Hindrance (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Hindrances are handicaps. They do not directly affect your role or personality, tough they can certainly affect how you are able to express yourself.

Addiction

You are physically addicted to some substance - usually a drug or medicine. When you don't get your fix, you become Glitchy and get a Short Fuse. You are willing to go to almost any length to avoid this. Snakeyes rolls always fail for you - either because of your craving for your addiction, or because of the stupor of that which addicts you.

Amnesia

You do not remember your past. While you can recall simple facts, the associations and personal memories are not there. Your past is blank, and your motivations uncertain. You will begin building a new persona, relationships and so on during play. Of course, your past is not dead, and now and then it will pop up and cause you trouble.

This usually means you have a dangerous and exiting past, perhaps as an enemy of your current cause, perhaps as an important hero or champion that was defeated. You might have been a very powerful character but have lost some of your abilities along with your memories, only slowly "rediscovering" them as you spend experience. It can be used to reintroduce an old favorite character with the GMs permission - you play your character from a previous game who somehow blundered into this story, but cannot remember anything of the old one and who might have forgotten a whole slew of abilities.

Blind

Your sight is heavily impaired, to the point of blindness or near-blindness. Of course, this being Action, you are not helpless in a fight - you have developed means to compensate. However, you still cannot discern images, read text, or "see" things other than rough shapes. Anything beyond your Mind in meters away from you is "out of sight" for you. Snakeyes rolls on actions where your lack of sight could impede you always fail.

Someone blinded and who has not had time to adjust to his condition cannot move along with a Basic Action, and only moves his normal Move with a Full Move action. Similar to the Static weapon disadvantage.

Branded

You carry distinctive marks on your face and body; tattoos, branding, or the brand names of your cyberware. Some people have looks distinctive enough to qualify as branding. This makes you easy to identify and describe, and gives people a +5 bonus on any checks to recognize who you are, remember things about you, or do research on you.

Deaf

You are deaf or very hard of hearing. You cannot hear what people say, but you are a reasonably good lip reader and can read a lot from posture - not enough to carry on a normal conversation but enough that you do not need to have everything constantly explained to you. You are fluent in sign language. In situations where hearing is important, you can't use the Perception element of your skills and have to rely on raw Mind.

If hearing is critical to as task, you automatically fail. Snakeyes rolls on actions where your lack of hearing could possibly impede you always fail.

Dumb

You cannot (or absolutely will not) speak. You can emote and write, but not form words. For stunts that rely on language, you have to use your Mind instead of your Charm and Impress skills; if speaking is critical the task automatically fails.

At double the points, you are also unable to write.

Dumb and Incommunicado are incompatible as limitations.

Elderly

You are old, for all the drama and cheap laughs it's worth. You have a poor short-term memory, tending to forget where you put your glasses (and other gear). You tire easily under physical stress, though your physique might otherwise be excellent. You look old, and are no longer as sexy as you once were - tough you can still be dignified. Actions that are penalized by this limitations are Stymied.

Glass Jaw

Anyone damaging you with a knuckle sandwich will knock you out cold. This applies only to basic punches, not fancy Fu moves.

It is possible to have variants of this limitation with other, similar weaknesses. These are generally damage types, for example Fire or Electricity.

Glitchy

Your suffer from glitches and unnecessary setbacks. Your abilities rarely fail outright, but plenty of annoyances makes your life difficult.

This may not put you in direct danger, but it makes your life a living hell. Usually it is just a sort of comic annoyance, but it truly acts up on a Snakeyes result, causing whatever action you were attempting to fail and any power or tool you were using to become unavailable until fixed - generally a Basic Action and a difficulty 12 skill roll.

Kid

You look very young, early teen or preteen. You are small, and might have a difficult time using adult gear. You will not be admitted to nightclubs, bars or other places "unsuitable" for kids. Your Body must be lower than the lower norm of your race (Body 4 or less for a human). Any contacts checks against adults are Stymied.

Lame

Your movement is impaired; you might be using crutches or a wheelchair. Your Move can be lower than the norm for your Race and you cannot take a Full Move action. Snake eyes rolls on any action where you moved as a part of the action makes the action and movement fail.

Ugly

You got your face smashed by the ugly stick. People shy away from you on the streets, and their initial reaction to you is often negative. You can't get causal sex except by paying for it. Snake eyes rolls on social checks cause a fumble - your appearance somwhow made the interaction impossible.