Close Your Nose

[BobGreenwade]

Okay, here's yet another one I can't quite get a handle on.

 

Camels and a few other animals are able to shut their nostrils in the same way that we can close our eyes. This protects their nasal passages from harsh environments.

 

In game terms, if a character had this ability this would close off his sense of Smell, giving him effectively infinite Smell Group Flash Defense (meaning immunity to Smell Group Flashes and AVLDs versus Smell Group Flash Defense) in exchange for not being able to smell.

 

The problem is, how would one write this up in game terms? After wracking my brains (both of them) I'm inclined to go with a Force Wall equal to the character's PD and ED, Opaque to Smell Group, with Feedback, Limited Coverage, Non-Resistant, and other Limitations to limit its effect to blocking Smell. I think others might have a more elegant solution, though.

[Mr. Gridlock]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

A Force Wall sounds way too expensive for this. Why not just take Smell/Taste Group Flash Defense? That would protect from Flashes as well as AVLD attacks.

 

Or am I missing something?

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

I don't even think a build is necessary.

 

What would you do in a game where a group of PC's close their eyes before setting off an AOE Flash vs. Sight 'grenade' against the bad guys?

 

What if it's a 'sleep gas grenade' instead built with NND (defense=not needing to breath), AOE plus a Continuing Charge and the PC's state they will hold their breath for the duration?

[Fearghus]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Okay, here's yet another one I can't quite get a handle on.

 

Camels and a few other animals are able to shut their nostrils in the same way that we can close our eyes. This protects their nasal passages from harsh environments.

 

In game terms, if a character had this ability this would close off his sense of Smell, giving him effectively infinite Smell Group Flash Defense (meaning immunity to Smell Group Flashes and AVLDs versus Smell Group Flash Defense) in exchange for not being able to smell.

 

Force field would work, but it's way too expensive for this build. I see no problem with buying it as exactly what it is... a life support and flash defense that require the character to consciously use it. For the life support it’s no more than a one point safe environment. For flash defense give the character what ever level you think appropriate with a -1/4 non-persistent limitation.

Although I am not certain that flash defense is even appropriate since the camel is basically just doing the equivalent of holding his breath. A normal human could hold his breath and protect himself from a smell based flash and not have to pay CP for it. I don’t see why a camel should have to.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

If you really, really insist on a build....

 

Consider that a character with no Disadvantages to the contrary can close his eyes when faced with a Sight Group Flash. By analogy, a character with no Disadvantages to the contrary could hold his nose when faced with a Smell Group Flash. A strict GM might rule that a normal couldn't do so when, for instance, he is tied up.

 

Therefore....

 

Hold The Nose: Extra Limbs, Inherent, Only For Holding Nose.

 

Should come out to not more than about 2-3 points, depending on where you put the Limitation.

[Psylint]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Try this.

 

Hold your Nose. Darkness, self only, Normal Scent only. (get a GM hand wave or a FRED limitation for "No Radius") Alternatively, (Any Area, Selective should work for the most RAW sticklers)

 

That should render you unable to perceive any smell.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Chris's Extra Limbs build is the way to go, IMO. The price is right too, for the level of usefulness you get from it.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Hyper-Man has it right. It's the same as closing your eyes - you get infinite flash defense in exchange for not being able to see.

 

However, that isn't why camels to it - it's to keep sand out of their nasal passages. So perhaps the build you want is Life Support: Can Breathe in a Sandstorm, or similar environment with a lot of particulate matter in the air.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Chris' Extra Limbs approach, and Phil's Life Support approach, are both good ones.

 

Incidentally, when I built it using the Force Wall option at 2 PD/2 ED (matching the normal base character's PD/ED) at 0 END with all appropriate Limitations I came out to a real cost of 3 points.

 

Another question is, does this seem like it would be more fitting as a Power or Talent?

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

I think the LS approach is the very thing: it is a physical quirk that allows to to survive in a hostile environment - somewhere you would take minor environmental damage if you did not have it. I don't think it requires a build as such, just an additional category of LS, so it would not be a talent.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Another question is' date=' does this seem like it would be more fitting as a Power or Talent?[/quote']

What's the difference?

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

What's the difference?

 

They are pretty clearly defined in the book. The biggest difference, off the top of my head, is that most Talents are physically possible in the real world without a Focus. I'm sure there are more specific differences, but I don't feel like getting my book right now.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

What's the difference?

 

A power is something you can use to build a talent. A talent is a specific presentation of a pre-constructed power.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

A power is something you can use to build a talent. A talent is a specific presentation of a pre-constructed power.

 

OK,

who are you and what did you do with Sean?

 

He never* makes this much sense.

 

 

Well, almost never.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

OK,

who are you and what did you do with Sean?

 

He never* makes this much sense.

 

 

Well, almost never.

 

Can I refer you to Thia for abberation counselling?

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

They are pretty clearly defined in the book. The biggest difference' date=' off the top of my head, is that [i']most[/i] Talents are physically possible in the real world without a Focus. I'm sure there are more specific differences, but I don't feel like getting my book right now.

Well that's not right: Danger Sense, Beast Speech, Turn Undead, Universal Translator. Many of the Talents are especially designed to work through focuses.

