[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Odious Personal Habits

[khorboth]

5-point versions come up fairly often, and quirk-level is quite common for myself and my group. We all think long and hard about anything of higher value, though. Do we really want to have to play someone that obnoxious?

Some examples:

[-5] Sharpens axe all the time. loudly. (character is incurious, so doesn't worry about missing stuff)

[-10] Keeps tally of all favors owed. Verbally. Even among close friends.

[-1] Uses large words when small ones would do.

[-10] has a really obnoxious laugh and finds many things funny that others don't.

[-5] Makes ticking sound with her fingernails

[-5] Constant eye contact

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

But which has the higher point value, people who refuse to explain the reference or acronym if asked, or those who insist on explaining even if not asked?

The latter - Terminally Ill (1 month) is worth [-100], after all.


For my own input, I feel a lot of superheroes could probably have OPH's for their incessant quips, puns, etc. It's entertaining to the audience, but I imagine tends to become annoying to their allies after a while.

[adm]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

Do people actually say 'TANSTAAFL' or do they say what the letters stand for?

I suppose people could have OPH (Speaks in acronyms) and be the person that actually says "LoL" and "ROFL" and stuff like that.

I will occasionally use TANSTAAFL. Maybe once every five years or so, it takes a trigger for me to use the acronym.

[Eukie]

I tend to fold OPH into a supercategory of Things That Cause Reaction Penalties, pretty much all of which are priced at -5 points per -1 reactions, be it odious personal habits, body odor, physical appearance, or a poor reputation. Getting -1 to reactions gives you -5 points, and OHP/low Appearance/Bad Smell/etc. is just the flavourful justification.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by Varyon

For my own input, I feel a lot of superheroes could probably have OPH's for their incessant quips, puns, etc. It's entertaining to the audience, but I imagine tends to become annoying to their allies after a while.

I believe that Marvel have now declared that Spiderman (the trope codifier for this habit) has actually refined this into a combat skill; his opponents rapidly start wanting to punch his face in now while underestimating how serious he is about winning the fight, leading them to make mistakes. Among friends, he is at worst just a bit flippant. Doubtless, how "true" or convincing this claim is will depend on the writer.

In game terms, it's not quite Rapier Wit... More an application of Fast-Talk, with a bit of Acting.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by Eukie

I tend to fold OPH into a supercategory of Things That Cause Reaction Penalties, pretty much all of which are priced at -5 points per -1 reactions, be it odious personal habits, body odor, physical appearance, or a poor reputation. Getting -1 to reactions gives you -5 points, and OHP/low Appearance/Bad Smell/etc. is just the flavourful justification.

Yup - Roger's Streamlined GURPS* would definitely put these all as examples of a single canonical disadvantage.

* which, for the avoidance of doubt, I am vastly unlikely ever to write.

[johndallman]

From another thread on Lecherousness:

Originally Posted by Phoenix_Dragon

Looks good to me. Compulsive Sexual Activity at -5* points is one that I've already adopted (I forget which GURPS book has something like that). And Compulsive Seduction at -10* looks like an appropriately limited Lecherousness.

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Would an Odious Personal Habit (-3 to the gender you are interested in, -1 to others) [-10] be suitable for people who aggressively catcall, pinch, or grope? That is another major real and fictional archetype.

Both look very plausible to me.