 Sneaky mage, ultrasound and the stealth spell |
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 Mar 13 2005, 09:33 AM
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#1
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Uncle Fisty  Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928  |
Looking over the stealth spell, it reads ""the subject can move in complete silence, and nothing they do makes noise.Things not being touched by the subject can still make noise."
Where as silence specifically states that it works against technological devices, "and it's useful for jamming alarms, detection devices, sonar, and tactical communications." So according to that, ultrasound is affected by the silence spell. Would stealth have ANY effect against say, ultrasound goggles? a +2 perhaps, sort of like the side effect from traceless walk to stealth tests? Or no effect what so ever? |
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Mar 13 2005, 09:35 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 942 Joined: 13-May 04 Member No.: 6,323 |
I never remember if it's stealth or silence that makes you invisible to ultrasound, but I'd allow both to do it, just to be consistant.
JaronK |
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Mar 13 2005, 09:32 AM
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#3
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
Well, Silence is the Area effect version of Stealth (or Stealth is the personal version of Silence). Stealth just makes it so you appear to make no noise, and thus you won't trip noise sensors and anything that relies on air pressure (I believe this includes "smart walls"). I don't think it modifies Ultrasound in any way (which relies on reflected sound, rather than sound emanating from the character). Silence would stop ultrasound, but it has the added effect of being more noticable to a passing guard. Once an observer is in the "sphere of silence", they'll notice that they can't seem to say anything or hear anything at all.
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Mar 13 2005, 09:45 AM
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#4
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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 pretty much what I was thinking. CAn't seem to find the section on limiting area effect at the moment. Do you subtract force per meter, or is it sorcery dice (to avoid putting said guard into the silenced area)? Also, Silence drain is +1(S). Lists as area effect. Any reson you couldn't simply rework the spell to personal area of effect, becomes D+1(M), still works against Ultrasound, and doesn't catch anyone else? Also on the same tangent, say you have an ultrasound camera setup on say, a sorp facility parking lot. And the mage walks through it with a silence spell area effect, say force 8 (basically complete invisibility, but to sound). What would the screen show in the area of effect? statcic? blank? |
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Mar 13 2005, 10:09 AM
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#5
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
How about a limited version of Silence that only affects ultrasound? That works perfectly well, I think.
Reducing Area effect involves withholding Sorcery dice from the test at a 2 to 1 meter ratio. |
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Mar 13 2005, 04:22 PM
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#6
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
I don't think I follow. How can sound "reflect" off of a character without touching him, and thus being silenced? "Reflecting" sound is just sound that has been absorbed by the denser object, which then vibrates in turn emitting a different sound. This "reflected" sound would never be generated by a Stealthed character, so the whole thing just doesn't work. |
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Mar 13 2005, 04:45 PM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,011 Joined: 15-February 05 From: Montréal, QC, Canada Member No.: 7,087 |
I won't go back to check on the spell but if this is correct :
Sonar and ultrasound detection are pretty much the same thing. It is about emitting sound and seeing on what it bounces. If one is countered, it follows that the other also is. And if Silence really is just the area effect of stealth, this hold true of stealth too.
I agree with that, but that being said, if you use that kind of spell indoor, you probably will get detected easily in an indirect fashion by a user of ultrasound techhnology ; you will leave a "shadow". The sounds absorbed and silenced by the spell won't get to reflect on the wall behind you and thus your presence and relative position will be easy to establish. |
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Mar 13 2005, 06:18 PM
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#8
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,129 Joined: 11-June 03 From: Tir Tairngire Member No.: 4,712 |
It might trigger a mental alert when the user of the ultrasound receives a "no signal" alarm on his scope, then tries it in a different direction and it works just fine.
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Mar 13 2005, 10:04 PM
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#9
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
Stealth just prevents a character from generating sound, rather than being a "1 cm aura" of silence around the character. While some parts of the sound's kinetic energy are absorbed, the reflected sound is the energy that isn't absorbed. US isn't sypathetic vibrations, it's simply echolocation. If reflected sound still works, so ultrasound would still work. I can see the argument of Stealth working against ultrasound if it was the above "1 cm aura of silence", but that's not what is implied by the spell description. |
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