[GURPS] Special limitiation for the possession advantage

[Wyvern_55]

My character is able to possess others from a distance, just like the Telecontrol enhancement in the characters book. (Page 75-76)

However there is one limitation that I would like to add. Telecontrol states that if the person I am possessing dies, I return to my original body and do not die. I want to make this more traumatic by giving my character the mortal condition: heart attack should I be in another person's body when they die. (page 429)

I can't seem to figure out an appropriate discount for taking this limitation.

[tyciol]

I think I found a solution using GURPS Power-Ups 8: Limitations

Page 11 has the "Backlash" limitation which inverts enhancement values from Affliction (page 36 of GURPS Basic Set, Characters)

It only says Attribute Penalty, Incapacitation, Irritant or Stunning so it's not 100% rules-legal, but "Heart Attack" is an enhancement for Affliction and I don't really see the problem with doing Backlash, Heart Attack -300%.

The description even says "The victim suffers an incapacitating heart attack" so it sounds like it is an "Incapacitation" to me. If you check B428 it's not under "Incapacitating Conditions", instead it's on B429 under "Mortal Conditions" like Coma (also an Affliction enhancement)

My guess is they're so incapacitating nobody would want them as a Backlash so the author didn't think to list them, but if you design this as "Expanded Aftermath" (PU8p11) taking a Backlash at half value would mean it kicks in as soon as your ability ends.

That's not what you're going for though. You only want it to kick in on death, and here's how you do that. See page 111 of GURPS Characters "Limited Enhancements".

What you do is apply the "Backlash" limitation to the Telecontrol enhancement. Then what happens is, when telecontrol comes into effect (which is basically only when you die, it makes no difference otherwise) that is when your Backlash hits.

Since this is an instant effect (ie you're never suffering while using your ability, it's an "enhancement on the way out"), you actually should use Aftermath, Backlash when limiting Telecontrol because it creates a 10 minute duration. In the case of instant stuff like Coma/Heart Attack that doesn't apply, but both of those have their own inherent durations.

Aftermath, Heart Attack would be worth -150% if you allowed it, this (maximum effect -80%) reduces the value of Telecontrol from a +50% enhancement to a +10% enhancement.

It's sort of overkill IMO, since you're capped at -80% you might as well go with something less painful and also canonical. For example:
Agony, +100%;
Choking, +100%;
Seizure, +100%;

Combined these are the same as Heart Attack. If you took just 2, that's a -200% collective backlash, --100% collective Aftermath, Backlash. Still gets you past -80%. Agony/Seizure sounds like the closest to heart attack you'll get going by the rules.

The end result being : you suffer an agonous seizure whenever your Possession ends, but only if you had to use the Telecontrol enhancement, which would only have come into play if your host died.

__________________

B426 gives another approach under "Lost Fatigue Points". If you are at 0 FP or less, doing anything other than nothing requires a will roll: "On a critical failure, make an immediate HT roll. If you fail, you suffer a heart attack"

So here's what you do, you take "Aftermath, Costs FP" and assign enough cost to reduce you below 0. Then you take an "Aftermath, temporary disadvantage -XX to will" to make almost any will roll you make a critical failure. Then you do something which prevents you from Doing Nothing so you'll keep rolling every second until you get that critical failure and have a heart attack.

[jindra34]

I'd rate it as at most an additional -40%. Simply because you still don't have the issue of dying if your possessee dies. It does reduce the primary advantage of Telecontrol sharply though, as your standard 'backup' body isn't as much of a useful stopgap.

[RazorChain]

I'd put in the limitation Too Late for -100% because you are answering an almost 5 year old question.