Psis vs Weirdness Magnet?

[smurf]

In most of GURPS psi books there has been the clear statement that psis should not be allowed to circumvent adventures by using their abilities to do all the foot work.

So I have this 'evil' NPC only known as 'Mr Prediction' by default he has precognitive powers.

However a PC has Weirdness Magnet and I was thinking that could allow the precog to not get an accurate reading on them due to a 'fuzzy reading' because of the WM.

It sort of fits but I wonder if it is not in the correct use/

[Anaraxes]

Works for me. Note that being thus brought to the attention of the Big Bad probably qualifies as disadvantageous. If "fuzzy" meant "immune", then you might consider it an advantage.

[PK]

I would never allow Weirdness Magnet to make another PC immune or even partially immune to psi. It's a disadvantage, not an advantage. People treating Weirdness Magnet as some sort of beneficial thing is one of my biggest pet peeves.

If you want to involve Weirdness Magnet, flip it around. Treat it as the disadvantage it is. How about this? The precog is able to get amazingly clear visions of what the magnet is going to do because by some weird quick of fate the magnet happens to resonate at the psychic frequency that this precog is most tuned in to.

[Nereidalbel]

If anything, the Weirdness Magnet should turn the PC into a giant beacon of "Here be something odd!" for Mr. Prediction. While he may not be able to determine exactly what will be weird, he should still pick up on the weirdness itself. That said, if your personal table of weird results includes beneficial things on specific rolls, it may just throw Mr. Prediction off, but, it's still up to his personality to not slip up as a result.

[smurf]

OK I like that idea. It's that Mr Prediction cannot convince other people that the WM is going to do something that will thwart others. etc.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by smurf

OK I like that idea. It's that Mr Prediction cannot convince other people that the WM is going to do something that will thwart others. etc.

Which idea? I see three posts and you not quoting any one of them o.O

[smurf]

Ok so previously, the WM is a strange alien, and they were playing the Kobeyashi Maru from the Klingon perspective. The old Master tricked the PC towards the end by blowing his head off and making the PC to escape Aaland by himself and to avoid the Finish authorities.

[Ji ji]

Originally Posted by PK

I would never allow Weirdness Magnet to make another PC immune or even partially immune to psi. It's a disadvantage, not an advantage. People treating Weirdness Magnet as some sort of beneficial thing is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Your article is right but this is a different issue. Let me quote a paragraph:

In essence, Weirdness Magnet can be thought of as Cursed (Inconveniences Only, -80%) [-15] or perhaps Unluckiness (Activates Multiple Times Per Session, +50%) [-15]. It's a mandate for the GM to harass and inconvenience the character as often as he wants, with an emphasis on the strange and bizarre.

A GM could state that Precognition doesn't work because Unluckiness is a cosmic power beyond the regular wave of the universe. Whereas a cosmic unluckiness modifies the flow of destiny, precognition becomes unreliable.
The same can go for a curse. Oedipus is a good example of short-circuit among destiny, precognition and curse.

The GM is just looking for some pretence to justify a logical failure in the plot. This doesn't modify the general behaviour of the disadvantage. Morever, if the player will try to take advantage of this feature in other situations, the GM will simply have to state "no, this time precognition works reliably". It is a weird disadvantage by definition, and its behaviour is unpredictable by every means...

[smurf]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

If anything, the Weirdness Magnet should turn the PC into a giant beacon of "Here be something odd!" for Mr. Prediction. While he may not be able to determine exactly what will be weird, he should still pick up on the weirdness itself. That said, if your personal table of weird results includes beneficial things on specific rolls, it may just throw Mr. Prediction off, but, it's still up to his personality to not slip up as a result.

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Which idea? I see three posts and you not quoting any one of them o.O

That idea.

[smurf]

Originally Posted by Ji ji

Your article is right but this is a different issue. Let me quote a paragraph:



A GM could state that Precognition doesn't work because Unluckiness is a cosmic power beyond the regular wave of the universe. Whereas a cosmic unluckiness modifies the flow of destiny, precognition becomes unreliable.
The same can go for a curse. Oedipus is a good example of short-circuit among destiny, precognition and curse.

The GM is just looking for some pretence to justify a logical failure in the plot. This doesn't modify the general behaviour of the disadvantage. Morever, if the player will try to take advantage of this feature in other situations, the GM will simply have to state "no, this time precognition works reliably". It is a weird disadvantage by definition, and its behaviour is unpredictable by every means...

The idea was to go on a multi continent adventure dropping off encrypted codes to various contacts and then eventually get caught and hauled off to a secret prison. Where they have to break out of. Outside help will be available but it will generate a few more short term enemies.