Post by Dr. Re-Animator on Aug 2, 2011 11:23:57 GMT -5
DISADVANTAGE versus WEAKNESS
This is a layout and a method I have created and used wherever I go, no matter the roleplay or the style or the people, it can be applied anywhere. This will make your character COMPLETELY BALANCED, and it's effective and helpful to wherever I post it. You're free to use it as you please. If you use it on another site, please credit me if you must. I put a lot of work into this.
--Amy
In my experience with profiles, it seems many people have trouble balancing out a character in the area of combat. Specifically, there are problems between Strengths and Weaknesses. Most people have balancing the two out fairly for a ‘believable’ character, while others have troubles differentiating between what a Disadvantage and a Weakness is. Normally, we try to keep them to a 1:1 ratio (1 strength for 1 weakness). Hopefully this guide will help you in this area if you find trouble, and help explain one of the many things we look for in a profile.
So, for an example, let’s use a fake character. He has a good bio, but we have to balance out his strengths and weaknesses before he’s set to go on his profile.
The listed traits are as followed:
Strengths
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Good at short-range
Weaknesses
Afraid of dogs
Limited to short-range
Bad endurance
Allergies
Inability to swim
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Good at short-range
Weaknesses
Afraid of dogs
Limited to short-range
Bad endurance
Allergies
Inability to swim
Fake here has several in each category, which is good. However, we’re going to eliminate things that won’t particularly/won’t often happen in a fight. Quirks like hating animals or hating objects rarely come into play in many fight situations. We call these NON-COMBAT WEAKNESSES/STRENGTHS. These are never taken into consideration when we check how balanced your character is, they are simply considered aspects of your character’s… well, character.
Strengths
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Good at short-range
Weaknesses
Afraid of dogs
Limited to short-range
Bad endurance
Allergies
Inability to swim
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Good at short-range
Weaknesses
Limited to short-range
Bad endurance
Inability to swim
Fear of dogs is removed. Most Kishin aren’t dogs, or are many enemies. This is not something that arises much RP-wise, so it really will not be considered for battle. In weaknesses, allergies are removed. It is equally as unlikely to happen.
So now we ignore the Non-combat strengths/weaknesses for a moment. Now we move onto something we like to call DISADVANTAGES.[/b] The definition for Disadvantage “An unfavorable condition or circumstance or, Something that places one in an unfavorable condition or circumstance.” It is just as it says. These are events that CAN occur in a battle, but don’t ALWAYS occur. Something specifically happens to a character to create a weakness in a specific scenario. These will never be considered substitutes for weaknesses. EVER. One disadvantage will never equal one strength.
Strengths
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Good at short-range
Weaknesses
Limited to short-range
Bad endurance
Inability to swim
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Weaknesses
Bad endurance
Being good at short-range is not considered much of a strength, rather, it is an ADVANTAGE in a fight. Now, vise versa, it is not considered a weakness. Being terrible at long-range is a disadvantage, as every opponent you will face is not always a long-range fighter. Inability to swim is also removed for the same reason that it is unlikely you’ll fight a Kishin Egg in water, let alone IN water. A good question to ask yourself ‘Is it circumstantial?’ It’s a disadvantage. I want to make it clear that you CAN have disadvantages in your biography, those are allowed in fights. However, they are rarely considered a defining factor in balancing out your character combat-wise.
Strengths
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Weaknesses
Bad endurance
Very Strong
Good Stamina
Clever
Physically fit
Weaknesses
Bad endurance
As you can see, after you remove everything we’ve done… you can see he’s not very balanced at all. Bad Endurance is a weakness because that means he can only take a few hits before going down easy. Being hit is a factor in EVERY fight, therefore a weakness. But that’s the only combat weakness he has. Ergo, this profile is not acceptable.
I hope this helps people in understanding the difference between a Disadvantage and a Weakness. Below, you will find two lists of every Weakness/Disadvantage I can think of off the top of my head.[/size]