Just wondering how folks moderate this in practice.

If a PC confronts a disadvantage, from an internal struggle like "mute" or "meekness" or a external struggle like "haunted" or "enemy" do you allow them to remove it, or find a way to keep it.

If you do allow removal, how long do you wait to implement a replacement for it? They should always have one, but do you replace it immediately, or wait for a natural story point to give them a new one?

Also, when you or your players gain disadv/adv from honor or glory, are they 'gained' or would you allow what were previously character traits to become mechanical issues.

Ie. You have a softhearted character. They tend to be quiet and reserved, but upon dropping to 25 honor that quietness developes into full "meekness" disadv. Falling to 15 honor some mental trauma rears its head and you find yourself mute.

And would you ever rule that, even if the character gained honor back to 50, they'd keep one or more disadv until the PC resolves the issue beyond the number gains?

Or is it easier to keep them as things actively earned, and the characters keep the same ones til death? (Barring those gained from honor/glory).

Trying to find a balance between crunch and fluff while being fair to players.

Thank you.

I'd only allow removal of a disad if all are true

• they have at least one of each type left after removal
• the disad was not gained by low social scores (honor, glory, status)
• They've role-played overcoming it.

I'd allow a player to remove a low-social-score disad by staying above the threshold for a full adventure after the one they earned it in.

(I remove high-social-advantages the moment they go below, but regain only at end of adventure; initial gain, end of session.)

I'd say adding or removing advantages and disadvantages should be 3 XP, same as a technique, because they literally are about scoped the same as most techniques., but which don't count towards title nor school ranks.

If there was a narrative reason for changing an advantage or disadvantage, as a GM I would potentially be open to that. But I think you have to replace them with a different advantage or disadvantage. I don’t think you can buy them off with xp. Certainly not with something as paltry as 3xp to change a major aspect of your character (even if the mechanical effects are similar to a technique).

Say a PC is haunted by a malevolent spirit, takes the haunted disadvantage at creation, and their ninjo is also some variation of: “get rid of it.” You would want the PC to be able to slowly make headway and eventually accomplish that goal! That’s potential RP gold. But I don’t think you get to get rid of having a disadvantage by ending the haunting. I think there should be a cost that translates into a different disadvantage. Maybe the PC come out of the resolution with physical scars or disabilities. Or maybe they anger a samurai family as a result of the actions necessary to end the haunting... the PC inherits new problems. (And in this case needs to to think about a new ninjo as well).

I think it’s a lot different when you gain or loose stuff from fluctuating Honor and Glory. I think that happens “soon” and obviously they come and go as scores go up or down. By soon, that could be immediately if the Player and GM agree on something that immediately makes sense. If you hit an Honor of 65 and you want something like “Paragon of Bushido: Courage” I think that could be implemented immediately. It’s a lot harder to justify gaining something like Perfect Memory. I’d want that PC to spend down time ASAP developing or achieving it.