in this world (because it seems you want to apply pet-world definitions to the real world).

I wish you fun in your setting!

[AlexanderHowl]

I think Universal starts adding to the squick factor, especially if succubi have Lecherousness and Xenophilia, so that may be one reason to avoid it. I can see an argument for succubi being an exclusive predator for humanoids, demonic or not, and shaping their abilities to make them more successful. After all, a creature with Appearance (Very Beautiful) and Voice has a 50% chance of getting an Excellent reaction from individuals attracted to her gender, which probably facilitates easy predation.

Other entities may have other methods of predation, some of which may be much less gentle. Imagine what a demon with Affliction 1 (Attribute Penalty, -I0 IQ, +100%; Extended Duration, 100x, +80%; Malediction 1, +100%; No Signature, +20%) [30] could get away with, as their victims would be practically turned into vegetables for the duration of the attack. If their victims survive, they will likely be traumatized by memories of the event.