Limitations

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Notes

See Also: Power Modifiers

You can apply limitations to almost any trait (although as with enhancements, skills are normally off-limits). When you apply a limitation to a disadvantage, you reduce its value as a disadvantage; e.g., a -10% limitation on a -25-point disadvantage would make it a -22.5-point trait, which rounds to -22 points. Limited disadvantages are worth fewer points because they affect you under more restricted circumstances.

Remember that no matter how many limitations you take, you cannot reduce the cost of a trait by more than 80%. That is, when totaling modifiers, treat net modifiers below -80% as -80%.

The GM should take at least a cursory look at every limitation-laden ability. See Cautions. ( symbols are not yet added onto this page.)

Optional Rule: Limited Enhancements

If the GM allows, you can add a limitation to an enhancement. This restricts the enhancement, reducing its value as an enhancement without directly affecting the underlying ability.

Apply the limitation to the percentage value of the enhancement exactly as if it were a point value. This cannot reduce the value of the enhancement below 1/5 normal. Then apply the cheaper enhancement to the cost of the ability.

Example: Your Selective Area (+20%) enhancement has the Vision-Based (-20%) limitation. You don't need eye contact to make the attack work, but you must make eye contact with someone in your area of effect in order to single him out. A -20% limitation on a +20% enhancement reduces the net enhancement to +16%.

A few limitations require a specific enhancement. For instance, Emanation always accompanies Area Effect. Such limitations affect the underlying ability. You cannot use this rule to apply them to just the enhancement.

The GM may choose not to use this option, as it requires extra bookkeeping.

Accessibility

Variable

Accessibility is a catchall limitation you can use to cover any restriction not specifically defined elsewhere. Accessibility limitations fall into two broad categories: those that limit the targets your ability can affect and those that limit the situations in which it works.

If your ability can only affect certain targets, the limitation depends on how common the target group is. "Only on women," "Only on men," or anything else that covers about half of the population is worth -20%. "Only on Electrical" or "Only on machines" is worth -20% in a technological setting. "Only on sea creatures" is worth -30% – unless the campaign is set on a world mostly covered with water, in which case it isn't worth more than -10%. "Only on aliens" is worth -30% or -40%, depending on the world. "Only on psis" is worth -50% in most settings. "Not on redheads" is identical to "On everyone but redheads," and is worth -10%.

The same yardstick applies to limitations based on the situation. "Only at day" or "Only at night" is worth -20%. "Only in direct sunlight" is worth -30%. "Only in water" is worth -30% on Earth – but more on a desert planet and less on an ocean world. "Only during full moon" or "Only during new moon" is worth -40%. And "Useless under stress" is a whopping -60%, since it makes the ability worthless in most adventuring situations!

You can also link situational Accessibility to your actions. The more unusual, difficult, or obnoxious the required action is, the greater the limitation value. Some examples: Only in altered body form (Invisible, Insubstantial, etc.): -10%. Only while playing trumpet: -20%. Only while flying, Only while swimming, Only in hypnotic trance: -30%. Only by one side of split personality: -40%.

In all cases, if the ability is only weakened (half power) instead of becoming useless, halve the value of the limitation.

The GM shouldn't allow meaningless Accessibility limitations. For instance, buying a helpful ability with the limitation "Only on friends" gives no cost break. Buying it with "Only on enemies" would be interesting, though! Likewise, the GM should reject any proposed limitation that is already implicit in the ability. For instance, "Only while flying" is not an acceptable limitation for Enhanced Move (Air).

Always On

Variable

You cannot switch your advantage off. You may only add this to an ability that can normally be switched off and that is inconvenient if you can't turn it off. It is worth -10% if the effects are social or cosmetic, -20% if they are physically inconvenient, and -40% if they are dangerous (to you!).

Always On appears as a "special limitation" for most of the traits to which it would apply. The GM can add new costs as appropriate for other abilities.

Armor Divisor

Variable

Your attack can pierce less armor than its base damage would indicate. "Divisor" is the factor by which you divide. "DR Multiplier" is an equivalent calculation – multiply your opponent's DR by this number.

