Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

[tabascojunkie]

I'm playing an elf in a Fantasy Hero game, and the elven package deal includes ultraviolet vision. Everybody knows what IR does, lets you see heat. The GM and I are both wondering, what the heck would UV be good for?

 

Does anybody know of a practical application for this other than some odd thing the GM decides "uh yeah, the elf can see it."?

[Hierax]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Well, by seeing into the Ultraviolet spectrum elves can see some things that humans can't which is great for secret invisible ink messages for one, different art works appreciated only by those who can see and appreciate the full spectrum of talent being displayed etc.

[Hierax]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Also, areas lit only by ultraviolet light are effectively "darkness" fields for those who can't see into that spectrum.

[Curufea]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Wikipedia is your friend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet#Applications_of_UV

[Hierax]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

a potential downside is Flash vs. Ultraviolet vision to blind the Elves and let everyone else attack them.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Assuming we're talking about 5E or earlier (I don't have 6E yet), per its description in the rules Ultraviolet Perception allows one to see via stellar UV radiation, so that one can see outdoors at night as clearly as during the day, even when the sky is overcast; but not in a darkened interior location, unless there's some source of UV light present.

 

In the real world this is, of course, utter hogwash. Only artificial sources of UV can provide any useful amount of illumination. It's the leftover influence of the old D&D/AD&D games, which first defined ultraviolet vision this way. OTOH if you were to use it in this manner its benefit to your stereotypical forest-dwellling, night-loving elves is obvious.

 

One interesting use of this ability was developed for the drow, or "dark elves," of the AD&D worlds. The classic Vault of the Drow adventure module postulated an enormous underground cavern with many "natural" crystals in the walls giving off UV light. While pitch black to anyone with normal (or infrared) sight, the cavern was clearly illuminated to those who could see in UV.

[Susano]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

I know that many flowers and even animals look a lot different when seen under UV.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

The birds and the bees.

[Cancer]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Camouflage created by those who can't see UV would be completely ineffective against folks who can. This would include things that look black to the non-UV-able eye; some black dyes get pretty reflective in the UV. Carbon black and bone black are black through the entire optical window, but other blacks are not.

[lemming]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

I typoed one character and wrote ultraviolent vision for a power.

 

Subsequently, a couple other characters had eye beams written with that as the power name.

 

One player had a character named I-Beam. He shot I-Beams from his eye.

 

And of course, Heat Vision was just another name for IR vision.

[ajackson]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Realistically, UV vision has very few applications that would be relevant in fantasy -- there's less natural UV light than there is visible light. However, there's a tradition in RPGs, dating back to D&D, of thinking that UV vision allows seeing by starlight.

[Yansuf]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

I typoed one character and wrote ultraviolent vision for a power.

 

Subsequently, a couple other characters had eye beams written with that as the power name.

 

One player had a character named I-Beam. He shot I-Beams from his eye.

 

So did I-Beam shoot standard or wide flange I beams?

Both count as physical attacks of course.

 

(Hey, I'm a structural engineer. I know what I beams are.)

[lemming]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

So did I-Beam shoot standard or wide flange I beams?

Both count as physical attacks of course.

 

(Hey, I'm a structural engineer. I know what I beams are.)

 

IIRC, 16" line area effect. Made the bricks happy, not so much the martial artists.

[tabascojunkie]

Re: Ultraviolet vision- What the heck would it do?

 

Realistically' date=' UV vision has very few applications that would be relevant in fantasy -- there's less natural UV light than there is visible light. However, there's a tradition in RPGs, dating back to D&D, of thinking that UV vision allows seeing by starlight.[/quote']

 

That's kinda what I thought. I knew a bit about what UV is like in the real world, but it really looks like it'll probably fall into my aforementioned category of "uh, yeah, the Elf can see it."