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Personality Mechanics

Mechanics that reflect or affect the mental or emotional state of the character.

Types of PMs

Derivation

Personality mechanics may determined by some combination of the following methods:

Source	Description	Examples
Fixed at Start	Rolled randomly, chosen, bought etc. at character creation, invariable for the life of the character	James Bond 007 Weaknesses, Storyteller Merits/Flaws, certain GURPS PMs, BESM weaknesses
Developed in Play	As for Fixed at Start, but PMs may be modified in play through experience or other means	Most GURPS PMs Pendragon traits may be modified during Winter Phase
Acquired in Play	Gained or lost as a result of in-game events	Some Pendragon Passions, Storyteller & CoC derangements, any GURPS trait bought or bought off with experience, temporary effects such as the XD&D Charm spell
Tracking	Determined by character actions or mental state	Pendragon traits, Cyberpunk Reputation, CoC SAN, Vampire Humanity
Specified by System	Required of all characters, or certain classes of characters, by the system or setting	Weapon/armor restrictions in XD&D, the ban on torture for JB007 PCs, the capacity for Frenzy/Rotschreck in Vampire, some Clan/Tribe weaknesses in Storyteller
Assumed by System	Implicit in other game mechanics	Hit Point/Wound systems have built-in assumptions about how characters will react to pain and shock; most systems assume a character will stop fighting and fall to the ground once fatally wounded. Rules for character advantages and flaws make assumptions about what a character without the specified merits and flaws is like, eg. a system which offers characters the Berzerk advantage, assumes that most characters do not have Berzerk capability; a system with Combat Sense advantage assumes that most characters have difficulty keeping their heads in combat.

Application

The means by which personality mechanics are applied may be scaled as follows:

Type	Description	Play Example GM: "As you try to follow her up the tower, you notice the sheer drop-off beside the stairs. Remember, your character suffers vertigo".	System Examples
0) None	No attempt to influence player
1) Advisory on Emotions	The system suggests how the character should feel. The player has final say on both feelings and actions.	GM: "The sight of that drop-off could trigger your vertigo". Player: "No. It has no effect on me", or, "Okay, I'm petrified".	Some psychological flaws and quirks in Storyteller and GURPS are described by the simple rule, "roleplay it".
2) Advisory on Actions	The system determines the character's emotional response, and suggests how they should act. The player has the final say on actions.	GM: "You are terrified. Can you continue?" Player: "I ignore the fear and press on", or, "I stay rooted to the spot".	The XD&D Charm spell decrees that the target regards the caster as their best friend; it is left to the player to interpret how they will act.
3) Incentive	The GM attempts to bribe the players to play their weaknesses, using experience points, spendable resources, or other rewards.	Player: "I'm still going to climb the stairs". GM: "Okay, but [you've done this so often that] I'm going to dock you XP for not playing your flaws" or Player: "I scream in anguish as I cling helplessly to the wall" GM: "Good angst! Have a chocolate chip cookie".	Storyteller and XD&D both suggest experience point rewards for roleplaying weaknesses.
4) Modifying	Players may ignore restrictions placed on their character's actions by the system, but the character's actions will be penalised. Character's actions may also be made easier if they are consistent with some traits.	Player: "I'm still going to climb the stairs". GM: "Okay, but all your actions will be at a three-token penalty".	Cyberpunk characters that lose a facedown may still attack their opponent, but do so at a penalty. Pendragon's Passions may give characters a bonus to relevant actions.
5) Negotiable	Players who do not wish their characters to abide by the system result, may attempt to nullify it by expending resources to buy it off.	Player: "I spend a willpower point/play a plot point card to keep going up the stairs" GM: "Alright, you are able to force yourself".	Storyteller characters may usually spend willpower points to dampen psychological influences.
6) Conditional	Players who do not wish their characters to abide by the system result, may attempt to nullify it with, eg. a saving throw.	Player: "I'll roll my willpower/feelings for her to try to keep moving. <clatter> Yay!" GM: "Alright, you are able to force yourself".	GURPS flaws often take the the form, "the character must roll willpower or they will ..." Some D&D effects are negated by a saving throw.
7) Coercive	The system determines absolutely how the character will feel and act in a particular situation	GM: "You are overcome with vertigo, and can only cling helplessly to the wall as the world spins around you and ... a woman's body falls from the top of the tower".	James Bond 007 PCs never learn or use the Torture skill. Thieves in Basic D&D never use two-handed weapons.

