Your munch-fu is superior!, Good adept powers Options

[gknoy]

[Kagetenshi]

Pain resistance may be done better as an edge, though.

~J

[Cochise]

[A Clockwork Lime]

Those animals above have very little trouble doing it. I don't think they have any technology for using it, or that the Improved Sense power specifically doesn't allow you to do it as part of the sense. Some people today, without magic, can even make little clicking sounds and use a form of weak echolocation to help them navigate. I don't see the problem in an adept developing a similar ability that's inaudible to most people.

[Eyeless Blond]

What Cochise is saying is that sure you can have ultrasound hearing, but that doesn't automatically become ultrasound vision unless you also have something that can emit ultrasound and something that can process it. As a house-rule I'd lump those together at .25 PP cost, for a total of .5PP for the whole thing, but it's still not wholly canon.

[A Clockwork Lime]

The FAQ specifically says "yes" to Ultrasound for Improved Sense. While not official, most people around here take it as such.

Likewise, nothing in the Improved Sense power's description forbids an adept from developing whatever "organs" he needs to use an augmented sense. The context is that as long as you can find a similar sense in nature, it's acceptable. Purely technological sensory enhancements (such as a Laser Microphone or Eye Light System) are the only ones that are strictly forbiden.

[Cochise]

[Herald of Verjig...]

Bioluminescent material is common (enough) in nature. It won't be as impressively bright as an eye-light, but should be able to negate total darkness penalties in favor of minimal light and the adept glowing like a deep ocean fish.

[Cochise]

[A Clockwork Lime]

And do I really need to repeat the last sentence of what you quoted?

[A Clockwork Lime]

Also, try reading the power sometime. Especially the following line:

"Unless an improvement involves radio or similar technological phenomena, any sense provided by cyberware can also be provided by this power."

Note that nothing in the power's description says that the adept can't develop a natural augmentation to aid them in the use of such a sensory improvement. Ultrasonic Vision is a sensory augmentation that does not rely on radio or similar technological phenomena. Its only requirement is sound; it doesn't technically even have to originate from the character, nor does it really even have to be inaudible. If you really want to get your panties in a twist, assume the adept's making an audible or just-barely-audible clicking sound when using it.

Nothing about it violates either the intent or the concept of the Improved Sense power. It's a natural sense exhibited in several species in nature, and thus is hardly dependant upon technology... the latter being the only real limitation for the power.

[Cochise]

No ... although you said yourself that it ain't official again, you tried to use the FAQ as argument. That's what I consider somewhat hypocritic from someone who openly denies the legitimacy of FAQ entries

[mfb]

adept powers have no basis in biological functions. adept low-light vision does not involve extra rods and cones, adept hi-freq hearing involves no changes to the structure of the ear, adept ultrasound does not involve any modification to the vocal chords.

how do i know this? because these powers disappear when an adept enters a mana warp. i can see adept powers inducing extensive change in the adepts anatomy as they appear; i can't see those extensive physiological changes suddenly evaporating in the presence of extremely warped magic. why would alien, toxic mana cause a magically active body to revert to its normal state? doesn't it make more sense to say that these senses are fourth-dimensional structures that are cut off from interaction with the magically active body by the alien mana?

[Nikoli]

What about a form of Smart link for adepts? only allows the -2 modifier but won't allow mental control of the weapon.

[mfb]

bleagh.

[Nikoli]

Wow, that's descriptive. Care to elaborate on that?

[A Clockwork Lime]

I'd consider allowing it, but not as an Improved Sense.

Enhanced Aim
Cost: 0.5 (Level 1) or 1.0 (Level 2)

Each level of this power grants a -1 target modifier for any ranged attack test the adept makes. Level 2 provides a -1 modifier when using two firearms simultaneously in lieu of the normal bonus. It is not compatible with any other non-adept targeting bonuses, including a smartlink-2's Called Shot modifier or vision magnification.

This makes it a little different from normal, but not unbalancing so. Keeps the flavor between the two on the same level, especially since an adept has always been free to get a Smartlink-2 without a problem anyway.

This post has been edited by A Clockwork Lime: Apr 29 2004, 11:14 PM

[Drain Brain]

[mfb]

bleeeeeeaaaaagh.

this idea's been argued over many, many times. if you bring it up in your group, it will probably be argued over. it's basically an argument waiting to happen, anytime, anywhere.

[Cochise]

[A Clockwork Lime]

[Shockwave_IIc]

[Eyeless Blond]

All of this debate over whether ultrasound is technological or not is pretty much irrelevant. The real problem here is that the Improved Sense power is just that: an improved sense. Sensory organs are by their very nature passive; eyes don't emit light waves; ears don't emit sound waves; noses don't emit smells, and so on. Both eye-lights and the ultrasound emission part of ultrasound vision are active (motor) functions, and therefore inelligable for the Improved Sense power.

Now stop mucking up my thread with your childish whining! :D I'm looking for good adept archtypes, perferably other than guy-from-John-Woo-movie, Pai Mei, or the Invisible Man. :P

[Kakkaraun]

Ah. So adept powers can alter the effects of gravity, they can make a punch do Deadly damage, they can make you move super-fast, they can let you adhere to walls, and they can /nullify/ sound...but they can't create it.

Yep. That makes sense.

[Lilt]