Divisor	DR	Multiplier Modifier
(0.5)	2	-30%
(0.2)	5	-50%
(0.1)	10	-70%

In addition, if you have any level of this limitation, targets that have DR 0 (e.g., bare flesh) get DR 1 against your attack.

Only Innate Attacks and Afflictions can have this limitation. Armor Divisor is a "penetration modifier"; you cannot combine it with other pen- etration modifiers, such as [[Contact Agent]] and Follow-Up.

Blood Agent

-40%

Your attack must reach a mucous membrane (eyes, open mouth, nose, etc.) or an open wound to have any effect at all. DR always stops it. This limitation is intended for Afflictions, and for Innate Attacks that inflict fatigue or toxic damage. It is especially appropriate for poisonous spit or spray. In conjunction with Aura, it can also represent an attack that is delivered via intimate physical contact.

Exception: If the attack also has Area Effect or Cone, Blood Agent works as described above and also when inhaled (like Respiratory Agent). This lets it ignore all DR. Only targets with the Sealed advantage – or with one of Doesn't Breathe or Filter Lungs and one of Nictitating Membrane or Protected Vision – are immune. This powerful ability converts Blood Agent into a +100% enhancement when combined with Area Effect or Cone!

This is a "penetration modifier"; you cannot combine it with other penetration modifiers, such as Follow-Up.

Bombardment

Variable

Contact Agent

-30%

Costs Fatigue

Variable

Your ability costs FP to use. This is worth -5% per FP per use. What constitutes a "use" depends on the underlying trait.

For abilities that produce instantaneous effects (e.g., Innate Attack), you must pay this FP cost every time you trigger the ability.

For advantages that produce continuing effects (e.g., Flight), you must pay this FP cost to activate the ability for one minute. However, once you have paid this initial cost, you need only pay half as many FP (round up) per minute to keep the ability active. If an advantage that produces continuing effects only lasts one second, and you must pay the cost to maintain it every second, this doubles the value of the limitation to -10% per FP.

Damage Limitations

Variable

You may add the following limitations to an Innate Attack:

No Blunt Trauma (nbt)

-20%

An attack that inflicts crushing, cutting, impaling, or piercing damage normally inflicts blunt trauma. Add this limitation if it does not.

No Knockback (nkb)

-10%

An attack that inflicts crushing or cutting damage normally inflicts knockback. Add this limitation if it does not.

No Wounding (nw)

-50%

The attack inflicts basic damage, and may cause knockback and blunt trauma, but its penetrating damage has no wounding effect (HP or FP loss). Apply this limitation to a crushing attack to represent effects such as a mighty gust of wind or jet of water. Use it with impaling, piercing, or cutting attacks that are carriers for Afflictions or Innate Attacks (usually those that inflict fatigue or toxic dam- age) with the Follow-Up modifier; this represents small poison darts, stings, etc. that can slip through armor without inflicting grievous wounds.

Dissipation

-50%

You may only take this limitation in conjunction with Area Effect or Cone. The further the victim is from the center of the area or the apex of the cone, the less effective your attack is. See Area and Spreading Attacks for details.

Emanation

-20%

You may only take this limitation in conjunction with Area Effect. It means the effect has no range or Accuracy, but radiates from your body (without affecting you, if the effect is a bad one). This is incompatible with Melee Attack and ranged attack modifiers.

Emergencies Only

-30%

Your ability is triggered by your fear or excitement; you cannot use it under "routine" conditions. The GM is the final arbiter. He may rule that multiple successive failures of your power make you angry enough that it begins to work, but this is entirely up to him.

Full Power in Emergencies Only: If your ability works at half power under normal conditions, but at full power under stress, this limitation is not worth as much. For traits that come in levels, "half power" means half as many levels. The GM must decide what this means for other traits (half range, duration, bonuses, etc.). -20%.

Inaccurate 6 -5%/level Your attack benefits little from careful aiming. Most attacks start with Accuracy (Acc) 3. Each -1 to Acc is a -5% limitation. You may not reduce Acc below 0.

Extra Recoil

-10% per +1 Recoil

By default, a ranged attack has Recoil 1, making it virtually recoilless. You may give an attack with Rapid Fire a higher Recoil (Rcl) as a limitation.

