GURPS - Compendium 1..

than that (in fact, he is more likely to be Unattractive). As well,
his physical attributes cannot be better than ST 15, DX 14, or
HT 16, reflecting the problems of a slightly deformed physique.
His height should be reduced by 6" if rolled randomly. He can
wear normal clothing or armor, but it will fit badly; to look
well-dressed, specially-made garb is a necessity.
Superstitious NPCs will react to a hunchback at -1, as the
affliction is often regarded as sinister. However, a hunchback
acting as an entertainer - especially telling jokes, juggling, etc. -
gets a +2 reaction from most audiences (a mixture of sympathy
and comic effect).
Increased Life Support
-10 points/level
See p. 102. Like Dependency (p. 81), this disadvantage may
be used to represent the special requirements of those with cer tain
chronic illnesses. Under these conditions, it may be taken by
normal humans with the GM's permission.
Insomniac
-10 or -15 points
You go through periods where falling asleep is very difficult.
Each night during an insomnia episode, the character
must make a Will roll. If he succeeds, he falls asleep easily,
and this episode is over. If he misses the roll, he loses two
hours of sleep that night, and the episode will continue another
night. On a critical failure, the victim gets no sleep that night.
Once an episode ends, the GM secretly rolls 3d to determine
how many days until the start of the next episode (at the -15
point level, he rolls 2d-l). However, whenever the insomniac
suffers prolonged stress, the GM can require a Will roll; a failure
means an episode starts immediately. ("Ever since we entered
the Dark Lord's realm, Galgar has been having trouble sleeping.")
Killjoy
This is treated as a mental disadvantage; see p. 91.
Klutz
-15 points
-5/-15 points
This is a silly disadvantage . . . maybe. Some GMs may wish to
limit it to "silly" campaigns. Still, we all know people who are
like this.
This disadvantage has two levels. A regular Klutz (-5 points)
must make a DX roll to get through the day without doing a
pratfall, dropping books or knocking over shelves filled with
fragile items. Regular klutziness is rarely life-threatening, but is
very inconvenient, and often expensive. The GM should be creative
in inventing minor torments. Klutzes should especially
avoid laboratories, explosives, china shops, etc.
At the -15-point level, the character is a Total Klutz. Besides
the daily DX roll to avoid minor hazards, a failure on any DX or
DX-based skill roll is automatically a critical failure. Total
Klutzes usually have very high auto insurance rates . . .
A character with either level of this disadvantage may not
have a DX above 13.
Light Sleeper
-5 points
You do not tend to sleep as soundly, or as easily, as normal
people do. When you are sleeping in an uncomfortable place,
or if there is more then the slightest noise, a Will roll is
required in order to fall asleep. If the roll is failed, another
attempt can be made after an hour of trying to fall asleep. Light
sleepers usually wake up if there is activity going on around
them. The GM should require a Will roll, minus any Alertness, in
order for the light sleeper to continue sleeping when people
are moving around them. In some cases this can actually be to
the character's advantage, but usually he will be waking up
each time an inconsiderate companion changes the watch, or
comes home from a night on the town. Light sleepers will often
suffer temporary penalties due to the quality of their sleep.
Migraine
-5 to -20 points
You are plagued by severe headaches that hamper your
life. They can happen as often as once a day, and while they
last your abilities are reduced and you are not a fun person to
be with. A bad case is a serious condition; it can be truly
crippling.
Once a day, roll against the Migraine's frequency of appear -
ance number (see below). If you roll below the number, your
character suffers a migraine attack. DX and IQ are reduced by
1d; Will rolls to resist Bad Temper, Berserk and similar disadvantages
are reduced by the same amount - someone in pain is
more likely to lose his cool. After the onset of the headache, the
GM rolls against the character's HT: if the roll is made by 3 or
more, the attack lasts 2d minutes; a roll made by less than three
results on the headache lasting one hour. On a failed HT roll, the
migraine lasts an hour; at the end of the hour a new roll is made as
above. On a critical failure, the headache lasts ld+2 hours!
Cost of the disadvantage is based on the Migraine's frequency
of appearance:
Infrequent: The Migraine appears on a roll of 6 or less. -5
points.
Common: The Migraine appears on a roll of 8 or less. -10
points.
Frequent: The Migraine appears on a roll of 11 or less.
-15 points.
Constant: The Migraine appears on a roll of 13 or less.
-20 points.
Missing Digit
-2/-5 points
You are missing a finger or thumb. The loss of a finger
decreases DX in that hand (only) by 1 point; the loss of a thumb
decreases DX by 5 points.
Motion Sickness
-10 points
You are miserable whenever you are in a moving vehicle, be it
an automobile, train, airplane, balloon, ship or spacecraft. You
may never learn any Vehicle skills.
A character with Motion Sickness must roll vs. HT as soon
as he is aboard a moving vehicle. He vomits on a failure and is
incapacitated for the rest of the journey; all die rolls are at -5.
On a successful roll, he is merely miserably queasy and suffers a
-2 penalty to DX and IQ. On long journeys, the roll must be
made once per day.
Night Blindness
-10 points
You are unable to see well in the dark, and you are at a disadvantage
in a fight in dim lighting. Double all combat penalties
for poor lighting (to a maximum of -10, minimum penalty -3). If
you also possess Acute Vision, it is only effective in daylight.
You may not possess Night Vision or Dark Vision.
No Depth Perception
-10 points
You lack effective binocular vision and cannot visually judge
distances - perhaps because you have only a single, cyclopean
eye, or perhaps just because you suffer from an exotic vision
disorder. This is the same as the One Eye disadvantage (p. B29),
but without the reaction penalty.
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