Three or more Eyes

[Dr Divago]

if a character want a third eye or more (think about an "indian god"-like superhero, an alien with more eyes or a cyborg a la Appleseed's Briareos)
how can he build this third eye?
just a special effect or some other power?

[Hugh Neilson]

Distinctive Features.

Then buy any powers you want usable because of the third eye - once we get over the unusual nature of the feature, it's just SFX.

[Markdoc]

If it gives him some extra powers, it's a power, with the eye simply being the special effect.

If it just means he has three eyes, then it's maybe a disadvantage (distinctive appearance).


cheers, Mark

[Mister E]

I would say 5 character points for any extra eyes... which is just like Extra Limbs, and similar to the 5 point doubling rule for equipment.

[Hugh Neilson]

I would say 5 character points for any extra eyes... which is just like Extra Limbs, and similar to the 5 point doubling rule for equipment.

Extra arms can be used to punch while Grabbing with two hands. Extra equipment can be used as equipment. What added functionality do extra eyes provide? I'd say spend the 5 points on (say) +1 sight PER roll and a bit of flash defense.

[Fox1]

It could be a special effect of various powers, all depends upon the character. If there are no powers or advantages, it's just SPX for the character.

Unless the existance of the third eye causes actual problems for the character (i.e people are afraid of him, won't assist him, ruins his attempt to go undercover freq, etc.) it is *not* worth a distinctive feature disadvantage.

[Black Lotus]

I would say 5 character points for any extra eyes... which is just like Extra Limbs, and similar to the 5 point doubling rule for equipment.

That doesn't make any sense. An extra arm is a clear advantage. A third eye is not, since unless it has special Powers bought with it as the SFX, it has no benefit, only a Distinctive Features drawback.

EDIT:

Extra arms can be used to punch while Grabbing with two hands. Extra equipment can be used as equipment. What added functionality do extra eyes provide? I'd say spend the 5 points on (say) +1 sight PER roll and a bit of flash defense.

Yeah, what he said.

[Black Lotus]

Unless the existance of the third eye causes actual problems for the character (i.e people are afraid of him, won't assist him, ruins his attempt to go undercover freq, etc.) it is *not* worth a distinctive feature disadvantage.

Unless there are three-eyed people wandering around everywhere in the GM's campaign, I can say with confidence that you are mistaken about "it is *not* worth a distinctive feature disadvantage." I know you qualified it with "unless it causes actual problems for the character," but there's no way, in a campaign full of normal Humans, that the eye could do anything BUT be distinctive.

[Fox1]

Unless there are three-eyed people wandering around everywhere in the GM's campaign, I can say with confidence that you are mistaken about "it is *not* worth a distinctive feature disadvantage." I know you qualified it with "unless it causes actual problems for the character," but there's no way, in a campaign full of normal Humans, that the eye could do anything BUT be distinctive.

First, Disadvantages must cause problems to be worth any points. Simple flat rule core to the system.


Second, I don't know what the campaign setting is. Hence I phrased my advice the way I did.

I do know that in my Marvel setting where norse thunder gods and green androids are public heroes, a guy with a third eye may be marked as a superhero- but that by itself doesn't cause him 'problems' anymore than colorfull tights do.

[Hugh Neilson]

Unless the existance of the third eye causes actual problems for the character (i.e people are afraid of him, won't assist him, ruins his attempt to go undercover freq, etc.) it is *not* worth a distinctive feature disadvantage.

This depends on your game, of course. In my view, however, the lower levels of Distinctive Features are quite suited for a character who finds it tough to be incognito.

It's difficult, for example, to go undercover as a VIPER agent if your character has an extra eye. Most VIPER recruiters tend to notice these subtle details.

[Mister E]

Extra arms can be used to punch while Grabbing with two hands. Extra equipment can be used as equipment. What added functionality do extra eyes provide? I'd say spend the 5 points on (say) +1 sight PER roll and a bit of flash defense.

