Is Regeneration a Disadvantage?

[Taneli]

The way I see this, there are two things.

1) Screwing up with players like this is unfun. But if you agree in advance that their ability has this kind of limitation, sure!

2) Having an advantage that you can't turn off can be troublesome in some situations, like when having to explain to the guards how your clothes are cut all open, but you have no wounds, for the fifth time!

Oh, and yeah, the previous points on how there might be monster abilities that do insta-cripples, or that screw up with your abilities.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Regeneration includes Rapid Healing though, which gives a +5 to HT for determining crippling duration. Assuming that a hero with Regeneration (Very Fast) has a minimum of HT 12 and Luck (it they do not, they should reevaluate their character design), they would be very unlikely to have a lasting crippling injury (much less a permanent one).

Indeed. Nevertheless, it can happen, and if it's got to that point there's a good chance one's Luck is already spent.

[Alden Loveshade]

I appreciate your comments--thanks!

To clarify, I asked about Regeneration in general, but also touched on my personal situation. Mine is not about a GM approving an advantage before character creation and then giving that advantage negative aspects I wasn't told about. Quoting myself:

Originally Posted by Alden Loveshade

I have a super-level PC who Jumps from campaign to campaign, GM to GM, not all of whom treat abilities the same.

I added Switchable +10% from GURPS Powers p. 109 to Regeneration as a precaution in case a GM did interpret a healed but not set broken leg as permanent crippling.

There's also an issue of surgery I probably should have brought up at the beginning, but that might be better for another thread.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Regeneration includes Rapid Healing though, which gives a +5 to HT for determining crippling duration.

Regeneration (Temporary Disadvantage: -8 to HT -80%) on the other hand...

[RedMattis]

Originally Posted by Plane

Regeneration (Temporary Disadvantage: -8 to HT -80%) on the other hand...

Ouch. The player won't have fun at -8 HT instantly after getting injured; it is basically Regeneration (Temporary Disadvantage: instantly faint at 0 hp, die at -hp). If you can toggle it then the Temporary Disadvantage isn't much of a disadvantage and should be worth much less points. Probably -20% since it is safe(-ish) to keep it on as long as you are out of combat. It is... still game mechanically funky though and basically asks the GM to screw over the Player with a random HT roll for food poisoning or something.

If you want regeneration to mess you up I'd prefer to do something like:

Regeneration (Nuisance Effect: Appearance moves towards Monstrous, lowered DX, etc. based on amount healed Requires significant time and some effort to undo, -25%)

Or for a permanent decrease:
Regeneration (Costs Character Points, *0.2) // 1 CP per multiple of your HP healed. Needs to be taken as physical disadvantages such as decreased Appearance.

Not taken straight from any books, but as long as the limitation is about as limiting as something else in that cost-bracket it should be fine. (I usually compare to something RAW like "Accessibility: Only During the Day, -20%")

[AlexanderHowl]

Temporary Disadvantage does not properly allow for Attribute modifiers, that is more the purview of Backlash.

[MIB.6361]

If you apply that concept to other Advantages, the logic starts breaking down.

"Because of your Acute Vision, the flash of light blinds you twice as long."
"Because of your High Pain Threshold, you didn't notice the sword severed your femoral artery."

Which is something you can do descriptively but not mechanically (IMO).
"Because of your Acute Vision, the flash hurts your eyes the most." (but no game mechanic penalty).
"With your HPT, you almost miss the severity of the injury." (But not actual chance that they would actually miss it).
"I push the femur back into my thigh as the flesh mends around it." (Not required, but gives the suggestion that sometimes regen is gross.)

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

I'm an acolyte of John Wick, so, I like a little GM-Muckery. I expect, and invite, it. Have fun, challenge my character.

I'm one of the reasons John likes to talk muckerly about GURPS.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Alden Loveshade

There's also an issue of surgery I probably should have brought up at the beginning, but that might be better for another thread.

Hmm... it would be a good fit for this thread. Is it really that bad to edit it into the opening post (noting it is an edit to explain why no one addresses it for four pages), and let the discussion commence?

Really asking; in short threads it is an issue, but if this one continues, I'd think we'd adapt pretty readily.

Switchable sounds good to me for such situations, as well as "What, I don't have powers!" bluffs. I mean, some methods of detection don't care if a power is actively being used, but the simple "Why did you stab me! Oh, the pain. Is it still bleeding? Get the First-Aid kit!" stunt seems like a good way to distance yourself from the guy who just took a sword to the chest, and only paused because he needed to remove it before his Regeneration tried to turn it into the world's largest body piercing.

Oh, yeah, that might be part of the practical side of things, especially in a more grounded campaign with firearms; removing bullets before they - and any clothing/grime around them - are trapped in healing wounds. I don't know medicine or firearms all that well, but I was under the impression that such a thing can be an issue in real life, with mundane healing.

[Alden Loveshade]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Hmm... it would be a good fit for this thread. Is it really that bad to edit it into the opening post (noting it is an edit to explain why no one addresses it for four pages), and let the discussion commence?

Really asking; in short threads it is an issue, but if this one continues, I'd think we'd adapt pretty readily.

Surgery, sure. I will follow your suggestion, and will add a note about the effects of Regeneration on Surgery to the beginning post as an edit--thanks!

EDIT: I just added it.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Alden Loveshade

EDIT: There's also the question of how would very fast Regeneration affect Surgery? Before the surgeon even finishes making the incision, the first part of the cut has already healed. Even for an extremely fast surgeon, Surgery would essentially be impossible. How would you deal with that?

They would need to plug up the wound as they go, holding it fast and preventing it from healing; once you've got something that works there, Surgery should be doable relatively normally, albeit perhaps at a malus for needing to do the initial cuts quickly so you have time to wedge something in there (although an assistant following along to plug things up would help immensely). Alternatively, they'd need to use something that causes continuous damage. In that case, instead of a spoon, removing arrowheads may involve some sort of handcranked drill with a grabber fed through a hollow center - drill in, grab the arrowhead, and drill out.