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"Ay que lindo!" -- Luz upon meeting the tiny demon, King

Cost: 5 points

Pitiable is an advantage that makes others pity you and want to take care of you.[1] Characters with Pitiable get +3 to reaction rolls when in a position of helplessness, weakness, or need (for instance, asking for aid). Characters with above-average looks will often be seen as "cute", and characters with more humble appearances might appear as "appealingly homely", like a basset hound.[1]

Note that Pitiable doesn't work on Callous characters[1]... although that doesn't necessarily include quirk levels of Callous.[2]

Bonuses[]

  • Pitiable gives its usual +3 bonus to Panhandling (see page), and can help in survival scenarios when trust is at a premium,[3] such as post-apocalypse adventures.

Combinations[]

  • It's possible to have Pitiable and Forgettable Face[4], which can be a powerful combination for scavengers, street urchins, and sneaky types.
  • Honest Face makes characters seem vaguely trustworthy -- with Pitiable, they can generally get help just about anywhere.

Examples[]

  • Most "cute" or pitiable creatures have Pitiable, be they mundane cats, cute shoulder dragons,[5] street urchins,[6][7] and tragic ghosts.[8][9]
  • Most "kid" characters and templates have Pitiable included[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
  • A character need not be cute or young to be Pitiable--there are plenty of world-weary sages[19] and sad-clown-types,[20][21] and down-on-their-luck folks.[22][23][24]
  • Beggars benefit greatly from pitiable.[25][26], and tiny anthropomorphic mice[27] and hedgehogs[28] tend to have Pitiable from the start.
  • It's possible for a character with Pitiable to have a dramatic backstory where they were spared by some great beast that refused to eat them as a sacrifice.[29]
  • Some Toons may even be pitiable... but not all are trustworthy...[30]

Trivia[]

  • While Pitiable is mentioned in Social Engineering, it's only mentioned once, for General Reactions.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Basic Set: Characters, p.22
  2. Fanon
  3. After The End 2: The New World, p.46
  4. After The End 1: Wastelanders, p.12
  5. Dragons, p.54
  6. Castle Falkenstein: The Ottoman Empire, p.35
  7. Megan "Rose" Sinclair, Metro of Madness, p.13
  8. Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners, p.22
  9. Andy Miller was a kid, then became a tragic ghost. Metro of Madness, p.29
  10. "Child" template from Psis, p.10
  11. Timelost Kid from Lands out of Time, p.18
  12. "Child" template from Horror (3rd Edition), p.9
  13. "Child" template from Horror, p.35-36
  14. Kawaii/cute characters from Classic GURPS: Mecha, p.33
  15. "That Darn Kid", GURPS Mysteries, p.106
  16. Tina Newman, Necromancer!; Little Bits of Magic Pyramid 3/7: Urban Fantasy, p.30
  17. Jordan Scott, were-tank superhero; Anthropomorphized High-Tech Weapons, Pyramid 3/97: Strange Powers, p.21-22
  18. "Kid", "Extended Action!"; for goofier adventures; Pyramid 3/53: Action, p.12
  19. Monster Hunters 1: Champions, p.15
  20. Lunderbag Amphoranug; Alphabet Arcane, p.22
  21. Rodigo, the Character Actor; The Palais du Monde,Pyramid 3/54: Social Engineering, p.14
  22. John Sutton, Childhood Friend; Pyramid 3/54: Social Engineering, p.18
  23. Howie "Dumbo" Dunlop, Pyramid 3/14: Martial Arts, p.12
  24. Max Magill, the Music Man; Little Bits of Magic, Pyramid 3/7: Urban Fantasy, p.31
  25. Discworld, p.41
  26. Mad Mort, for example. Metro of Madness, p.17
  27. Furries, p.34
  28. Furries, p.29
  29. Dragons, p.154
  30. Benny the Fox, Monsters, p.80-81
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