Advantages & Handicaps

In order to make your challenge more or less – well – challenging you may choose any number of advantages and handicaps (unless they are marked as incompatible); add the total points from all chosen advantages and handicaps together (advantages are negative points, as they make the challenge easier). The total number of points you may score from advantages and handicaps is 40.

Note – Your Occult Type could add or subtract from your total handicap points so be sure to include it in your calculation.

You may abandon any handicap at any time; it will cost you the points you would have gotten, but there is no further penalty. You may also abandon an advantage at any time, but you do not get the points back in this case.

GAME START ADVANTAGES AND HANDICAPS

ADVANTAGES:

  • Higher Education (-5 point advantage)
    • Your founder is allowed to attend University before the challenge starts. He/she is limited to 4 terms total or until he/she graduates, whichever comes first. While there, the sim must abide by all Apocalypse rules as normal, with some minor tweaks. Read University Life section for further details.
  • How Much Time Do I Have? (-10 point advantage)
    • The founder need not obey Apocalypse restrictions until s/he returns from University.
    • Requires Higher Education.
    • Incompatible with Work Experience and Everyone’s a Critic.
    • Alien Technology University method is possible for those playing with an Occult legacy only with this Advantage.
  • Work Experience (-5 point advantage)
    • The founder is allowed some additional ways to earn money while at University:
      • Applying for extra funds at the Administration building.
      • Taking day jobs.
      • Volunteering as a medical or scientific test subject.
      • Donating saliva, giggles, plasma, insects, or spirits.
    • Requires Higher Education.
    • Incompatible with How Much Time Do I Have?

HANDICAPS

  • Everything is Buggered (10 point handicap)
    • The Apocalypse happened. Your founder’s parent was immediately affected by the fallout and became senile. Their only child has to grow up quickly and try to care for their unlucky and now senile parent – essentially a failed founder.
    • Start your game with an Elder and a Child. The Elder must have the Unlucky trait.
    • Full apocalypse restrictions are in effect. Build your shelter and begin. This is day 1 of your challenge.
    • The child will eventually become your founder – if you can keep the social worker away!
    • You may choose your child’s traits in CAS unless you take Nobody’s Perfect, then you must choose from the available traits. As your child ages, traits are either randomized or chosen according to the rules in effect and handicaps or advantages taken.
    • When your child reaches Young Adult you may pick their job or roll for it if you choose the I’m Sorry, You’re Overqualified handicap.
    • Incompatible with Get Off My Lawn, Higher Education and No Country for Old Sims
  • Everyone’s a critic (5 point handicap)
    • The founder may not write books while at University.
    • Requires Higher Education.
    • Incompatible with How Much Time Do I Have?
  • Get Off My Lawn (10 point handicap)
    • The founder begins as an Adult rather than a Young Adult.
    • See Playing Supernatural Sims for exceptions for different Occult Types.
    • Incompatible with Call of the Wild, Forty Thieves, Ladies and Lords of the Night, or Clap Your Hands and Anagathic Supply.
  • I’m sorry, you’re overqualified: (5 point handicap)
    • Your founder may not choose his starting lift freely. Instead he’s required to roll a die and choose his lift from the table below:
      • Roll of 1: Architect, Athletic, Business
      • Roll of 2: Communications, Criminal, Culinary
      • Roll of 3: Education, Entertainment, Espionage
      • Roll of 4: Forensics, Journalism, Master Thief
      • Roll of 5: Medical, Military, Naturalist
      • Roll of 6: Paranormal, Politics, Science, Symphonic