Reasons for PMs

Role-playing groups may wish to use personality mechanics for any or all of the following reasons:

• Resource Management Challenge - Players may select psychological limits or vulnerabilities for their characters in exchange for character creation points. For this trade-off to be fair, players may prefer these limits to be enforced mechanically, particularly if the other players expect optimal play. Working around these limitations then becomes a challenge in the same way as optimising weapon/armour combinations.
• Realism - Some believe that a person's behaviour is not always entirely under their voluntary control, and prefer to simulate this by having their character not entirely under the player's control in some circumstances.
• Story Guidance - A GM may have a crucial story point revolving around a defined PC personality trait. Using this trait to steer the character, tampers with the PCs free will in a pre-agreed way, rather than by fiat.
• Player Skill vs. Character Skill - Where a player's ability to perform a particular social skill is less than that of their character, using PMs allows them to perform at their character's skill level. Where a player's ability is greater than that of their character, they may resort to mechanics rather than risk overplaying their character's competence.
• Mixed Groups - When players who play to "win" are in a mixed group with players who primarily wish to play their characters, applying PMs to both groups will constrain the optimisers to simulate roleplaying, while giving the roleplayers a licence to play their character's limitations.
• The Appearance of Fairness - Where a group are not experienced or not familiar with one another, using a mechanic to determine when characters overcome their weaknesses, avoids the perception that some players are cheating or seeking an unfair advantage for their characters.
• Specifying Character Strengths - Noting on the sheet that a character has a particular resistance or immunity, prevents arguments and ill-feeling about the fact that one character is totally fearless while the others are acting out their SAN losses, or has no emotional entanglements while others have families to worry about.
• Mook Rule - Players often want to persuade or manipulate NPCs, but it is not always interesting or productive to play out such interactions in full. Personality mechanics can save time by abstracting the interaction.
• Dramatic Exploration - Some people would like to roleplay a character who in some crucial way is not entirely in control of themselves; PMs are one possible way to explore this theme.
• OOC Awkwardness - Playing out, say, seduction scenes where the players are of a different genders to their characters, may feel uncomfortable for some. PMs allow the interaction to go ahead without the OOC discomfort.
• Temperamental Magics - Magic or Psychic powers that depend on the emotional state of the character, may be easier to implement if there is some mechanical means of tracking that state.
• Simulating Genre - Some tropes may be easier to play if the system supports them.
• Post-Hoc Decisions - Some decisions that seem too trivial to play out at the time they are made, may become crucial later; others may adversely affect game flow if they are played out in full, or may have been made before the start of play. Personality mechanics are one way to answer questions like, "Have I ever ...?", "Did I bring ...?", "Would I have ... ?"
• Quick Snapshot - Describing a new character in terms of personality mechanics, allows the GM to quickly grasp the character and write plots around them.
• Time Compression - An interaction that threatens to be quite lengthy, can be shortened by use of a system if the players would prefer not to spend the time on it.
• Toy Value - The physicality of rolling dice and looking up tables is a bonus for some players, as is the game-playing element of using a system.
• Externality - To some, a decision made via interaction with a system feels more real than one just "made up".
• Decisive - A system can be made to yield a definite result, where a live interaction may not.
• Design-In-Play Catalyst - If a player hasn't fully formed the character in their minds, a few random results may help them solidify a character concept.
• Indecision - If a player genuinely can't decide what their character would do, they may use PMs as an advisory.