Disadvantages - Revision history

Bezel: /* Flaw */

2020-05-18T03:59:13Z

‎Flaw

Bezel: /* Disadvantage Returns */

2020-02-22T01:27:50Z

‎Disadvantage Returns

Bezel at 23:57, 17 February 2020

2020-02-17T23:57:52Z

Sirrus at 23:14, 17 February 2020

2020-02-17T23:14:40Z

Show changes

Reliant at 21:14, 12 October 2019

2019-10-12T21:14:46Z

Bezel: /* Disadvantage Structure */

2019-07-05T22:20:16Z

‎Disadvantage Structure

Bezel: /* Disadvantage Structure */

2019-07-05T22:19:36Z

‎Disadvantage Structure

Reliant: Adjusting Disadvantage policy surrounding Minor Disadvantages.

2019-04-18T18:32:35Z

Adjusting Disadvantage policy surrounding Minor Disadvantages.

Reliant at 05:02, 22 January 2019

2019-01-22T05:02:58Z

Reliant at 05:02, 22 January 2019

2019-01-22T05:02:09Z

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 ==Flaw==
-A Flaw can take just about any form, but all Flaws are expected to be serious, concrete deficienciencies, faults, or weaknesses that could hypothetically be used against your character if someone put in the effort to learn and exploit them.
+A Flaw can take just about any form, but all Flaws are expected to be serious, concrete deficiencies, faults, or weaknesses that could hypothetically be used against your character if someone put in the effort to learn and exploit them.
 A Flaw could be a weakness to silver, a severe phobia of fire, being trusting to the point of gullibility, being strongly pacifistic, having a physical disability, a broad prejudice, a repulsive habit or behavior, an oath to never defeat an enemy through subterfuge or dishonesty, an inability to lie, susceptibility to unusual forms of harm, an overpowering urge to consume blood, a delusion which the character frequently acts upon, etc.

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 A Trouble is mandatory for all characters. A character cannot be approved without one.
 Including a strong Flaw entitles a character to '''4''' additional Pips of Advantages to spend however they please. A second Trouble, in the instance one is approved, counts as well.
-If a character has a second strong Flaw, they may receive a small flavor benefit: the character may choose to receive two Vanity Pips, or increase the pip rating of an Advantage at a Pip rating of 3, to 4 or 5 Pips up to two times; this cannot be used to pay for an Advantage that has a minimum rating of 4 or 5.
+If a character has a second strong Flaw, they may receive a small flavor benefit: the character may choose to receive two Vanity Pips, or increase the rating of an Advantage rated 3 or higher by one, up to two times; this cannot be used to pay for an Advantage that has a minimum rating of 4 or 5.
 Drawbacks have no specific return. They exist purely for fun.
-−
 =Disadvantage Policy and Philosophy=
 Because Disadvantages fundamentally represent the human flaws and associations that embroil them in adventures, create exciting conflicts, and flesh out the situations they find themselves in, as accessible hooks for scene runners and other players to create RP from, there are a couple of types of Disadvantage that are generally unacceptable in character applications, for accomplishing none of these things.

