2.4 Advantages and Disadvantages

The following is a list of advantages and disadvantages that are available to any character within the Hauther Setting. Specialized advantages or disadvantages not listed here are described in their racial or archetype templates.

Advantages

Combat

Ambidexterity [5] (p. B-39)
You can fight or otherwise act equally well with either hand. (physical)

Combat Reflexes [15] (p. B-43)
You have extraordinary reactions and are rarely surprised for more than a moment. (mental)

Danger Sense [15] (p. B-47)
Sometimes you get a get a sense that something is wrong. (mental)

Enhanced Defenses [variable] (p. B-51)
You are unusually adept at evading attacks. (mental)

Extra Attack [25] (p. B-53)
You can attack more than once per turn. (physical)

Gunslinger [25] (p. B-58)
You can make uncannily precise shots without aiming. (mental)

Hard to Kill [2/level] (p. B-58)
You are incredibly difficult to kill. (physical)

Hard to Subdue [2/level] (p. B-59)
You are hard to knock out. (physical)

High Pain Threshold [10] (p. B-59)
You don’t feel pain as much as the average person. (physical)

Rapier Wit [5] (p. B-79)
You cause your witty repartee to stun your foes in combat. (mental)

Weapon Master [variable] (p. B-99)
You have a high degree of training or unnerving talent with a particular class of muscle-powered weapons. (mental)

Mental

Absolute Direction [5 or 10] (p. B-34)
You have an excellent sense of direction. (mental/physical)

Animal Empathy [5] (p. B-40)
You are unusually talented at reading the motivations of animals.

Common Sense [10] (p. B-43)
Allows an impulsive player take the part of a thoughtful character.

Daredevil [15] (p. B-47)
Fortune smiles on you when you take risks.

Eidetic Memory [5 or 10] (p. B-51)
You have an exceptionally good memory.

Empathy [5 or 15] (p. B-51)
You have a “feeling” for people.

Fearlessness [2/level] (p. B-55)
You are difficult to frighten or intimidate.

Intuition [15] (p. B-63)
You usually guess correctly.

Lightning Calculator [2 or 5] (p. B-66)
You have the ability to do math in your head instantly.

Literacy [1, 2, or 3] (p. B-24)
You have the ability to write in a language.

Luck [variable] (p. B-66)
You were born lucky.

Plant Empathy [5] (p. B-75)
You have an unusual rapport with growing things.

Serendipity [15/level] (p. B-83)
You have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Single-Minded (p. B-85)
You can really concentrate.

Unfazeable [15] (p. B-95)
Nothing surprises your, at least nothing that’s not obviously a threat.

Versatile [5] (p. B-96)
You are extremely imaginative.

Physical

Acute Senses [2/level] (p. B-35)
One or more of your senses are superior.

Appearance (p. B-21)
Your have an appearance that is better than average.

Fit [5 or 15] (p. B-55)
You have better cardiovascular health than your HT alone would indicate.

Flexibility [5 or 15] (p. B-56)
Your body is unusually flexible.

High Manual Dexterity [5/level] (p. B-59)
You have remarkably fine motor skills.

Less Sleep [2/level] (p. B-65)
You need less sleep than normal people.

Longevity [2] (p. B-66)
Your lifespan is naturally very long.

Perfect Balance [15] (p. B-74)
You can always keep your footing, no matter how narrow the walking surface, under normal circumstances.

Peripheral Vision [15] (p. B-74)
You have an unusually wide field of vision.

Rapid Healing [5 or 15] (p. B-79)
Your wounds heal quickly.

Resistant [variable] (p. B-80)
You are naturally resistant (or even immune) to noxious items or substances that are not direct, physical attacks.

Temperature Tolerance [1/level] (p. B-93)
You have a larger temperature comfort zone than normal.

Voice [10] (p. B-97)
You have a naturally clear, resonant, and attractive voice.

Social

Allies [variable] (p. B-36)
You have a loyal comrade, faithful sidekick, trusted retainer, or lifelong friend who accompanies you.

Charisma [5/level] (p. B-41)
You have a natural ability to impress and lead others. (mental)

Claim to Hospitality [1 to 10] (p. B-41)
You belong to a social group that encourages its members to assist one another.

Clerical Investment [5] (p. B-43)
You are an ordained priest of a recognized religion.

