Waterproof surface: a perk?

[Bruno]

The survival rules, whichever you're using, put a pretty big penalty on characters who get wet in cold conditions (and rightly so).
There are a lot of animals who have a surface covering designed to either separate themselves from the water, shed water rapidly, or both. Obviously they partly include some Temperature Tolerance (cold), but I'm thinking of a trait that exempts you from the "wet" penalty, at least as long as your fur/feathers are in good condition.

With the "natural" limitations (doesn't work if ruffled or dirty), a perk seems fine. What I'm having a little more difficulty eyeballing is if you don't have those natural limitations. Perhaps you have a skin-hugging force-field bubble.

In related questions, does Sealed include ignoring the wet penalty among its benefits?

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Bruno

In related questions, does Sealed include ignoring the wet penalty among its benefits?

Well, seals are known to have water-resistant fur so obviously. :o)

I'd say it's a perk and that Sealed characters ignore the wet penalty. It makes you waterproof, after all.

[Phantasm]

Don't the Fur, Scales, and Feathers perks include waterproofing, or am I misremembering?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Don't the Fur, Scales, and Feathers perks include waterproofing, or am I misremembering?

Thanks for the reminder.

Fur and Scales only give you protection from sunburn and an excuse to buy traits like DR or Temperature Tolerance. Feathers (as the perk) prevent sunburn and eliminate -2 in penalties for being wet - not the entire -5.

[Railstar]

I would see it as essentially reverse-Rinse, so a perk sounds very fair to me.

[Humabout]

This sounds like a solid perk-level Sealed to me.

[Ulzgoroth]

I think I'd allow 'water-repellent' as a perk.

I would not include it in Sealed. Being wet causes you to get cold because of water evaporating off your outside, not because the water gets into you.

[Humabout]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

I think I'd allow 'water-repellent' as a perk.

I would not include it in Sealed. Being wet causes you to get cold because of water evaporating off your outside, not because the water gets into you.

I don't think the name of the perk is as important as the mechanical function here. As someone once famously remarked, it can be called Cabaret Chicks on Ice, but it will still do what it does.

And I would include this effect in Sealed, since if you are Sealed, you're sealed against the environment - even the watery bits. For reference, space suits give the Sealed advantage to the wearer.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Humabout

And I would include this effect in Sealed, since if you are Sealed, you're sealed against the environment - even the watery bits. For reference, space suits give the Sealed advantage to the wearer.

And being sealed against the environment has no relevance to the effect in question.

Space suits do a lot of things other than give the Sealed advantage too. Using Sealed to describe a space suit is somewhat useful. Using a space suit to describe Sealed is not.

[Humabout]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

And being sealed against the environment has no relevance to the effect in question.

Space suits do a lot of things other than give the Sealed advantage too. Using Sealed to describe a space suit is somewhat useful. Using a space suit to describe Sealed is not.

From B82:

"You are encased in a gas- and liquid-impermeable layer. This makes you waterproof and grants complete immunity to corrosive and toxic agents that must touch skin or exposed machinery to work."

So I guess it totally makes sense that hydrofloric acid won't melt your face because the chemical reaction between to and your skin cannot take place because there is no conact being made, but water evaporating still gives you hypothermia, even if, by the logic above, the water never touches you to lower your enthalpy.