Physical Camouflage VS Improved Invisibility |
Physical Camouflage VS Improved Invisibility |
May 17 2013, 07:34 PM
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#1
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Target Group: Members Posts: 36 Joined: 17-March 10 From: Maryland Member No.: 18,312 |
Is the only advantage (the spell) physical camouflage has over (the spell) improved invisibility the difference in drain?
I was under the impression that camouflage had the advantage against people with low perception checks or for mages who had s decent infiltration dice pool, while invisibility had the advantage against people with high perception checks or for mages who couldn't infiltrate to save their life. But, on reading the illusion spells section on pg. 208 of SR4A it looks like physical camouflage allows the same intuition+counterspelling (if any) test to completely ignore as improved invisibility does. |
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May 17 2013, 08:38 PM
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#2
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jacked in Group: Admin Posts: 9,048 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 463 |
Yeah, some spells are simply not useful, or just weak variations of others.
Bye Thanee |
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May 17 2013, 08:45 PM
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#3
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
Just because you can see something doesn't make it less dangerous then if you cannot see it. If camouflage can accomplish your goals with less drain does that make it bad?
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May 17 2013, 09:21 PM
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#4
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Target Group: Members Posts: 36 Joined: 17-March 10 From: Maryland Member No.: 18,312 |
No, it doesn't make it bad, it just wasn't as awesome as I thought it was.
It's for if you want to be able to do it without risk of drain all day long. But, other then the drain, invisibility is better. |
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May 17 2013, 09:22 PM
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#5
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
Just because you can see something doesn't make it less dangerous then if you cannot see it. If camouflage can accomplish your goals with less drain does that make it bad? It does if they effectively do the exact same thing. Been a while since I compared them, though. Will have to look at them. |
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May 17 2013, 09:38 PM
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#6
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
What if a security system routinely compares an ultrasound map against a visual map specifically to detect those invisible thingies. You'll note this is the approach used in high security areas with openly broadcasting PANs so this certainly isn't an unusual security model.. There can quite easily be cases where making sure something is perceived by all the available systems, but is hard to actually know what it specifically is, can be a useful situation.
Spells and their mechanical numbers are all very well to compare, but their relevance is affected by the context they are used in, which is the world the Shadowrunners are in. Which in turn means it is almost entirely up to the Gm and players how to make those spells useful. |
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May 17 2013, 09:47 PM
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#7
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
What if a security system routinely compares an ultrasound map against a visual map specifically to detect those invisible thingies. You'll note this is the approach used in high security areas with openly broadcasting PANs so this certainly isn't an unusual security model.. There can quite easily be cases where making sure something is perceived by all the available systems, but is hard to actually know what it specifically is, can be a useful situation. Spells and their mechanical numbers are all very well to compare, but their relevance is affected by the context they are used in, which is the world the Shadowrunners are in. Which in turn means it is almost entirely up to the Gm and players how to make those spells useful. Very True... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) |
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May 18 2013, 01:13 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 973 Joined: 8-January 10 Member No.: 18,018 |
Physical Camouflage's main selling point is the DP penalty on enemy shooting attacks. A F6 Physical Camouflage with 6 successes negates most mook opposition and still hampers harder targets.
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May 18 2013, 02:37 AM
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#9
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,351 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Behind the shadows of the Resonance Member No.: 17,653 |
Physical Camouflage's main selling point is the DP penalty on enemy shooting attacks. A F6 Physical Camouflage with 6 successes negates most mook opposition and still hampers harder targets. So too will an [Improved] Invisibility spell if it is not totally resisted by an Intuition/Willpower + Counterspelling test. One net hit remaining on the invisibility spell and living attackers still have a -6 DP penalty for shooting at the hidden target.If you're able to even partially negate the hits on a Camouflage spell, your DP penalty is lessened. And I too agree with DireRadiant, about their relevance in the context used. |
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May 18 2013, 03:20 AM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 973 Joined: 8-January 10 Member No.: 18,018 |
There are things that outright bypass Improved Invisibility that don't automatically bypass Physical Camouflage. Ultrasound goggles are cheap, and I've yet to see a PC in one of my games who didn't bring one of those. And there's always Astral Perception.
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May 18 2013, 05:20 AM
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#11
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,351 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Behind the shadows of the Resonance Member No.: 17,653 |
Ultrasound and Astral Perception both would bypass both spells with equal ease.
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May 18 2013, 05:17 PM
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#12
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Neophyte Runner Group: Validating Posts: 2,283 Joined: 12-October 07 Member No.: 13,662 |
Also there's an open argument on how direct area spells work.
A camouflaged target is seen but not recognized. While an invisible one isn't seen at all. Some people rule that direct spells must recognize the target to affect it with the spell. Others take the view that it's an area spell with higher drain, not a multi-cast single target spell... anything in the area is affected if it's a valid target. The rules are grey enough that it's up to GM taste. But yeah... overall camouflage is just a weaker version of invis for most purposes. Though if you're not a high dice pool mage it may be superior. If people can regularly see through your invisibility... it won't do you much good at all as it's all or nothing. |
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May 18 2013, 05:26 PM
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#13
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Target Group: Members Posts: 36 Joined: 17-March 10 From: Maryland Member No.: 18,312 |
But, camouflage is partial or nothing, that is the point. Anything that would overcome invisibility would also overcome camouflage.
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May 18 2013, 09:08 PM
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#14
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Neophyte Runner Group: Validating Posts: 2,283 Joined: 12-October 07 Member No.: 13,662 |
I'm not so certain on that.
For a mana illusion yes. The resistance is all or nothing. However read physical illusions... the resistance is to recognize the illusion as 'real' or not. The next sentence is to be 'fully' affected... being partially affected by a physical illusion even after recognizing it is real is not out of the cards and not addressed. I cast 'trid phantasm' and put up an physical illusion of walls and smoke between me and the other guy... he makes the roll... he recognizes it as an illusion... but is he partially affected by the physical illusion still? |
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May 19 2013, 10:12 AM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 247 Joined: 30-March 13 From: Calgary, AMC Member No.: 85,966 |
I have a feeling I'm going to regret getting into this, but here goes...
Falconer, it depends on the purpose of the spell, IMO. To use your example, the purpose of Trid Phantasm is to deceive a viewer into thinking the illusion is real. If the viewer resists the spell, they aren't deceived, so I would think there aren't any effects from the spell at all. If you wanted to have a spell that obscured their vision whether they believed the illusion was real or not, it would act more like a Manipulation spell, or at least like Silence where the target got a negative modifier based on their resistance roll. |
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