[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Pitiable

[johndallman]

Pitiable [5] is a mundane social advantage. It makes people view you in a particular way: they want to take care of you, because you obviously need it. You get +3 to reactions from people who think you’re in need of help; this never includes anyone who is Callous. I have not been able to trace the first appearance of this advantage, but I think I first saw it in the old World of Darkness books for GURPS 3e and it appears in Compendium I.

If you have non-average looks, Pitiable affects how people view them. If you’re unattractive, it’s in a homely, no-nonsense way that nobody holds against you; if attractive, you’re “cute” rather than “sexy.” Either way, you get +3 to Panhandling, but no other skill modifiers.

Discworld suggests this advantage for tourists, actors, and professional fools and clowns, while Action makes it an option for the Basic Action Template. Adaptions suggests using it for characters whom the story treats as sidekicks, while AtE provides it for Nomads, Scavengers and Techs. Bio-Tech can provide Pitiable at TL10, wile DF9 Summoners makes it part of its Ghost templates. Furries uses it on several templates based on small animals, while Future History makes it an option for “Client” species. Beware Nightreign NPCs with Pitiable, and having it doesn’t help with Zombies.

A PC based on Pitiable is a significant variant on a reaction-modifier-based character. It works for social infiltrators, and characters who don’t want to be leaders. The only example I’ve seen played was a magician who looked like a teenage girl waif, but could bend reality very seriously.

Interestingly, this advantage seems much commoner among child characters than adults, implying that it can be lost as a child grows up. Before you start asking “but are the points lost or recovered?” remember that character points aren’t real.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by johndallman

this advantage seems much commoner among child characters ...

I have, in fact, only seen it in that particular context.

[ericthered]

Lost in dreams sees this a lot, and not just on kids. Its tagline is waking up someplace unfamiliar and naked, so having pitiable goes a long ways, since you know you'll be in a position of weakness.



Often players will have to remind me that they have pitiable, usually by asking if it counts in a given context. The +3 is a huge swing in their favor.

[RogerBW]

I have a character (social/sneaky) who has a magical and switchable version of this. It's a lower-powered version of her main ability, which is "oh, it's just the cleaner, she's not important".