Special Vision

[SuperBlue]

Okay... if a character has a speciaty vision (IR, UV, whatever), is it always on (and the character is considered adapted to it well enough they can discriminate spectrums) or is it something they can use at will?

[FTJoshua]

I don't know about an official ruling, but we always played that it was pretty much always on, although a PC could probably "turn it off" if he had to. That's assuming it was a natural ability of course.

 

I'm not sure, but it sounds like something we would debate for an hour after a session.

[altamaros]

Re: Special Vision

 

Originally posted by SuperBlue

Okay... if a character has a speciaty vision (IR, UV, whatever), is it always on (and the character is considered adapted to it well enough they can discriminate spectrums) or is it something they can use at will?

 

I would consider the character can use it as will. the fact that a character cannot turn the vision off could represent a -0 limitation (it makes him more vulnerable to sense-affecting powers but it allows to make PER rolls while sleeping as an example).

 

As a rule of thumb, you may consider that active senses are basically usable at will and that passive senses are permanently on.

 

In specific cases (i'm thinking about raistlin's curse in Drangonlance) the fact that you cannot turn the sense off could even become a physical/social limitation.

[Chris Goodwin]

You can "shut off" your normal senses in ways that are good enough to protect them from Flash attacks (close/cover your eyes, plug your ears, hold your nose, etc.). I would assume you can do the same for Enhanced Senses.

[Klytus]

Going by the model used by Superman in the comics, he has many different types of Super-vision, but he has to willfully activate them. He does not see Infrared, Microscopic, Telescopic & X-ray all the time. I would say this "setting" should be the default. Altamaros has a good idea with the -0 Always Active Limitation.

[JmOz]

On superman, yes and no,

 

They are always on, but it is a matter of him focusing on what he wants to see, just because my ears are on it does not mean I hear every conversation in a crowded room

[Dr. Anomaly]

And how often have we seen Clark Kent suddenly whip his head around (because he *heard* something far away), *then* turn on Telescopic (and I assume X-Ray, as it often involves looking through walls or buildings) Vision, mentally exclaim some version of "Great Scott! [insert I-see-disaster comment here]!!" and then engineer some lame excuse to get away to change into Superman & stop the noticed disaster?

 

The point is that his super-hearing *does* seem to be "always on" when the writers need it as a Plot Device; but at other times he seems to have to actively concentrate to overhear a conversation, etc.

 

I can think of few times when it seemed as though any of his various super-Vision powers were always on.

 

Hmmm...there *was* a time, though ...'Superman is returning to Eath [still several planetary diameters out] when suddenly "Great Scott! Paris is missing!"' I suppose an argument could be made in this case for his taking a 'quick look' at the visible hemisphere as he returned, 'just in case,' but there's no in-comic absolute detailing of that, either way.

[Crimson Arrow]

Yes, it's another example of inconsistency in comics. When it suits, the sense is always on and when it doesn't, it has the be switched on.

 

I would default it as being always on, but is capable of being switched off, although some concepts would preclude this. Perhaps the character can specify what the default state is.

 

I am not sure the "hands over eyes" analogy works. I think the question is can, say, Superman, switch his special senses on and off without shutting off the regular senses in the Group? He clearly can from the comics (his "X-ray" vision being the most obvious example).

 

Perhaps a Physical Limitation could apply in some cases (eg can only see in UV light), but in many cases, the Enhanced Sense as written has no disadvantages attached. For example, characters with Nightvision aren't blinded in daylight. It seems to be assumed by the rules that this isn't really an issue.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow

Perhaps a Physical Limitation could apply in some cases (eg can only see in UV light), but in many cases, the Enhanced Sense as written has no disadvantages attached. For example, characters with Nightvision aren't blinded in daylight. It seems to be assumed by the rules that this isn't really an issue.

Since characters pay points for Enhanced Senses, it's only logical that there is no direct disadvantage to having them. However, one could easily justify disadvantages from said Enhanced sense under certain circumstances. One of the characters in my campaign has Nightvision and also took a Vulnerability to sight Flashes. My character Zl'f has Ultraviolet Perception (as Sight group) but sees only UV colors; she is totally colorblind to normal color.