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 ==Disadvantage Returns==
 A Trouble is mandatory for all characters. A character cannot be approved without one.
-Including a strong Flaw entitles a character to 4 additional Pips of Advantages to spend however they please. A second Trouble, in the instance one is approved, counts as well.
+Including a strong Flaw entitles a character to '''4''' additional Pips of Advantages to spend however they please. A second Trouble, in the instance one is approved, counts as well.
 If a character has a second strong Flaw, they may receive a small flavor benefit: the character may choose to receive two Vanity Pips, or increase the pip rating of an Advantage at a Pip rating of 3, to 4 or 5 Pips up to two times; this cannot be used to pay for an Advantage that has a minimum rating of 4 or 5.
 Drawbacks have no specific return. They exist purely for fun.
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 Because Disadvantages fundamentally represent the human flaws and associations that embroil them in adventures, create exciting conflicts, and flesh out the situations they find themselves in, as accessible hooks for scene runners and other players to create RP from, there are a couple of types of Disadvantage that are generally unacceptable in character applications, for accomplishing none of these things.
-==Theme-Specific Disadvantages==
+===Theme-Specific Disadvantages===
 These are Disadvantages that only really apply within a specific setting, or require their player to go far out of the way to bring on themselves. Common examples are being hunted by a character or faction that nobody is playing (or likely will play) from their theme, experiencing a negative reaction to a specific place in their homeworld, or being weak to a kind of Advantage that only someone from their theme would have access to.
-==Non-Flaws==
+===Non-Flaws===
 These are Disadvantages which self-negate, are obviated by other aspects of the character, or which effectively do nothing. These most often happen where weak language allows a character to weasel out of their flaws where it's inconvenient to be fallible, but can also happen when another part of the character essentially makes them impossible to invoke, such as being terrified of fire, but having the ability to shut off emotions, for instance. An example of a Non-Flaw follows:
 Hot-Headed Guy: Hero A is a very hot-headed guy. He gets angry easily and rushes his way into problems constantly. However, if he knows someone is trying to make him get angry, he's smart enough to stop himself from getting baited into making these mistakes. He also listens to his allies when they tell him to calm down or they need him to keep an even head for the mission.
 Normally, this Disadvantage could be a great Trouble, or at least worthy of a Significant place, but the way it's written explicitly excludes someone playing Hero A with his anger, or from his anger inconveniencing a mission. He can effectively back out of any potential consequences caused by losing his temper whenever it would be to his detriment, and that makes it a half-hearted flaw with very poor hook material.
-==Faction Intrinsic Flaws==
+===Faction Intrinsic Flaws===
 There are a narrow variety of Disadvantages that are simply “the downside of being in a particular faction”. Frequently, these are pretty weak on their own anyways, but they can be judged flat out non-flaws in other circumstances. For instance, being an extreme vigilante who is hunted by the law, is not a very strong Disadvantage for a member of the Watch; they are typically signing up for being on the wrong side of the law by default. It's worth noting that blatantly faction intrinsic flaws probably won't be approved even on an unaffiliated character, for the complications presented if they then join the relevant faction.

