[PnP] Blinded/Darkness/Invisibility

[Larry]

Hello Alex,


AK> Richard (or anyone else so inclined): Could you please summerize what 
AK> effects total darkness or being blinded does in P&P?

    Yeah, you can't see a damned thing.

    ROFL

    C'mon, you really need a game mechanic to encompass lack of
    vision? Unless the character had a skill that gave them an
    alternative method of judging distance and location, it's a moot
    point. They can't hit something unless it happens to be standing
    within arm's reach when they swing.

    You could also add a forced loss of a hit point or two every few
    days for the first few months, to account for them constantly
    slamming into chairs and tables with their knees. :)

    Seriously, Alex, all kidding aside, I think this is one of those
    things that doesn't require a rule. Common sense can clearly
    dictate what can or can't happen in any given situation if you
    take into account the surroundings and the person with the
    disability (either they've been taught to function around the
    disability or they haven't). If they can't function, not much for
    it. If they have, how well do the "alternate" senses work?

    Go rent "Blind Fury" with Rutger Hauer or "Circle of Iron" with
    David Carradine sometime for a couple of fun, over-the-top example
    of blind people kicking ass. Both are excellent movies.

    Oh, and if you *really* wanna confuse the issue, try and
    incorporate people like me in there. I've got a weird condition of
    the eyes (or brain, --never was sure what caused it) that allows
    me to see in the dark, but have diminished eyesight in daylight.
    Pitch black doesn't bother me a bit. Looks like twilight to me.
    Middle of the day, no cloud cover, and the sun is shining? I can't
    go outside without heavy sunglasses, and even then I can barely
    see. I'm 38 years old, and despite all the goofballs I've met over
    the years that falsely boast that they can see in the dark, I
    actually, only recently, finally met another person that had a
    similar condition (although his is definitely a little different,
    as we discovered through exchanging notes). Halogen lights are
    like knives through our skulls, but those new blue halogens don't
    hurt me as they still do him.

    Anyway, so yeah, there are tons of factors that can change things
    under what would be considered "normal" visual conditions.
    Personally, with so many variables involved, I think the only way
    to handle it in a game is to "dumb it down" a bit, as distasteful
    as doing that is for me. It's one of those areas that you either
    make it simple or overlook it entirely.
    

Best regards,

   Larry                            mailto:Kurgan at Fastmail.fm