Disadvantage for being none-human in a human-dominat setting?

[jason taylor]

Couldn't that be combined with an advantage in certain parts of town? Just like the concubine the French trapper won in a card game turns out to be the only one that can get them into the Shoshone camp on friendly terms?

[Pursuivant]

If you're really unusual, like the hexapodal purple alien being on Earth, then you might qualify for the equivalent of the Supernatural Feature disad.

I'd stay away from reduced/improved Appearance unless your appearance is attractive/unattractive to almost everyone in the game world. Even then, it might be the "Impressive" sort of good appearance.

Likewise, I'd stay away from Unnatural Features just because an alien looks different from humans, unless there's no benefit whatsoever because of the alien looks.

If Vargr can blend in with other Vargr just like Humans can blend in with other Humans then it's a Feature. If you're the only Vargr on Earth, or the only Swede in the Kingdom of Zimbabwe in a 13th century African campaign, THEN Unnatural Feature would apply.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

If you're the only Vargr on Earth, or the only Swede in the Kingdom of Zimbabwe in a 13th century African campaign, THEN Unnatural Feature would apply.

Speaking of that, what if slaves of a given species are so rare that only the King will have it, and if he or she or whatever is seen outside the assigned space is, everyone will know it?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Maz

Now I have given all of these races some degree of social stigma (from -5 to -15). But I have not given them anything for "how hard it is to go on the down-low among the criminal elements". Which they should get, as that is, at times, a part of the game we play. And I feel like simply giving "appearance (ugly to monstrous)" is not the way to go, as they might be attractive to others from their own race.
\

It doesn't matter whether they are attractive to their own race because running into their own race is going to be no more common than running into a human with "Quirk: Orcbanger". Being Beautiful (only to an extremely rare species) is at best a perk. What's more if you're part of a rare breed while you may stand out from the crowd, you have the advantage that you are so exotic that nobody is familiar enough with your race to actually recognize you as an individual. If you are suspected, its because your Stigma means you'd be suspected even of things you're innocent of.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Speaking of that, what if slaves of a given species are so rare that only the King will have it, and if he or she or whatever is seen outside the assigned space is, everyone will know it?

That sounds like the king has a kind of Distinctive Feature: always has super rare slaves.

[smurf]

Can you PM the races you have created. I am interested in what other GMs do to create their own unique settings.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

That sounds like the king has a kind of Distinctive Feature: always has super rare slaves.

It was inspired by an Emir who used apostate Christian sailors who had been taken captive as a bodyguard on the grounds that being alienated from everyone else (the Christians thought them traitors, and hated them, and the Muslims and Jews were suspicious of the sincerity of their conversion and weren't to fond of them either) made them dependable. Similarly this kind of slave would be totally dependent on the King as they could not flee.

It might also be a fetish, much as Circassians were once popular for harems.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

It was inspired by an Emir who used apostate Christian sailors who had been taken captive as a bodyguard on the grounds that being alienated from everyone else (the Christians thought them traitors, and hated them, and the Muslims and Jews were suspicious of the sincerity of their conversion and weren't to fond of them either). Similarly this kind of slave would be totally dependent on the King as they could not flee.

It might also be a fetish, much as Circassians were once popular for harems.

Not that different from the Roman Emperors using Germans or Dacians as bodyguards ... especially if you combine it with tendency of other Roman aristocrats to use gladiators as bodyguards.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Not that different from the Roman Emperors using Germans or Dacians as bodyguards ... especially if you combine it with tendency of other Roman aristocrats to use gladiators as bodyguards.

Also, not so different from the Renaissance-era popes employing Swiss mercenary guards, or Renaissance Venetians or Florentines preferring to use foreigners ("stranieri") as arbitrators.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

It doesn't matter whether they are attractive to their own race because running into their own race is going to be no more common than running into a human with "Quirk: Orcbanger". Being Beautiful (only to an extremely rare species) is at best a perk.

Or, you could just apply an Accessibility limitation to Appearance.

With the GM's permission, you could take two different levels of Appearance with appropriate limitations and sum the costs to get the overall price.

For example, if you're an orc with huge fangs and lots of facial scars and piercings, orcs of the appropriate gender preference might consider you to be the sexiest thing on two bandy, misshapen legs. That's Very Handsome (Limitation: Orcs Only, -60%) [5 points]. OTOH, every other humanoid species might consider your appearance to be Ugly (Limitation: All humanoids except Orcs, -20%) [-7 points]. So, the overall cost for your appearance would be -2 points.

Or, let's say you're an Elf who other Elves consider to be Transcendently Beautiful, but other humanoids consider to be merely Attractive. That's Appearance (Transcendent) (Limitation: Elves only, -60%) [8] plus Appearance (Attractive) (Limitation: All humanoids other than Elves, -20%) [3] = 11 points overall cost.

But, limitations on Appearance implies that interspecies romance is common enough that it matters in the game, like in Star Trek or your typical fantasy setting. If you've got a Star Wars type menagerie of weird aliens, just use "They Look Like They Look" unless a significant fraction of the galaxy's species find you to be attractive/unattractive.

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

What's more if you're part of a rare breed while you may stand out from the crowd, you have the advantage that you are so exotic that nobody is familiar enough with your race to actually recognize you as an individual.

"So obscure it doesn't matter/nobody notices except specialists" is always a feature. But, if you're say, an albino Persian cat-girl with long white fur, a fluffy tail, and pale blue eyes, you're probably going to stand out from your average Cat Person who has short, colored fur and amber eyes. That's Distinctive Appearance/Unnatural Feature.

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

If you are suspected, its because your Stigma means you'd be suspected even of things you're innocent of.

In a few cases, this can be modeled as a bad Racial Reputation, and/or an Odious Racial Habit. It depends on the context.

"I've heard of these guys, everyone says they're Bad News." = Bad Reputation

"You guys do WHAT?!" = ORH

"I'd never let my daughter date one of those guys!" = Social Stigma + Intolerance