Super-short Life-Span

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Coinage

I have a quick question. I am designing a creature has a life-span of only a few days (or maybe even hours, I haven't decided yet).

Consider making Short Lifespan & Terminally Ill combined disadvantages on the same continuum, then making additional levels of Terminally Ill worth -5 or -10 points/level, with the understanding the value of increased levels of Terminally Ill declines per level (50 for 3 years, 75 for 1 year, but only 100 for 3 months to live).

Alternately, consider a "Quick Death" Special Enhancement to Terminally Ill 3, worth +5%, with each level further halving your lifespan, down to a minimum of 15 minutes for 10 levels/+50% enhancement.

+5%, Cost: 105, Lifespan: 2 weeks.
+10%, Cost: 110, Lifespan: 1 week.
+15%, Cost: 115, Lifespan: 3 days
+20%, Cost: 120, Lifespan: 1 day
+25%, Cost: 125, Lifespan: 12 hours
+30%, Cost: 130, Lifespan: 6 hours
+35%, Cost: 135, Lifespan: 3 hours
+40%, Cost: 140, Lifespan: 60 minutes
+45%, Cost: 145, Lifespan: 30 minutes
+50%, Cost: 150, Lifespan: 15 minutes or less

[RedMattis]

An ally who dies after being called is basically a one-use advantage. I think using Character Points to use a power cuts cost by 5, so that would be a good starting point.

If you can just keep summoning new allies after the first one dies without losing the ally advantage then it isn't really limiting you much, so I'd call it a nuisance effect of ~10% on the Ally advantage. Perhaps more if you need to wait for you ally to die.

If it is on a player character is isn't a meaningful disadvantage. It is basically just "I'll swap this character for another eventually". Terminally Ill and stuff only becomes a meaningful disadvantage when you slap on Mitigators and stuff like that and assume the character will try their best to not die to their disadvantage.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Consider making Short Lifespan & Terminally Ill combined disadvantages on the same continuum, then making additional levels of Terminally Ill worth -5 or -10 points/level,

Note that GURPS as written is not that granular. While people usually want the maximum amount of life or ammunition that this kind of limitation allows for their character less than the highest level doesn't get any extra points. And it might be mandatory if the campaign is a one shot that only covers a few days anyway.

Also, realistically, if the "terminally ill" character is just a limited duration summons, then determining the expiration date isn't a disadvantage of the character. It's a limitation on the summoning ability itself.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Note that GURPS as written is not that granular. While people usually want the maximum amount of life or ammunition that this kind of limitation allows for their character less than the highest level doesn't get any extra points. And it might be mandatory if the campaign is a one shot that only covers a few days anyway.

Agreed. I was just trying to stick as close to RAW as possible. All the lifespan-related traits are problematic. I've house-ruled that Short Lifespan & Terminally Ill have just 1/10th listed value.

Age-related advantages retain RAW value, but can be treated as Perks or Features for one-shot games. Each level of Extended Lifespan gives a +2 bonus to resist Aging attacks, with Unaging counting as Immunity to such attacks.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Coinage

Okay, here is what I gather: It is not necessary to stat it out as a Disadvantage, since it really does not not affect gameplay.

It does affect gameplay, quite possibly - the potential to beat it by outlasting it is significant. What doesn't affect gameplay is the point value of the Disadvantage, because it's not suitable for entities whose point value matters.

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by Coinage

I have a quick question. I am designing a creature has a life-span of only a few days (or maybe even hours, I haven't decided yet).

EDIT: My goal is to create a sort of spirit that hunts down someone who violated a local taboo. It has a set time-span to accomplish its mission, before it eventually ceases to exist.

Is there a way to modify the disadvantage Short Lifespan to reflect that? Or is there some other way to do it. Thanks.

It often comes up on the forum that lifespan-related traits should be low in point value, because longevity protects against supernatural aging attacks, but its very rare in an adventure story for aging to become an issue, and its also not particularly fun if a character just gets bonus power then dies because their Terminal Illness went off. In Breaking Bad, Walter White has various medical problems (physical disadvantages), and is initially motivated to get rich by his diagnosis (mental disadvantages), and those are mechanically interesting- the fact that he is diagnosed with cancer is fluff.

I think that Dungeon Fantasy incorporates some of these ideas.

As others have said, the purpose of a writeup for a NPC is to make your life as GM easier, not to test your mastery of the system. If the easiest way to describe something is a sentence, use a sentence.