Physical Beauty

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HarleeKnight
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Physical Beauty

Unread post by HarleeKnight »

Madhaven introduced the Pseudo-Men Mutants who can, with max rolls, get a PB of 48. How do you roleplay that? Does this person literally stop traffic as they walk by? Do you add an Awe Factor similar to Horror Factor but people are drawn to you rather than repelled? There really is no game mechanic for this stat beyond descriptions so how have people house ruled this stat?
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Curbludgeon
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Re: Physical Beauty

Unread post by Curbludgeon »

RUE pg 284 has bonuses for a PB over 30. The Extraordinary PB power in Heroes Unlimited also grants some skill bonuses. Notably the HU grants a bonus to Investigation/Research and Interrogation, which RUE doesn't. The Research bonus seems like a bit of a stretch, but throwing in the Interrogation bonus for a score over 31 wouldn't raise many eyebrows.

Also, at a score closing in on 48 I'd consider really leaning in on the weirdly universal beauty standards Palladium went with. Everything starts finding the character gorgeous; automobiles honk their horns of their own accord, flowers turn their heads, clouds part so as to rain around the character. It should likely prove a curse.
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darthauthor
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Re: Physical Beauty

Unread post by darthauthor »

Everyone is watching you, following you, video recording you. People would not attack you. They would defend you. Without trying to be a leader you have a following. They would fight with each other over jealousy over you. Also, they would fight with each other over their proximity to you.
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Blackwater Sniper
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Re: Physical Beauty

Unread post by Blackwater Sniper »

I've never liked the Physical Beauty attribute in a multi-racial game.

Even in a single race game, where everyone is humanoid, beauty is truly "in the eye of the beholder."
I'm attracted to a certain body shape, hair/skin color, smile (or lack of), and am willing to overlook certain "flaws" another person may find revolting.

In game: a certain PC/NPC may have maxed beauty (for their race), but if my character doesn't find those same attributes attractive, no amount of their Racial Beauty is going to turn my head for more than a glance noting they appear different.
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Aermas
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Re: Physical Beauty

Unread post by Aermas »

Blackwater Sniper wrote:I've never liked the Physical Beauty attribute in a multi-racial game.

Even in a single race game, where everyone is humanoid, beauty is truly "in the eye of the beholder."
I'm attracted to a certain body shape, hair/skin color, smile (or lack of), and am willing to overlook certain "flaws" another person may find revolting.

In game: a certain PC/NPC may have maxed beauty (for their race), but if my character doesn't find those same attributes attractive, no amount of their Racial Beauty is going to turn my head for more than a glance noting they appear different.


That's easily handled by a sliding scale of modifiers based on body shape similarity, but as far as preference goes, the human race has a multitude of vectors yet we still have a social concept of what everyone finds beautiful, even if it changes over time. If someone is pretty, then they are pretty, even if they don't check all of your particular boxes
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Re: Physical Beauty

Unread post by desrocfc »

HarleeKnight wrote:Madhaven introduced the Pseudo-Men Mutants who can, with max rolls, get a PB of 48. How do you roleplay that? Does this person literally stop traffic as they walk by? Do you add an Awe Factor similar to Horror Factor but people are drawn to you rather than repelled? There really is no game mechanic for this stat beyond descriptions so how have people house ruled this stat?



At that point, I'd start applying a Horror Factor (Awe) modifier. Not sure at all what I would calculate it as, but there are some examples of this dynamic in CB1.
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