ruthenium, what's the deal with ruthenium? Options

[toturi]

Shouldn't that be Military Armour with rutherium? Shoot me! My rutherium's invulnerable!

[Bossemanden]

Well the Ruthenium is on the outside of your Mil-spec armour. Therefore it enjoys no protection from the armour. That would be my ruling anyways.

[Stumps]

As should everyones rulling.

Ruth is not armor. Otherwise it would have an armor rating.
Ruth does not work it's concealment of the character while being worn under their garments.

That would make absolutely no sense.
I would be the first customer in line for Ruthenium full-body underwear from Hanes if that were the case!

[toturi]

Ahhh, but it isn't rutherium on the armour. But rutherium Mil spec armour.

[Stumps]

You can take the Ruth off of the armor.

It's just fiberoptic fabric.
We have proto-types of this very technology even today. (all be it not complete)

It's just Ruth over the armor, really.
Even if it's called Ruth armor.
It's still just Ruth over the armor.

Ruth cannot be under anything.
By it's very design, it must be ontop of what it cloaks.

[Cray74]

[toturi]

The rutherium could be interwoven with whatever hardened material that is used to make Mil Spec armour.

Actually, it needn't be interwoven. Since Canon doesn't say how strong rutherium polymers are (apart that they are very durable), you could assume that they are as tough as the material they are covering.

[Cray74]

[Ol' Scratch]

That was then, this is now. The 2060+ model of ruthenium doesn't degrade armor any longer. Technically, it doesn't even degrade with armor if you're using those rules, since the only thing those rules cover are armor ratings (of which ruthenium polymers have none).

[Stumps]

ok, so it's interwoven.
It's still not under it.

[Cray74]

[DarkShade]

I dont really understand the logic with ruthenium.. I mean I can see the image projection etc etc.. but logic says it should be a little LESS good than invisible.. not BETTER than.... think predator suit... +6 or so tops.. how they came up with +12 I dont know... does it means if I CLOSE my eyes in order to be in darkness I can hit the guy better?

<note: in my games its houseruled to just a small +2 to tn to spot you, ever since 2nd ed, but cumulative with camo, but I had no idea it was so hard in canon sr3...& the tech required for a proper suit always seemed way above what sr has..>

DS

[Ol' Scratch]

[DarkShade]

[Botch]

Ruthenium shades?

With ruthenium on both sides.

[DrJest]

I think I agree with Darkshade - logic dictates that the suit cannot be more efficient than total invisibility and probably slightly less so. I'd say +6 is a decent enough level.

[lorthazar]

Actually you are forgetting the minds ability to gloss over what fits in an environment. The reason you can get a higher TN modifier in a stealth suit than total darkness is because when you are in the dark your eyesight is out of the equation. Your ears and nose are trying to be your eyes so you pay attention to them. In broad daylight you might not notice the ruthenium suit if it was a meter away. Why? Simple while your eyes are open they take priority in the processing of stimuli. Everything is distant second.

[toturi]

[Tarantula]

Something I just thought of. Everyone knows the invisible door debate, and can you see through it etc... Heres a similar problem.

There is a troll in a ruthenium suit standing in a doorway completely blocking it, the suit is turned on. A mage walks by, looks at the open door, and sees someone on the other side, but not the troll. Can the mage cast at the new person, or can they not, since the ruthenium digitally processes the image and then colors to look like it. So they're actually doing the equivilant of trying to cast at a person who they can see on a tv.

[Ol' Scratch]

Since it's digital rather than optical, no. The spell will fail automatically, much to the magician's chagrin.

[DarkShade]

you betcha.. the whole idea of completely recording every photon that falls on you then recreating the image electronically from every possible viewing angle & then resending this info on the other side of the suit without any noticeable jitter and more than perfect picture quality sending once again from every possible viewing angle just boggles the mind... oh and with no noticeable processor or power source even!, compensating for movements and even for creases in the suit!
.. it just doesnt rhime with other sr tech levels..

any case, back to the point of the previous few posts, about `hidden in plain sight`being harder to SPOT than NOT VISIBLE AT ALL... good try but no cigar. whether you can hear the target or not is not relevant here, as spotting a DEAD <and thus, rather silent> elf in complete darkness is still by the book easier than spotting a tap dancing ruthenium coated troll.... who is singing My Way..
imho ruthenium needs some revising..or more details..
DS

[Ol' Scratch]

Just as a side note, the power source is a gelpack that only lasts a couple hours or so if memory serves, and the scanners include the processors (hence their hefty pricetag).

[Lantzer]

I've always limited the TN mods for ruthemnium to +8 for detection. It's an advanced form of adaptive camoflage, not a SEP field. And it does nothing for thermo. And you still cast shadows.

There's a limit to how effective it can be - Hiding in a ruthenium smock in a barren hallway is silly. As someone approaches, they'd notice you - one of the advantages of binocular vision.

The funniest thing I've seen is the guy who takes the ruthenium dermal sheathing. "So, you plan on going on all runs stark, hairless, naked with no gear? And as an aside, is it uncomfortable to have sheathing on your dangly bits?"

I agree that the poncho is a good form of ruthenium smock.

[lorthazar]

if he's tap dancing and singing the suit makes little difference as now you know you are looking for someone, duh. But if all you heard was a brief rustle you'd more than likely pass it off as a breeze or animal movement. Whenyou look over the area you'd see nothing out of the ordinary and go back to whatever crossword puzzle you were doing. I mean, really, do you investigate every single noise near you? If you do you must be a nervous wreck by now. As for the dead elf in the middle of the foor in the dark, of course it's easier to find him. The correct term is tripping over him.

[BitBasher]

I just drop this thing to 6 conceal max and get on with life, although even before that it's only really ever been used by NPC's.