 BREEDING HANDICAPS

  • Pack Rivalry (10 point handicap).
    • You may marry and breed only with mundane humans.
    • None of your playable sims may Turn them or use Elixirs to change them
    • Likewise, none of your playable sims may cure an occult to make them human.
    • Requires either Ladies and Lords of the Night, Bewitched, Clap Your Hands, Forty Thieves or Call of the Wild.
  • Blood Purity (10 point handicap).
    • You may marry or breed only with occults that match the type of your founder.
    • None of your playable Sims may Turn mundane humans in order to meet this handicap (non-playable Sims may, of course – you can’t control that).
    • Likewise, you may not use Elixirs to transform your desired mate, or otherwise alter the occult type of your desired mate.
    • If you marry a spouse that is already an Adult, you must immediately use birthday cake to age them to Elder.
      • It is suggested that you use the Party Trick to avoid this situation; using the Throw Party interaction will show you which of your acquaintances are Adults or Young Adults, though you must cancel without actually throwing the party until you have unlocked the ability to do this.
    • Requires either Ladies and Lord of the Night, Forty Thieves, Bewitched, Call of the Wild, or Clap Your Hands.
      • If you choose Forty Thieves for a Genie Legacy, then you may purchase the Dusty Old Lamp once per generation as needed even if Paranormal is not clear.

MISCELLANEOUS ADVANTAGES AND HANDICAPS

HANDICAPS:

