Re: Re: alternative wounding rules

From: Mike Holmes <homeydont_at_...>
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 10:48:25 -0600


>From: "Roderick and Ellen Robertson" <rjremr_at_...>
>
>Considering the effect that new hand has on Dad later (on the Death Star
>II), it can even be considered somewhat of a benefit. I wouldn't really
>consider it a flaw at all, except for the 10 or 15 minutes of screen time
>before he gets to the hospital ship (some of which is being taken care of
>by
>Leia - too bad she's A) in love with that scruffy nerf-herder Han and B)
>his
>sister...). The Hospital ship is the equivalent of Major Magical Healing or
>even Secret-level Healing.

I knew you'd come back with that the moment after I posted it. I was thinking the same thing.

A quick tangent on flaws. The term "flaw" to me funcitonally means "Ability that has enough potential for the GM to use it against the PC that he allows the character to have it permenantly for free". Meaning that they are no different functionally than any other Ability in that all Abilities can be used positively or negatively depending on situation. This took a while for me to work out mentally when reading the rules. Again, as I read it now, the only difference between a Flaw and any other Ability is that Flaws are something that the GM feels have so much potential to add to conflict against the character that he allows them to be added for free at whatever level he and the player decide is sensible, and despite the fact that they may also be used positively in many cases. Players take them not only to choose what sort of trouble that they're likely to get into, but also because they can use them positively. Like the wound example above, where they can be used to garner sympathy, etc. This is such a cool concept that I can't even explain my delight in how it works. It's not stated that adding Flaws can happen during play (or is it?), but I can't see not allowing it when appropriate.

In this case, Luke's missing hand, what we'd have is a wound. Like all non-cemented Abilities, it will fade with time somehow. That is, I would have objected to making it a less than Complete Victory result if the world were one in which this sort of thing gets fixes all the time. Or perhaps we could have negotiated it as a Flaw - that is made it permenant for free. What this implies is that, if everyone agrees, such Abilities can be made permenant at no cost to the player at any time as long as they're "double edged" enough for everyone's satisfaction.

In the case of the SW story, however, what I see happening instead, is the player using the flaw and the building rules to build a cybernetic hand Ability (after which the old Ability is eliminated). This, then, is what Luke uses to help himself resist the dark side when he cuts off his father's cybernetic hand.

That's too cool.

Mike



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