QUOTE (Draco18s @ Aug 20 2013, 02:09 PM)

On average a Geas means that the power is only active/available half the time.
A good example is "only at night" or "only during the day."
Others are even less often ("only while (un)injured").
Those are examples, and nothing more. Others are Geasa that require you to NOT do something, or to DO something each and every day, or break your Geasa.
QUOTE
The only one that isn't that crippling is "in a certain stance." Which you can define anyway you want to, e.g. "acting nonchalant." Which you can pretty much justify as being true whenever you need it to be true, which to be honest, is a little cheesy.
Hell, my drake "reality hacker" mystic adept had the geas "while using AR," which I squished with his perception of his tradition (that 'reality' was just a larger computer simulation and magic was cheat codes / admin level access). And even that can come with its own downsides (spam zone).
So is that really balanced along side the not-that-much-essence Tailored Pheromones?
Traditions have strictures that many merely see as "Fluff." These Strictures often make outstanding Geasa.
My Mystical Adept Black Magic Tradition follower of Adversary, for example, is forbidden to kill with magic, or any extension of his Magic. So, That generally cuts out Combat Spells, some Manipulation Spells, and a good number of cool applications of other categories of Spells. Why? Because in Adversary's eyes, You cannot manipulate and tempt an opponent that is dead. Pretty Harsh, in some instances. Not so bad in others. Still, Kill an opponent with Magic, and his Geas is broken for 24 Hours. And he MUST atone. No, he is not a pacifist, but that is what his mentor demands.
My Oni Ninja MUST perform a Ritual at Local Twilight, every evening, to venerate the Kami. The Ritual takes about 40 Minutes (20 minutes prior and 20 minutes past local twilight). He misses it about half of the time, not because he forgets, but often because he cannot stop, set up a shrine, and then pray for 40 minutes. Even when he misses it, he performs the ritual first opportunity the can, though the Geas is still broken for the next 24 Hours. Again, one must meet the demands of the Kami if one is to benefit from their gifts.
Yes, I think that it IS balanced against Tailored Pheromones, personally. But then again, I have never played any other way, so... *shrug*