Why Disadvantages

“Why would I want to give my character Disadvantages?”

There are two excellent reasons:

Each disadvantage has a negative cost in character points. Thus, disadvantages give you extra character points, which let you improve your character in other ways. But note that disadvantages limit you in proportion to their cost. Be sure to read the disadvantage description in full to know what you are getting into!
An imperfection or two makes your character more interesting and realistic, and adds to the fun/ease of roleplaying!

Disadvantages for Heroes
Two kinds of disadvantages are particularly suitable for heroic PCs. Roleplayed well, they might limit the character’s choices, but they should make the player’s experience more fun.

“Good” Disadvantages
It might seem strange that virtues such as Truthfulness (M) and Sense of Duty (M) are listed as “disadvantages.” In the real world, we regard such traits as advantages! Their disadvantage value in GURPS comes from the fact that these virtues limit your freedom of action. For instance, someone with Truthfulness will have trouble lying, even for a good cause; therefore, within the framework of the game, he has a disadvantage. This has one very worthwhile benefit: if you want to create a wholly heroic character, you don’t have to take any “character flaws” at all. You can get points by choosing only those disadvantages that are actually virtuous!

Tragic Flaws
Many of the greatest heroes of history and literature had a “tragic flaw.” Alcoholism (P), Appearance, Bad Temper (P), Compulsive Behavior (M), and even drug Addiction (MP) – all are found in the heroes of fact and fiction. So don’t assume that your heroes have to be perfect . . . try giving them significant problems to overcome.

Secret Disadvantages
You may give your character a disadvantage unknown both to him and to you. Choose a point value and tell the GM. The GM will select a disadvantage and give you its value plus an additional -5 points (e.g., Unluckiness (M), normally worth -10 points, gives -15 points as a secret disadvantage) . . . but he will not give you any hints as to what it is! When your disadvantage finally becomes obvious in the course of play (GM’s decision), you must buy off the extra -5 points as soon as possible.

The GM must pick a secret disadvantage carefully. It should be something that you could believably not know about. If it is a mental disadvantage, the conditions that trigger it should never have arisen (Berserk (M), Bloodlust (M), Combat Paralysis (P), the less-common Phobias (M), and Split Personality (M) all work well here). Most physical disadvantages are too obvious – although something like Hemophilia (P) might go unnoticed.

You can only list one secret disadvantage on your character sheet, but this might represent more than one trait. The GM is free to select multiple, related disadvantages worth the appropriate number of points.

“BUYING OFF” DISADVANTAGES
You may use bonus points to “buy off” many disadvantages – whether you started with them or acquired them in play. This costs as many points as the disadvantage originally gave you. If the GM permits, you may buy off leveled disadvantages one level at a time. Likewise, you can buy off those with self-control numbers gradually, by raising the self-control number. In both cases, the point cost is the difference between your former level and your current one. For more on buying off disadvantages, see Chapter 9.

Self-Control Rolls

Many mental disadvantages do not affect you constantly – you may attempt to control your urges. An asterisk (*) appears next to the point cost of any disadvantage that offers a chance to resist. For each disadvantage like this, you must choose a self-control number: the number you must roll on 3d to avoid giving in. If you roll less than or equal to this number, you resist your disadvantage – this time. Otherwise, you suffer the listed effects.
This modifies point value as follows:

Frequency of Resistance	Roll Range	Cost Multiplier
Quite Rarely	Roll of 6 or less	2 x listed cost
Fairly Often	Roll of 9 or less	1.5 x listed cost
Quite Often	Roll of 12 or less	Listed cost
Almost All the Time	Roll of 15 or less	0.5 x listed cost
Drop all fractions (e.g., -22.5 points becomes -22 points).

The “default” self-control number is 12: you must roll 12 or less on 3d to avoid giving in to your problem. This lets you use disadvantage costs as written. Choose a self-control number of 15 if you wish to have a tendency toward a disadvantage instead of a full-blown case. A self-control number of 9 will regularly limit your options. A self-control number of 6 can be crippling (especially with genuine psychiatric problems).

Note your self-control number in parentheses after the name of the disadvantage on your character sheet. For instance, if you can resist Berserk on a roll of 9 or less, write this as “Berserk (9).”****

Like all success rolls, self-control rolls are subject to modifiers. Exceptionally mild or severe stimuli can give bonuses or penalties. Drugs and afflictions can make you more or less likely to give in. Other disadvantages can make you irritable, reducing your odds of resisting. See the disadvantage descriptions for details.

Example: Your self-control number is 15, but you are in a highly stressful situation that gives -5 to your self-control roll. You must roll 10 or less to resist your disadvantage.

You never have to try a self-control roll – you can always give in willingly, and it is good roleplaying to do so. However, there will be times when you really need to resist your urges, and that is what the roll is for. Be aware that if you attempt self-control rolls too often, the GM may penalize you for bad roleplaying by awarding you fewer earned points.

Optionally, the GM may permit you to use one unspent character point to “buy” an automatic success on a self-control roll. Points spent this way are gone for good, but there will be times when staying on the straight and narrow is worth the sacrifice. In this case, the GM should not penalize you for bad roleplaying, because you are penalizing yourself!

Note that high Will helps you make Fright Checks and resist supernatural emotion control, but it does not improve self-control rolls – not even for disadvantages with effects identical to these things. Mental disadvantages represent an aspect of your personality that you cannot simply will (or reason) away. This is part of what makes them disadvantages!