Contact Group (variable) (p. B-44)
You have a network of contacts placed throughout a particular organization or social stratum.

Contacts (variable) (p. B-44)
You have an associate who provides you with useful information or who does small favors for you.

Favor [variable] (p. B-55)
Someone owes you a favor. (A one-shot ally.)

Patrons [variable] (p. B-72)
You have a person or organization that serves as your advisor, employer, mentor, or protector.

Pitiable [5] (B-22)
Something about you makes people want to pity you and take care of you.

Rank [5 or 10/level] (p. B-29)
You have a specific trans within a specific sector of society. (civil service, military, religion, etc.)

Reputation [variable] (p. B-27)
Your notoriety positively affects reaction rolls.

Signature Gear [variable] (p. B-85)
You have distinctive, valuable possessions unrelated to your wealth level.

Social Chameleon [5] (p. B-86)
You have the knack of knowing who to say and when to say it around your social “betters.” (mental)

Social Regard [5/ +1 reaction] (p. B-86)
You are a member of a class, race, sex, or other group that your society holds in high regard.

Status [5/level] (p. B-28)
You have a measure of social standing within your society.

Tenure [5] (p. B-93)
You have a job from which you cannot normally be fired.

Wealth [variable] (p. B-25)
You have a wealth level that is above average.

Supernatural

Blessed [10+] (p. B-40)
You are attuned to a god, demon, lord, great spirit, or cosmic power, etc. (mental/supernatural)

Channeling [10] (p. B-41)
You become a conduit for the spirit world, allowing spirits to speak through you. (mental/supernatural)

Destiny (variable) (p. B-48)
Your fate is preordained to be good. (mental/supernatural)

Higher Purpose [5] (p. B-59)
You are driven to exceed your normal limits in one specific pursuit. (mental/supernatural)

Magery [5 for Zero, then 10/level] (p. B-66)
You have the ability to do magic. (mental/supernatural)

Medium [10] (p. B-68)
You can perceive and communicate with spirits, particularly spirits of the dead. (mental/supernatural)

Oracle [15] (p. B-72)
You are sensitive to omens, and see hidden significance in different things or events. (mental/supernatural)

Precognition [25] (p. B-77)
You receive glimpses of future events. (mental/supernatural)

Psychometry [20] (p. B-78)
You can sense the history of a place or inanimate object, it’s user’s personality, etc. (mental/supernatural)

Spirit Empathy [10] (p. B-88)
You are in tune with spirits, and receive the benefits of the Empathy advantage when dealing with them. (mental/supernatural)

True Faith [15] (p. B-94)
You have a profound religious faith that protects you from “evil” supernatural beings such as demons and vampires. (mental/supernatural)

Talents

Language Talent [10] (p. B-65)
You have a knack for languages. (mental)

Talent [variable] (p. B-89)
You have a natural aptitude for a set of closely related skills named below. (mental)
Animal Friend [5/level]
Artificer [10/level]
Business Acumen [10/level]
Gifted Artist [5/level]
Green Thumb [5/level]
Healer [10/level]
Mathematical Ability [10/level]
Musical Ability [5/level]
Outdoorsman [10/level]
Smooth Operator [15/level]

Disadvantages

Combat

Bloodlust [-10] (p. B-125)
You want to see your foes dead in combat. (mental)

Combat Paralysis [-15] (p. B-127)
You tend to “freeze up” on combat situations and receive a -2 on all Fright Checks. (mental)

Cowardice [-10] (p. B-129)
You are extremely careful about your physical well-being. (mental)

Easy to Kill [-2/level] (p. B-134)
You have a health problem that leave your prone to catastrophic system failure if you suffer enough damage. (physical)

Low Pain Threshold [-10] (p. B-142)
You are very sensitive to pain of all kinds. (physical)

Post Combat Shakes [-5] (p. B-149)
You are shaken and sickened by combat, but only after it’s over.

Mental

Absent-Mindedness [-15] (p. B-122)
You have trouble focusing on anything not of immediate interest.

Amnesia [-10 or -25] (p. B-123)
You’ve lost your memory.

Bad Temper [-10] (p. B-124)
You are not in full control of your emotions.

Bully [-10] (p. B-125)
You like to push people around whenever you can get away with it.

