[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Alternate Identity, Temporary Identity, Zeroed

[Not]

Or take limited use, daily?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Player: Another lock? Instead of waiting for me to get a lucky roll, how about I spend this two CP on buying the Skill. Apparently that last lock that took so long was very informative and a good learning experience! We could even say I've been studying it a little in my spare time, and its now just finally clicked. That or retcon it that I just rolled poorly on the other locks.

This is definitely not RAW, and is cheating the character who did spend points on Wild Talent with Retention, or did spend his spare time studying it, or did roll it by default under stress in a previous game session.

Actually, I am curious; "One Use Ever" for Zeroed... should that be handled as "You're Zeroed until the first time someone documents your existence." or "For this one particular instance, no one recognizes you." ?

The latter clearly. There'd be no reason to buy the former, even for 2 points. Zeroed is worth points (as Kromm clarifies) because it represents active erasure of your existence.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by cacosta

In my humble opinion, legally dead should be a cheaper variant of Zeroed, because I think its easier to identify a dead person than a non-person (the record still have your picture and finger prints at least). Perhaps a -50% limitation?

I see no way in which "legally dead" would be advantageous.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by cacosta

I don't agree with that view. Lets see the description of the Advantage:

You do realize that "view" is basically official errata on the Basic Set text, right?

All those examples gives the sensation of a rather mundane trait. If you were born in secret and kept in secret throughout life, if you get arrested the press would certainly publish your history, and you would be zeroed no more (The Joker in the movie "Batman the Dark Knight" had Zeroed. No one knows his true name or previous history, but everybody now knows he is the Joker).


Again, this gives away that this is a pure mundane trait. It states clearly that you must do your best efforts to keep it (to maintain this status...). And, if you look in the book, it only has the symbol of the little handshake, witch means that its just an ordinary Social Advantage,

How is that at all an advantage? You don't get the benefit of a legal identity and as soon as anybody notices you get treated as an undocumented person and lose Zeroed. Why would anybody pay 10 points for that?

missing the alien head symbol that would means this is a total exotic trait, as Kromm wants to imply.

A team of hackers or intelligence agents actively erasing any records of you isn't exotic, just cinematic.

If, however, you want to have your Zeroed as part of a trait derived from a conspiracy that actively works to keep your status that way, than you should buy your Zeroed with a +10% version of Link, linked with a proper Patron (that could have a 20% version of Link here, since the Patron could help even if you screw up and reveals your true identity... But notice the use of the world "could"). So, if you are a MiB, you must have Zeroed [Link (Patron: MiB) +10%) and Patron: MiB [Link (Zeroed) +10% or +20%].

That doesn't make any sense at all. Neither Patron nor Zeroed take a maneuver of any kind to activate. They are both always on, effectively. You don't need Link to use your DR and Extra Arm at the same time either.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by cacosta

I

All those examples gives the sensation of a rather mundane
trait.

And of course a totally useless trait that isn't worth one point, much less ten.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

This is definitely not RAW, and is cheating the character who did spend points on Wild Talent with Retention, or did spend his spare time studying it, or did roll it by default under stress in a previous game session.

Yeah... not sure what I was thinking. >_< Was it just specifically the suggestion of allowing someone to - as I put it - retcon an older roll or was it the entire line of reasoning. I usually used time usage and not "points for skills", so it was never really an issue, and since my experience is almost purely 3e, Wild Talent with Retention might not have been a thing (or maybe it was - not in a position to check right now).

That sad part was I checked this morning since I realized I'd broken my own rule about posting when it was late... and this morning I still missed my error. >_< Hopefully this doesn't derail/confuse things too badly.

[cacosta]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

You do realize that "view" is basically official errata on the Basic Set text, right?

And where is that errata?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by cacosta

And where is that errata?

I said "basically errata". Look if you don't think the FAQ or Kromm's rulings count as "official", that's cool. If you don't want Zeroed to be useful, but still costs points for some reason that's also cool. Just be aware, that most of us probably do think that Kromm's rulings and the FAQ are helpful.