Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

I know there are perks with specializations, and some that are levelled.

So can a quirk, rules-legally, have a self-control number attached to it? Is there any that you've come across in any book?

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

There is nothing in the rules that say you can't apply control checks to a quirk. For it to be considered a quirk, said control check wouldn't change the price. If it does change the price, then you need to rebuild the quirk from its' originating disadvantage according to the rules of that disadvantage.

No, I've not come across any quirks in the books that do that.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

I don't think they do. Quirks, especially mental quirks, are basically social contracts: You agree to role-play them out. If you take "Likes blondes," you're not suddenly lecherous when blondes are around, forced to hit on them if the GM rolls beneath a self-control number. Instead, you should probably hit on them because it's in character. If you don't, that's alright, though if you fail to play out your quirk too often, your GM will probably make you buy it off.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

What makes you think that just because you like Blonds means you have to hit on them? 'scope them out' and appreciated them from across the room is just as much part of the quirk, specially if your character is not in a palce where he could do something about it if the hit worked.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

My call would be that as long as the quirk is interesting and as much trouble as other quirks, the player can use quirks that include control rolls if they really want.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

Or he could be shy! Then Likes Blondes isn't about hitting on them, but becoming awkward and nervous!

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

There's a choice of one of two requirements to qualify as a mental quirk (rather than just part of your character description):

It requires a specific action, behavior, or choice on your part from time to time.

It gives you a small penalty very occasionally, or to a narrow set of actions.

For option 2, if you want a small penalty in a situation that comes up more than "very occasionally", you could then apply a Self Control roll to it to knock it back into "very occasionally" again.


For "standard" quirks that are already pegged to "very occasionally" a self control roll will make them come up possibly TOO occasionally. For instance, Attentive - the -3 to notice any important interruption. If you get a Self Control roll to avoid the -3 penalty, you'll need either a higher penalty, or you're reducing the penalty possibly too much to be worth even one point, when considered with the +1 bonus to lengthy tasks.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

A quirk that has self-control number attached to it is a compulsion sufficiently severe that it qualifies as a disadvantage.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

Personally, I would not add them or allow them. But, one of the biggest reasons I wouldn't is because quirks are really just minor role-playing aids. They're fun little things that don't really have too much rules association. Like Mailanka said, they are meant purely for role playing. Use them or don't; not a real big deal.

I'm pretty strict on the whole "it's not a Disadvantage if it's not a disadvantage" thing. For quirks, however, I pay them little to no mind as a GM.

It's been my experience, though, that players role play quirks even better than Disadvantages! So, it's never once been an issue in my 15+ years of GURPS experience.

It's called giving an example. That's what Mailanka was doing. What you said changes nothing about his example, which I agree with.

Re: Can quirks have self-control numbers?
 

See, I'd like to use a "quirk" as a jumping off point for building a flexible "disadvantage tool" for my GM toolset.

Giving it a self-control number (or, alternatively, adding the "Uncontrollable" modifier to it to force the player to make Will rolls) would provide the base mechanic for whether the disadvantage is triggered or not.

The quirk would, at it's base, be a "do-nothing" quirk, and that's by my desgn. No player could take it that way, obviously (it'd be a free point). That's much the same way that no player would ever take Affliction without any modifiers - it'd do exactly nothing for 10/level.

The comparison to Affliction is not without reason - my goal is to use this as a base to do a "Self-Affliction" disadvantage. Using the Temporary Disadvantage and Nuisance Effect: Backlash modifiers as inspiration, I'd allow any and all Affliction modifiers, at my discretion, to be applied to the quirk as enhancements (increasing it's value). I feel like this could be used to build some highly customized disadvantages, and also to build some currently difficult character concepts. I'd optionally let a player take it with a "Secret disadvantage" (extra -5 points on the total disadvantages point value), and then this could either be paid off or else the "secret disadvantage(s)" could be different each time, up to my discretion - sort of a self-affliction of a "disadvantageous Cosmic Power" (it could be anything bad, I can rearrange the points at my whim as the GM).

Of course a player would have to want to take something like this, or else it'd be bundled into some villain's "curse" (an Affliction of this horrid thing). I just wanted to approach doing this in the closest to RAW way as possible (remaining aware it's a deviation in more than a couple of places).

What do you think? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?