 

A power is something you can use to build a talent. A talent is a specific presentation of a pre-constructed power.

 

I meant: What's the difference between calling this particular construct a Talent or a Power?

 

Let's take a step back here: There really is no difference at all between a Talent, a Power, a Skill, a Characteristic, and even a Skill, and a Perk. The book separates them into different sections for organizational convenience, because of their similar game mechanics. But within the game world these jargon terms don't have any real meaning.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

..............

 

 

I meant: What's the difference between calling this particular construct a Talent or a Power?

 

Let's take a step back here: There really is no difference at all between a Talent, a Power, a Skill, a Characteristic, and even a Skill, and a Perk. The book separates them into different sections for organizational convenience, because of their similar game mechanics. But within the game world these jargon terms don't have any real meaning.

 

Well, if you break them down to their components, they are all just letters on a page and there is no difference between powers, talents and Shakespeare. That is not helpful though. The difference in terms of how the game applies them is that a talent is a pre-built construct. If you build this using existing powers and skills then you'd define it as a talent, if you create a new minor category of LS, it would be a power.

 

BTW using existing powers, I daresay the way to build it would be to purchase Does Not Need To Breathe at the 10 point level, and then add limitations so that it only prevents inhalation damage from sandstorms.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

But it's not a new category of LS. It's just "Beathe in an Unusual Environment".

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

But it's not a new category of LS. It's just "Beathe in an Unusual Environment".

 

...which is why I suggested possibly building it that way. However, it is not quite as straightforward as that if I understand the point: you can still breathe in a sandstorm - if you couldn't you'd suffocate - but this particular physical quirk prevents sinus inflammation from inhaling dust. Building it as 'does not need to breathe' with limitations is a relatively expensive way of doing it - even if we are only talking a point or two difference.

 

Moreover anyone can simulate the effect by breathing through a piece of cloth, so it should cost 1 point tops.

 

I would like to see LS expanded to cover more options and not be a closed category power as it is at present.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Actually I've decided to go with the Extra Limbs approach. It's easy and elegant, and with the proper Limitations it came to just 1 point. The only real question is whether I should treat it as a Talent (which has only one possible build) or a Power (which could have many various ways of putting together, such as with variations in END cost).

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Actually I've decided to go with the Extra Limbs approach. It's easy and elegant' date=' and with the proper Limitations it came to just 1 point. The only real question is whether I should treat it as a Talent (which has only one possible build) or a Power (which could have many various ways of putting together, such as with variations in END cost).[/quote']

 

I find I am perfectly capable to breathing without using my nostrils, even if I am not holding my nose. I've been snorkelling with goggles rather than a mask, and I could breathe through the tube without sucking water into my sinuses. I don't actually clsoe the nostrils on the outside, but I'm not using them for inhallation, so it must be something I'm doing internally.

 

I'd argue therefore that not breathing through your nostrils is probably not a power or talent at all, but a skill, and could easily be subsumed into something like Survival (Deserts). It is something the basic human template is capable of, albeit it might require training.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

I find I am perfectly capable to breathing without using my nostrils, even if I am not holding my nose. I've been snorkelling with goggles rather than a mask, and I could breathe through the tube without sucking water into my sinuses. I don't actually clsoe the nostrils on the outside, but I'm not using them for inhallation, so it must be something I'm doing internally.

 

I'd argue therefore that not breathing through your nostrils is probably not a power or talent at all, but a skill, and could easily be subsumed into something like Survival (Deserts). It is something the basic human template is capable of, albeit it might require training.

 

Mouth-breather.

[Kdansky]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Guys, you are making a mistake here: The camel is immune to flashes against the smell sense. BY SHUTTING IT OFF. So yes, you can avoid getting flashed if you don't use that sense, effectively flashing yourself for infinite time.

 

Zero phase action to do so. Like closing eyes. Yes, nobody can flash you in the eyes, but then again, you cannot see anyway!

 

So if you build those nostrils, you might as well build eyelids too. And lips, since I can close my mouth if I don't want to taste something. And the ability to not touch something.

 

Have I driven the point home?

[Vestnik]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

This building everything craze must stop. Soon we'll be writing up skin and fingernails.

 

10 Fingernail Attacks: Multipower, 10-Point Powers

 

u1 1) Scratch: 1 pip HKA, 0 END Cost (+1/2) (7 Active Points), Extra Time (One Minute [scratching somebody to death takes a long time]; -1), No Knockback (-1/2), No STR Bonus (-1/2) (2 Real Cost)

 

u1 2) Not the Eyes!: 2d6 Flash to Sight Sense Group (10 Active Points), No Range (-1/2), Requires a DEX Roll (-3/4) (4 Real Cost) Note: this is a favorite maneuver of movie heroines. By scratching an antagonist in the face, they obtain a few precious seconds to get away.

 

1 Luckily I Have These Fingernails to Protect Me!: 1 PD 1 ED Armor (3 Active Points), Only Protects the Very Tips of the Fingers (-2), (1 Real Cost)

 

Total Cost of Fingernails Power Set: 13

[Sean Waters]

Re: Close Your Nose

 

Mouth-breather.

 

Obviously