should closed eyes protect against blood agents?

Plane · 05-12-2021, 01:17 PM

Obviously eyelids are skin so contact agents should still work, but if you've specified your eyes are shut it seems like you wouldn't have a straight-shot orifice for something entering in.

Or maybe there should be some chance of it seeping in around the edges of the eyelid (the lash-lock) if it's an AE?

B109 specifies for sight-based "Vision-Based attack cannot affect a blind subject or someone with his eyes closed," but that's not quite the same thing, since in theory a blind guy with his eyelids open would be protected from that but not a blood agent attack targeting the eyes.

I wonder if maybe we should assume something along the lines of creatures are assumed to have one level of Nictitating Membrane with Temporary Disadvantage: Blindness? Basically it's EXACTLY "like an eyelid" because TD:blind makes it an opaque covering and not a "transparent lens" as B71 specifies.

Or maybe not a full level but something like a tenth of a level (DR 0.1) of 'tough skin' flexible Dr on eyes so in theory it blocks blood agents but isn't enough (when rounding to full numbers as GURPS usually does) to actually lessen damage to the eyeball which takes 1/10 HP to cripple?

If we were using tenths of damage I could see perhaps something like 0.1 damage being prevented to the eyeball by a closed eyelid. It should definitely slow a tiny needle to some small degree, converting Small Piercing into Crushing perhaps as it spreads out the force up until the skin is breached?

The -50% for the Temporary Disadvantage might be offset by +40% for Reflexive. Probably it would be Uncontrollable -10% (you blink reflexively when your eye is attacked and need to make a will roll to force them open) so that's probably a net -20% for 0.8 points.

You could probably do somethin akin to a Power Dodge to cover "do I shut my eyes fast enough to avoid something".

Power Block wouldn't be appropriate here since you shouldn't be able to double your DR or HT bonus. Power Block is I think meant for improving already-on defenses and doesn't conceptually fit here.

GURPS Martial Arts 72 talks about the "flinching" rule for attacks against eyes, which is an attack/defense roll penalty if you fail to defend against the attack, in addition to usual effects, meaning you're penalized even if you don't take damage because of Nictitating Membrane or a force field or because Eye-Poke rolled 0 damage.

makes me wonder if "doesn't flinch from eye attacks" would be some kind of perk. It's probably overpriced so no harm done if allowed, considering No Eyes is merely 5 to buy and gives complete immunity to all blinding.

05-12-2021, 01:17 PM	#1
Plane Join Date: Aug 2018	should closed eyes protect against blood agents? Obviously eyelids are skin so contact agents should still work, but if you've specified your eyes are shut it seems like you wouldn't have a straight-shot orifice for something entering in. Or maybe there should be some chance of it seeping in around the edges of the eyelid (the lash-lock) if it's an AE? B109 specifies for sight-based "Vision-Based attack cannot affect a blind subject or someone with his eyes closed," but that's not quite the same thing, since in theory a blind guy with his eyelids open would be protected from that but not a blood agent attack targeting the eyes. I wonder if maybe we should assume something along the lines of creatures are assumed to have one level of Nictitating Membrane with Temporary Disadvantage: Blindness? Basically it's EXACTLY "like an eyelid" because TD:blind makes it an opaque covering and not a "transparent lens" as B71 specifies. Or maybe not a full level but something like a tenth of a level (DR 0.1) of 'tough skin' flexible Dr on eyes so in theory it blocks blood agents but isn't enough (when rounding to full numbers as GURPS usually does) to actually lessen damage to the eyeball which takes 1/10 HP to cripple? If we were using tenths of damage I could see perhaps something like 0.1 damage being prevented to the eyeball by a closed eyelid. It should definitely slow a tiny needle to some small degree, converting Small Piercing into Crushing perhaps as it spreads out the force up until the skin is breached? The -50% for the Temporary Disadvantage might be offset by +40% for Reflexive. Probably it would be Uncontrollable -10% (you blink reflexively when your eye is attacked and need to make a will roll to force them open) so that's probably a net -20% for 0.8 points. You could probably do somethin akin to a Power Dodge to cover "do I shut my eyes fast enough to avoid something". Power Block wouldn't be appropriate here since you shouldn't be able to double your DR or HT bonus. Power Block is I think meant for improving already-on defenses and doesn't conceptually fit here. GURPS Martial Arts 72 talks about the "flinching" rule for attacks against eyes, which is an attack/defense roll penalty if you fail to defend against the attack, in addition to usual effects, meaning you're penalized even if you don't take damage because of Nictitating Membrane or a force field or because Eye-Poke rolled 0 damage. makes me wonder if "doesn't flinch from eye attacks" would be some kind of perk. It's probably overpriced so no harm done if allowed, considering No Eyes is merely 5 to buy and gives complete immunity to all blinding.