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Old 07-06-2020, 12:06 PM   #1
Corydon!
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Default Question on Motion Sickness

We're playing in a TL3/4 fantasy world. The character with Motion Sickness is also a mage with a heavy emphasis on movement spells with Flight and Hawk Flight.

So my question is - what in a Low Tech world would cuase him to roll? A fast horse or carriage? Would the flight spells force a roll even though he is not in a vehicle? The disadvantage seems almost a steal at low tech levels unless I'm missing something.
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Old 07-06-2020, 12:13 PM   #2
Anders
 
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Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Question on Motion Sickness

My aunt had a severe case of motion sickness and would get it from very gentle rocking of the boat. I would say a cart qualifies.
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Old 07-06-2020, 01:50 PM   #3
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Question on Motion Sickness

I'd treat the flight spells as being the same as being in an airplane; "vehicle operation skills" would include Aerobatics. (In fact, taking a Disad opposed to the character's intended abilities should only be done with careful consideration, because the core of the concept is precisely that handicap and dichotomy, not the abilities.)

Real people can get motion sick from walking, standing up, or playing video games. It's not about being enclosed in a vehicle; it's about your inner ear and the way your brain is wired.

If the group wants to rule that the Disad only applies to technologically-powered vehicles, I'd just outlaw the Disad as irrelevant to the setting. A Disadvantage that's not disadvantageous isn't worth any points.
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Old 07-07-2020, 12:12 AM   #4
Celjabba
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Luxembourg
Default Re: Question on Motion Sickness

While there are special cases, I think the main problem is when your eyes and inner ear disagree.

An open cart is unlikely to trigger Motion Sickness, unless you are reading or looking down.
A closed carriage may trigger Motion sickness.

Most boat will trigger it because the water surface don't give much indication for the eyes.

Flying spells ... Maybe. Especially if flying in fog or cloud. But on the other hand, you would expect the magic to give you Proprioception.

Horses ... unlikely, there is to much feedback.
An howdah, however, would qualify. So would a sedan chair.

Hawk vision would likely trigger it too, if used while moving.

So it may be adequate for TL3-4, but I am dubious.
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Old 07-07-2020, 05:54 AM   #5
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Question on Motion Sickness

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
If the group wants to rule that the Disad only applies to technologically-powered vehicles, I'd just outlaw the Disad as irrelevant to the setting. A Disadvantage that's not disadvantageous isn't worth any points.
Indeed. There are a lot of Disadvantages (and even some Advantages) that aren't appropriate for all settings. Some explicitly call this out, like Space Sickness, but even so, the GM should always look over a character sheet to make certain what's on there is appropriate for the campaign.

The description of Motion Sickness specifically calls out being on a vehicle and says nothing of moving under your own power (or even being carried by someone else). Unless vehicles like carts, fantasy airships, boats, etc aren't really a thing in your setting, that implies Motion Sickness is a perfectly-legitimate Disadvantage, and wouldn't apply to the character's flying spells. However, because that means the character has a pretty significant work-around, it may be appropriate to give the Disadvantage the Mitigator Limitation (B112). I'd eyeball "can work around the Disadvantage with a spell" at roughly -50% (it's more disadvantageous than needing to take a common drug daily), but you may wish to adjust to taste.
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Old 07-07-2020, 06:33 AM   #6
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Question on Motion Sickness

Magic is magic, so it can work however you want it to. But when I briefly pondering flying spells, it seemed like they could take on a range of character with respect to Motion Sickness. You could say it's like moving under your own power, so you wouldn't get sick. You might say that's true only for natural human movement speeds, even if they happen to be in the air, so it only applies to Hawk Flight.

But the thought did remind me that fliers aren't just moving under their own power. Once in flight training, my instructor and I went up on a day that had 35-knot gusts. This was in a Cessna 152, a popular trainer, which incidentally had a stall speed of 35 knots. We weren't anywhere near that speed, cruising at 90 or so. And we were getting slapped around all over the sky. I can remember flying along straight and level, then blinking because the plane was in a 60-degree bank to the left. I hadn't told it to do that... I'm not prone to motion sickness, but I came pretty close that day. We just called it off.

At any rate, that disagreement between inner ear and eye can come about for reasons outside of the spell's influence. If it magically makes flight feel comfortable, that's likely even worse. (People often get sick in airliners because it looks like you're sitting still in the middle of a room, even when you feel that you're not. Pilots get trained to trust (but verify) their instruments, because it's fairly easy for a plane to get in a banked spiral that feels level -- the G force is straight down through your seat -- but you're not; at night, you can get fixated on straight lines of lights which aren't, in fact, the horizon, and so on.)

Or maybe the great mages of the past figured out how to add a meclizine module into the Flight spell, so it's just not a problem.
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Old 07-07-2020, 06:53 AM   #7
johndallman
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Default Re: Question on Motion Sickness

Quote:
Originally Posted by Celjabba View Post
Most boat will trigger it because the water surface don't give much indication for the eyes.
Interestingly, that implies rough weather is less of a problem if you can see the water surface, because it will be more distinct when waves are breaking. That matches my limited experience with sea-sickness: I'm much better when not in an enclosed cabin. Lots of fresh cold air also helps.
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