Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-06-2021, 02:30 PM   #1
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

Metabolism Control [5/level] is an exotic physical advantage. You have conscious control over your metabolism (and must be biological, rather than a machine), which has several useful effects, including the ability to hibernate or estivate. This advantage was added in GURPS Aliens for 3e.

Each level of this advantage gives you +1 to any HT rolls that can benefit from control over your metabolism. Examples include bleeding rolls and rolls to recover from diseases and poisons, but not to initially resist them. The GM rules on unclear cases.

You can also enter a trance, during which you appear to be dead. Anyone who isn’t familiar with your species needs to win a contest of Diagnosis against your HT+Metabolism Control to realise you are still alive. In this state, you need 10% less oxygen (or appropriate gas for your species) per level of this advantage (and hence don’t breathe at all with 10 or more levels), and double the length or time you can go without food or drink. You have no awareness of your surroundings in this trance, but wake up automatically if injured. You can also set a mental alarm clock to wake you up after a specified period.

There’s a special limitation, Hibernator (-60%), which only gives the trance ability, and no HT bonus. You will automatically go into the trance when exposed to certain conditions, such as prolonged cold: work out the details with the GM. You can also go into it voluntarily. You need to make a Will‑4 roll to accomplish this, but you can re-roll every hour. You can set an alarm clock if you do this, but it is not precise, and a formula for variations is in the advantage description. If you want to avoid going into a trance when you would naturally, you can resist with a Will roll, but there’s no indication of how often you need to roll. Every day would seem plausible.

The Basic Set doesn’t give any of the hibernating animals it lists this disadvantage, although GURPS Anamalia does. Banestorm dragons have this advantage, at levels increasing with age, but DF ones, in a less rationalised world, lack it. Bio-Tech provides the Mastery, +40% enhancement, which makes the HT bonus apply to all HT rolls, while Furries uses the basic advantage for Frog Princes and Princesses. Horror has hibernating vampires, and Magic: Plant Spells shows us how to adopt a tree’s pace of life. This advantage helps resist choking in Technical Grappling, and Powers makes it a way to feign various physical conditions, including death.

I’ve never seen this advantage in use, as player or GM, but I think that’s a limitation of what I’ve played, rather than it being pointless. How has it played in your games?
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2021, 04:15 PM   #2
Arcanjo7Sagi
 
Arcanjo7Sagi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

I really like the idea of the advantage, but I think its cost / benefit is not that good.

With Metabolism Control 10 you can hold your breath indefinitely, you can ignore food and drink while you are under its use, and can feing death. For 50 points.

With the same 50 points, you can buy Doesn't Breathe [20] and Doesn't Eat or Drink [10] and you still have 20 points left to spend on other things. It doesn't seem to be worth 5 points per level. Maybe 3.
__________________
“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”
Arcanjo7Sagi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2021, 06:56 AM   #3
Not another shrubbery
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcanjo7Sagi View Post
I really like the idea of the advantage, but I think its cost / benefit is not that good.

With Metabolism Control 10 you can hold your breath indefinitely, you can ignore food and drink while you are under its use, and can feing death. For 50 points.

With the same 50 points, you can buy Doesn't Breathe [20] and Doesn't Eat or Drink [10] and you still have 20 points left to spend on other things. It doesn't seem to be worth 5 points per level. Maybe 3.
To be clear, most of the value of Metabolism Control is in the HT roll bonuses.
I've never used it myself. As with you, I like the idea but the way it manifests as written just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I'll take a look at it and try to come up with something.
Not another shrubbery is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2021, 07:03 AM   #4
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

I had completely forgotten this advantage existed. I can see cases I might use it, but it does seem rather inefficient.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2021, 07:23 AM   #5
Arcanjo7Sagi
 
Arcanjo7Sagi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery View Post
To be clear, most of the value of Metabolism Control is in the HT roll bonuses.
I've never used it myself. As with you, I like the idea but the way it manifests as written just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I'll take a look at it and try to come up with something.
You only get HT bonuses to all rolls with the Maestry, a +40% modifier, what makes cost 7 points level. The basic 5 per level is a situational bonus.
__________________
“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”
Arcanjo7Sagi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2021, 12:46 PM   #6
RogerBW
 
RogerBW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: near London, UK
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

Things that add to some sorts of HT roll, from a quick hunt:

Fit [5 or 15]: everything except skills
Hard to Kill [2/]: to not die
Hard to Subdue [2/]: to remain conscious
High Pain Threshold [10 for +3]: to avoid knock-down and stun, and other effects
Metabolism Control [5/]: bleeding and recovery from disease and poison (plus limited hibernation)
Nictitating Membrange [1/]: eye damage (plus eye DR)
Rapid Healing [5 for +5]: to heal naturally
Resistant [variable]: against specific things

The only one that's more expensive for a +1 is going from Fit to Very Fit, and that's a lot more generally applicable. (And gives other benefits)

I'd much rather call this ability "Hibernation [2/level]" and make the HT roll benefits a separate thing, or just buy up HT.

Something worth noting for the advantage as written: it's great for beating a polygraph.
RogerBW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2021, 01:03 PM   #7
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerBW View Post
I'd much rather call this ability "Hibernation [2/level]" and make the HT roll benefits a separate thing, or just buy up HT.
Agreed, although buying up HT rolls is an interesting subject in its own right:
  • Power-Ups 9: Alternate Attributes breaks down HT as +0.25 Speed [5], 1 FP [3], plus +1 to HT rolls and +1 to 13 HT-based skills. It then estimates +1 to HT rolls as 3 or 4 points, to give Hard to Kill and Hard to Subdue some meaning in their lives.
  • Another way is +0.25 Speed [5], 1 FP [3] and Hard to Kill 1 [2], making other HT rolls and the base of HT skills "free."
There's scope for a lot of opinions here.

One might also regard Hibernation as a racial characteristic that isn't hugely important and charge [5], with an enhancement that let you use 10% less air and double your time without food or water for +20%. I think it costs as much as it does because it came from Aliens, and thus space-going settings, where life support resources could be important.

Last edited by johndallman; 05-07-2021 at 01:08 PM. Reason: Add an idea.
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2021, 07:03 PM   #8
Rupert
 
Rupert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

It won't be something worth much, maybe 1/level at most, but straight HT has one other thing that no one part of it brings - there are a fair number of effects (mostly drugs) that last for 'X - HT' minutes or turns or whatever. Only actual HT affects these at all.
__________________
Rupert Boleyn

"A pessimist is an optimist with a sense of history."
Rupert is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2021, 02:04 AM   #9
Crystalline_Entity
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: England
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

I once tried to come up with a power which enabled the user to gain or lose weight (mass) by burning/storing fat, which it felt like Metabolism Control should include, but the actual mechanical benefits of the advantage don't seem to live up to the name in this case :(
Crystalline_Entity is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2021, 02:47 AM   #10
RogerBW
 
RogerBW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: near London, UK
Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Metabolism Control

It is an eternal problem of GURPS that things "should" be worth different amounts based on their utility in different settings. Unusual Background is the main tool we have for this.

In my entirely imaginary new edition of GURPS, everything that adds to attributes sometimes would be a variant of the same advantage: increased attribute, with a accessibility limitation based on how common the situation is, and a bunch of worked examples. Yes, points can be a bit of a blunt instrument for this when you get down into the fine detail, but that may mean that a mere +1 isn't significant enough to be worth recording and you might as well buy a +3 (i.e. like Resistant).
RogerBW is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
advantage of the week, metabolism control

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.