Callous [-5] (p. B-125)
You are merciless, if not cruel.

Charitable [-15] (p. B-125)
You are acutely aware of others’ emotions and feel compelled to help those around you, even legitimate enemies.

Chronic Depression [-15] (p. B-126)
You’ve lost your will to live and would commit suicide if it didn’t seem like so much trouble.

Chummy [-5 or -10] (p. B-126)
You work well with others and need to seek out company.

Clueless [-10] (p. B-126)
You totally miss the point of any wit aimed at you and are oblivious to attempts to seduce you.

Compulsive Behavior [-5 to -15] (p. B-128)
You have a habit, often a vice, that wastes a good deal of your time or money.

Confused [-10] (p. B-129)
To you, the world seems a strange and incomprehensible place and are slow to pick up on new facts or situations.

Curious [-5] (p. B-129)
You are naturally very inquisitive.

Delusions [-5 to -15] (p. B-130)
You believe something that simply is not true.

Dyslexia [-10] (p. B-134)
You have a crippling reading disability.

Easy to Read [-10] (p. B-134)
Your body language betrays your true intentions.

Fearfulness [-2/level] (p. B-136)
You are nervous and timid.

Flashbacks [variable] (p. B-136)
You tend to experience “flash-backs” when under stress.

Gluttony [-5] (p. B-137)
You are overly fond of good food and drink.

Greed [-15] (p. B-137)
You lust for wealth.

Guilt Complex [-5] (p. B-137)
You feel personally responsible for those who play a significant role in your life.

Gullibility [-10] (p. B-137)
You believe everything you hear.

Hidebound [-5] (p. B-138)
You find it difficult to come up with and original thought.

Honesty [-10] (p. B-138)
You must obey the lay and do your best to get others to do so as well.

Impulsiveness [-10] (p. B-139)
You hate to take and debate and prefer action.

Incurious [-5] (p. B-140)
You hardly ever notice things unrelated to the business at hand.

Indecisive [-10] (p. B-140)
You find it difficult to make up your mind.

Innumerate [-5] (p. B-140)
You have little or no grasp of mathematics.

Jealousy [-10] (p. B-140)
You react poorly toward those who seem smarter, more attractive, or better off than you.

Kleptomania [-15] (p. B-141)
You are compelled to steal, not necessarily things of value, but anything you can get away with.

Laziness [-10] (p. B-142)
You are violently averse to labor.

Loner [-5] (p. B-142)
You require a great deal of “personal space.”

Low Empathy [-20] (p. B-142)
You cannot understand emotions at all.

Low Self-Image [-10] (p. B-143)
You lack self-confidence and underrate your abilities to such a degree that it interferes with your performance.

Lunacy [-10] (p. B-143)
The moon has a dramatic and inconvenient effect on your personality.

Manic-Depressive [-20] (p. B-143)
Your moods are on a seesaw.

Megalomania [-10] (p. B-144)
You believe that you are a superman, that you have been chosen for some great task, or that you are destined to conquer.

Miserliness [-10] (p. B-144)
You are preoccupied with conserving your wealth.

Nightmares [-5] (p. B-144)
You are tormented each night by horrible nightmares.

No Sense of Humor [-10] (p. B-146)
You never get any jokes; you think everyone is earnestly serious at all times.

Non-Iconographic [-10] (p. B-146)
You are incapable of processing abstract images and symbols.

Oblivious [-5] (p. B-146)
You understand others’ emotions but not their motivations.

Obsession [-5 or -10] (p. B-146)
Your entire life revolves around a single goal.

On the Edge [-15] (p. B-146)
You take grossly unreasonable risks in the face of mortal danger.

Overconfidence [-5] (p. B-148)
You believe that you are far more powerful, intelligent, or competent than you really are.

Pacifism [variable] (p. B-148)
You are opposed to violence.

Paranoia [-10] (p. B-148)
You are out of touch with reality and think that everyone is plotting against you.

Phantom Voices [-5 to -15] (p. B-148)
You are plagued by whispered phrases that only you can hear.

Phobias [variable] (p. B-148)
You are afraid of a specific item, creature, or circumstance.

Pyromania [-5] (p. B-149)
You like fires sandlike setting fires.

Sadism [-15] (p. B-152)
You delight in cruelty, mental, physical, or both.

