Wild Talent 'Emergencies Only' vs. Uncontrollable + Unconscious Only

[oneofmanynameless]

The Wild Talent advantage has an 'Emergencies Only' modifier. I'm wondering about the difference between Wild Talent with Emergencies Only vs. Wild Talent with Uncontrollable and Unconscious Only?

Also, related, I'm wondering if I wanted to keep the "ask for the desired effect rather then desired skill" but remove the only in emergencies aspect of it, what price people would give that?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

I'm wondering about the difference between Wild Talent with Emergencies Only vs. Wild Talent with Uncontrollable and Unconscious Only?

The biggest difference is that Wild Talent provides skills only, not general abilities (built out of Advantages). The difference is especially noticeable if you're not using a spells-as-skills system like Basic magic.

Uncontrollable removes all control from the player. The character cannot choose to activate the ability "at all". It's totally up to the GM, and even then must be a stressful situation (because that's already a requirement of Unconscious Only, which is a prereq for Uncontrollable).

Unconscious Only means stress (potentially broader than "life-threatening" for Emergencies Only) can trigger the ability. Stress doesn't enable free use of the ability; it makes it accidentally go off (avoidable with a Will roll), and adds an extra success roll to maintain control of the ability if the player does try to use it, on top of whatever other activation or to-hit rolls the ability might have.

Wild Talent (Emergencies Only) is by contrast benign, other than the limitation of when WT can be used. The player has much more control over whether and when a Wild skill roll occurs, and what will happen (either because they choose the skill, which involves declaring what you're trying to accomplish, or they specify the effect that they want, which is slightly more general in that the effect doesn't have to be tied to any particular skill.). So, you won't see the WT acting in a "prankish or hostile nature" like Unconscious Only, nor (in the absence of magic) is it going to be able to make the character fly, disappear, teleport, read minds, etc.

Also, related, I'm wondering if I wanted to keep the "ask for the desired effect rather then desired skill" but remove the only in emergencies aspect of it, what price people would give that?

I'd allow that as a design time Feature, or better yet just a houserule for the game so that it's consistent among all characters with WT. It just becomes the way WT works for that game. But it doesn't really change the power or utility of the Advantage.

All that line really does is substitute GM choice of skill to use for player choice of skill once the player has chosen to attempt some action with some skill. And our group is pretty free with table talk and kibitzing, especially when it comes to things the character should know how to do, but the player may not. So, the player already has access to that advice from the GM when they're choosing the skill. We're unlikely to gig them just because they accidentally made a poor choice for what they're trying to accomplish.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Uncontrollable removes all control from the player. The character cannot choose to activate the ability "at all". It's totally up to the GM, and even then must be a stressful situation (because that's already a requirement of Unconscious Only, which is a prereq for Uncontrollable).

Unconscious Only means stress (potentially broader than "life-threatening" for Emergencies Only) can trigger the ability.

Other way around, actually.