Question about Traveller's Shriekers

[nerdvana]

I'm re-reading the aliens of Traveller (Alien Races #4) and I'm curious about a trait that their description says they should have but that isn't listed in their writeup in that book. In the text on p109 it say...

Originally Posted by Alien Races 4, p109

while speaking, a Shrieker cannot hear.

That said, this is not in their write up on p114. (I would expect Deafness with some level of accessability limitation, perhaps at -75% to make it a -5 point disadvantage.) What do the rest of you think of this?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

I'm re-reading the aliens of Traveller (Alien Races #4) and I'm curious about a trait that their description says they should have but that isn't listed in their writeup in that book. In the text on p109 it say...



That said, this is not in their write up on p114. (I would expect Deafness with some level of accessability limitation, perhaps at -75% to make it a -5 point disadvantage.) What do the rest of you think of this?

Well Cannot Speak (Mute) is -25 points, Can Speak would be 25 points; toss a temporary disadvantage on it "Temporary Disadvantage, Deafness, -20%" and that equates to a -5 point disadvantage. Seems about right to me, though I could be wrong...

Ghostdancer

Edit: It could also be a valid Quirk if they could easily switch back and forth, and thus wouldn't cost a full -5 points.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

It could also be a valid Quirk if they could easily switch back and forth, and thus wouldn't cost a full -5 points.

As I understand it, they can always shut up. However, if they are in the middle of a speach and someone yells "Duck!" they won't hear it. IMO that is more than a quirk.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

As I understand it, they can always shut up. However, if they are in the middle of a speach and someone yells "Duck!" they won't hear it. IMO that is more than a quirk.

I would say that would be worth a -5 point disadvantage then, because a GM can always come up with inventive ways to use that. And if the race is well known then that particular flaw probably is too and would also be exploited.

Ghostdancer

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

That said, this is not in their write up on p114. (I would expect Deafness with some level of accessability limitation, perhaps at -75% to make it a -5 point disadvantage.) What do the rest of you think of this?

It is a 3e book.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

It is a 3e book.

That's true... did they not have such things as accessability in 3e? (I don't know 3e as well as I know 4e)

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Well Cannot Speak (Mute) is -25 points, Can Speak would be 25 points; toss a temporary disadvantage on it "Temporary Disadvantage, Deafness, -20%" and that equates to a -5 point disadvantage. Seems about right to me, though I could be wrong...

Ghostdancer

Edit: It could also be a valid Quirk if they could easily switch back and forth, and thus wouldn't cost a full -5 points.

I think that a Quirk is probably closer than a -5 disad. Being able to hear by just not talking makes it more like a trivial variation of Deafness.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

That's true... did they not have such things as accessability in 3e? (I don't know 3e as well as I know 4e)

Not as a universally applicable modifier, no. Generally only GURPS Supers used modifiers extensively in 3e.