[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: No Depth Perception and One Eye

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Bruno

The penalty to fine motor skills seems the most sketchy part of the writeup to me. How much depth perception is involved in being a mechanic? Or painting a miniature?

It's fairly relevant to some fine mechanical tasks such as threading a needle, though it doesn't affect 2d painting in any meaningful way and might actually help. You could argue for a level of Ham-Fisted but that probably overstates the effect. In addition it's probably a small DX penalty (-1 or so) at short to intermediate ranges (visual parallax is detectable out to a couple hundred yards with good vision, but is less reliable than other indicators such as apparent size at much, I'd probably consider it irrelevant beyond 10 yards).

A human who loses an eye will also suffer No Peripheral Vision or Tunnel Vision on the side with a missing eye, and will have a general vision penalty because normally your eyes provide backup for one another, filling in mistakes. Nonhumans with one eye shouldn't take that, though.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Celti

As someone born with the same condition, the penalties seem rather off to me. . . Perhaps I've partially bought off the disadvantage through training?

You probably have higher DX than me. I can judge distances via head movement, but it's a semi-conscious process and rather slow.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by johndallman

You probably have higher DX than me. I can judge distances via head movement, but it's a semi-conscious process and rather slow.

The key thing to remember is: that might not actually have anything to do with having one eye, you might just be bad at judging distances. To distinguish the actual effects of one eye from general low skill, it's better to take someone with normal binocular vision and compare their performance with and without an eye patch, since then you actually have everything the same other than having one eye (though this doesn't address the degree to which people can adapt).

My experience is that the effect is real but pretty minimal, other than the missing peripheral vision, which is quite obvious (and, obviously, performing visual tasks in an area I can't see is at penalties).

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Anthony

It's fairly relevant to some fine mechanical tasks such as threading a needle, though it doesn't affect 2d painting in any meaningful way and might actually help.

Of course... when i thread needles i close one eye... because I can't see things up close with my glasses and that eye has a stronger prescription. It's never impeded my needle threading capacity.

I also tend to close one eye for delicate miniature painting work, for the same above reason. Unless I'm doing a lot of up close delicate painting work, then I just remove my glasses so i don't have to squint.

[tshiggins]

I have congenital glaucoma that manifested at age three, and it so hindered my ability to play team sports by age 13 that I basically had to give them up. I had my offending eye removed, about 20 years ago, and never regretted the decision.

A guy at worked bowled me a tennis ball at last year's company summer picnic, and I didn't even get close to it with the cricket bat.

I'm careful with knives, good with a frisbee because it approaches slowly enough, and things thrown at face-level sometimes freak me.

While I agree it doesn't affect fine motor skills when used for tiny manipulations, I'd hate to have to fight for my life with a melee weapon.

The penalties look about right, to me.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

The penalties look about right, to me.

I didn't want to presume to blow 3 FP and summon tshiggins in on this one, but as an objective observer, I can say that he operates in a way that is smooth enough to appear unimpeded (it took me over a year to notice), but that I would estimate a little +TDM for practice and extra time for most non-emergencies.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

A guy at worked bowled me a tennis ball at last year's company summer picnic, and I didn't even get close to it with the cricket bat.

Plenty of people with two good eyes will do the same thing.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Wounded is only really appropriate in a pre-modern game, and even then, someone who actually has a chronic open wound in the eyesocket in a pre-modern society is basically going to die of infection Right Quick Like unless they're absurdly lucky.

The eyelids can end up fusing to the damaged tissues and effectively sealing the wound even on their own, although this is far far more likely if assisted with a minor surgery (and basic wound care). We've actually been capable of this surgery for a very long time, you just want the modern era for a sterile operating environment, antibiotics, anaesthesia, and other little luxuries like that.

Infection in an open eye socket has a highway to the brain via the optic nerve, it does not, as they say, have a positive prognosis.

I guess another "cyclops versus pirate" issue is that a human who loses an eye (flesh fused over and everything) still has a 2nd place on the front of their skull that can be aimed for to ignore skull DR while a cyclops wouldn't.

That would come up if you happen to have an 'armored eyepatch' that could only protect one eye.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Plane

(SNIP)

That would come up if you happen to have an 'armored eyepatch' that could only protect one eye.

I have cool one made of glossy black snakeskin.

Unfortunately, my real life seldom uses the cinematic rules. :(

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

I have cool one made of glossy black snakeskin.

Unfortunately, my real life seldom uses the cinematic rules. :(

Well yeah, but mine does. How the actual flapjacks have I not seen this glorious object? Can you honestly think of anyone that you personally know who would appreciate this more? :D