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 ==Disadvantage Structure==
-In addition to their Advantages, all characters apped on MCM are expected to have a minimum of 2 Disadvantages -- a Trouble, and a Significant Disadvantage. Much like Advantages themselves, Disadvantages are ranked by level of importance to the character’s core concept, as well as their relative severity, into the tiers of Fluff (prev. Minor), Significant, and Trouble. At least one of a character’s 3 Disadvantages must be a Trouble, and at least one must be Significant. So long as they meet those requirements, there is no limit to the number of Disadvantages a character may apply for, aside that the total Disadvantage list needs to fit under 4kb out of buffer concerns. That said, staff ''almost always'' suggests that an applicant keep to one Trouble. Applying for multiple Troubles usually result in a number of Disadvantages that are each individually too weak to be acceptable, and are better off being rolled into a single, strong, comprehensive view of the character's main Disadvantage.
+In addition to their Advantages, all characters apped on MCM are expected to have a minimum of 2 Disadvantages -- a Trouble, and a Significant Disadvantage. Much like Advantages themselves, Disadvantages are ranked by level of importance to the character’s core concept, as well as their relative severity, into the tiers of Fluff (prev. Minor), Significant, and Trouble. At least one of a character’s Disadvantages must be a Trouble, and at least one must be Significant. So long as they meet those requirements, there is no limit to the number of Disadvantages a character may apply for, aside that the total Disadvantage list needs to fit under 4kb out of buffer concerns. That said, staff ''almost always'' suggests that an applicant keep to one Trouble. Applying for multiple Troubles usually result in a number of Disadvantages that are each individually too weak to be acceptable, and are better off being rolled into a single, strong, comprehensive view of the character's main Disadvantage.
 Staff may ask that some Disadvantages be combined to save space, in cases where there are many small Disadvantages with similar effects and motifs, especially in the case of Troubles, where their strength of identity is most important. Disadvantages are otherwise extremely freeform, and so they are something we like seeing personalized to, and made telling of, the character. Without designated Points however, they are also something we advise an applicant put significant thought into, and try to clear the minimum bar as much as possible. Solidly thought out Disadvantages save a great deal of total application processing time.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Disadvantage Structure==
-In addition to their Advantages, all characters apped on MCM are expected to have a minimum of 2 Disadvantages -- a Trouble, and a Significant Disadvantage. Much like Advantages themselves, Disadvantages are ranked by level of importance to the character’s core concept, as well as their relative severity, into the tiers of Fluff (prev. Minor), Significant, and Trouble. At least one of a character’s 3 Disadvantages must be a Trouble, and at least one must be Significant. So long as they meet those requirements, there is no limit to the number of Disadvantages a character may apply for, aside that the total Disadvantage list needs to fit under 4kb out of buffer concerns. That said, staff ''almost always'' suggests that an applicant keep to one Trouble. Multiple Troubles usually result in a number of Disadvantages that are each individually too weak to be acceptable, and better off rolled into a single, strong, comprehensive view of the character's main Disadvantage.
+In addition to their Advantages, all characters apped on MCM are expected to have a minimum of 2 Disadvantages -- a Trouble, and a Significant Disadvantage. Much like Advantages themselves, Disadvantages are ranked by level of importance to the character’s core concept, as well as their relative severity, into the tiers of Fluff (prev. Minor), Significant, and Trouble. At least one of a character’s 3 Disadvantages must be a Trouble, and at least one must be Significant. So long as they meet those requirements, there is no limit to the number of Disadvantages a character may apply for, aside that the total Disadvantage list needs to fit under 4kb out of buffer concerns. That said, staff ''almost always'' suggests that an applicant keep to one Trouble. Applying for multiple Troubles usually result in a number of Disadvantages that are each individually too weak to be acceptable, and are better off being rolled into a single, strong, comprehensive view of the character's main Disadvantage.
 Staff may ask that some Disadvantages be combined to save space, in cases where there are many small Disadvantages with similar effects and motifs, especially in the case of Troubles, where their strength of identity is most important. Disadvantages are otherwise extremely freeform, and so they are something we like seeing personalized to, and made telling of, the character. Without designated Points however, they are also something we advise an applicant put significant thought into, and try to clear the minimum bar as much as possible. Solidly thought out Disadvantages save a great deal of total application processing time.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Disadvantage Structure==
-In addition to their Advantages, all characters apped on MCM are expected to have a minimum of 3 Disadvantages. Much like Advantages themselves, Disadvantages are ranked by level of importance to the character’s core concept, as well as their relative severity, into the tiers of Minor, Significant, and Trouble. At least one of a character’s 3 Disadvantages must be a Trouble, and at least one must be Significant. So long as they meet those requirements, there is no limit to the number of Disadvantages a character may apply for, aside that the total Disadvantage list needs to fit under 4kb out of buffer concerns.
+In addition to their Advantages, all characters apped on MCM are expected to have a minimum of 2 Disadvantages -- a Trouble, and a Significant Disadvantage. Much like Advantages themselves, Disadvantages are ranked by level of importance to the character’s core concept, as well as their relative severity, into the tiers of Fluff (prev. Minor), Significant, and Trouble. At least one of a character’s 3 Disadvantages must be a Trouble, and at least one must be Significant. So long as they meet those requirements, there is no limit to the number of Disadvantages a character may apply for, aside that the total Disadvantage list needs to fit under 4kb out of buffer concerns.
 Staff may ask that some Disadvantages be combined to save space, in cases where there are many small Disadvantages with similar effects and motifs, especially in the case of Troubles, where their strength of identity is most important. Disadvantages are otherwise extremely freeform, and so they are something we like seeing personalized to, and made telling of, the character. Without designated Points however, they are also something we advise an applicant put significant thought into, and try to clear the minimum bar as much as possible. Solidly thought out Disadvantages save a great deal of total application processing time.
-===Minor===
+===Fluff===
-A Minor Disadvantage can be just about anything that inconveniences your character to a reasonable extent. It can be an everyday annoyance, a deficiency that comes up frequently but has low impact, a stronger issue that is very niche and will happen rarely, or a significant weakness that the character strives to mitigate with reasonable effectiveness, though one they can't totally erase. These are usually played for flavour. If a Minor Disadvantage is filling out the character’s third minimum Disadvantage, we like to be a little stronger than normal.
+**Fluff Disadvantages** were previously named Minor Disadvantages, and are pending revision in the MUSH's code systems.
 ===Significant===
@@ Line 85: / Line 87: @@
 ===Vulnerabilities to Specialists===
