Good feedback.  And yes, I know that some of those seem a bit similar.  I already combined a number of them that I thought were pretty similar.

Keep in mind that - at least for my game - we take each of these at three different power levels: A, B, or C.  Which then correspond to a particular superpower.  So somebody might want to take their Gravity Control at level C (uber powerful), but then that corresponding weakness will also be at level C.  So that Addiction (at level C) would be something that somebody has to have (probably more often than daily, like a smoker needs their nicotine, multiple times daily).

So while I completely agree that Special Requirement covers addiction (I've argued that for years), I also realize that - in nearly 35 years of playing this game - I haven't seen a single smoker, or person addicted to alcohol or painkillers or even somebody whose life is consumed by World of Warcraft.  One could say "Special Requirement" for those, but it doesn't really fit as well.

Giving some nuance to the list allows for more variety, and - like AK said - one can make Special Requirement more something like Mjolnir, which can be vastly different than the character who is addicted to regular exercise, coffee, or whatever else.

Majestic wrote on Aug 5^th, 2015 at 6:25pm:


How about the player picks one and the GM picks one?

I don't know if I like the one Bigotry. This could lead to a very demeaning role playing experience. We have enough bigotry in the world as it is. How would you describe this weakness?

Laserguy wrote on Aug 15^th, 2015 at 2:22pm:


Welcome, Laserguy (and I love your avatar!)

You're right that - without a GM keeping a tight reign on things - that's one that could get out of hand.  As could a number of others, if a player went crazy with them (Compulsion, Addiction, Bloodthirsty, etc.).

I would imagine that the one that best fits comic book type heroes would be the person who is prejudiced against mutants.  Or aliens, or those that are "non-human" (it could even be against robots, androids, or mechanical beings).  A person who was so bigoted against a particular group of people that it was obnoxious (like Donald Trump level) would probably not last in a hero group for very long, as I doubt the other heroes would be able to tolerate it for long.

But comics and superhero stories have long dealt with the issue, and it seems to me an appropriate one for the genre.