Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

I think that's intended to mean that a Quirk isn't necessarily disadvantageous to the character hence the example of Greed vs. "Prefers to be paid in gold." It is not intended address disadvantage limits, or contradict pages 11 and 120. Having a Will 12 isn't a disadvantage either in that sense but it still counts against your limit if your IQ is 15.

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

Yeah, I have issues with that too.

4E allows you to tune your character's attributes exactly the way you want them, such as having an ivory-tower genius with raw intellect reaching into the stratosphere, but being no more perceptive or strong-willed than your average man on the street (or less so, for classic absent-minded professors) ... but then they make it hard for you to do so, if there is a disadvantage cap.

In my games, I define "IQ as IQ" (I call it "smarts") to be separate from "total IQ" in much the same way as HP, Lifting ST and Striking ST are all part of ST, but can be increased separately. So the only way it actually becomes a disadvantage is if any of those stats go below average values.

But I digress.

So is it the official GURPS line that Quirks are indeed subject to any disadvantage cap, or no?

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

Yes. As has been said, the sole test for "Does this count vs. limits on disads?" is "Does it have a negative point cost?" Nothing else matters a whit.

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

By the current rules, he is correct. People have a tendency to be confused by the fact that in the 3rd edition, the disad limit and the quirk limit were two different things.

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

What about p. B11? "Disadvantages
that are part of your racial makeup
(your “racial template”; see p. 260) are
also exempt."

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

I think that racial packages (and other meta-traits) are assumed to be single trait.
Whatever is inside does not count for various limitation, as it is invisible in a container.

celjabba

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

But then "is it in a container?" becomes a second test.

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

You're supposed to view racial packages as black boxes; decomposing them isn't necessary or relevant for character creation, only for race creation, which isn't the player's job. What matters is the total cost, not the cost of the bits. This is as true of racial packages as it is of, say, the points "saved" for limitations on advantages. Sure, Onset, 1 minute, -10% saves you 1 point on Crushing Attack 2d, but Crushing Attack 2d (Onset, 1 minute, -10%) [9] is a 9-point trait, not a 10-point trait and a -1-point trait.

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

Doesn't this leave a problem of duplicating encapsulated disads or traits with personal ones?

Re: Are quirks officially counted as disadvantages?
 

I wouldn't think duplication would be a problem, the Racial traits would stack if applicable and be disallowed if not, of course a GM might allow Racial disadvantages to be bought off too.