Back in the day, myy buddies and I used to run a lot of "Champions" campaigns, the points-based super-hero role playing game. One of my favorite features of that system was the idea of Disadvantages -- to pay for your character's powers, you had to choose various personal, social, mental, or physical weaknesses he or she would also have to deal with.
What I liked about it so much was that it forced you to think through your character more thoroughly than the standard 3d6 D&D style method. You had to not only worry about what they could do, but what they couldn't, and why. A lot of times their quirks made the sessions way more interesting than they would have been otherwise. For instance, one of my main guys, Cavalier, had a Psychological Limitation that he was a reckless daredevil, which led him at one point to teleporting onto the nose of a fleeing enemy fighter. Not smart, but fun.
So my RPG Corner question for you this week is, what disadvantages have you used that you thought were the most original, unique, or fun, and how did they influence the campaign you were in?
On a related note, what do you think the Disadvantages are of your favorite published character? Obviously you have Superman's "Vulnerability to Kryptonite" and "Vulnerability to Magic", but do you think Batman has "Psychological Limitation: Can't resist taking on underage boys as partners"? Or Spider-Man has "Unable to Keep a Steady Job"?
