Sonar Goggles Question

[Mike]

OK, so I'm trying to model a pair of goggles that give the wearer a "sonar sense" (Active Sonar with 360-Degree Perception).

 

My difficulty is I want the goggles to make the wearer unable to see normally: the inside of the goggles is just a display screen for the sonar. How would I do this?

 

The best idea I've come up with is a Side Effect of Sight Group Flash 1d6 (Standard Effect) so that the wearer is blinded whenever the Power is active. Firstly, does that even make sense? Secondly, is there a better (or another) way of modeling what I want? Thank you in anticipation.

[farik]

First of all make sure you take the sense disadvantage for being able to be flashed by two sense groups (sight and hearing)

 

Second decide if not being able to see normally is actually a disadvantage. If the person can take off the goggles at will I wouldn't give a limitation at all.

 

On the other hand if their built into a very cumbersome focus like an integrated helmet that takes several phases to remove I'd look at the "Black Out limitation" listed for clairsentience as a guideline.

 

Now if the goggles are the only way the person can see because they're blind then it's not a limitation on the goggles at all it's a minor physical disadvantage (5 pt at most) since they can still see most objects but can't distinguish color or read flat print.

[Lord Liaden]

Hmm... can I assume that you're leaving the Active Sonar as part of the Hearing Sense Group, or are you defining it as Sight Sense Group because the character is using his eyes to process the input from the Sonar? If the latter, a Sight Flash Side Effect would render the Sonar useless as well.

 

If the former, I can see what you're trying to do with Flash, although the effect feels a little too random and "offensive" for my taste. If I were building this effect I think I'd stick with the Side Effect, but I'd make it a short-term Physical Limitation instead: "No Normal Vision." Given that Sonar would compensate for the normal visual loss to some extent, I'd call it Slightly Impairing, with the frequency based on how often the character uses the goggles.

 

Hope that made sense.

[Mephron]

I'd go with the lockout from Clairsentience. If you could see AND use the sonar simultaneously, I'd say you could drop in the 'flashed as' lim.

[Mike]

Thanks for the tips, especially the Clairsentience Blackout Lim. I'm thinking that blacking out the wearer's Sight Group would be a -1/4 or -0 Lim. Does that sound right?

 

Lord Liaden: I'm leaving the Sonar as part of the Hearing Group, yes.

[zornwil]

I'd go with -1/4 most likely. The character is not going to see colors, various details, can't read, etc..