/tg/Station 13

Laser eyes is the admin (and wizard, technically) only genetic mutation that basically gives you a built in laser gun when you're on harm intent. Presently, the only downside is that firing a laser uses nutrition. It's really strong (too strong tbh), but has a place in my heart for being really cool and fun. With the new genetics system, perhaps it could be implemented in a way that balances it without making it useless. I have several ideas! I don't think all of them should be used, but perhaps one or a combination of a few could be.

- Unlocking the ability could be gated behind the Combine feature, much in the same way that Hulk currently is. Perhaps mix Strong with Xray to get "Strong Eyes" or something, then mix that with Radioactive to get Laser Eyes
- The ability to fire lasers could be a toggle, but will progressively do burn damage to your head and damage to your eyes while enabled. Possibly more damage the longer it has been on. Possibly make turning it off again take a brief pause.
- An on-sprite indication that you have the power, like perhaps animated glowing rings around your eyes
- Firing lasers could do flat burn/eye damage to you
- Not wearing eye protection (like sunglasses, welding helmets, and to a lesser extent prescription and cosmetic glasses) will cause lasers to involuntarily fire sporadically, injuring you. Perhaps a new eyewear item could be added to science to compliment this.
- The nutrient drain per laser fired could be increased. Additionally, we could either make it so you can't fire lasers when you run out, or that you take brute (maybe even genetic?) damage if you fire without nutrition (the lore being that it takes muscle when there's no fat left to use).
- We could raise the genetic instability of it to the point that you simply cannot stack it with hulk, so overpowered synergies could be easily avoided.

Let me know if you like any of these ideas, or if you have an idea of your own.

If we get the anti-laser visor thing, it could be susceptible to EMPs, causing it to fail as a safety system for better or worse of all involved.

Ideally, sun glasses or welding goggles or some sort of blindfold would block its use all the time when equipped, so that the person can be detained in some fashion. Also, sleeping should disable it as well.

If the person is not wearing protective eye-wear (glasses, goggles, blindfold, or the special visor dealio), sporadic lasers should be blocked by, and damage, any spacesuit or hardsuit helmet. I don't actually know if you can break a hardsuit helmet, but if so, it totally should.

Glasses of any kind should reflect the layers back into the users eyes. You either shoot eye lasers or can be flashed by Borgs as a non-threat, Your choice

The way laser eyes work on goon is that they do 10 burn damage, and are a spell you can use every 6-10 seconds or so. They can either be energized (cutting the cooldown in half) or empowered (doubling the strength and just turning it into a normal laser.)

I think it would be pretty harmless if it was on a cooldown and/or did eye damage if you "overheat" them