Can Pragmatism be a Quirk?

[Sense of Duty (Kittens)]

I bought Power ups 6 tonight, and I began to wonder about something.

Is a marked preference for practicality an acceptable Quirk? On one hand, most players automatically default to the most pragmatic options in their gameplay, so this would not be a valid Quirk.

On the other hand, practical people are easily identified in real life. They tend to wear clothing that doesn't tear easily or impede movement excessively. Their tools tend to be durable. Many of them spurn small talk... All traits that would add some color to a character concept.

[sir_pudding]

A combination of: Serious, Careful, and Staid.

[whswhs]

I don't think it's justified as a quirk, but you could maybe make it an OPH, if the person is consistent enough about disliking anything that's not practically useful.

Bill Stoddard

[Railstar]

As a quirk itself? Unlikely.

As the basis for many other quirks? Definitely.

-If you spurn small talk or are otherwise very direct and to the point, then Insensitive or Shocking Affectation might be appropriate, or even Dislikes: small talk.

-If you are very careful about equipment choices, then things could be a case of Likes, Hoarder, or perhaps even Overcautious Habit (-1 reaction penalty in scenarios where practical clothing is out-of-place?).

[Agemegos]

Pointing out ruthlessly logical drastic solutions, or being the sin-eater who does the things that need doing regardless of sentiment, or both could be worked up as an OPH. If you restrict that enough it might come down to a quirk.

[vicky_molokh]

It can be if certain things are true about a campaign:
https://allthetropes.orain.org/wiki/Death_By_Pragmatism

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Sense of Duty (Kittens)

On the other hand, practical people are easily identified in real life. They tend to wear clothing that doesn't tear easily or impede movement excessively. Their tools tend to be durable. Many of them spurn small talk... All traits that would add some color to a character concept.

My rule of thumb is that if you can come up with two or three sentences of how this trait is going to influence the way you *play* the character, those *sentences* are a valid quirk. They're also the ones I'm going to use to judge whether you are playing it. You can put whatever one word label for them you want on the character sheet. OK spurning small talk is something you could do in play, if you really intend to make a negative comment about worthless small talk or brush off NPCs that try to strike up a conversation. Come up with one more to go with it and sure you can write Pragmatic into a quirk slot.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Railstar

-If you are very careful about equipment choices, then things could be a case of Likes, Hoarder, or perhaps even Overcautious Habit (-1 reaction penalty in scenarios where practical clothing is out-of-place?).

I think that Overcautious Habit is a great fit. The habit is making pragmatic choices, which have the upside of often being the most effective but the downside of lacking panache or of being disrespectful, good for -1 to reactions where onlookers would favor style over substance.

A pragmatic fighter might, in a show match where nobody's life is at risk, kick an enemy while he's down. The audience would then react at -1, because letting the guy get up would make for better sport.

A pragmatic guard might wrap the Queen in bulletproof vests, surround her with security staff, and hustle her 10m to a primary vehicle in front of her subjects – rather than take her 100m down a back corridor to a backup vehicle – simply because the main vehicle is closer and better-armored. The ensuing bad press ("Queen afraid to show face," etc.) would tick off the Queen or her handlers, giving -1 to reactions when it comes time to hand out bonuses and promotions. Better to have the Queen leave the back way and make up a story about traffic jams than to suggest she doesn't trust her subjects.

A pragmatic surgeon might refuse to take -2 to skill to do the operation in a way that gives +2 to rolls to avoid scarring. The resulting scars would give the patient -1 to reactions toward the doctor, because he values his looks.

Adventurers very, very often ignore issues of appearance, regard, and style in favor of avoiding penalties or gaining bonuses to the basic task – especially in areas such as attack, defense, and stealth. Someone who makes a habit of this will eventually end up in a situation where that brings consequences. Most realistic people regularly put image ahead of practicalities, and don't appreciate those who do not.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Sense of Duty (Kittens)

I bought Power ups 6 tonight, and I began to wonder about something.

Is a marked preference for practicality an acceptable Quirk? On one hand, most players automatically default to the most pragmatic options in their gameplay, so this would not be a valid Quirk.

On the other hand, practical people are easily identified in real life. They tend to wear clothing that doesn't tear easily or impede movement excessively. Their tools tend to be durable. Many of them spurn small talk... All traits that would add some color to a character concept.

Having an ideology of pragmatism can. Or making an unusual effort to be practical. For instance stopping to rationalize every unscrupulous act by saying "it's practical" is a quirk.

This would be good when there is a character with a strong CoH as a foil.

[Glimmerman]

Pragmatic people (like my dad) can sometimes be intolerant against

• fiction (books, movies, video games)
• art other than naturalism
• religion
• philosophy
• spiritualism
• visionaries/dreamers