That's a good question. I'm speculating, but I suppose if you had extra eyes, you chould continue seeing after certain Flashes... that would be nice. If the character were blinded in one eye, you would still have depth perception, and shouldn't have any penalties for Ranged combat. There may be more...

None of these benifits are extremely common, or useful... but I think they are on par with having extra limbs, or doubled equipment.

As an example, Grond has extra limbs, and took the Extra Limbs power... but he also took extra SPD, to be used only for attacking. So sure, also give yourself +1 or more to Perception Rolls, and some Flash DEF.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were a number of other powers that could be accredited to having extra eyes, but when you get right down to it, if having extra eyes was really all that useful, from an evolutionary stand-point, we would all have one or two more than we have. So that's why I think, at a mimumum, having extra eyes should cost 5 points, and that having extra eyes should give you no more benifit than the ability to see should a few get impaired.

Honestly, that's just my two cents. I'm not married to my opinion.

[Black Lotus]

First, Disadvantages must cause problems to be worth any points. Simple flat rule core to the system.

Second, I don't know what the campaign setting is. Hence I phrased my advice the way I did.

I do know that in my Marvel setting where norse thunder gods and green androids are public heroes, a guy with a third eye may be marked as a superhero- but that by itself doesn't cause him 'problems' anymore than colorfull tights do.

Ah. Well, Dr. Divago is running a Cyberpunk game, as you may know from the dozen or so posts he's been making over the past 2 weeks.

At the very least, a third eye makes someone VERY easy to recognize in a police lineup, or anywhere else, for that matter. It's worth a smidgen of Disadvantage for that, at least. Hard to blend into a crowd and all that.

[Fox1]

Ah. Well, Dr. Divago is running a Cyberpunk game, as you may know from the dozen or so posts he's been making over the past 2 weeks. .

Didn't have a clue until now. His example specific referenced both superheroes and cyborgs (cyborgs exist in a number of settings), so even if I noticed- it wouldn't have made a difference in my post.

At the very least, a third eye makes someone VERY easy to recognize in a police lineup, or anywhere else, for that matter. It's worth a smidgen of Disadvantage for that, at least. Hard to blend into a crowd and all that.

Those small issues are not typically worth that disadvantage unless the character is expected to appear in lineups or needs to be unrecognized as part of his concept.

Check the rulebook. It agrees with me.

[Dr Divago]

Ah. Well, Dr. Divago is running a Cyberpunk game, as you may know from the dozen or so posts he's been making over the past 2 weeks.

cough cough
Ops, it's only a coincidence... can i call my lawyer??
this is a general post... not only to cyberpunk...
...
...
Okay okay you're right...
i'm thinking about my cyberpunk-hero conversion...

At the very least, a third eye makes someone VERY easy to recognize in a police lineup, or anywhere else, for that matter. It's worth a smidgen of Disadvantage for that, at least. Hard to blend into a crowd and all that.

You're right, but if tricloptics (implant to insert a third eye on the head) is buyable by everyone, is not-so-distinctive (distinctive are drawback of all cyberware)

Speaking of Tricloptics in particular: this give possibility to install a third cybereye (defined like a VPP 30+15...). And this is sufficent ('cause ordinarily PC are limited to only two eyes, this give a third possibility...)

But... I must give some other power? like a FD, bonus to PER or similar? Do you think that a Distinctive Feature are mandatory? (and in this case: building is like a Side Effect?)

[Blue Rose]

If it gives him some extra powers, it's a power, with the eye simply being the special effect.

I read in a book once where there were creatures with three eyes. They explained that in order to see three dimensions one needs two eyes, so in order to see four dimensions one needs three eyes. The reason why we couldn't see those creatures was based off of the "Flat Land" concept that a two dimensional creature would have trouble conceptualizing a three dimensional creature. Therefore by extrapolation a three dimensional creature would have trouble conceptualizing a four dimensional creature.

So, getting off of tangent. A possible power that a three eyed individual might have is to see four dimensionally. Time has been called the fourth dimension, but the GM can choose to call the fourth dimension the higher (or lower) planes if he/she wishes (i.e. something out of "The Mystic World").

---Blue Rose