Self-Control Rolls for Odious Personal Habits?

[DataPacRat]

I'm probably just missing a page number.

I'm thinking of an OPH based around a PC's belief "The truth is more important than being popular", probably for an average of -2 reaction penalty when it kicks in - but I want him to be able to roll to try to control himself, ala Compulsions and similar mental disadvantages. I can't seem to find the right combination of reaction penalty and cost-modifier: Reputation applies more to people who already know him than random strangers he might converse with, I can't find a decent 'self-control roll' Limitation, etc. Any suggestions?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by DataPacRat

I'm probably just missing a page number.

I'm thinking of an OPH based around a PC's belief "The truth is more important than being popular", probably for an average of -2 reaction penalty when it kicks in - but I want him to be able to roll to try to control himself, ala Compulsions and similar mental disadvantages. I can't seem to find the right combination of reaction penalty and cost-modifier: Reputation applies more to people who already know him than random strangers he might converse with, I can't find a decent 'self-control roll' Limitation, etc. Any suggestions?

The "self control" roll for a OPH like that is Acting. Because without Acting even if you aren't openly speaking about your contempt for others, they're going to be able to see it on your face.

[evileeyore]

Alternately you could always just apply Self-Control Ratings to the disad. I don't see how it would break anything.

[DataPacRat]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Alternately you could always just apply Self-Control Ratings to the disad. I don't see how it would break anything.

I'd have gone for that, but going from '-2 reaction: 10 points' to '-2 reaction: except on a self-control roll of 12 or less (x1 cost): 10 points' doesn't quite seem to make sense.

[Flyndaran]

Edit: Removed, because I was ninja-ed by one of those I was trying to paraphrase.

[Ulzgoroth]

Self-control number probably isn't appropriate because the problem of an OPH isn't that actually you acting on it, it's other people reacting to it.

Not displaying your OPH in the moment isn't going to do you any good unless the people you're interacting with don't know it's there.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by DataPacRat

I'd have gone for that, but going from '-2 reaction: 10 points' to '-2 reaction: except on a self-control roll of 12 or less (x1 cost): 10 points' doesn't quite seem to make sense.

Here's the problem. You can't really control what other people think of you. OPH behaviours aren't compulsive behaviours. They're unconscious ones. They're things you do without knowing that you're doing them. And often they'll make people think ill of you when they've never even met you because they've heard that you're annoying.

If you can control your compulsion to be cruel but factual then you've probably got a quirk and a reputation.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Here's the problem. You can't really control what other people think of you.

I'm not sure I buy that. What if I'm not racist at all, but people think I am? Is that Odious Personal Habit (Racist) -2 [-10]? I rather think it's more likely to be Reputation (Racist) -2 [-10]. A reputation is what people think of you. An Odious Personal Habit is something you do. It's a habit. It's like Callous or No Sense of Humor. It's not that people think of you as being this way, it's that you are this way.

This does cause some problems (You can look up threads arguing about Callous and "Crazy Eyes"), but these disadvantages aren't about what people think of you, it's how they react to your behavior.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Alternately you could always just apply Self-Control Ratings to the disad. I don't see how it would break anything.

I think it'd be fine too. Assuming you price the full value at the All The Time level (x 2.5 or so). (Edit: that is the base value, for the 12 or less SCR, is -2 points per -1 reaction).

Despite what the Basic description seems to say with the "people who notice" thing, the reaction penalty for an Odious Habit is priced for affects everybody all the time (-5 per -1 penalty). It doesn't appear to matter if you happen to be displaying the habit right now. I suppose people are assumed to have heard about your disgusting habit and react negatively even if you aren't actually eating a baby right now. Which frankly I think makes sense.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by malloyd

I suppose people are assumed to have heard about your disgusting habit and react negatively even if you aren't actually eating a baby right now.

Or it averages out, since reaction rolls are reasonably random -- some people have heard of your nasty habit and react at -4, some haven't and react at no penalty, some people encounter you in the process of eating a baby and react at -10.