[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Racial Memory

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

I've used it several times. Mostly for reincarnation or refluffed for immortals with long memories. Works ok. Needs to be tweaked pretty often though.

Yeah, I've pretty much only used it on the template you build for Monster Hunters with "Immortal". Its really underwhelming, and it feels like a tax. A custom UB of 5 to 10 points saying "I've experienced all this" feels better. Or even contact groups with unusual reach in time and space.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Yeah, I've pretty much only used it on the template you build for Monster Hunters with "Immortal". Its really underwhelming, and it feels like a tax. A custom UB of 5 to 10 points saying "I've experienced all this" feels better. Or even contact groups with unusual reach in time and space.

Having information available tends to be very valuable in my games. But yeah, it can totally feel that way.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Having information available tends to be very valuable in my games. But yeah, it can totally feel that way.

The 15 point version gives no information worth mentioning, while the 40 point version is only useful if you are regularly dealing with generations-old problems that affected your ancestors.

[Refplace]

Anyone want a teaser?
I added this in my upcoming supplement. Its pretty specific but could apply to other types of Racial Memory with some tweaks.
Might not make it through editing but it is in my final draft.
------------
Racial Memory
see p. B.78
Racial Memory is a good candidate for older spirits in tune to their environment or perhaps a lineage or something similar. Racial Memory (Area) can tap the memory of those who have lived and died in the area specified and a successful IQ roll grant a +2 bonus to Area Knowledge, Current Affairs (Regional), Geography (Regional), and any other skill or IQ roll the GM deems appropriate. A wilderness could grant bonuses to Meteorology, Naturalist, Navigation, Survival, and even Hidden Lore skills. An urban area might grant a bonus not only to Urban Survival and some of the above but also to skills the area is known for as the knowledge of previous generations is tapped.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

The 15 point version gives no information worth mentioning, while the 40 point version is only useful if you are regularly dealing with generations-old problems that affected your ancestors.

I would call a feeling to avoid white snake canyon because of the devil snakes that nest there that your great great great grandmother didn't useful. But hey, you do you.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

I would call a feeling to avoid white snake canyon because of the devil snakes that nest there that your great great great grandmother didn't useful. But hey, you do you.

If the fifteen point version gave you that much information, or even "your ancestors were in mortal peril here", I would agree that it was something useful. Unfortunately, by the rules as written, all it does is tell you that your ancestors encountered the situation in some way ("you get a feeling of deju vu", with no further information forthcoming save on a critical success). This isn't completely useless- it tells you the situation you are in isn't based on cutting-edge technology-, but it's hard to argue that it's worth fifteen points. Compare Danger Sense, which, for the same price, gives you reasonably specific and extremely useful information ("the trouble is about to start").

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by ravenfish

If the fifteen point version gave you that much information, or even "your ancestors felt mortal peril here", I would agree that it was something useful. Unfortunately, all it does is tell you that your ancestors encountered the situation in some way ("you get a feeling of deju vu", with no further information forthcoming save on a critical success). This isn't completely useless- it rules out the situation being one involving cutting-edge technology-, but it's hard to argue that it's worth fifteen points. Compare Danger Sense, which, for the same price, gives you reasonably specific and extremely useful information ("the trouble is about to start").

You need to give some measure of information since it specifically says you need to interpret it. Not giving enough information to the player is a GM problem, not a player problem. And it can be especially with things like Danger Sense, Oracle, Intuition, etc.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

You need to give some measure of information since it specifically says you need to interpret it. Not giving enough information to the player is a GM problem, not a player problem. And it can be especially with things like Danger Sense, Oracle, Intuition, etc.

But Danger Sense, and Oracle, and Intutition all clearly state that they actually give the information (albeit necessarily leaving the details up to the GM). The only information (the minor version of) Racial Memory mentions at all is "deja vu" on a regular success and a full memory dump on a critical success. I agree that, for the advantage to be any good, one needs to read "vague but actionable knowledge" where the the text says "a feeling of deja vu", but, as far as I can tell, such a reading would be the GM house-ruling a change to what is a fairly clear statement in the book.

EDIT: In everything I've read, "deja vu" refers to a sense that one has already experienced what is happening, but I have never seen it used to imply any insight (accurate or otherwise) into what will happen next. If "deja vu" is being used here to mean not merely a sense of familiarity but also some context of the previous experience, the advantage would become a good deal less useless, but, as far as I can tell, that would be using words after the manner of Humptey Dumptey ("When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.").

[Donny Brook]

It's a horrible waste of points.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

You need to give some measure of information since it specifically says you need to interpret it. Not giving enough information to the player is a GM problem, not a player problem. And it can be especially with things like Danger Sense, Oracle, Intuition, etc.

No, it's a rules problem. The rules don't say give enough information to interpret. They say a feeling of deja vu.