Recoil (Rcl)	Modifier
2	-10%
3	-20%
4	-30%
5+	-40%

Inaccurate

-5%/level

Your attack benefits little from careful aiming. Most attacks start with [[Accuracy[[ (Acc) 3. Each -1 to Acc is a -5% limitation. You may not reduce Acc below 0.

Limited Use

Variable

You can use your ability only a limited number of times in a 24-hour period. For most advantages, each "use" is 1 minute of activation. For an attack, each "use" gives shots equal to your RoF, with a minimum one shot per use; for instance, three uses of an attack with RoF 2 would give six shots. The value depends on the number of uses you get.

Uses Per Day	Modifier
1	-40%
2	-30%
3-4	-20%
5-10	-10%

More than 10 uses per day is not a significant limitation.

Two special options are available for attacks (and optionally, other abilities) that have this enhancement:

Fast Reload: You can replace all your uses in 3 to 5 seconds simply by replenishing ammunition. The GM determines the weight and cost of the ammunition. This halves the value of the limitation; e.g., three or four uses would be worth only -10%.

Slow Reload: As above, except if you have two or more shots (not uses!) you must reload each shot individually (taking 3 or more seconds per shot). If you have only one shot, it must take at least 6 seconds to reload – possibly longer, if using this limitation to represent a very slow-firing weapon such as a flintlock. This makes the limitation worth 5% less than usual; e.g., three or four uses would be worth only -15%.

Melee Attack

Variable

Your attack functions as a melee weapon. It has no range, but allows you to parry, use Rapid Strike, Feint, etc. It lacks Malf., 1/2D, Max, Acc, RoF, Shots, and Recoil statistics, and may not have any enhancement or limitation that modifies these statistics. Instead, it has a Reach statistic.

Reach	Modifier
C	-30%
1 or 2	-25%
C, 1, or 1, 2, or 2, 3	-20%
1-4 (like a whip)	-15%

If your attack cannot parry, it is worth an extra -5%.

Mitigator

Variable

You may only apply this limitation to a disadvantage. A particular item or substance – the mitigator – temporarily negates your disadvantage. The more effective the mitigator, the fewer points you get for the disadvantage.

Use the following guidelines:

Mitigator is vulnerable, and easily stolen, broken, or misplaced (e.g., a pair of glasses). -60%.

Mitigator is a drug or other treatment that you must take daily. -60%.

Mitigator is a weekly treatment. -65%.

Mitigator is a monthly treatment. -70%.

This assumes your treatments are available at pharmacies. If you require a special (and possibly expensive) prescription, add +5% to the values above; e.g., -70% becomes -65%. If you can only get your treatments from one specific source, such as an experimental drug program, add +10%; e.g., -70% becomes -60%.

Example 1: Bad Sight is worth -25 points. Glasses cure Bad Sight while worn, but are breakable, for a -60% Mitigator limitation. This reduces Bad Sight to -10 points.

Example 2: Jan has AIDS, and would die in a month without treatment. This level of Terminally Ill is normally worth -100 points. Fortunately, Jan is on an experimental drug plan that is holding him in remission. The treatments are weekly (-65%) but impossible to find outside his program (+10%), for a -55% Mitigator limitation. This reduces Terminally Ill to -45 points. As long as Jan stays with the program, his countdown to death is halted. (NOTE: Author confuses HIV medication and AIDS.)

Nuisance Effect

Variable

Your ability has a "side effect" that causes you serious inconvenience. The GM must approve this limitation and determine its value in each case, and should ruthlessly forbid effects that are abusive or that do not genuinely limit the ability's value. A few guidelines (a given trait can have more than one of these drawbacks):

• Your ability earns a reaction penalty from those around you. Perhaps it makes you look disgusting, or requires you to perform some sort of distressing ritual. -5% per -1 to reactions (maximum -4).
• Your ability makes you obvious, limiting stealth and attracting enemies. -5%.
• Your ability physically inconveniences you – it attracts stinging insects, causes your armor to rust, makes you ravenously hungry, etc. -5%.

You cannot take a valuable power as a Nuisance Effect. For instance, "Kills everyone within a mile" is not an acceptable Nuisance Effect!

Neither can you claim a limitation for a harmless nuisance. If your Terror advantage attracts gerbils instead of frightening them, this is amusing but not a limitation.

