 A technological solution to a mana spell problem. |
 Feb 4 2006, 05:26 AM
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#1
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Neophyte Runner  Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587  |
A technological solution to a mana spell problem.
Siting at work last night guarding something that didn’t need guarding I naturally considered several things SR. in considering mana illusions I was reminded of a TV show that had vampires that included the no reflection trait and vampire hunters that attached mirrors to the side of there guns such that they could detect vampires in there sights, if you cant see it in the mirror sight then it’s a vampire. It occurred to me that an electro-mag sight would not show any mana illusions in much the same way. If you use the technology of the smart link contact lenses to provide you with a constant heads up display of objects it can see you don’t even need to be using a bulky device that may be attached to your gun. Anything you see that doesn’t have a HUD overlay doesn’t exist, if you get a HUD overlay for an object you can’t see its had invisibility cast on it. These tricks don’t work if you use improved invisibility or any other physical illusion but could still be invaluable and, from what I have herd of the SL contacts, would be cheep as chips. Now I ask dose my logic hold true and would such an item be balanced. Edward |
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Feb 4 2006, 05:32 AM
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#2
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
that's an interesting question, because the spell effects the mind's perception, it should effect everything they percieve I would think.
But really, I haven't seen anyone cast a mana only version of an illusion. Ever. Maybe that's just my group though. |
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Feb 4 2006, 06:07 AM
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#3
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587 |
Your point about mana illusions being rarely used is well made. I did use mana illusions but only when I specifically wanted limited detect ability. In the arcology I used entertainment to communicate without alerting dues.
Those that have only average willpower, limited training or are used to using there magic against targets that can not afford good security systems (gangs and the like) are the ones that have and use mana illusions. As a guiding question. If a convenience store clerk can see the display of the door camera (and is looking at it) when an invisible (not improved and assuming the clerk dose not successfully resist) person walks in will the clerk see the invisible person on the monitor. What bout the security guard in the back room who dose not have LOS to the spelled person but is also looking at a monitor displaying the door camera. Edward |
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Feb 4 2006, 06:16 AM
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#4
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
this basically goes back to the question of whether or not you can avoid mana illusions by mounting a small drone on your body and routing its sensor data into your sensorium.
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Feb 4 2006, 07:59 AM
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#5
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ghostrider Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,196 Joined: 16-May 04 Member No.: 6,333 |
Ultrasound: make that mage think twice about walking on by.
This ad brought to you by KillMage Inc. |
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Feb 4 2006, 09:19 AM
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#6
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587 |
With improved invisibility and stealth active the only possible way to detect a mage is astral perception, trip wires and possibly high rating sensors that include EM scanners outside the range of any metahuman, radar being the most common, the sensors still take hefty penalties. The description of ultrasound vision clearly states that a character under the stealth spell is invisible to ultrasound and dose not leave a siluet. At least in SR3 As to the drone thing I would have thought that clear. The drone will detect things for you but if you want to fire at it you have to use the spotter rules because /you/ still can’t see it. Without battel tack FDDM the spotter rules are little better than blind fire. Buy using a combination scope or visual augmentation contact lenses you get the vision system in your field of view from a camera location that matches your eye. There are some other interesting possible results. Not having read the SR4 book yet I don’t know if this works but if your target is improved invisible and you resist the spell while using SL contacts can you get the SL bonus. Do the SL contacts need to be able to detect your target. Of cause now we are getting into stuff that is far to esotericall to bother with if you want a game that flows. Edward |
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Feb 4 2006, 09:29 AM
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#7
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ghostrider Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,196 Joined: 16-May 04 Member No.: 6,333 |
I have players that tend to forget to silence themselves in any way. Thus, I'm a huge fan of ultrasound.
Taken to absurdity, everything in SR# is unbeatable, or beats everything. It's nearly a contest of one-upmanship on the level of Rifts, but not quite so ludicrous. (Most of the time, anyway.) |
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Feb 4 2006, 10:18 AM
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
That's why you mount your gun on your drone-hat and shoot using sensor-enhanced gunnery. |
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Feb 4 2006, 12:15 PM
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#9
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587 |
At witch point there is no point having the drone as a hat and your better of playing a true drone rigger that sits in an armored van outside. Edward |
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Feb 4 2006, 06:02 PM
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#10
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ghostrider Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,196 Joined: 16-May 04 Member No.: 6,333 |
Mmmm.. Drone hats.
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Feb 5 2006, 04:40 AM
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
except all you have to do is splice some AR goggles into the drone's visual-spectrum sensor feed. |
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Feb 5 2006, 05:58 AM
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#12
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587 |
The problem is the POV is not in line. Its off to one side that will stuff up your vision no end. It takes the human brain a lot of effort to line up 2 vision points wen it has dedicated muscles to point them in exactly the right direction (I no this takes a lot of effort because after 36-48 hours awake my brain at least doesn’t do it as well) adding a forced overlay that must line up exactly would be almost imposable without having the camera in the eye and moving with the eye (contact lenses). Otherwise if your hat moves everything umps of centre as well as being offset to the side. This isn’t a problem with AR and RFID because the tags being moved slightly isn’t a problem but then your not normally trying to find something’s exact location soly buy its RFID, you can see it as well. Edward |
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Feb 7 2006, 12:42 AM
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#13
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Old Man Jones Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,415 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New York Member No.: 1,699 |
This is why you have molecular razor wire arrays in various configurations sweep across sensitive hallways and rooms randomly in varying directions.
High powered non-visible-light lasers in random sweep patterns works well too. If you assume at all times an intruder is in the affected area, if and when one actually IS in the area they are likely to have a bad day. :D -karma |
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Feb 7 2006, 12:47 AM
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#14
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
eh, meh. it'd be kid stuff to set up a program to collate visual input from a few different drone sensors scattered around your person and create an artificial perspective that matches your eyes.
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Feb 7 2006, 04:48 AM
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#15
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587 |
Only if the position and direction of the sensors, relative to your eyes, was continually known to within a fraction of a millimetre, and creating it on the fly would be very processor intensive. I’m not saying it can’t be done, just that it’s not cheep. Edward |
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Feb 10 2006, 12:46 AM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 834 Joined: 30-June 03 Member No.: 4,832 |
Ladies and gentlemen of this thread.
Use Radar. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, radar would be it. The long-term benefits of radar have been proved by runners wishing to find stealthy mages. Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. |
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Feb 10 2006, 02:48 AM
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#17
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Running, running, running Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,220 Joined: 18-October 04 From: North Carolina Member No.: 6,769 |
That was a very entertaining song, i think it was cor the graduating class before mine, or maybe 2, i dont remember. but still, entertaining
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Feb 10 2006, 01:21 PM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
Bag of flour.
Or pressure pads. One of these never fails and together its sadistically humorous. :rotfl: There is a long list of things that can be used in a defensive capacity to waylay characters with invisibility and/or stealth. Fastest way to learn them all,rather than me giving a boring list, is confront your PC's with several invisible enemies with the magician down and out of the action. Necessity is the mother of invention. :D |
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