GURPS - Compendium 1..

Reprogrammable Duty
-25 points
You can be programmed to obey a particular master. This is a
form of all-the-time Involuntary Duty (p. 77), except that someone
can reprogram you to change your master. It is only appropriate
for golems, mindless undead, robots and other automatons.
If you have a Slave Mentality, you must obey your master slavishly,
remaining strictly within the letter of any commands you are
given. If you do not have a Slave Mentality, you may interpret his
orders creatively, as long as you remain within either their letter or
spirit (your choice). If you aren't sentient, you will have no interest in
doing anything other than your programmed duty!
A Reprogrammable Duty may be taken in addition to a Duty to
some organization or the like. You could have a responsibility to
one person or organization, but be reprogrammed to serve
another, for instance, creating a possible clash of loyalties. In
such cases, the programmed duty has precedence, but you
should try to fulfil other duties as best you can.
Self-Destruct
-20 points
As soon as you reach your aging threshold (age 50 for a normal
human), your organs and immune system begin to fail. You starts
to age rapidly, making aging rolls every day at -3 to HT.
Terminally Ill characters may not take this disadvantage!
Semi-Upright
-5 points
You have a semi-upright posture, like a chimp or perhaps a
bear. You can stand up more-or-less comfortably, allowing you to
use your forelimbs to bash enemies, hold babies or even
manipulate objects. You can manage a clumsy gait while
upright (-2 to Move), but you must use all of your limbs to trot or
run. If you have DX 12 or more, you can carry a small object or
two when walking.
Sessile
-50 points
This is worth more than the Legless disadvantage on p. B29
simply because you are truly rooted in place; you do not have
the option of using a wheelchair or other moving platform.
You can't move under your own power. You can be moved
(although this might require major excavations), and you can
have manipulators, but your base is anchored where you sit.
Shadow Form
-20 points
See p. 65 under Racial and Super Advantages. If you cannot
turn this ability off, it is a disadvantage.
Short Arms
-10 points
Short arms have reach C (close combat only), and don't have
the leverage to use any weapon which must be swung. If all of a
character's arms are short, he is also at -2 on any attempt to
grapple. If a two-armed being has two short arms, then this is a -
10-point disadvantage.
Short Lifespan
-10 points/level
This disadvantage also appeared under the name
"Accelerated Aging" in earlier GURPS supplements.
Your lifespan is significantly shorter than the human norm.
Each level decreases your lifespan by 1/4, rounded down, and
multiple levels are applied successively, rounding down at each
stage. This affects the age at which you reach maturity, the age at
which aging rolls begin, the ages at which aging rolls increase in
frequency and the interval between aging rolls. This disadvantage is
often found in conjunction with Self-Destruct (above).
Level Maturit Age [Frequency of Aging Rolls]
0 y 18 y 50 y [ly] 70 y [6 m] 90 y [3 m]
1 13 y 37 y [9 m] 52 y [4 m] 67 y [2 m]
2 9y 27 y [6 m] 39 y [3 m] 50 y [1m]
3 6 y 20 y [4 m] 29 y [2 m] 37 y [22 d]
4 4 y 15 y [3 m] 21 y [1 m] 27y [16d]
5 3y 11 y [2 m] 15 y [22 d] 20y [12d]
6 2y 8 y [1 m] 11y [16d] 15 y [9 d]
7 1 y 6 y [22 d] 8y [12 d] 11 y [6 d]
Shrinking
Variable
See p. 65 under Racial and Super Advantages. If you are permanently
shrunk, it is a disadvantage.
Sleepy
Variable
This is a racial disadvantage; individual characters should
use the Extra Sleep disadvantage (p. 81).
Members of the race need more sleep than average (humanity,
taken here as average, sleeps 33% of the day). The more time
they must spend asleep, the greater the value of the disadvantage:
50% of the time: -10 points
66% of the time: -20 points
75% of the time: -25 points
90% of the time: -35 points
Note that the race's precise schedule is a "special effect." For
instance, a species might be awake and active for three days and
then sleep for nine days. This could also be used to represent
hibernation. For instance, if a race is awake and active on a basically
human schedule for six months, and then hibernates for two
months straight, then on the average it is asleep half the time.
Slow Eater
-10 points
You spend a lot of your time eating. Each meal takes about two
hours, as opposed to about 1/2 hour for most humans. This reduces
time available for study, long tasks and travel on foot by 50%.
Slow Healing
-5 points/level
This disadvantage was worth - 10 points/level in earlier
GURPS supplements. The cost has been changed to bring it into
line with the Unhealing disadvantage (p. 106).
Your body heals-very slowly on its own. With one level, you
get a HT roll to regain lost HT every two days. Each additional
level increases the time between rolls by one day. When under
the care of a competent physician (see p. B128), each level also
increases the time allowed between the healer's Physician rolls
by one base increment (the base increment is one week for a
TL3 campaign, a day at TL7).
Slow Metabolism
-10 points/level
A disadvantageous form of Extended Lifespan. Each level
increases lifespan by a factor of 10, but reaction time and cognition
times are slowed down by the same factor. It is difficult and
frustrating to communicate with a someone who has one level
of this disadvantage. Some magical or psionic enhancement
would be necessary to communicate with a character who had
two levels. Anyone with three levels or more would probably
not perceive normal creatures at all, and normal creatures could
only tell he was alive if a team of experts made a concerted
effort to find signs of life.
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