Invisibility and "Sensing" the target? Options

[malichai]

Topic came up today for some reason where someone is reading into the line that you don't get the Blind Fire penalty if you can somehow "sense" the person who's invisible... what this person said was that if they could see shell casings hitting the floor, or see a door swing open, or footprints on the floor, that they don't get the Blind Fire penalty. I thought they were smoking crack, since even if you have Ultrasound vision, you're target modifier is +4, but figured I'd throw it to the board and see what ya'll had to say.

[Luke Hardison]

I would certainly still give the blind fire penalty. If they have some actual indication of where the guy is standing, maybe alter it to +6 or +4 (but that would have to be some serious indication)

[hyzmarca]

Seeing shell casings flying or a door opening would give a chance to hit an invisible character, but wouldn't provide enough information for acurate shooting. The characters don't know if the invisible person's gun ejects left or right, or if the invisible person is entering the room or leaving it.
If they have no idea where the invisible character is, then they wouldn't even be able to blindly fire. For all they know, the invisible character could be behind them. Blind firing should at least require knowing a general direction.

Sensing, I believe, means using senses that aren't at all effected by invisibility, like astral perception, thermosense, or vehicle sensors.

[JaronK]

If you sense the person, then you get the blind fire penalty. If you can't sense them, you can't shoot at all, since you don't know they're there.

JaronK

[Necrotic Monkey]

Right. You can find another example of this in the Termosense Organ entry in Man & Machine. Having a general idea of where a target is but unable to see them still nets you the Blind Fire penalty, and that's all "sensing them" gives you.

[Zazen]

Definitely apply Blind Fire.

You can give a bonus depending on how good the indication is. Shell casings are kinda weak, but footprints are pretty good and might be worth a little TN reduction. That's all part of GM whim, though, and should only be done after first applying Blind Fire.

[Shockwave_IIc]

Knowing there is in fact a target, over not knowing anything, gives you the oppertunaty to use blind fire. without sensing a target what you going to do? walking into every room and hose it down with lead on the off chance?

[Crusher Bob]

Oh, All the time. Sometimes before walking into a room, I'll randomly thorw a grenade in there, to be sure that I won't get any surprises ;)

[Zazen]

If you did that a lot, I'd wait 'till you go inside and have have the structural integrity of the floor surprise you :P

[GrinderTheTroll]

[PBTHHHHT]

At work so no books with me, but this thought occurred to me. So what about suppression fire instead of blind fire? If you 'think' there might be something down the hall and you choose to unload a hail of bullets, or a part of a room for that matter, how does this work in relation to the invisible target?

[Luke Hardison]

[PBTHHHHT]

Gotcha, great solution for the crazy assault rifle toting gunslingers.

Though, I'll probably pass on that option unless it's the last resort.