Disadvantage Embellishment

-1 point

A quirk can elaborate on how a full-blown disadvantage man-
ifests. Additional detail is the most obvious possibility; e.g., “Par-
ticularly curious about intellectual puzzles” for Curious, “Says
the exact opposite of the truth” alongside Compulsive Lying, or
“Refuses to admit when the weather is bad” with Stubbornness.
Behavior that the disadvantage renders difficult but doesn’t
forbid is also valid, and often more fun! Someone with Truth-
fulness might have “Lies (poorly) about his past,” while an
Indecisive person could suffer from “Tries to be a good leader
– usually fails.” Such quirks suggest interesting triggers for
your disadvantages.
Yet another entertaining choice is conduct to avoid the disad-
vantage. For instance, people with Secrets often follow many
small rituals to avoid discovery, and the quirk “Carefully meas-
ures all his drinks” commonly accompanies real-life Alcoholism.
You may have up to one such embellishment per full -5
points of disadvantage value. Each quirk gives the GM an
extra “hook” where your problem is concerned. If you don’t
play along, he may apply +1 or -1, whichever would be
more inconvenient, to rolls that play on that shortcoming.
For example, if you always say the exact opposite of the truth,
then someone who hears several of your lies might get +1 to
Detect Lies – or you might suffer -1 to Fast-Talk with him. This
is above and beyond your disadvantage’s built-in effects.
Example: You could gild Charitable (12) [-15] with “Always
tosses coins to beggars,” “Gives free lollipops to kids,” and
“Helps the elderly across the street,” and in effect get an extra
3 points for your disadvantage. However, if you don’t do those
things whenever the GM places beggars, children, or old folks
in your path, the GM may give such NPCs +1 to use Fast-Talk
or Pickpocket on you, or reduce your self-control number to 11
where they’re concerned.
Two common embellishments from fiction work slightly
differently.
Appearance Change
Prerequisites: Antisocial disadvantage with self-control roll
and Monstrous or better Appearance.
You have a disadvantage that, when you give in, causes your
Appearance to drop by one level while you act out on it –
whether because you sneer evilly or are under a curse. This
embellishment is traditional for Bad Temper, Bully, and Sadism,
but the GM may allow it for other problems where submission
doesn’t imply violence that would render reaction rolls irrelevant
(ruling out Berserk, Bloodlust, and Uncontrollable Appetite).
Involuntary Ability Use
Prerequisites: Antisocial disadvantage with self-control roll
and a suitable ability.
You have a disadvantage that, when you submit, causes you
to activate a disturbing or destructive advantage: Alternate
Form, Innate Attack, Terror, etc. This isn’t grounds for Uncon-
trollable (p. B116); injury, Fright Checks, and other mental dis-
advantages cannot trigger your gift, and it doesn’t have a mind
of its own. It’s just that when you give in to one specific prob-
lem, you reflexively make a show of power.