    • Bloodline only: (5 point handicap)
      • Only the founder, heirs, and spares can lift restrictions – spouses (or other Sims added to the household) may not.
      • Incompatible with It’s Hopeless.
    • Bring your own lunch: (5 point handicap)
      • Eating at work counts as preparing a meal for the day. Any number of Sims may go to work or school on a particular day, but if any of them eat at work or school then you may not prepare any other meals until after midnight. This restriction is no longer in force once you have lifted Culinary.
      • Incompatible with Cheese, Please? and The Green Revolution
    • Cramped Much?: (10 point handicap)
      • Your family has to start on 10×10 lot and that’s where they will live until the end of the challenge
      • You can also use the smallest size of a houseboat for this handicap (10×8)
      • Incompatible with Privileged Family.
    • Delicate Stomach: (10 Point handicap)
      • Sims in your family have a kind of weak constitution. Their stomachs will often give them trouble ingesting food, and any kind of spoiled or improperly cooked food could simply be too much to handle for them. Your sims may only eat normal or better quality food throughout the challenge, even after Culinary is lifted.
      • Incompatible with Cheese, Please? and The Green Revolution
    • Disconnected: (15 point handicap)
      • Initially, the only Network connection you’re allowed to visit is a Big Park. After you lift Military, you will only have access to your regular Network for the rest of the challenge.
        • You may not use random method to determine your job except for your Founder with this handicap.
        • Does not apply for international or time travel.
        • Incompatible with Safe Spot
    • Evil Cartel: (5 point handicap)
      • As long as Master Thief is in effect, if your sim ever loses a job, s/he cannot get a new job at all, in any field.
    • Fear the Reaper: (15 point handicap)
      • All sims dying under your control may only die of old age.
        • They may not die any other way unless they have already died of old age and been brought back.
        • Playable ghosts may not return to the netherworld until they do so on their own upon reaching the end of their lifespan.
    • Greedy Gangsters: (5 points handicap)
      • Not only you have to pay the mob on Mondays, now you have to do it on Thursdays too!
      • You must continue your Monday payments even after you lift Criminal.
      • Incompatible with Loose Floorboard
    • Grilled Cheese: (10 point handicap)
      • Only grilled food may be eaten the entire challenge, even after Culinary is lifted.
        • Single or Founder sims may use the grill to prepare a meal but must throw away the rest after they have eaten their single meal. If there are at least two sim of child age or older living on the lot, you may keep the rest of the servings in accordance with culinary restrictions.
      • Incompatible with Cheese, Please? and The Green Revolution
    • Haunted mansion: (15 point handicap)
      • No one from your household can ever move out. They all have to be killed should you need to get rid of them and all of their tombstones must be kept on your home lot for the whole duration of a challenge.
      • If they die elsewhere, you have to immediately move their tombstone to your home lot.
    • I See Dead People: (5 point handicap)
      • Every day is a Zombie day until you lift Paranormal. Then you switch to every 7 days or moon cycle throughout the remainder of the challenge.
      • Incompatible with Heavily Guarded
    • Increased Dementia: (15 point handicap)
      • Your sims become senile at Adult age (or after 52 days for long lived sims) and all Forensics restrictions apply as if they were Elder.
      • Once you lift Forensics, they will become senile once they turn Elder (or after 75 days) throughout the remainder of the challenge .
      • Incompatible with Get Off My Lawn and Mental Endurance
    • It’s Hopeless: (10 point handicap):
      • Even once you have lifted Hopelessness, things are still very bleak. You may never marry or move in any Sims.
      • Incompatible with Bloodline Only handicap.
      • Incompatible with Marry an Alien or Alien Child Alien Technology lift.
    • Moral Standards: (5 point handicap)
      • May not break up marriages (or even partnerships).
      • May not do any romantic interactions with already partnered/married sims apart from asking if they are single.
    • No Country for Old Sims: (10 point handicap)
      • With a lack of proper healthcare, sims don’t live very long and easily die of common diseases and complications of elder-hood. Elders living more than a few days are a rare occurrence.
      • Change the Elder lifespan of your sims to only 4 days for the entire challenge.
      • Change Elder pet lifespan to 2 days for the entire challenge.
    • Nobody’s Perfect:
      • You may never directly choose any of these traits for your sims, including your founder: Ambitious, Artistic, Athletic, Brave, Charismatic, Genius, Handy, Heavy Sleeper, Inappropriate, Irresistible, Lucky, Loves the Cold, Natural Born Performer, Natural Cook, Schmoozer, Slob, Virtuoso, Workaholic.
      • You may keep them if they are assigned randomly and the game doesn’t prompt you to choose. This handicap comes in two flavors (you may only pick one.)
        • Version 1 – Mild: (10 point handicap)
          • In instances when the game lets you choose a trait but the challenge rules require you to randomize, if a banned trait happens to come out of randomization, you may keep it.
        • Version 2 – Hard: (15 point handicap)
          • In instances when the game lets you choose a trait but the challenge rules require you to randomize, if a banned trait happens to come out of randomization, you must remove it entirely without replacing it.
      • Incompatible with Children of Fortune and Second Chance
    • Rite of Passage: (5 point handicap)
      • In order to prove their worthiness as heir, before your sim can marry they must have made at least 4 good friends not including their future spouse. Not compatible with It’s Hopeless
    • Supply Shortage Buy Edition: (10 point handicap)
      • You may only buy one item per week.
      • After you lift Business, you may buy up to 7 items per week.
      • Incompatible with Generous Supplier
    • Supply Shortage Build Edition: (15 point handicap)
      • You may only build 2 items from each category per week.
      • After you lift Business, you may build up to 14 items from each category per week
      • Incompatible with Generous Supplier
    • The Age of Aquarius: (5 point handicap)
      • May only marry (or breed with) sims with compatible zodiac signs
    • The Eyes Have It: (5 point handicap)
      • All heirs must have the same eye color as the founder. It should be unique in your world and not used by premade townies.
      • You may substitute hair or skin color, but you must chose which will be identifying physical trait to pass down before you start the challenge.
        • When creating your founder make sure to use a distinct color such as yellow eyes, purple skin or blue hair to make it easy to identify.
        • Skin color may be difficult as they may ‘blend’. It is good to use a skin color you can easily recognize in any shade possible (like the multicolored “berry” skin, other oddly colored skins or a custom skin you can easily tell apart).
          • Please, note that it is the actual skin type that needs to be inherited, not the exact color. If you choose a multicolored skin, it doesn’t matter if the heir is blue, green or yellow. Everything counts as long as it is a part of the multicolored skin your founder is using.
        • Incompatible with Green Revolution.
    • Trust No One: (5 point handicap)
      • Only good friends and romantic interests can be invited over to your home lot. Only best friends and steady partners can ever be let in your house.
        • Ranked chess opponents are an exception to this, but you must play outside and have to send them away immediately after if you don’t know them well enough.
      • This restriction cannot be lifted.
    • Ungrateful Life: (15 point handicap)
      • You may not buy any lifetime rewards at all, ever.
        • Doesn’t apply to Forty Thieves and their Dusty Old Lamps.
        • Doesn’t apply to The Siren’s Call and Mermadic Kelp for the founder.
    • Walk to work: (10 point handicap)
      • Only Sims with 10 in Athletics may obtain any employment that requires them to leave the home lot.
        • This does not apply to the founder or spouses, but it does apply to any Sim born into the family.
    • What are Cell Phones?: (10 point handicap)
      • Sims may not use cell phones and must instead always use a landline.
      • Your household is further limited to having only one phone in the household.
      • A one-time exception is made for Founders that attend University. Any other sims must use another method to enroll. You may NOT use your phone to upload a resume.
      • This is never lifted.

