Ghouls as PC, How bad is it to play one? Options

[Adarael]

That's sorta what I always figured, personally. Like,w hy would a ghoul smell terrible because he eats humans? Do people smell terrible if they eat cows?
I don't think *I* do...

[Malicant]

People don't even smell terrible if they eat other people. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Lionhearted]

Get to your Street Doc and get the treatment that prevents you from turning into a Ghoul. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

And if there is a treatment that you can get off the street, why the hell is it ghouls around in the first place?

[ArkonC]

That's sorta what I always figured, personally. Like,w hy would a ghoul smell terrible because he eats humans? Do people smell terrible if they eat cows?
I don't think *I* do...

Well, you'd be used to the smell, I mean, you hang out with you all the damn time... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[hyzmarca]

Luckily, the SR4 entry about Ghouls does not mention anything about that, so it is safe to assume the odor is based on their diet and/or the lack of sanitation, not on beeing a Ghoul, until some new source claims otherwise. If the Ghoul eats his meat fresh, he might not stink so bad, and if he takes a bath now and then it should help, too.

If a ghoul eats his meat fresh then he'll be puking his guts out for several days, which I imagine would result in a substantially worse smell. Ghouls are exclusively carrion-eaters. They can't stomach fresh meat any more than you or I could hold down some maggoty flesh that's been ripened in the sun for a week.

[WhiteWolf]

Odor for a ghoul is the same as you would define odor for a human (in real life).

Odor falls under two conditions:
1 - Diet: If the ghoul eats raw meat then he will not smell, but if he was to eat rotten meat then he would have a tendency to smell.
2 - Lifestyle: If the ghoul bathes regularly then he will not smell, but if he does not bathe at all then he will.

Think about someone who eats garlic (I love garlic), works outside a lot, does not bathe, and does not wash their clothes. This person would really start to stink and would also have a tinge of garlic smell, but if they did bathe, wash their clothes, and still ate a lot of garlic they would only have a small smell of garlic about them, if even that, and people would be able to stand by them and never know this person worked outside all day long (except for the work clothes and the really dark tan (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ).

Honestly I don't know why anyone would want to make a ghoul anyway (course I can not see why anyone would want to make a troll or an ork either. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ).

[WhiteWolf]

If a ghoul eats his meat fresh then he'll be puking his guts out for several days, which I imagine would result in a substantially worse smell. Ghouls are exclusively carrion-eaters. They can't stomach fresh meat any more than you or I could hold down some maggoty flesh that's been ripened in the sun for a week.

Valid point. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

[Adarael]

If a ghoul eats his meat fresh then he'll be puking his guts out for several days, which I imagine would result in a substantially worse smell. Ghouls are exclusively carrion-eaters. They can't stomach fresh meat any more than you or I could hold down some maggoty flesh that's been ripened in the sun for a week.

Where's it say that? And is that new? Because I totally don't remember that when I made my ghoul... It's possible I missed it, but I recall the dietary requirement just being "You have to eat X pounds of metahuman flesh per week, where X is a percentage of your body weight."

[Stahlseele]

brushing his teeth will be mucho importante . . and using mouth wash and the like . . chewing bubble gum and kicking ass is optional *g*

[Shiloh]

Carnivore humans do smell different. It's one of the things that Japanese with a low protein diet found distasteful about the 'unclean gaijin'.

[WhiteWolf]

brushing his teeth will be mucho importante . . and using mouth wash and the like . . chewing bubble gum and kicking ass is optional *g*

LOL!!! Very true, Very true!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rollin.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/proof.gif)

[masterofm]

Ghouls come in all shapes and sizes. Since it's not just humans, but all others turn into ghouls then it becomes a little too hard to make them a "PC" class.

That and they are modern day lepers... well you know if lepers were actually generally killed on sight as opposed to shipped off to colonies. Then again if anyone has seen Shawn of the Dead? If so then are ghouls used in game shows and made to entertain the rest of humanity? Maybe just drop off tons of ghouls on an island and the last one left alive is shot in the head? They could call it Ghoul island, and then after the show is over just call it island.

[JBlades]

on a second note how to handle the Krieger strain acquired in game?

Krieger Strain of HMHVV
Disease:
Vector: Injection, Speed: 1 Day (3), Power: 3, Nature: Viral
Effects: Transformation into a ghoul.

B +4
A -
R +2
S +3
C -2
I +1
L -1
W +2
EDG -
ESS -1
M 1
Init -

Note that normal racial maximums still apply and that these are treated as stat augmentations, subject to normal rules.

Powers:
Dual Natured, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Smell), Natural Weapon (Claws: S/2 + 1),

Ghouls get the following Negative Qualities and gain no BPs for them (these do not count against the 35 BP limit):
Allergy (Sunlight, Mild), Dark Secret (Ghoul), Dietary Requirement (Metahuman Flesh), Reduced Senses (Blind).


____________________________________________
Also, just a note that the ghoul rules posted in this thread aren't actually Frank's, they're mine. Frank and HappyDaze helped me form them in that second thread...

[FrankTrollman]

And if there is a treatment that you can get off the street, why the hell is it ghouls around in the first place?

That has been my objection to the "You can catch ghoulishness" plotline since 1997. It doesn't do its intended job of making ghouls scarier, because madical science is advanced enough that if you don't want to turn into a ghoul you just don't.

Transforming into an inhuman corpse eating monster is scary if it's something that happens for no reason and cannot be prevented. But if it's a physical virus that you can get a frickin shot for, it's not scary.

-Frank

[Lionhearted]

That has been my objection to the "You can catch ghoulishness" plotline since 1997. It doesn't do its intended job of making ghouls scarier, because madical science is advanced enough that if you don't want to turn into a ghoul you just don't.

Transforming into an inhuman corpse eating monster is scary if it's something that happens for no reason and cannot be prevented. But if it's a physical virus that you can get a frickin shot for, it's not scary.

-Frank

Aye especially as we are struggling with several ordinary viruses today, hell imagine what a awakened virus could do

[FrankTrollman]

Aye especially as we are struggling with several ordinary viruses today, hell imagine what a awakened virus could do

Some of them were tossed around as possible inclusions for Augmentation, but there really wasn't space for them.

-Frank

[masterofm]

I wonder if HIV/Aids becoming awakened would turn you into some kind of sex crazed zombie monster... maybe like a Reaver in Firefly.

Anyways Ghouls are ugly, scary, and hated. They are pretty interesting fluff wise, but if you have them as a PC they have to always be out of sight so as a GM your story can't really take place in a packed metropolitan city (if a ghoul walks into a stuffer shack or any other corp facility they will be marked KOS,) they probably wont get along with the rest of the party (or shouldn't considering what they are,) most people would either hate ghouls with a passion or want to be as far away from them as meta-humanly possible, they can't really have any cyberware or bioware put into them (I doubt there has been any tech created for them to be able to use or even have a cyber doc touch you,) they can't use any visual aid technology, and I think that is kind of scraping the surface.