[After The End] Freakishness and Xenophile/broad-minded

[WaterAndWindSpirit]

Hello everyone.

So Freakishness from mutations give reaction penalties towards anyone who's not a mutant themselves.

If I am in the mood to throw a mutant PC a bone, does an NPC with Broad-Minded treats mutants as if they had no Freakishness rating for Reaction puropses by RAW and RAI?

Would a mutant PC actually get a Reaction bonus with a Xenophile NPC?

I'd be very tempted to answer "Yes", but I wanted to make sure.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by WaterAndWindSpirit

If I am in the mood to throw a mutant PC a bone, does an NPC with Broad-Minded treats mutants as if they had no Freakishness rating for Reaction puropses by RAW and RAI?

Your campaign, so your rules, but I'd be inclined to say "Qualified Yes" to both.

RAW for both traits supports your line of reasoning, but doesn't explicitly say anything about reaction modifiers - at least not in the Basic Set.

As long as the mutant isn't deliberately trying to be freakish or scary (i.e., to get a bonus to Intimidation) and isn't actively dangerous (e.g., dripping acid or radioactive), I'd say that Broad-Minded folks should be able to ignore negative modifiers for "racial" Bad Smell, Unnatural Features, etc. Because it's a Quirk, they don't get bonuses to resist Fright Checks, etc. due to Freakishness.

They might have a bonus to Reaction Rolls to behave in a non-hostile manner as long as the mutant's behavior isn't obviously illegal or threatening. (e.g., letting a giant ooze monster into the city rather than slamming the city gates shut.)

Originally Posted by WaterAndWindSpirit

Would a mutant PC actually get a Reaction bonus with a Xenophile NPC?

Generally, no, but they always ignore reaction penalties in non-combat situations and get a bonus based on their Control Number when the mutant is actively scary - by intent or due to inherently scary traits.

Additionally, Xenophiles must make a Self-Control roll to avoid approaching or interacting with even scary mutants. If the mutant uses Influence Skills on a Xenophile, they not only ignore the usual penalties for Freakishness, but the Xenophile should roll vs. the lower of his Will or Self-Control to resist the Influence attempt. In many cases, the GM can rule that the Xenophile won't resist due to their nature. For example, Lecherous + Xenophilia means that an NPC might automatically succumb to a Sex Appeal skill roll made by a mutant.