ADVANTAGES:

    • Anagathic Supply:
    • (-10 point advantage)
      • You have a limited supply of anti-aging drugs. They do not serve their original purpose, but they CAN keep some of your Sims from going into dementia in their elder years.
        • Your founder and one Sim of each succeeding generation may remain controllable as an Elder even before Forensics is lifted.
        • Other Sims of the bloodline, and any Sims not of the bloodline (such as spouses), become uncontrollable as normal.
      • Incompatible with Get Off My Lawn.
      • IS compatible with Everything is Buggered. If you take that hanidcap you simply may not control your Failed Founder.
    • Black Market: (-5 points advantage)
      • You are allowed to sell one buy mode object or crafted item each week even if Businesshas not been lifted.
      • It can be a large object even if Athletics has not been lifted.
      • You can do it anytime during that week, resetting on Monday.
    • Big backpacks: (-5 point advantage):
      • Your family has a stash of big rucksacks; all Sims in the household may carry 5 items in their inventory instead of only 3.
      • If your founder attends University, she may come home with 5 items rather than 3.
    • Cheese, Please?: (-10 point advantage)
      • Your family was assigned extra rations! They are allowed TWO meals per day before Culinary, instead of only one.
      • Incompatible with Grilled Cheese and Delicate Stomach and The Green Revolution
    • Children of Fortune: (-10 point advantage)
      • At the first opportunity your sim gets to choose a trait you may choose ONE trait.
      • All other traits must be randomized until Education is lifted.
      • Incompatible with Nobody’s Perfect.
    • Generous Supplier: (-5 point advantage)
      • Your pre-Business build/buy limits are not so tight anymore! You may buy 10 buy mode items and 20 build mode objects/category each week.
      • Incompatible with Supply Shortage Build and Buy Editions.
    • Heavily Guarded: (-5 points advantage)
      • The local militia is very vigilant, providing longer safe hours for being outside. Your sims can stay outside 2 hours longer than usual.
        • Adults from 6AM to 9PM
        • Teens 8AM to 5PM
        • Zombie Days you must be inside between 10PM and 6AM
      • Incompatible with I See Dead People.
    • Hotline to Work: (-5 point advantage)
      • You can call your boss at any time. This applies only to bosses, not coworkers.
        • You must still adhere to Military restrictions if you want to invite him/her over.
    • Loose Floorboard (-5 point advantage)
      • Your family’s got a very secret cache to hide away some of their precious simoleons from the mob.
      • Every Monday, when handing out your money to the mob, you are allowed to keep up to §250 on your account.
      • Incompatible with Greedy Gangsters
    • Mental Endurance: (-5 point advantage)
      • Your family possesses an exceptional strength of mind and therefore is more resistant to senility than others.
      • Upon aging up to Elder, your sims stay controllable for another 3 days until midnight.
      • This only affects controllability. All other rules regarding Elders are still in place until their respective restrictions are lifted.
      • Incompatible with Increased Dementia.
    • Outhouse Revolution: (-5 point advantage)
      • The number of toilets you can have is unrestricted!
      • Incompatible with The Green Revolution
    • Privileged Family: (-5 point advantage)
      • Your allowed building space is 10×10 instead of 8×8 before Politics is lifted.
      • Incompatible with Cramped Much?
    • Safe Spot: (-5 point advantage)
      • You can have one more lot of your choosing in your Network. It can be any type of a lot.
      • Incompatible with Disconnected.
    • Second Chance: (-5 point advantage)
    • Whenever you’re rolling for jobs or randomizing traits, you are allowed one re-roll if you don’t like the result.
      • You must keep the new result if you re-roll.
      • This includes checking in the paper. If you don’t like the job offered you may decline and wait until the next day then you must take that job.
      • Incompatible with Nobody’s Perfect.