-Weaknesses and vulnerabilities to certain powers, items, or abilities can often seem like solid Disadvantages at first glance, but turn out to be useless to the overwhelming majority of other characters, and thus become Non-Flaws on the grid. These usually take the form of "banes" that are so specific that they require another character to have a relevant Advantage to have any business employing them, or being at a disadvantage against a certain skill set that would likewise require an Advantage to be competent at. Anything above a Minor Disadvantage cannot be something that requires a corresponding Advantage to interact with, and it does not count towards Disadvantage minimum.
+Weaknesses and vulnerabilities to certain powers, items, or abilities can often seem like solid Disadvantages at first glance, but turn out to be useless to the overwhelming majority of other characters, and thus become Non-Flaws on the grid. These usually take the form of "banes" that are so specific that they require another character to have a relevant Advantage to have any business employing them, or being at a disadvantage against a certain skill set that would likewise require an Advantage to be competent at. Anything above a Fluff Disadvantage cannot be something that requires a corresponding Advantage to interact with, and it does not count towards Disadvantage minimum.
-''e.x. A vampire PC having a weakness to the holy magic derived from True Faith is not an acceptable Non-Minor Disadvantage. A faith caster with the power to smite undead is entitled to use it whenever it makes sense –they've bought the Advantage. The same vampire instead suffering extra damage from consecrated swords and bullets, or JRPG-style Holy blasts, is a fair Disadvantage, for the fact that pretty much any character can acquire access to these if they want to prepare for a vampire, and they can be wielded with their relevant skills in swords, guns, or magic.''
+''e.x. A vampire PC having a weakness to the holy magic derived from True Faith is not an acceptable Non-Fluff Disadvantage. A faith caster with the power to smite undead is entitled to use it whenever it makes sense –they've bought the Advantage. The same vampire instead suffering extra damage from consecrated swords and bullets, or JRPG-style Holy blasts, is a fair Disadvantage, for the fact that pretty much any character can acquire access to these if they want to prepare for a vampire, and they can be wielded with their relevant skills in swords, guns, or magic.''
 ''e.x. A cyborg PC having a Disadvantage to merely represent the possibility of hacking them is likewise unacceptable. A skilled hacker is already presumed to able to hack a cyborg's systems if the paradigm is remotely compatible. It would, in fact, be an abuse of Implicit Limitations to insist that, for example, a cyborg character from Ghost in the Shell, where cyborgs are hacked all the time, can't be hacked by thematically appropriate means all of a sudden, just because they didn't take a “hackable” Disadvantage. In that case, a hacking defense Advantage would be appropriate instead. If that cyborg stepped up their Disadvantage, such that they could be adversely affected by broadcasting or jacking them with a generic computer virus, or perhaps whose security has such gaping holes that just about anyone could gain access with easily acquired equipment, they'd be more likely to pass muster. Think of Ghost in the Shell's thriving black market of hackware that gets sold to untrained mafia thugs and common thieves.''
 ===Outright Crippling Disadvantages===
-Lastly, there are Disadvantages that are so overwhelmingly disabling to the character that it becomes uncomfortable for other players to invoke them, because it would likely result in a very dirty instant win. Having a weak point that instantly defeats you, or having a vulnerable and comatose body somewhere else like in the Matrix, are examples of Disadvantages which technically read as valid flaws, but which will never come up, because very few people will be willing to invoke these kinds of automatically crippling triggers. These may still be used, especially as demanded by an FC's canon, but may only ever be Minor Disadvantages, and do not count towards a three Disadvantage minimum.
+Lastly, there are Disadvantages that are so overwhelmingly disabling to the character that it becomes uncomfortable for other players to invoke them, because it would likely result in a very dirty instant win. Having a weak point that instantly defeats you, or having a vulnerable and comatose body somewhere else like in the Matrix, are examples of Disadvantages which technically read as valid flaws, but which will never come up, because very few people will be willing to invoke these kinds of automatically crippling triggers. These may still be used, especially as demanded by an FC's canon, but may only ever be Fluff Disadvantages, and do not count towards a two Disadvantage minimum.
 ==A Discourse on Heroism and Villainy as Flaws==
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 The character is still limited to a reasonable number of Minor Advantages, but this will rarely be allowed to exceed '''three''' slots.<br>
 The '''Wildcard''' Advantage Point is not accessible. Highly fiddly Advantage Points with high bars of required text (such as '''Improbable Defense''', for example) are discouraged but not disallowed, so long as they are relatively simple examples of their breed.<br>
-The character is obligated to fill out '''only''' a '''Trouble''' for Disadvantages. No further Disadvantages, Significant, Minor or otherwise, should be sent for approval.<br>
+The character is obligated to fill out '''only''' a '''Trouble''' for Disadvantages. No further Disadvantages, Significant, Fluff (Minor) or otherwise, should be sent for approval.<br>
 Submitted Quick Character Applications are something staff places slightly higher priority on processing, and due to being smaller and simpler in scope, are generally processed and approved more quickly, which makes it the preferred format for characters who just don’t need the full sprawl of Advantage space.
-A character approved under the Quick format can, at any later date, obtain the same '''four''' Significant Advantage slots, somewhat '''increased''' Minor Advantage slots, and access to the '''Wildcard''' Advantage Point, as well as more technical examples of other Advantage Points, afforded to regular character applications, by submitting an [http://multiversemush.com/mw/index.php?title=Upgrade_Application| upgrade application] which fills out the minimum three Disadvantages a normal character application requires. If the player anticipates their character will be upgrading into further Advantages in the near future, they should send in a full character application rather than the Quick format and a following upgrade shortly thereafter. Otherwise, this can be done at any time, so there are no lasting restrictions on a character approved under the Quick format.
+A character approved under the Quick format can, at any later date, obtain the same '''four''' Significant Advantage slots, somewhat '''increased''' Minor Advantage slots, and access to the '''Wildcard''' Advantage Point, as well as more technical examples of other Advantage Points, afforded to regular character applications, by submitting an [http://multiversemush.com/mw/index.php?title=Upgrade_Application| upgrade application] which fills out the minimum two Disadvantages a normal character application requires. If the player anticipates their character will be upgrading into further Advantages in the near future, they should send in a full character application rather than the Quick format and a following upgrade shortly thereafter. Otherwise, this can be done at any time, so there are no lasting restrictions on a character approved under the Quick format.
 To submit a Quick Character Application, simply submit the existing character application and re-title it from '''Character Application - Name - Faction''' to '''Quick Character - Name - Faction'''. Staff will process it under these adjusted parameters.