Onset

Variable

You must “stack” this limitation with one of Blood Agent, Contact Agent]], Follow-Up, Malediction, or Respiratory Agent. It delays the damage or affliction caused by the attack until some time after exposure. The delay determines the value of the limitation.

Delay	Modifier
1 minute	-10%
1 hour	-20%
1 day	-30%
1 week (or more)	-40%

Delays that fall between two values use the smaller limitation; e.g., 30 minutes is -10%. If you can control the onset time, take Delay instead.

A variant limitation is Exposure Time, which is only available for attacks with Aura or Persistent. Use it to represent radioactivity, mildly toxic gases, etc. It works just like Onset, except that the victim must be exposed for the entire period to suffer the effect (or repeat it, if you continue exposure). This is worth an extra -20%; e.g., 1 minute is -30%.

Pact

Variable

A Higher Power – god, spirit, etc. – grants your ability under the condition that you follow a strict moral code. This code must take the form of one or more of the traits listed under Self-Imposed Mental Disadvantages. These disadvantages give you the usual number of points. Should you ever stray from the path, your ability immediately ceases to function until you repent. The limitation value is numerically equivalent to the point cost of the required disadvantages; e.g., a -10-point Vow gives a -10% Pact limitation.

Preparation Required

Variable

Your ability requires special preparation before you can use it. Perhaps you have to meditate first, or perform some ritual to focus concentration. This limitation is particularly appropriate for supernatural traits such as Channeling and Medium.

You cannot use an unprepared ability. To prepare, take the Concentrate maneuver for the required amount of time. You need not specify how you plan to use your ability while you are preparing it, but you must specify which ability you are preparing if you have more than one trait with this limitation.

You can use a prepared ability normally – either immediately or at a later time. However, you can only have one advantage with this limitation prepared at a time, and it becomes unprepared immediately after use, regardless of success or failure (but if your ability has continuing effects, you can maintain them once activated).

The value of this limitation depends on the time required to prepare the ability.

Preparation Time	Modifier
1 minute	-20%
10 minutes	-30%
1 hour	-50%
8 hours	-60%

Weakened Without Preparation: Your ability works if you do not prepare it beforehand, but at half duration, range, effect, etc. This does not make sense for all advantages (GM's decision as to when it does). Weakened Without Preparation is worth exactly half as much as listed above.

Reduced Range

-10%/level

You may add this limitation to any advantage that has a range; e.g., Innate Attack or Scanning Sense. It comes in three levels, depending on the range divisor

Range Divisor	Modifier
2	-10%
5	-20%
10	-30%

If applied to a ranged attack that has a 1/2D range, each level reduces both 1/2D and Max. You may reduce 1/2D only at half value (that is, "Reduced 1/2D" is -5%/level). You may not reduce Max independently.

Resistible

Variable

This limitation is only available for Innate Attacks that inflict fatigue or toxic damage. You must combine it with one of Blood Agent, Contact Agent, [[Follow-Up, Respiratory Agent, or Sense-Based. It represents poison, disease, or a similar effect that a sufficiently healthy victim can resist or "shrug off".

The victim gets a HT roll to avoid the effect. A resistance roll against HT-5 is worth -5%. Each +1 to the roll is a worth another -5% (e.g., HT-4 is -10%, and HT+4 is -50%).

If the attack is also Cyclic, the victim rolls before each cycle (including the first). Success means the attack ends without further injury; failure means the target takes damage normally and the attack continues.

Sense-Based

Variable

On an attack with [[Malediction or an ability that normally ignores DR (e.g., Mind Control), this is a limitation. See the Sense-Based enhancement for details.

Takes Extra Time

-10%/level

Takes Recharge

Variable

Telepathic

-10%

The ability is a psi ability within the Telepathy power. Anything that blocks Telepathy will block it – in particular Mind Shield – but it can benefit from Telepathy Talent.

Temporary Disadvantage

Variable

Trigger

Variable

Unconscious Only

-20%

Uncontrollable

-10% or -30%

Unreliable

Variable

Untrainable

-40%

Gadget Limitations

Breakable

Variable

Can Be Stolen

Variable

Unique

-25%