Selfish [-5] (p. B-153)
You are self-important and status conscious and spend much of your time striving for social dominance.

Selfless [-5] (p. B-153)
You are altruistic and self-sacrificing and put little importance on personal fame and wealth.

Short Attention Span [-10] (p. B-153)
You find it difficult to concentrate on a single task for longer than a few minutes.

Sleepwalker [-5] (p. B-154)
You walk in your sleep.

Split Personality [-15] (p. B-156)
You have two or more distinct personalities, each with its own set of behavior patterns.

Squeamish [-10] (p. B-156)
You dislike “yucky stuff”: little bugs and crawly things, blood and dead bodies, slime, etc.

Stubbornness [-5] (p. B-157)
You always want your own way.

Trickster [-15] (p. B-158)
You crave the excitement of outwitting dangerous foes.

Truthfulness [-5] (p. B-158)
You hate to tell a lie, or you are just very bad at it.

Unluckiness [-10] (p. B-160)
You have rotten luck.

Workaholic [-5] (p. B-162)
You tend to drive yourself past your limits and find it hard to relax and turn away from your work.

Physical

Addiction [variable] (p. B-122)
You are addicted to a drug, which you must use daily or suffer withdrawal. (mental/physical)

Alcoholism [-15 or -20] (p. B-122)
You are an alcohol addict.

Appearance [variable] (p. B-123)
You have an appearance that is worse than normal.

Bad Back [-15 or -25] (p. B-123)
For whatever reason, your spinal column is in bad shape.

Bad Grip [-5/level] (p. B-123)
You have a penalty on tasks that require a firm grip.

Bad Sight [-25] (p. B-123)
You have poor vision.

Bad Smell [-10] (p. B-124)
You exude an appalling odor that you cannot remove, such as the stench of death and decay.

Blindness [-50] (p. B-124)
You cannot see at all.

Cannot Speak [-15 or -25] (p. B-125)
You have a limited capacity for speech.

Chronic Pain [variable] (p. B-126)
You have an injury, disorder, or illness that leaves you in severe pain on a regular basis, perhaps even constantly.

Colorblindness [-10] (p. B-127)
You cannot see any colors at all.

Deafness [-20] (p. B-129)
You cannot hear anything.

Disturbing Voice [-10] (p. B-132)
Your voice is naturally unpleasant or obviously artificial.

Epilepsy [-30] (p. B-136)
You suffer from severe epilepsy.

Extra Sleep [-2/level] (p. B-136)
You need more sleep than most people.

Fat [-3] (p. B-19)
You have approximately 150% the average weight for your ST.

Ham-Fisted [-5 or -10] (p. B-138)
You have unusually poor motor skills.

Hard of Hearing [-10]
You are not deaf, but you have some hearing loss.

Hemophilia [-30] (p. B-138)
You are a “bleeder.”

Hunchback [-10] (p. B-139)
You have a spinal deformity that forces you into a twisted or hunched position, usually resulting in a noticeable hump or lump on one or both shoulders.

Insomniac [-10 or -15] (p. B-140)
You go through periods were falling asleep if very difficult.

Killjoy [-15] (p. B-140)
Your brain’s pleasure center is burned out or absent.

Klutz [-5 or -15] (p. B-141)
You have an uncanny affinity for gross physical blunders.

Lame [-10 to -30] (p. B-141)
You have some degree of impaired mobility.

Light Sleeper [-5] (p. B-142)
You do not sleep as soundly as most people.

Missing Digit [-2 or -5] (p. B-144)
You are missing a finger or thumb.

Neurological Disorder [variable] (p. B-144)
You suffer from one of several neurological disorders that cause tremors, involuntary movements, facial contortions, etc.

Night Blindness [-10] (p. B-144)
You have poor night vision.

No Depth Perception [-15] (p. B-145)
You have two eyes, but you lan effective binocular vision and cannot visually judge distances.

No Sense of Taste or Smell [-5] (p. B-146)
This affliction, known as anosmia, prevents you from smelling or tasting anything.

Noisy [-2/level] (p. B-146)
You make a lot of noise.

Numb [-20] (p. B-146)
You have no sense of touch.

One Arm [-20] (p. B-147)
You have only one arm.

One Eye [-15] (p. B-147)
You have only one eye.