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 e.x. Desus from Exalted, even outside of the Great Curse, is a delusional, manipulative, sociopathic egomaniac. Completely sure of his rightness and righteousness and deservedness by his divine authority of rule, he acts completely in his own self-interest without a second thought, blanket assuming that his actions are automatically justified by being one of the Solar Exalted, or more often not even stopping to consider them in the first place. He takes his ego and his presentation incredibly seriously, and often acts in disproportionate wrath and vengeance when he feels disrespected or slighted, even when it is so little as someone refusing to comply with his unreasonable demands. He is also exceptionally ambitious, and even greedy at times, and prone to taking whatever he wants by force if it isn’t given freely. As a skilled manipulator and master liar, he doesn’t hesitate at all to deceive others and play them against each other, either to his benefit or for his amusement. He is unhealthily possessive of people who show a liking to him, wanting desperately to maintain their praise and loyalty and devotion, but these desires war with his need to act out in the way he does, and the best middleground he can find is leading a double life psychologically exploiting them, undermining their confidence, cutting them off from others, and even gaslighting them out of beliefs that he does wrong, up to and including abusing his magic to maintain his deceptions and even his wife’s obedience.
 ==Complex Personalities and Character Arcs==
@@ Line 69: / Line 66: @@
 +request/faction Anakin Trouble Drift=Hey, heads up. Anakin’s frustration with the Jedi reached a tipping point recently, and Palpatine is playing on his fear of losing Padme, offering to teach him the Dark Side of the Force. We’ve discussed it, and I think it’d be cool to follow through on, but I think going over to the Dark Side is going to be a huge character shift for Anakin. Growing out of the need to be recognized and becoming independent though fully utilizing the Force is going to be a big change to his Trouble, so I’ll probably be changing it once Palpatine’s TP is over.
 ==Disadvantage Policy and Philosophy==