GURPS - Basic Set 3r..

Whether through an accident of birth, a recordkeeping foulup, acomputer crash, or something else, the authorities (and their computersystems) know nothing about you. You do not officially exist.No records of you exist in any paper or computer files at the timeplay begins. Thus, you are immune to most varieties of government(or corporate) enforcement or harassment.To maintain this status, you must deal strictly in cash or commodities.Any credit or bank accounts must be blind (the accountisn't keyed to an individual, but to whoever knows a certain passcode)or set up through a Temporary Identity (see p. 233).If you are investigated by the authorities, they will at firstassume that there is a computer malfunction when they can't findyou. They will become increasingly concerned over the next fewdays as no information can be found about your life. They will thentry to pick you up. If they can't find you, they're likely to shrug andgive up.But if they apprehend you, you will be in for a long-drawn-outquestioning session, possibly involving truth drugs and/or torture.After all, a non-person has no civil rights! Unless you have takenthe right precautions in advance, no one can prove that you arebeing held, as you don't officially exist!It is possible to become Zeroed, but it's not easy; the nationaldatabanks are well-guarded and multiply redundant. Treat cost anddifficulty as to gain an Alternate Identity (p. 233).DISADVANTAGESSOCIAL DISADVANTAGESDestinyVariableDestiny is described above, under Advantages, but can also be adisadvantage. See p. 235.Duty (Involuntary) An extra -5 points;see p. 39Some duties are enforced by threats, by threats to loved ones, orby exotic methods of mind control. Such a forced duty can result indifficult decisions or surprising insights for the affected character.An involuntary duty would not include military service by draft(although service by impressment, as practiced by the British navyof the 18th century, would qualify), nor would any other "normal"service. Only cases where life or sanity are directly at stake qualify.For instance, if the Flying Avocado's brain was taken over byDr. Zod's Orbital Mind Control Laser, and the hero is now beingforced to rob banks, he would have an involuntary duty bonus. If aduty is involuntary, add an additional -5 points to its value.SecretVariableA Secret is some aspect of your life (or your past I thatyou must keep hidden. Were it made public, the information couldharm your reputation, ruin your career, wreck your friendships, andpossibly even threaten your life!The point value of a Secret depends on the consequences if it isrevealed. The worse the results, the higher the value, as follows:Serious Embarrassment. If this information gets around, you canforget about ever getting a promotion, getting elected, or mam ingwell. Alternatively, your Secret could be one that will simply attractunwelcome public attention if it is known. -5 points.Utter Rejection. If your Secret is discovered, your whole lifewill be changed. Perhaps you would lose your job and be rejectedby friends and loved ones. Perhaps you will merely be harassed byadmirers, cultists. long-lost relatives, or the press. -10 points.Imprisonment or Exile. If the authorities uncover your Secret,you'll have to flee, or be imprisoned for a long time (GM's discretion).-20 points.Possible Death. Your Secret is so terrible that you might be executedby the authorities, lynched by a mob. or assassinated by theMafia (or the CIA) if it were ever revealed - you would be a huntedman. -30 points.If a Secret is made public, there will be an immediate negativeeffect, as described above, ranging from embarrassment to possibledeath. There is a lasting effect - you suddenly acquire new. perma-nent disadvantages whose point value equals twice that of the Secretitself! The points from these new disadvantages go first to buy offthe Secret, and may then (at the GM's option only) be used to buyoff other disadvantages or (rarely) to buy new advantages. Anyunused points are lost, and the character's point value is reduced.The new disadvantages acquired must be appropriate to the Secretand should be determined (with the GM's assistance) when the characteris created. Most Secrets rum into Enemies. Bad Reputations andSocial Stigmas. They might also reduce your Status or Wealth -going from Filthy Rich to merely Very Wealthy is effectively a -10-point disadvantage. Some Secrets could even turn into mental orphysical disadvantages, though this would be rare.Similarly, if the GM allows you to buy off old disadvantageswith the new points, these too must be appropriate to the Secret.The most common disadvantages that could be bought off areDuties and Dependents.In general, a Secret appears in a particular game session if theGM rolls a 6 or less on three dice before the adventure begins.However, as for all other disadvantages of this type, the GM neednot feel constrained by the appearance roll - if he thinks the Secretshould come into play, it does!When a Secret appears in play, it is not automatically made public.The character must have the chance to prevent the Secret from beingrevealed. This may require him to cave in to blackmail or extortion,to steal the incriminating documents, or even to silence the personwho knows the Secret. Regardless of the solution, however, it's onlytemporary - the Secret will appear again and again until it is finallybought off. Secrets may be bought off either automatically throughexposure (see above) or with earned character points over the courseof play.