Flight Equals Losing Weight?

[Diamond Cross]

Okay, despite the unique nature of this question, I would appreciate helpful responses please.

Let's say you just created a new superhero character who is really obese. Like, almost two hundred pounds overweight. One power he has is flying and he can fly up to 120 mph.

Now, everything else he or she as the case may be has tried to lose weight has failed, but he loves to fly. He will fly around for hours on end.

Then he or she hits upon an idea, to use flying to lose weight.

So, my question is, would you allow flight as a way of exercising to lose weight? They would fly for hours just exploring the country and drinking only water.

Please think of this from a role playing perspective.

 

[Klaus]

Okay, despite the unique nature of this question, I would appreciate helpful responses please.

Let's say you just created a new superhero character who is really obese. Like, almost two hundred pounds overweight. One power he has is flying and he can fly up to 120 mph.

Now, everything else he or she as the case may be has tried to lose weight has failed, but he loves to fly. He will fly around for hours on end.

Then he or she hits upon an idea, to use flying to lose weight.

So, my question is, would you allow flight as a way of exercising to lose weight? They would fly for hours just exploring the country and drinking only water.

Please think of this from a role playing perspective.

Any constant activity that requires physical effort can be used to lose weight. If the flight requires as much effort as, say, walking (even if much, much faster), the character would probably lose weight.

 

[MarkB]

It depends entirely upon the nature of his flight ability.

If he has organic wings and needs to flap them to stay aloft, then absolutely.

If he's wearing an anti-gravity belt and rocket boots, then no.

In between, there are dozens of different ways for superpowered characters to fly, some of which derive their energy from independent sources while others do not.

Basically, the question to ask is "does the energy for this character's flight derive from metabolic processes within his own body which call upon the chemical energy he has stored up in the same way that flexing a muscle does?"

If he's burning body fat to sustain his flight, then it'll help him lose weight, assuming he doesn't adjust his diet to compensate. But bear in mind that in that case, it will also tire him out just like any other exercise, which may put him off it after awhile despite the fun factor.

 

[Bagpuss]

Then he or she hits upon an idea, to use flying to lose weight.

So, my question is, would you allow flight as a way of exercising to lose weight? They would fly for hours just exploring the country and drinking only water.

If it involves flapping wings, and exercising muscles they yes. Telekinetic flight or superman like seemingly effortless flight then no.

Please think of this from a role playing perspective.

However from a role playing perspective even if it was effortless I'd let them try, perhaps even let them think they are succeeding, until they realise they are sub-consciously hovering on the scales, and in reality they have put on weight. But then I am a RBDM.

 

[Stormonu]

The "Floating Fat Man" - i.e., Baron Harkonnen, is proof enough that constant flight doesn't necessarily make you lose weight.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay3bCW3F3QU]YouTube - Dune - House Harkonnen - The Baron's Plan[/ame]

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

What RPG system are you using? With something like HERO or M&M, you can define it the way you want...and what effects are involved.

For example, I once ran an alien "Brick" type PC in a HERO campaign who had to eat her weight in food every day. And terrestrial food occasionally caused her to have allergic reactions, so that was sometimes a problem.

For what you're describing, you could make a HERO PC whose mass was extra high (either through a Disadvantage or a form of Density Increase or Growth), but who lost mass for every how many ever turns he flew (defined as a Drain of some kind). Heck, you could even link a Flight speed boost to his lost weight as he converts mass to energy.

And, as others have pointed out, whether your flight has an actual metabolic impact on your PC depends upon how you define it.

Traditionally, wings usually are muscle powered. But for Thanagarians, they're actually some kind of hypertech coupled to anti-grav belts.

TK is usually depicted as being "free" energy, but more and more Sci-fi writers are showing psionics with real costs to your body, such as Pusher in X-Files or the psions in Scanners. For the most part, their powers were mind control related, but there's no reason why you couldn't apply the same kind of logic to telekinetic flight.

Then, of course, most tech based flight is powered by external batteries and power plants. However, there's no reason that your technological powers couldn't be powered by your body's energy reserves, a la The Matrix. (Yes, I know the Matrix's idea about using humans as energy plants was bad, but I'm just sayin'.)

 

[Diamond Cross]

The RPGS I like are Aberrant d20 & d10, Mutants And Masterminds, DC Heroes, Heroes Unlimited, and Marvel Superheroes classic TSR.

But right now I am not in a superhero game.

And for me, all of them use physical activity. but I would say that winged flight would use the most. My favorite form is wingless flight, like Superman.

 

[Nifft]

Now, everything else he or she as the case may be has tried to lose weight has failed, but he loves to fly. He will fly around for hours on end.

Let me repeat: HE FILES AROUND FOR HOURS ON END and he remains fat. Therefore, flying does nothing to relieve his fatness.

Then he or she hits upon an idea, to use flying to lose weight.

So, my question is, would you allow flight as a way of exercising to lose weight? They would fly for hours just exploring the country and drinking only water.

Drinking only water = not eating? That might help. But you've already established that flying does not help.

Please think of this from a role playing perspective.

You want to role-play frustration or insanity? Because that's what you'll get when you repeat a behavior and expect different results.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Nifft has a definite point. But if its something new, and the game mechanics don't say anything about it one way or the other (including advantages/disadvantages), then I'd say yes on a purely roleplaying basis. Why not?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

If he flies westward fast enough, and circumnavigates the globe enough times, the world's direction of rotation will reverse.

Time will then run backward, and he can return to his past to change places with a more svelte and youthful him-- and still have plenty of time left to rescue Lois Lane from the earthquake.

Mind transference (via ultratech or dark ritual) and/or killing his fat self may be necessary to avoid a paradox, however.