Among the blind the one eyed man is kind

[eiredrake]

I've been running DFRPG in a campaign set during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean. It has me thinking.

Lot of eye patches going around as well as missing limbs, hook hands, peg legs and so forth.

One of my main NPC's in fact, lost an eye and wears an eyepatch. Is that a Severe Consequence? Or just an Aspect. How do I treat that?

Also, in cases like missing limbs....Unlike with Harry most people aren't going regain use of a limb that's badly mauled or cut off. If that be the case once combat is over (assuming the character is stable) do we just skip the Severe Consequence and go for a new permanent Aspect? Not like the guy known as Captain Hook is going to re-grow a hand. It's kinda part of his .... uh... body now? (Or not part of it?)

Additionally, how does that work in combat? Does a player just spend a point of Fate and say "Well, he's only got one eye so he has no depth perception. It's going to make it harder for him to use that flintlock on me."? (A Tag per YS107). and then he gains a +2 to his defense against the guy's shot?

[Taran]

If he's missing an eye and it's basically healed(as in the consequence has cleared and is open to be used again), then it's aspect.  Same with missing limbs.

"blind in one eye" might be severe consequence if it is temporary and can eventually heal itself, otherwise it's an extreme consequence and it changes an existing aspect because it is permanent.  So instead of Pirate Captain, he might be "One Eyed Pirate Captain".

EDIT:  also remember that an extreme consequence cannot be used again until a major milestone...so your NPC won't have that consequence available to him the next time the PC's meet him unless enough time has passed.

It's all compels.  It would be pretty easy to guess or make a declaration or assessment to say, "that pirate only has 1 eye".  Discovering this aspect would then allow it to be tagged once for free(for a +2 - or a compel).  And every time they spend a FP to invoke that aspect, your NPC gets a FP.

It's FP fodder.  A missing limb will complicate things a lot, so that pirate with a wooden leg may have lots of stored-up Fate Points.

[Wordmaker]

I'd be inclined to make it an aspect. The trauma of the injury can start as an Extreme Consequence, but since that level of consequence is supposed to fundamentally change a character on a personal level, there are definitely grounds for changing a character's High Concept once the consequence has been removed.

[KOFFEYKID]

Also remember that an extreme consequence (any consequence in fact) is just an aspect with some additional downsides.

The question is if having only one eye will make him, ultimately, less able to take punishment. If no, then just a normal aspect will do, perhaps a trouble aspect.

[wyvern]

Yeah - this sort of thing should be extreme consequence or take-out territory (and I'd be rather hesitant to cut off someone's hand or the like with a take-out result unless either the player suggested it, or it was explicitly on the table at the start of the conflict - something like "Looks like someone framed you for a major theft; if the city guard gets a hold of you they're going to cut off a hand as punishment" - and then make very sure the player has plenty of options to concede - "I get captured, but my loyal crew will break me out, so I don't lose a hand, but have to flee the city," or "I miss the leap from rooftop to rooftop, break through a weak spot in the ground, and now have to find my way out of the sewer system... but the guards didn't get me," or etc.)