One Hand [-15] (p. B-147)
You have only one hand.

Overweight [-1] (p. B-22)
You are approximately 130% the average weight for your ST.

Quadriplegic [-80] (p. B-150)
You are paralyzed in all your arms or legs or lack limbs entirely.

Restricted Vision [-15 or -30] (p. B-151)
You have an unusually narrow field of vision.

Skinny [-5] (p. B-18)
You are approximately 2/3 the average weight for your ST.

Slow Healing [-5/level] (p. B-155)
Your body heals very slowly.

Slow Riser [-5] (p. B-155)
You are not a “morning” person.

Susceptible [variable] (p. B-158)
You are extremely sensitive to a particular class of noxious items or substances; e.g., disease or poison.

Terminally Ill [-50, -75, or -100] (p. B-158)
You are going to die soon.

Unfit [-5 or -15] (p. B-160)
You have worse cardiovascular health than your HT alone would indicate.

Very Fat [-5] (p. B-19)
You have approximately twice the average weight for your ST.

Wounded [-5] (p. B-162)
You have an open wound that will not completely heal.

Social

Code of Honor [-5 to -15] (p. B-127)
You take pride in a set of principles that you follow at all times. (mental)

Debt [-1/level] (p. B-26)
You owe money.

Dependents [variable] (p. B-131)
You are responsible for an NPC, such as your child, kid brother, or spouse.

Disciplines of Faith [-5 to -15] (p. B-132)
You live by a strict set of rules in order to achieve a greater understanding of your faith.

Duty [variable] (p. B-133)
Your occupation and social situation saddle you with a significant personal obligation toward others and occasionally require you to obey hazardous orders.

Enemies [variable] (p. B-135)
You have an NPC, group of NPCs, or organization that actively works against you, personally, on your adventures.

Fanaticism [-15] (p. B-136)
You believe so strongly in a country, organization, philosophy, or religion that you put it ahead of everything else. (mental)

Intolerance [variable] (p. B-140)
You dislike and distrust some (or all) people who are different from you. (mental)

Lecherousness [-15] (p. B-142)
You have an unusually strong desire for romance. (mental)

Odious Personal Habits [-5, -10, or -15] (p. B-22)
You usually or always behave in a fashion that is repugnant to others. (mental)

Reputation [variable] (p. B-27)
Your notoriety negatively affects reaction rolls.

Secret [-5 to -30] (p. B-152)
You have a secret aspect of your life or your past that you must keep hidden.

Secret Identity [variable] (p. B-153)
You have a secret persona that you use for deeds that you don’t want connected with your public self.

Sense of Duty [-2 to -20] (p. B-153)
You feel a strong sense of commitment toward a particular class of people. (mental)

Shyness [-5, -10, or -20] (p. B-154)
You are uncomfortable around strangers. (mental)

Social Disease [-5] (p. B-155]
You have contracted a contagious, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, retrovirus, or other similar disease that is only transmitted by close, unprotected physical contact. (physical)

Social Stigma [-5 to -20] (p. B-155)
You belong to a race, class, sex, or other group that your society deems inferior.

Status [5/level] (p. B-28)
You have a low measure of social standing within your society.

Stuttering [-10] (p. B-157)
You suffer from a stammer or any other speech impediment. (physical)

Trademark [-5 to -15] (p. B-159)
You have a special symbol, something that you leave at the scene of action, as a way of “signing your work.” (mental)

Vow [-5 to -15] (p. B-160)
You have sworn an oath to do or not do something. (mental)

Wealth [variable] (p. B-25)
You have a wealth level that is below average.

Xenophilia [-10] (p. B-162)
You are instinctively fascinated and attracted by strangers and aliens, no matter how dangerous or frightening they appear to be.

Supernatural

Cursed [-75] (p. B-129)
Like unluckiness, but much worse. (mental/supernatural)

Destiny [variable] (p. B-131)
Your fate is preordained to be bad. (mental/supernatural)

Divine Curse [variable] (p. B-132)
You suffer from a curse placed by a god or similar supernatural force. (mental/supernatural)

Supersensitive [-15] (p. B-158)
You are telepathically sensitive to the presence of others all the time. (mental/supernatural)

Weirdness Magnet [-15] (p. B-161)
Strange and bizarre things happen to you with alarming frequency.

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